The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools Quotes

“Safety should be your first priority. If you have a minor fender bender, state law requires you to move your vehicles to the shoulder and out of the way of traffic. This will prevent further damage to the rental vehicle and help you avoid being hit or killed by another car. If anyone has been injured, call 911 and report it immediately. Avoid moving anyone unless you absolutely must do so.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Craig Says…” Never count on the agents at the rental office to inspect the vans you rent! They are paid an hourly wage and want to rush you out quick.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Understand that coaches can and will break down. No matter how new the coach may be, it can be subject to mechanical failure. They are made by, worked on, and driven by humans. Therefore, they can breakdown at any time or place irrespective of the age of the coach or money invested.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Craig Says…” Did you know that if you drop off rental vehicles after office hours, you are responsible for any damages that may occur until the next business day?”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Understand that the size of the coach makes little difference in the total investment. Coaches of all sizes cost the carrier about the same to insure across the board. In addition, the size of your group does not reduce the required investment dramatically. Most coaches that can transport less than 36 passengers will not be allowed to travel more than 150 miles from the carrier’s home base. These coaches will not have restrooms, ample luggage space, or the level of comfort needed.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“5.5 Specific Signs You Should Avoid A Van Rental Supplier! Here are 5.5 specific sign that you should avoid a van rental supplier: 1. Automated answering services: If you cannot get access to a human on the phone when you call to make a van reservation, where are they going to be when you have a mechanical breakdown? If the company cannot afford to provide a live person to receive your call, how will they afford to take care of your group when you have broken down on the side of the road or have been in an accident! 2. Rude or incompetent rental agents: If the rental company’s agents do not answer the phone cheerfully and sound like they are less than ecstatic to hear from you, they have set a negative tone for the entire van rental experience. If they place you on hold until you grow old, or refuse to acknowledge you immediately when you walk through the door of their office, get out of there! 3. Charging for mileage: Any van rental firm worth doing business with will offer you unlimited miles going anywhere in the USA. Anything else does not allow you the peace of mind needed when you are required to maximize your budget and do not need any unaccounted variables. 4. Encouraging drop-offs after business hours: This practice gives the rental company an unwritten power of attorney to charge you for any damages they find until the next business day! This leaves you or your organization wide open to paying for damages you did not cause or create! 5. Yield management systems: When a van rental firm employs this system, it skyrockets the van rental rates through the roof as demand gets tight and supply gets low. This system has been designed to squeeze every last dollar out of the client’s pocket and takes serious advantage of those groups that are forced to reserve later due to budget constraints or lack of commitments! 5.5 Accidents handled by a third party vendor: If you have an accident in a van, and the rental firm outsources this function to an outside agency, you will lose all power of negotiation and pay much more on the damage claim because the rental firm has to give that agency a substantial percentage. In addition, the agency employees have nothing to lose by treating you horribly.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Automated answering services: If you cannot get access to a human on the phone when you call to make a van reservation, where are they going to be when you have a mechanical breakdown? If the company cannot afford to provide a live person to receive your call, how will they afford to take care of your group when you have broken down on the side of the road or have been in an accident!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Bonus Tip! Never change the itinerary on a coach just prior to the date of pickup or during the trip unless you want to receive an unwanted shocking invoice at the conclusion for additional miles, days, or hours. Create a finalized, detailed itinerary for the driver and stick with it completely!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Failing to get a certificate of insurance. You should never step one foot in a limo unless you have a physical insurance certificate from the carrier in advance. This step should be one of common sense, but most groups ignore it. If possible, you should pick up the phone and verify that the certificate is valid and actually exists. There are many carriers that will attempt to operate without the proper insurance to reduce operating costs.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Never rent a limo without obtaining a valid and current certificate of liability insurance prior to pick up. If you fail in this endeavor, you are placing the lives of your group in danger. If they cannot produce proof of insurance, do not even think about it no matter how low the investment was!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“LDW or Loss Damage Waiver. While this is not actually insurance, it represents an additional investment per day that you agree to make which relieves you of all responsibility for damages to the rental vehicle you are driving. It does not cover any other vehicles or damaged property. This option should be utilized when you have no insurance or when you do not wish to risk having a claim filed against your own policy. You have peace of mind here because you do not have to worry about your insurance rates increasing or your policy being wiped out from a claim.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Never allow your group to change clothes on the coach. The coach does not have the width down the middle aisle or ample room for a group to change clothes without causing damage to the interior. The armrests get broken because members of your group will sit on them. You will receive an unwanted invoice to replace those armrests after the trip concludes that will drain your budget!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“The sewage tanks in the coach can only take so much waste. Yu should plan periodic stops into your itinerary so that your group may relieve themselves and the toilet will not get stopped up! In addition, never drink water from the sink in the restroom as the water has been recycled through the tanks and you could get sick!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Coaches typically have three luggage bays underneath, and the more passengers you have traveling the tighter it will be. You should limit the bags per person to exactly what each person needs and no more. You will have overhead bins in the coach for carry-on bags, but that will also be limited. How many pairs of shoes can ladies bring with them? HA!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“People Say…” Craig, I just want to say “thank you” for the care and attention you give to our churches. No one can doubt your eagerness to service your clients nor your attention to detail in meeting their needs. That, along with your love for Christ and commitment to him, makes you our choice when it comes to proving first class travel service for the members of our purchasing group. Thanks, John Griffin, Shared Church Services.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Bonus Tip: Get the office hours when you reserve the vans so that you do not show up after they are closed and miss either picking them up or turning them in. Avoid the embarrassment please!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Never put up your personal insurance card on an organizational van rental unless you personally wish to pay for all the damages that occur. Both the rental firm and your organization may leave you holding the bag for the entire vehicle value plus downtime caused by damages.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Craig Says…” Do you have the proper insurance for renting vans? It’s called liability for non-owned and hired vehicles with a clause for physical damage?”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Failure to provide proper and adequate lodging for the driver. When you reserve lodging for a coach driver, never take the cheapest way out based on the daily room fee. Do your homework and confirm that the place you have chosen will be clean, safe, and have adequate coach parking. If the carrier decides that you have lodged their driver in a substandard hotel that does not meet their criteria, they may set up new lodging and invoice you for the difference. Find out well in advance what the carrier defines as acceptable lodging and do not deviate from that information.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“5.5. Motor coach quotes will be based on days, times, miles, and hours. You will need at minimum a mock itinerary to get the quoting process kicked off. Bring all the details to the table and leave nothing out. Research the miles involved and do your homework regarding your proposed trip before making your first call! Calling without having all the details will greatly delay the whole procedure. The supplier cannot guess what you will be doing. You must tell them!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Any vehicle with a driver will be quoted based on days, time, miles, and hours. You will waste your time, effort and energy in shopping for quotes if you do not provide the supplier with all of the pieces to the puzzle. You need the who, what, when, where, why, and how much to have access to timely, accurate quotes!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“You should never attempt to get more passengers into a vehicle than the manufacturer capacity will allow.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Craig Says…”The best formula for figuring out a driver gratuity when hiring a coach on two one way transfers would be $1-2 per person in each direction.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Inspect the van as if you owned it at pickup to avoid being charged for damages that you did not cause. Thoroughly scan the roof, the front windshield, and the entire van. Check underneath the rear of the van for the spare tire and jack. The rental agents are trained to find incoming damage and will not be aggressive in helping you mark damage when you pick up the van.”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Understand exactly what you are getting when you hire a coach. You have made an investment to rent that coach and driver based on a specific itinerary. You do not assume ownership of the coaches or driver in any form or fashion. The carrier has agreed to transport your group safely and to make your experience as pleasant and comfortable as possible. Cooperate with the carrier!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Craig Says…”Did you know that if you drop off rental vehicles after office hours, you are responsible for any damages that may occur until the next business day?”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Never sacrifice the safety and comfort of your group just to meet your budget. Do your homework and research your chosen carrier thoroughly. Obtain a certificate of insurance listing your organization as additional insured and displaying a minimum of five million dollars in liability. Understand and factor in that one driver can drive ten hours or six hundred miles, whichever comes first. That driver must then have eight hours of sleep before being available again to drive! Don’t push the limit too hard!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“People Say…”Craig, Hey just wanted to drop you a quick note to tell you that both of our trips have gone great so far and thanks to your help transportation has been a breeze thanks for helping make me successful with our trips. I appreciate what you do more then you know. Our Mexico Mission trip was one of the best yet and the van was so good and comfortable. Just wanted to thank you…You’re the best! Bobby Morford”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“5.5 Never sacrifice the safety and comfort of your group just to meet your budget. Do your homework and research your chosen carrier thoroughly. Obtain a certificate of insurance listing your organization as additional insured and displaying a minimum of five million dollars in liability. Understand and factor in that one driver can drive ten hours or six hundred miles, whichever comes first. That driver must then have eight hours of sleep before being available again to drive! Don’t push the limit too hard!  ”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn

“Determine in advance that the lodging your group will be staying in will have parking for motor coaches. A parking space for one coach will equal spaces for five cars. If you fail to ask the hotel about coach parking, or if you arrive at the hotel and they refer you to a parking lot, you could be required to pay as much as $60 per space or $300 per day or night! That will drain you quickly!”
― Craig Speck, The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide For Churches and Schools: How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn