Our Gonzales, CA Healthy Trailer site has been open now for a few months. Things haven’t been perfect, but time has still flown by. Much of what we have learned about how best to help companies keep their trailers clean and sanitary, probably even to a higher degree envisioned by the writers of the FDA’s Sanitary Transportation Rule, has happened as a result of the labor contributions of our workers, David and Juan.
In honor of all workers, past, present and future, we’re going to recognize Labor Day 2021 by
sharing some details about our own two site employees. Some workers get hired to do one or two things, and hopefully do a good job of it. Our workers are told from the beginning that they will be ‘wearing many hats’ in their employment with Healthy Trailer. Juan and David promised us that they understood what we were asking of them. And day in and day out, they show up ready and willing to do whatever this job requires.
Speaking of what we told our crew during their interviews, we tried to be as clear as possible that they were not being hired to perform a function. They were being invited to join our purpose. “We are making the world healthier for all of us!” This may sound sort of lofty to some people. How could a trailer sanitation station be something that significant?
But as drivers arrived to have their trailers cleaned, David and Juan saw with their own eyes (and smelled with their noses!) how dirty trailers actually get during transportation. They also were introduced to one of the more interesting science facts in trailer sanitation--that visibly clean trailers often contain higher numbers of microbial contamination than trailers with residues from previous loads
When David and Juan first interviewed, we let them know that changing the world, making it healthier for all of us, would be challenging. It isn’t the labor intensive pre-cleaning of trailers or hours of machine operation that can be exhausting. It’s the continuous human interaction that is the nuts and bolts of great customer service that can really tire workers out. But these two have risen to the occasion over and over again. They understand that drivers show up tired, pressed for time, ready for a few days off, any number of stress factors that cause them to get impatient or frustrated. But our crew consistently gets high reviews for their kindness, helpfulness and willingness to help the drivers get their trailers ready for fresh produce loads.
So who are Juan and David? Both come from food safety related work experiences. Juan worked as a sanitation technician in a fresh produce processing plant. David worked in another facility as the record keeper, responsible for the documentation of sanitation procedures. They both have also worked in customer service roles, one in a restaurant and the other for a local AMPM convenience and fuel stop. This is clearly seen as they work with our customers.
I told them that I was going to write about them and that I wanted them to share some things about themselves. Here are their responses:
David says…
I love soccer and my favorite team is Cruz Azul.
I collect soccer jerseys.
I love steak and my favorite restaurant is Texas Roadhouse.
I would like to go to the Estadio Azteca in Mexico, which is my favorite soccer team stadium.
I love being a family man.
Juan says…
I love soccer, and I play soccer.
I dislike avocados.
I have three dogs.
I would like to visit France.
I enjoy hanging out with close friends and family.
What I enjoyed about this exchange of information was how much more I learned about each of them. My list about them would look something like this:
Pam says…
They are both kind and considerate.
They are great about asking good questions.
They have willingly accepted and performed responsibility for Healthy Trailer service commitments.
They really like to operate the new Heinzen machine.
David likes pumpkin cold brew, and Juan is like me, he likes the drink just to get the whipped cream!
I think a person’s good noteworthy attributes are most obvious when challenges arise. If you have ever had the experience of creating something new, whether it’s a machine, a service, or like for Healthy Trailer LLC, both of those things, you know that it takes patience, persistence and a huge great measure of belief that what you are doing is going to be awesome. As we have developed, tested, redesigned and now operated a system that showcases awesome technology like our germicidal UV and interwoven it with proven food safety procedures, there have definitely been complicated and frustrating days.
But Juan and David have shown up, every day. No complaints, at least not to me, which shows they are super smart too! I have seen both of them carefully explaining to drivers how the machine works and why we designed it like we did.
We often use the word ‘crew’ instead of team here at Healthy Trailer LLC. I prefer that because our little group very much resembles a rowing crew. A few years ago one of my sons decided to row during college. I thought row teams were a group of people who randomly hopped into a boat and rowed with all their might. But no! Each position in the boat is strategically relevant and key to the success of the team. These people must be strong, coordinated, willing and prepared to work. Members of winning rowing teams depend on each other, they know the plan, and they help each other.
This is the Healthy Trailer crew. I’m proud of them, and would encourage you to stop by and meet them. Ask them about trailer sanitation, log reduction, biofilms, contamination, protocols, and everything else related to keeping trailers clean and sanitary.
If you are part of a trucking company, send a driver in and give them the chance to be treated to wonderful customer service. When we hired David and Juan, we told them that they were personally responsible for making a driver’s day whenever they stopped in for a service. Their goal is to make Healthy Trailer LLC in Gonzales, CA one of the happiest places in the world, next to Disneyland of course!
Have a happy and healthy Labor Day 2021! And we hope you enjoy your ‘laborers’ like we do ours.