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Safety Is High Priority in Selecting a Tour Bus Company

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Whenever travel on the highways is involved safety should be a top priority. That is no less so when selecting a bus company for your tour. Several elements are involved in the issue of safety when bus tour companies are concerned. They are: The condition of the bus itself The driver The length of time a tour bus company has been in business and that company’s safety record A bus tour company’s understanding of laws and regulations A company’s involvement in such organizations as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Its compliance to U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Defence regulations

The Bus

One issue that is up front for you to actually see is the tour bus itself.
The age of the fleet of buses used by a tour bus company should be considered. It should be obvious that the latest models of buses should be in the fleet. The latest, the better. Many companies like USA Bus Charter says that they replace their buses after 10 years of service. They also point out that there are bus companies that own buses that are as old as 25 years. In short, you don’t want the transportation you will be using to be too old. Inquire with the bus tour company about the age of their fleet.

If at all possible, go to the tour bus company and inspect their buses. Check the interior, the exterior and underneath. Look at the tires including the tread depth and examine the seat covers, dents, bumps, scratches and cleanliness. If all of that is not up to your standards, then it is possible that the company is not concerned with safety and appearance as a top priority.

If things look good after a visual inspection, don’t be afraid to ask questions concerning things you don’t see.

And that would be how often the buses are analyzed by the company’s mechanics. It is not uncommon for well managed tour bus companies to have their mechanics inspect things every time a bus returns to the garage.

The Driver

The driver of a tour bus, not the president of the tour bus company, is probably the most important employee.

When push comes to shove, it is the skills of the driver that assures that the bus gets to its destination on time and that the trip is safe.

Of course, you would expect that the driver has experience. Industry standards call for the driver to have at least three years experience. Some companies are stricter than that and call for them to have a little more.

This could be as much as five years or more. Of course, the more experience they have, the more skilled they are in driving the bus. But they are also knowledgeable of the routes they are expected to drive and would be well seasoned to be able to find alternative routes should the need arise.

An important element in assuring that you get to the destination on time.

You will want the driver to be emotionally balanced. It’s been said that there are three types of drivers (not necessarily bus drivers): the passive, the aggressive and the hostile. Of course, you want a driver who is passive. You would expect him to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, not speed, slows down when it is raining, drive with caution at night, etc.

You also want the driver to be alert when he is driving and drug free. To assure that drugs are not an issue there are laws the require companies test prospective drivers during the hiring process and then to administer random drug tests.

You want the driver’s schedule to be such that it doesn’t change his sleep patterns.
Commonly, drivers are expected to drive 10 hours. A driver who has a schedule of sleeping at night should stick to that. He should not be expected to drive all night. It is better to be safe and permit the driver to either share the duties with some one who could drive at night or allow him to pull the coach into a motel where he and the passengers can get a good night’s sleep before proceeding on a gruelling trip of let’s say 1,000 miles without rest.

Making certain that the passengers of the bus – that means you — stays on their best behaviour is another perhaps overlooked responsibility of the driver. How you act can be a safety issue. It is not a bad thing for the driver to pleasantly remind passengers of such etiquette as remaining seated when the bus is in motion, move to the restroom by holding on to overhead racks,
handrails or headrests to assure good footing, never stand up before the bus has come to a stop, and activity that could prove to be distracting to the driver be minimized if not totally avoided.

A Company’s Record

The longer a company has been in business the better chance that it will be well managed and have a good safety record. The companies that don’t have a good safety record won’t be in business for any length of time.

One entity that assists you in the research of a company’s record is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov).

The organization’s website includes a safety and security page that provides you with all sorts of information including a safety database, a snapshot or profile of particular companies and safety initiatives.

Moreover, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Department of Defence have regulations that tour bus companies are expected to follow. For example, the Department of Transportation requires tour bus companies to assure that their drivers are fully qualified. Companies that comply urge that their drivers have a current commercial driver’s license with a passenger endorsement, undergo a thorough physical and hold a valid medical certificate.

You can find out more by visiting the U.S. Department of Transportation website at http://www.ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/Passenger/home.asp.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is involved in regulating motor coach safety because these companies are often used by military personnel and the DOD wants to make certain that their troops are safe. The DOD monitors the bus industry through the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC). This part of the DOD implements and maintains a “pre-qualification” process.

The DOD will not allow any bus company to transport military personnel until its buses have been inspected by the MTMC. The MTMC also analyze a carrier’s performance, reliability and responsiveness. The MTMC has a rating system using a scale of 1 to 5.The best rating is 1 and the worst is 5. Companies rated from 1 to 3 are approved to transport military personnel. More on the MTMC can be found at their website.

Finally, nothing is perfect. Things go wrong. The best companies, however, provide a mechanism to make the wrong right. To assure that such a remedy can take place, you should find out who to contact in the company when something does go wrong. Some companies equip their drivers with cell phones that permit them to call the company to help solve a problem that the driver can’t. Later, if you have a complaint or a comment you can call the designated employee who you can alert to a problem and who work with you to solve it.

The mission of a tour bus company is to provide you with a service that will make your tour as pleasant as possible.

Motorcycle Incident Attorneys – Receiving Assist With Your Insurance Claims

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Though a great deal of insurance policies firms are up to date when it comes to paying motorcycle automobile accident insurance claims, there are also quite a few insurance policies companies which have been producing it complicated for claimants to acquire to their money. When you happen to be one of those persons who are having complications getting your insurance policy claims, you may wish to hire one of those motorcycle car accident attorneys and speed up the process. Motorcycle car accident attorneys know the legalities involved in such a situation so it is going to be easier for them to uncover methods to get the insurance policies company to pay up. The best way for you to find the correct motorcycle incident attorneys as part of your locality would be to ask for referrals from your good friends, colleagues and family members. Make certain that you ask info from your friends, relatives and colleagues regarding the reputation and doing work standards of the motorcycle accident attorneys which can be suggested to you so which you will have some basis for comparison when selecting the appropriate lawyer to represent you.

When searching for the right motorcycle crash attorneys, it really is advisable to meet them personally and talk to them prior to you hire them to represent you. Usually bear in mind that you choose to is going to be working closely with the motorcycle crash attorneys so it is vital that you choose to like your lawyer and that you simply trust him or her. In case you usually do not really feel comfortable using the attorney that you met and interviewed, it would be greatest to skip that one and uncover another attorney that you just really feel comfortable with. There’s no point of torturing yourself by working with a person whom you don’t like within the very first place so be sure that you just tend not to make the mistake of hiring somebody who is disagreeable.

One more issue that you choose to should remember when hiring motorcycle accident attorneys is that you simply must only hire someone who is genuinely interested inside your circumstance. How do you determine when the lawyer is genuinely interested with your situation? For one thing, if the lawyer gives you his or her full attention, ask questions and take notes when discussing your situation, then you are able to say that that individual is indeed fascinated. On the other hand, if the lawyer simply asked for your statements and other documents which you may well have and then tell you that he or she will get back to you as soon as he or she can, then beware, that attorney may perhaps be as well busy or too preoccupied to be truly interested within your situation.

Migrating From Exchange Server 2010 to Office 365

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Age of the Hardware Platform

The most important consideration on when to migrate to Office 365 depends on the age and capacity of the hardware platform on which your email system is operating. If your organization moved to Exchange Server 2010 early, your server hardware is now 5 or 6 years old. This suggests a planned and orderly migration to Office 365 should occur over the next 6 months.

However Exchange Server was still being actively deployed as late as 2014 (especially as part of SBS 2011), so your hardware platform may only be two or three years old. This means it is still covered by the original manufacturer warranty and is still recorded in your financials as an asset. In most cases then, it is probably best to defer your migration to Office 365 until at least 2016.

Expected Growth of Staff Numbers

The above hardware based decision process assumes a reasonably static number of users within your organization. If that is not the case and you are expecting to increase staffing numbers by 10% or more over the coming 12 months, then a move to Office 365 before those numbers increase is recommended. There is no point in spending more money on either hardware capacity nor on CALs (client access licenses).

Do You Have Small Business Server 2011?

If you are running Small Business Server 2011 (SBS 2011), you might actually be able to maximize the return on your capital investment by continuing to run SBS 2011 into 2016. This assumes of course that you are running a Tier 1 brand server (for example HP) that is still covered by the manufacturer’s extended warranty and that you also have a Microsoft certified IT support expert monitoring and tuning your system on a regular basis.

Consider Your Office 365 Migration Options

Migrating from Exchange Server 2010 to Office 365 is the right decision for almost every sized business – especially those with less than 200 email users. The real decision is when and how to migrate. As mentioned above, the “when” depends largely on the age and capacity of your hardware as well as the expected growth of your business over the next 12 months. The “how” involves careful consideration on whether it is worth using internal staff to learn and perform a one-off complex project. It may well be that the best way to assure your organization of a successful Office 365 migration is to use the services of a Microsoft Silver Partner that has Office 365 certifications and real-world experience in performing Office 365 migrations.

Advantages Of Opting For A Car Hire

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Transportation – this is one of the most essential needs of individuals these days, to be able to go to their work easily or to schools or malls safely. Surely, transportation has also been a huge game-changer in the lives of individuals, giving them better opportunities of enjoying better benefit for their lifestyle. So, to experience a wonderful trip anywhere you wish to go, purchasing a car can be the ideal option.

However, almost all individuals know that purchasing a car is a huge investment and taking into consideration some other factors such as amenities and commodities, all of these should be addressed to determine whether buying a car is worth it. So, in case that you do not have enough finances to buy a new or used car, there is still one good and efficient option – Car hire.

Car hire services can surely provide you with amazing features for your trips. Individuals can also experience other benefits from opting for this solution.

Improve transportation ventures for businesses – In case that you are just starting your own business, opting for a car hire can be essential. This can help businesses have a good vehicle that can reflect their company. Moreover, business trips would be a lot easier since owners can choose large vehicles for their employees.

Provide better options for family travel – Car hire services can also help families have better trips since individuals can find the most suitable vehicle for their family. With this option, individuals can also make sure that their travels can become more exciting.

Help you find the ideal car for your trip – May it be long trips to a tropical paradise or even an adventurous trip to the mountains, individuals can easily find the ideal car they need in any terrain by opting for a car hire. As of today, reliable car hire providers present different types of vehicles according to your needs.

Make your travel more comfortable – Since you have the opportunity to find the best car for your trip, individuals are rest assured that they can choose the car that can provide them with comfort during their travel. With this, individuals can enjoy viewing wonderful sceneries that can make their trips more memorable.

Improved safety on the road – Individuals are also sure that the vehicles they will hire are properly maintained. In addition, reliable car hire providers also feature car insurance to make your travel more efficient and safer.

With these advantages, travelling can become more exciting and fun for everyone, giving them more chances of making their trips better and safer.