Articles by the Angelina Group

The Dawn Trucking Project

by Jim Aylward

Started in 1973, Dawn Trucking Corporation has been helping oil and gas companies in the disassembling, relocating and reassembly of their oilfield equipment while also servicing their fluid transportation needs. Over the years the company has grown from one truck in 1973 to become the largest oilfield trucking and related equipment company in the Rocky Mountain region.

In 2006 Dawn became part of the Dalbo Holdings group of companies which expanded its equipment capabilities and geographic coverage within the region. Their main area of operation is in the northwest region of New Mexico and the southwest region of Colorado. Dawn Trucking's main terminal is located in Farmington NM with terminals in Lindrith NM, Ignacio, Dove Creek and Grand Junction, Colorado.

The positive results enjoyed by the "Improving DOT safety metrics" project gave the management team the confidence to tackle other safety-related projects

Project Overview

As part of COPC SJB's effort to dramatically improve its safety management practices and that of its key third party vendors, The Angelina Group was retained by Dawn Trucking on a co-pay basis with COPC in the fall of 2007. The first phase of the project covered the period Oct - Dec 2007. Its primary focus was to assess the companies' current safety practices, identify areas that required improvement and bring about a consistent execution of the JSA process.

The second phase of the project began in April of 2008 after Dawn had undergone a restructuring of its management team in the areas of safety, HR and DOT compliance. Angelina entered this phase with a re-vamped coaching team that was met with enthusiasm by the new managers.

Areas of concern were identified and improvement projects were prioritized with a view to achieving early successes to create momentum for the change process. For example, one project selected was to improve the company's standing with the Department of Transportation (DOT). With a concerted effort, the number of DOT Vehicle inspections for the last 8 months of 2008 was 49% greater than the comparable period in 2007. The positive results enjoyed by the "Improving DOT safety metrics" project gave the management team the confidence to tackle other safety-related projects such as Stop the Job drills, proactive risk assessments and formal field safety audits in the Water Haul unit. An understanding within the team on how to design and implement programs that engender engagement was being created.

For 2009, the major goals for Dawn Trucking operation were to significantly improve the Safety Metrics of TRIR and DOT's Safe Stat to achieve a 50% step change reduction in TRIR, and attain "Green Light" status with DOT by July 2009. Important to these victories would be achieving the next level of ongoing success working with management to institutionalize a true safety-based culture.

Other Recent Articles

Articles by the Angelina Group

The Dawn Trucking Project

by Jim Aylward

Project Overview