PTED Blog

I’ve talked to a few different shops recently, and there’s even been a blog post at pten.com, that all point to a coming uptick in business. Shop owners are optimistic that the next few months will be a boon to business as car owners start scheduling repairs they’ve put off with an influx of “gov’t” money in the form of tax returns and the Bush-approved stimulus checks.

I’m not telling you how to run your business, but it seems to me that if shops are expecting more business to start coming in shortly, now would be the wrong time to think about taking some time off.

Am I wrong?

- Brendan

I’ve observed that the majority of mobile dealers must do a lot of customer contacts while on the road, and that means a lot of talking while driving. I also recently read that some states, like N.Y. and N.J. (see below) are upping their fines for not using hands-free devices while talking and driving.

I’m not taking any stance on the whole talking and driving issue. But, how much of your day is spent on the phone? And how much of that is while driving between stops? Do you use a hands-free device? What comments do you have about the whole talking-while-driving debate, especially considering your business is dependent on both?

From the news article:

“New Jersey drivers will have to be more careful while driving and using their cell phones this weekend because starting March 1 they could be fined $250 for violating the state’s hands-free law — the most expensive hands-free fine in the nation.”

“The state of New Jersey originally adopted hands-free legislation as a secondary offense in July 2004, making the use of cellular phones while driving punishable by fines ranging from $100-$250, but drivers could only be ticketed in conjunction with another traffic violation.”