Moving Safes and Staying Safe — It's All in a Day's Work

Saskatoon Dispatch Manager Eric Ross is proud of the rigorous safety standards that Two Small Men with Big Hearts has established over the years. It sets them apart both from other moving companies and even from the industry’s own current safety regulations, which do not meet Two Small Men's standards for safe operations. In fact, Two small men went as far as hiring a Safety Officer to create the best-in-industry safety program for movers.

All that said, there are some moves which really test the limits of even the most well-laid safety procedures. Ross found this out the hard way.

“Right when I first started here as a dispatch manager, I was still going on quite a bit of moves and on one there was a CN Rail safe that was probably about 1,200 to 1,500 pounds,” says Ross.  “And originally, the customers winched it down into the basement. We used a piano skid to get this up, as well as six guys. We didn't have a winch, and it just took a lot of heart, soul, and dedication from our team to be able to move this up safely.”

Now five years into his tenure with Two Small Men, Ross has grown along with the company and its standards. Starting off as a driver himself, Ross has witnessed first hand how Two Small Men has improved year after year.

“We've really upped our game,” he says. “And I think our safety standards are higher than a lot of other companies. Just from what I've seen. From what I know, even when it comes to speeding, our drivers have a low average as well.”

These days, Ross has traded in the driving for dispatching duty where he deals primarily with customer interactions as well as the drivers themselves. 

“What I usually ask is their pickup location, their drop-off location, as well as their item list. Now, a lot of the time, depending on items, I'll try to get dimensions or weights. I'll get pictures of access points so we can make sure that we move items safely and without damage. I also do payroll. I work with logistics, just trying to set up a day-to-day process of long hauls and an itinerary for the guys. As well, I'll scope out fuel stations for the guys. I'll try to keep them in a timely manner. And then scheduling, of course.”

It's a lot of plates to keep spinning but such is the life of a dispatch manager at one of the country's most frequently booked moving companies. And his work with the drivers is something he truly relishes.

“The interactions with the guys is my favourite part of the job,” he says. “The guys really put their heart and soul into this job, and you can really tell when speaking with them. And you know what? I get to hear the stories about when they have a good customer or when they brag that a customer got them pizza or something like that.”

One of the more unique dispatches Ross was involved with happened in association with Two Small Men's community outreach work. Regularly donating moving trucks and crews to worthy causes across the country, Two Small Men has also made it a habit of moving specialized equipment over long distances, as when Ross had to dispatch a single driver to drive a truck full of firefighting equipment from Winnipeg to Nanaimo. 

It's all in support of Firefighters Without Borders, an initiative that plays a critical role in providing essential firefighting equipment to countries in need. Each year, Two Small Men dedicates a 5-ton moving truck that is loaded with gear in Winnipeg before making the 2,300 km journey to Vancouver. From there, the equipment is shipped internationally to countries like Ukraine, Philippines, Haiti, and Chile. This operation, including a round trip that takes approximately 53 hours, is entirely supported by Two small Men, with all fuel charges and time donated. Because the move itself took so long, it was necessary for the driver's safety that he take a break after driving for so many consecutive hours.

“I think we ended up having to set him up for a day and a half in a hotel,” says Ross.”

Because even when giving back, Two Small Men puts the safety of their workers first. 

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