LCT Blog

JIM LUFF: Vacation Time

LCT Magazine — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:51:30 PDT

CRITIQUES AND OBSERVATIONS AS A TRAVELER: I have made it an annual habit of musing about my experiences when the table is turned and I become the traveler in the backseat instead of delivering service to travelers.

Ideal Apps For Business Travel

LCT Magazine — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:53:03 PDT

TIM CROWLEY: Business travel apps are springing up in every aspect of the industry, from car parking to reserving seats on planes, so where will chauffeured transportation fit in?

JIM LUFF: The Buck Stops Here!

LCT Magazine — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:01:56 PDT

STAYING SUITED FOR THE JOB: I had to handle an unexpected all-day chauffeured bus run to Los Angeles.

Exclusive Sedan Service Exceeds Expectations

LCT Magazine — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:29:16 PDT

TIM CROWLEY: For my first limo operator visit I headed up to North Hollywood, Calif., to see Ron Stein’s Exclusive Sedan Service

Uber’s Growing Pains in Los Angeles

LCT Magazine — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:00:45 PDT

TIM CROWLEY: A report of an upset Uber driver being escorted from the company's Los Angeles headquarters underscores the importance of owner/chauffeur relationships.

A Warning And A Plea From The Limo Road

LCT Magazine — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:41:49 PDT

MARTIN ROMJUE: In the aftermath of the big limo fire, don't make matters worse by running shabby vehicles. I didn't like what I saw on a Los Angeles freeway Saturday morning.

JIM LUFF: The Big Fire Has Everyone Talking

LCT Magazine — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:25:34 PDT

TALE OF AN OLD LIMO: We maintain a privately owned limousine in our fleet that is a 1997 model. That limo is in mint condition with 250,000 miles on it and I’d take it across the Mojave Desert tomorrow feeling safe.

Five Things To Know When Renting Limos

LCT Magazine — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:57:50 PDT

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT: The Associated Press took a page right out of the limo books with its suggestions on renting stretch limousines and limo buses during peak prom and wedding season. These 5 tips were published in The Washington Post's Business section. What's really interesting here is the first tip: Don't Let Price Be Your Only Consideration. That has been a constant message from many limousine operators and from LCT Magazine related to customer service and marketing: You sell value and quality, not a price. You get what you pay for, and what you pay for in a quality limousine operation is well worth the price. Related posts: 4 Cs Of Better Pricing. Bill Atkins Pricing Tips. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor

Media Is Your Tool, Not Your Enemy In Limo Tragedy

LCT Magazine — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:57:01 PDT

MARTIN ROMJUE: How to handle the media avalanche hitting limousine companies nationwide.

JIM LUFF: D.O.T. Audit Drives Me To Drink

LCT Magazine — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:21:24 PDT

AUDIT SAGA PART 4: "The inspector came to my office and asked, 'Would you like to discuss your audit or shall we just mail you the results?' Of course I wanted to discuss them right now. I asked him if I was going to get a citation. He replied, 'Why would you ask me that?'"

LCT Driving Tip

LCT Magazine — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:14:20 PDT

FROM THE ROUGH ROAD: Beginning today, I will share some driving tips with you periodically to help you safely perform your job as a professional chauffeur, or instruct your chauffeurs on how to do so. As most of you know, my car was recently totaled by a driver who was texting and plowed into me at 50-60 mph while I was stopped.

Tip #1 - Make sure you concern yourself with what is going on behind you was well as in front of you. Avoid allowing drivers to tailgate you. If they insist, change lanes or pull to the right and let them pass. In the event of a sudden stop, they will hit you and unrestrained passengers in your vehicle could get tossed. Always allow enough space between you and the car in front of you so that if you are hit from behind, you will not hit the car in front of you and may actually be able to shoot out to the left or right of the car in front of you if you see a driver is about to rear-end you. -- Jim Luff, LCT

Overcoming Business Obstacles

LCT Magazine — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:55:24 PDT

MARTIN ROMJUE: Uber points to a much bigger challenge for the chauffeured transportation industry, and other business sectors, which extends well beyond technological change.

Disruption or Revolution?

LCT Magazine — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

DENIS WILSON: As LCT reported, last week the New York City TLC was given the green light to move forward with its pilot e-hailing program. Of course, the true winners are the developers of mobile apps such as Uber. Yet, even if Uber disappeared off the face of the earth tomorrow, someone else would step in. The industry is ripe for it.

JIM LUFF: DOT Audit Gets Down N' Dirty

LCT Magazine — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:00:00 PDT

AUDIT SAGA PART 3: "Shortly after 1 p.m. the, the examiner left for a few hours to participate in a teleconference. By 3 p.m., he was back. I had hoped the conference call would be intense and take the rest of the day. No such luck."

L.A. Family Company Puts Premium On Precision

LCT Magazine — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:43:13 PDT

MARTIN ROMJUE: I stopped in at Monalisa Limousine on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles last Friday. The owners attended their first International LCT Show in February, but these operators clearly are not novices.