We're Here and Just As Strong and Committed

As of April 7th at 5 pm, SPAN Enterprises adhered to the Governor’s order and worked from home. All nonessential businesses cooperated. This included entertainment facilities such as movie theatres/bowling alleys, close-contact service providers like nail salons/barber shops, recreational spots like gyms, and designated retailers. South Carolinians were instructed to self-quarantine “...unless visiting family, exercising or obtaining essential goods and services.” 

We were fortunate to not only have the means to continue working remotely but also to have the people who were able to pivot that quickly under new circumstances. 

As of May 4th, this order was lifted, and a few SPAN employees began working from the office a month later. 

Returning to the Office

There’s something to be said about being patient when able. In business and life, some decisions have to be made in real-time. Hesitation can equate to a loss. But when the order was lifted, there was no need to rush to get everyone back into one centralized location.

Regardless of where we worked from, our focus remained fixed on the same point that it had been on before we left: the client. With that in mind, our decision on how to reopen the office would revolve around our values and goals.  

Would we all prefer to work from an office? Sure. So much of communication is nonverbal. Despite it, we developed a rhythm working remotely based solely out of necessity. 

When the pandemic first hit South Carolina, we didn’t need the perfect solution; we needed a fast, efficient one. The speed at which we accomplished this speaks to the professionalism of our staff and to the clarity of the guidance we were given. 

Our clients would and should demand this from us. We expected ourselves to meet their needs despite the circumstances. Truckers, who we are proud to call our clients, were essential personnel (and with good reason). We needed to support them because they were supporting us.

Communications were sent through proper, designated channels. Meetings and even job interviews were being completed through Zoom calls. Tasks were assigned, deadlines were met. We had office-wide meetings just so everyone could get some interaction with everyone else. 

Because our business was not at a halt, we were able to figure out how many people would come in and work from the office, what the new policies would be, and how’d we’d continue being cautious in the wake of a pandemic. 

Because the risk did outweigh the reward, we took our time to figure out the best plan of action. The need to come back was not as urgent as the need to leave. Cleaning services were vetted, guidelines were outlined, and disseminated. If the rest of the country was reopening in phases, slowly, we would be wise to do the same. There was time to have a calculated plan of action.

Life in a New Phase

Like the rest of the country, we are returning to work slowly. Less than 30% of our staff is physically located in the office now. And that’s ok. What we are living though—have lived through—is unprecedented. Not only did our country manufacture an economic shutdown, but we don’t possess a playbook to tell us how to beat this virus. We are testing the margins right now. 

We neither want the cure to be worse than the disease nor do we want to spark another outbreak. 

Our values keep us anchored. We are committed to keeping ourselves safe, our coworkers safe, and we want to be able to execute our transitions with zero interference to the client. 

Stronger Together

We are entering Phase II of the reopening stronger than we were before the shutdown. You have to expect that adversity and challenges are coming. Because they are unknowns, you prepare the best you can. 

Though we had to close the office, we discovered that our drive and commitment enabled us to serve our clients despite being forced to operate under a set of circumstances that we never expected. 

There is no such thing as failure; either you succeed or learn. Our time in quarantine gave us a new set of skills, a renewed sense of appreciation for being able to work from our office, and confirmed our dedication to the client. 

Form 2290

Just a reminder to our valued customers: The 2020-2021 Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT) Form 2290 filing deadline is August 31, 2020.

Need help? Try ExpressTruckTax today and please call with any questions.