Happy Anniversary Lee Liebgott!

 

 

Happy Anniversary to Lee Liebgott as April 1 marks his 2 year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Lee is a graduate of Central Michigan University and currently serves as the Logistics Coordinator on The Home Depot Account in Monroe, OH.  Congratulations on the anniversary Lee!

Happy Anniversary Adam Kleeh

 

 

Happy Anniversary to Adam Kleeh as April 1 marks his 13 year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Adam has served a variety of roles during his tenure with JB Hunt including Account Manager, Region HR Manager, Business Development Executive, and Region Operations Manager.  Adam currently resides out of Buffalo, NY and serves as the Region Business Manager for the Central Region.  Happy Anniversary Adam!

Driver Dedicated at Aurora Parts

 

 

If you are a driver, there is nothing worse then switching into a different tractor that hasn't been cleaned.  Our sleepers are second homes for our drivers.  I relate it to the same thing as if you were to check into a hotel that hadn't had the sheets changed, the bed made, as well as fresh towels.

 

Our Account Manager at Aurora Parts recently put himself in the shoes of his drivers and actually decided to detail the inside of the truck himself so that one of his new employees that is finishing up his training this week has a clean truck to put all of his gear in.  We want all of our new employees to have a great experience when onboarding into the company.  Making sure our drivers have a clean truck is just one of many things we can do to help our drivers through this transition.  Great job George!

 

 

45 Days Collision Free at PSP

 

 

Please join me in celebrating 45 days collision free at Pet Supplies Plus. During that stretch the team has delivered nearly 1,500 stores over 350,000 miles among their 30 drivers. Obviously this isn't an easy accomplishment for any driving crew especially with the difficulty at most PSP store locations. Also, during this time they have been shorthanded with one of their prior Operations Supervisors (Jess Caudill) taking the promotion to Tyson in Corydon, IN.

Hats off to Brandon Denison and Sheldon Williams for leading this team to another great accomplishment!

 



 

 



Mid - America Trucking Show

On March 26 - 28 the Mid America Trucking Show is taking place in Louisville, KY.  Ben Hurt, pictured in second row all the way to right, is on hand assisting our CDP Department in representing JB Hunt and recruiting future driver talent.  We appreciate Ben taking time out of his busy schedule to help out!

Happy Anniversary Chris Birdsell!

Happy Anniversary to Chris Birdsell as today is his one year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Chris is an Operations Supervisor on our PPG Global Account and is based out of downtown Pittsburgh.  Chris's selfie, above, is a prime example of why everyone needs to take advantage of the professional photographer at the kickoff!  Happy Anniversary Chris!

Happy Anniversary Jake Maas!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Jake Maas!  Jake operates our Cargill Account in Swanton, VT.  Jake is originally from Dowingtown, PA and attended Virginia Wesleyan University.  Jake is an avid snowboarder and enjoys Lacrosse.  Happy Anniversary Jake!

Happy Anniversary Kim Huff!

Happy Anniversary to Kim Huff!  Yesterday marked Kim's 3 year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Kim is our Account Manager on the Ohio Valley Aluminum Account in Shelbyville, KY.  Kim has done a fantastic job on this fleet.  We have seen consistent growth at this customer as well as improved safety, turnover, and financial results under Kim's watch.  We appreciate all your hard work Kim!

Happy Anniversary Chris Wulf!

Happy Anniversary to Chris Wulf as this past Wednesday marked his one year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Chris is an Operations Supervisor on our Marco's Pizza Account in Maumee, OH.  As a die-hard Notre Dame fan, Chris is hoping his week is complete with a thrashing of University of Kentucky Saturday evening!  Happy Anniversary Chris!

Happy Anniversary Tia Simmons

 

 

Happy Anniversary to Tia Simmons who passed her one year anniversary with JB Hunt this past Tuesday.  Tia is an Operations Supervisor on our Family Dollar Account in Morehead, KY.  We appreciate all you do Tia!

Scott Phillips Gets it Done!

Scott Phillips, a driver at the Central Farm and Garden account in Wooster, OH, witnessed a vehicle skid off the side of the road and into a tree near Canton, OH.  Scott pulled his vehicle over to see if he could help and saw that the car appeared to have caught fire.  Scott assessed the situation and noticed that the flames were getting near the vehicle's fuel tank.  He was able to put the fire out with his fire extinguisher and saved the situation from getting any worse.  We are very proud to have Scott at the Central Farm and Garden account and appreciate all of the effort he puts into the job.  Scott goes the extra mile whenever he is given the opportunity.

Bravo, Scott, and thank you for everything you do!

Career Day at St. Charles

 

We were thrilled to be invited to St. Charles (Boardman, OH) Exploring Careers event by Mary Jo Marsh (Michelle Simpson's Mother). As a result, on 3/25/15 Regional Operations Manager -- Brian Tabor and Central Farm & Garden Driver/Trainer -- Ed Yarber went to St. Charles for the event. It was a rainy cold day (as you can see from the pictures of the poor girl below folding her arms trying to stay warm) but everyone made the most of it. Ed was the star of the event getting to show off his sleeper truck to the entire St. Charles 3rd grade class! He also answered numerous questions from the 3rd grade class about the truck as well as being a driver for JB Hunt Transport.

All in all the children had a great time and got the opportunity to learn a lot about trucking. Thanks again to St. Charles for inviting us to your event and we hope to be a part of future Exploring Careers events!

 

 



Safety Blitz in Ashley, IN

 

 

 

For the next 3 days, our Operations, Safety, and Maintenance Teams are conducting a blitz at our Family Dollar Account in Ashley, IN.  Here, our Operations Team will be conducting roundtables as well as cooking out for our drivers.  Our Maintenance Team has setup an inspection lane where they will be inspecting our Tractors to ensure cleanliness, permits and registrations, as well as a DOT inspection.  In addition, our Safety Team has setup a backing course where we will train every driver over the next three days.  The majority of our collisions on this account occur from fixed object strikes at the store.  By training our drivers on proper setup and backing procedures, we hope to reduce this number dramatically.  



Bus Crash in GA

 

Yesterday, we had one of our Intermodal Drivers involved in a collision with a school bus in Fitgerald, GA.  We are very fortunate that no lives were lost.  We need to make sure we get this info out to all of our drivers.  It is critical that our drivers are using the Smith System keys daily.  One moment of inattention can be fatal.  Get the word out!

 

FITZGERALD, GA --
Update (3/24/2015 11:25 a.m.):
Ben Hill County Sheriff Bobby McClemore tells FOX 31 around 44 children were on the school bus when it was hit by a semi-truck.

He says nine children were taken to the ER after the crash and another 10 were taken by their parents.

A fifth grader who was sitting at the back of the bus suffered a broken leg, neck injury and a few cuts.

No other students were seriously injured.

The driver of the semi-truck, 47-year-old Frederick Woods wasn't injured and is charged with failure to stop for a school bus unloading children and following too closely.

Original Story:

Ben Hill County Sheriff Bobby McClemore tells FOX 31 that a semi-truck has collided with a school bus carrying children Monday afternoon along Highway 129.
McClemore adds that a bus was stopped with the stop sign out and flashers going, when a semi swerved and hit the right rear of the bus, pushing it forward about one hundred and fifty feet. The semi came to a rest in the ditch.
Six students were injured and taken to Dorminy Medical Center for treatment.
Students that were not injured are being taken to Ben Hill County Primary School for parent pick-up.
The driver of the semi-truck, 47-year-old Frederick Woods, from Decatur, is being charged for failure to stop for a school bus unloading children with more charges pending.
Motor Carrier Compliance, with the Department of Public Safety, is on the way to the scene to investigate further.

Champion Windows CVD

 

 

On Monday, we conducted our Mid Year Business Review with Champion Windows in Cincinnati, OH.  At Champion, we employ 15 drivers who deliver replacement windows to Champion affiliates throughout the country.  The account is managed by Tyler Hall out of Champion Headquarters in Cincinnati.  Tyler also manages drivers based out of Champion's DC in Denver, CO as well.  This site has seen a remarkable turnaround over the last 60 days.  One of the biggest areas that we bring cost savings to Champion is through our 3rd Party Backhaul.  Through February, we have given Champion savings of $27,276.  This is up near $8,500 compared to the first two months of 2014.  Last week was our best week of backhaul ever, where the account brought in over $10,000 in weekly savings!  This improvement can be attributed to increased communication between our management, our backhaul group, as well as Champion.  We have also worked with our customer to improve warehouse efficiency and pushed to change affiliate returns.  I would also like to call out Jon Morgan who held the fort down prior to Tyler coming down from C & S.  Great job by both of these managers on servicing this very important client!

 

 

It's All About the Kids!

 

 

This morning Mario Montoya from C&S brought his truck and a reefer to Eliot Tully's classroom to show the class a big truck.The kids were absolutely stoked to get to see a 'big truck' up close and even got to climb in to see what a sleeper looks like on the inside. A special thanks to Mario for going out of his way to make sure that this opportunity went over so well with the students!

 

 



Stepping Up the Safety Culture at THD

 

 

As part of an ongoing initiative to improve safety and provide awareness, The Ohio Home Depot managers are wearing safety vests in the office to promote conversations to the drivers when they get asked why everyone has a vest on. The photo is from THD Monroe.

 

 



Aurora Parts Renewal

 

Yesterday we signed a 2 year renewal with Aurora Parts.  Aurora Parts has been a DCS customer since March of 2007.  Based in Lebanon, IN, Aurora Parts is a single source OES provider of trailer parts.  One of Aurora Parts biggest customers is JB Hunt.  In Lebanon, we employ 13 drivers who deliver these trailer parts throughout the country.  This renewal wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't been providing CVD through continued service improvements and cost reductions.  Great work by Scott Tully and George Vera for servicing this customer and making their decision to renew an easy one!

Congratulations to the Kilger Family!

 

 

We are proud to announce a new addition to the DCS Central Region! Christopher Thomas Kilger was born at 20:14 last night and weighs an even 8 lbs. Mom and baby are both resting comfortably. Congratulations Traci!

 

 



Happy Anniversary Jerry Hoban!

 

 



Happy Anniversary to Jerry Hoban as today marks his 7 year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Jerry is our Regional Operations Manager who handles accounts in New York, Vermont, and Pittsburgh, PA.  Jerry is a graduate of St. John's University and originally from Upstate, NY.  Jerry began his career in Rome, NY working as an OS for the Family Dollar Account.  From there he was promoted to Account Manager handling Cargill in Liverpool and Gouverneur.  After cleaning up issues at Cargill, we brought Jerry back to Rome to clean up issues at Family Dollar.  From there, Jerry moved to Pittsburgh to assume the role to Transportation General Manger for our PPG Account.  After his stint in Pittsburgh, Jerry was promoted as Region Ops Manager an moved back to the Syracuse, NY area.  We appreciate all your commitment Jerry!

Happy Annivesary Jason Craig!

 

 

Happy Anniversary to Jason Craig!  One year ago Jason was hired in as a DMIT in the Tully Region.  Today Jason is the Account Manager for the JMC Account in Richmond, IN.  Here Jason oversees close to 10 drivers who deliver pizza ingredients to Cici's Pizza.  Prior to coming to JB Hunt Jason served in the US Army National Guard for 13 years!   Jason is also a graduate of Purdue University.  We will see if Jason followed his heart or his mind in filling out his bracket this year!

Happy Anniversary Karl Cuff!

Congratulations Karl Cuff on hitting his one year service anniversary with the company!  Karl is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and is currently the Account Manager for Southern States in Barber, NC.  Karl has spent the better part of his first year with the company in a hotel supporting multiple Southern States sites.  We appreciate all of your hard work Karl!

Happy Anniversary Joe McGarrh!

Happy Anniversary Joe McGarrh as today marks his one year anniversary with the company!  Joe is our Account Manager on our Tyson Fleet in Robards, KY.  Joe is looking forward to watching his undefeated Kentucky Wildcats in this month's NCAA Tournament.  Thanks for all you do Joe!

Happy Buzzard Day

 

 

The legend of the annual return of the buzzards (turkey vultures) to Buzzard Roost in the Cleveland Metroparks goes back nearly a century in Hinckley history.

Legend has it that they were first attracted by the tons of butchering refuse and unwanted game left behind in the great Hinckley Hunt of 1818, but additional historical research among the records of the Sylvester Library of Medina uncovered an old manuscript by William Coggswell, who as a youth with his uncle, Gibson Gates, were the first white men to set foot in the township in 1810. This manuscript told of their expedition from Bath and Richfield through Hinckley, and of finding the "vultures of the air" at the gallows at Big Bend of Rocky River around the foot of the ledges where the Wyandots had hanged a squaw for witchcraft two years before. This indicated that these turkey vultures had made their home on Hinckley Ridge long before the white men settled west of the Cuyahoga River, and it moved their occupancy back into the midst of the Indians legend.

In 1957 a reporter from the Cleveland Press became interested in a claim by Metroparks Ranger Walter Nawalaniec. He told the reporter that he had personally observed the buzzards arrival in Hinckley each March 15 for the past six years and that his predecessor, the late Charlie Willard had kept a personal log of their arrival for the past 23 years. 

The reporter's interest was aroused. He wrote in the February 15, 1957 issue of a Cleveland paper that longtime legend of the Hinckley Buzzards. He further predicted their return in exactly one month - March 15. 

Excitement mounted as the month progressed. Naturalists, ornithologists and reporters repeated and embellished the original story and suspense mounted. March 15 arrived and so did the buzzards - who arrived right on schedule at 2 PM that day, a Friday, news traveled fast and the weekend brought throngs of sightseers from all over Ohio and neighboring states.

The township was unprepared for the 9,000 plus visitors that flocked the township that year but by 1958 plans had been made to welcome the interested visitors.

Carl and Catherine Neu, turkey farmers, stepped in to see that Hinckley would be better hosts that year. Edward Spatz of the HInckley Chamber of Commerce and others joined in the effort.

The township proclaimed the first Sunday after March 15 as Buzzard Sunday. Forty-plus years later thousands of visitors continue to attend the pancake and sausage breakfast, hosted by the Hinckley Chamber of Commerce, at Hinckley Elementary School. Organizations from the township are invited to help and provide exhibits and information about their activities. Crafters and artists fill the classrooms with their wares. Many township volunteers assist in the Chamber with this annual breakfast.

The Cleveland Metroparks welcome visitors yearly on March 15 to the Buzzard Roost in Hinckley Reservation. With a traditional "Buzzard Spotter" (for many years retired ranger Roger Lutz and now the chief naturalist Robert Hinkle) the first buzzard's time of arrival is clocked. The event is hailed as a sign of spring in the Midwest by all who attend.

Happy Anniversary Nathan Anglin

Happy Anniversary to Nathan Anglin who recently passed his 9 year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Nathan is our only PPG Manager that is not based out of downtown Pittsburgh.  Nathan handles the night management of the fleet from Columbus, OH.  Nathan is the guy that keeps it all together on the evening shift and has done so for some time!  We appreciate all you do Nathan!

Happy Anniversary Russ Newland

Happy Anniversary to Russ Newland who recently hit 4 years of service with JB Hunt!  Russ is our Account Manager at Cargill in Batavia, NY.  Congrats Russ!

STARS

 

 

On Tuesday, March 17, a new enterprise claims system, STARS, will be rolled out across the company.

 

This system will provide a more streamlined accident and incident intake process for our Claims team, informative notifications to the appropriate parties when an event occurs, and real-time visibility to updates throughout the life of the event. The system also provides the ability to easily report on the total cost of an accident, all while aligning with our IT modernization strategy.

With this change, today’s intake system, the “384 screen,” will be read only starting Tuesday and all new accidents and incidents will be entered directly in STARS.

While in the process of going live this weekend, the OS&D system will be unavailable from 6pm Thursday until Monday morning. The OS&D team will still be taking reports, but these will be outside of the system likely causing a delay in accessiblity to data for your areas. Please contact the OS&D team if you have any questions during this downtime.

If you have any questions, please email Claims Support or contact the Helpdesk at ext 18464.

 

Trip to Toyota's North American Headquarters

 

 

 

Last week our team held several meetings with Toyota at their North American Headquarters in Torrance, CA.  During our visit Chad Rhodes made a delivery to Triple B, a freight forwarder for Toyota, in Carson, CA.  We were able to go out and observe the delivery and do a meet and greet with our partners there in Carson.  After Chad completed the delivery in Carson a member of management finished up their RTLA with Chad in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.  There Chad would be the first driver on the fleet to start a new process with Toyota for delivering transmissions from California back to Kentucky.  The meetings with Toyota went well but the best part of the trip was observing Chad's outstanding work!  The customer raved about his professionalism! Great work Chad, thank you for all you do!