Family Dollar Morehead, KY says a "See You Later" to Nick Nocheck

 

Friday, March 24^th was Nicholas Nocheck’s last day at Family Dollar Morehead, KY. He will be moving on to MasterBrand Cabinets this week.

 

Nocheck’s last day was filled with fun & laughter while he cleaned out the training trailer, organized rollers & ate three boxes of Chinese food.

 

We wish you the best of luck in Ferdinand, IN. Thank you for all you have contributed to this team.

 

You will be missed.

-The Family Dollar Morehead Team



Spring Training - Gearing up for an Injury Free April!

Getting to Know - Walter Harrison

This past week, John Johnson had the opportunity to participate in a RATLA with one of his drivers, Walter Harrison.  Walter is coming up on his one year anniversary with JB Hunt, and currently serves on the Toyota Account.  Below are some additional notes on Walter:

Walter has been driving Van and Flatbed for 12 years and is coming up on his 1year anniversary with JBH.  Walter said that his time with JBH / Toyota has been the best driving experience he has ever had.  Walter has been with his wife Tammy for 11 years and they have 4 Children, 2 Dogs, 2 Ferrets and a House Goat, which makes for a very interesting family. (yes a House Goat)  In his off-time Walter enjoys anything to do with sports, especially Celtics, Dolphins, Notre Dame and IU.  Tammy enjoys ceramics and hopes to open a shop in Evansville.  Walter has lived in the Evansville area all his life and he and Tammy hope to settle in the country in the future.

 

Walter says you can sum up staying out of trouble and on the good side of DOT and Customers in a simple statement “BE PROFESSIONAL and act like you know what you are doing”. A clean Truck, Cab, Windows, Lights and being Polite goes a long way to a smooth inspection.  Also Walter had a little advice for newer drivers “Don’t be afraid to ask other drivers for advice and help. Many times he has noticed younger drivers afraid to seek help if they are unsure of something.  As he says “Drivers love to share information and their knowledge of the industry so take advantage of it”.  Walter suggested that it would be nice if we recorded the weekly Conf Calls and post them in the Training Platform so drivers could access them at their convenience.

Happy Anniversary - Chris Birdsell

Happy Anniversary to Chris Birdsell as today marks his three year anniversary with the company!  Chris is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where he obtained a BA in Supply Chain Management.  In his current role, Chris manages the new hire board for the PPG Global Fleet.  This is an integral role to ensure that all new hires are properly on boarded and taken care of.  Happy Anniversary Chris!

April Injury Awareness

Stepping up to the Plate for Safety!!

In order to raise awareness around injury prevention during the month of April, we are "Stepping up to the plate for Safety" and rolling out a baseball theme to stir up competition and enthusiasm. Each week there will be increased awareness and a different focus around some of our common job injuries. Your management team will be sharing information, tips, tricks and lessons learned throughout the month to help with the end goal of an Injury Free April! What’s in it for you? Well, I’m glad you asked…

 

For each week that your account goes Injury Free in April, you will advance to the next base. Once your team has advanced around all of the bases to score a HOMERUN, those accounts will have a luncheon set up. In addition, each driver on that account will be receiving a new JB Hunt baseball cap!

Management will be looking out for employees making "Big Plays" all month long. If you’re caught on camera, you may find yourself on your very own Safety All-Star baseball card. These All-Stars players will be posted on the Central Region Blog at http://centralregiondcs.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 1st Base—Don’t pull a muscle while swinging for the fence. Pulling your fifth wheel or sliding tandems can be difficult and dangerous. Never jerk on the handle if you’re having trouble. Reposition the truck and try again, then ask for assistance by calling road service. Your shoulder, neck and back muscles will appreciate you taking care of them.

 2nd Base—Protect yourself when working the dolly legs. Rarely do we think the handle will hit us in the face or spin back from tension causing an injury to the shoulders or back. Proper stance and technique could mean the difference between taking second base or a trip to the doctor.

 3rd Base—Keep your head high so you can see third base when you’re lifting. Lifting your chin forces you to keep your back straight and helps avoid over-lifting. Be sure to assess your load, bend at the knees and keep your head up. Your back muscles will award you with a good night’s sleep.

 Heading for Home—Don’t trip after rounding third. Focus on your path while you’re walking or getting in and out of the truck. Many injuries occur by failing to use 3 points of contact while entering or exiting the truck. Take time to put paperwork, food, or any other items you have in your hand on the floor or the seat so you can perform this task safely.



Getting to Know - Anthony Rose

 

Recently, Account Manager Rachel Knick of the Family Dollar Account in Morehead KY was fortunate to participate in a RATLA with Anthony "Tony" Rose.  Tony is an Army Veteran, where he proudly served for 10 years.  Tony is currently married with two children and resides in beautiful Vinegrove, KY.  In his spare time, Tony enjoys reading up on military history as well as art literature.  Tony stated that some days his job reminds him of the "Allegory of the Cave" from Plato the Republic.  Tony enjoys his job and keeps an open mind when it comes to learning things and skills.  Tony has been with us since November 2016, and has displayed a great attitude and willingness to help out during his tenure!

 



 

 

 

Promotion Announcement - Austin Eckert

It is great pleasure to announce that Austin Eckert has been promoted to Logistics Coordinator at Home Depot Van Buren. Austin is a graduate from Bowling Green State University. Austin also proudly served in the National Guard as a Military Police Officer. The promotion is a result of some really awesome work over the past year. Austin’s hard work, work ethic, selflessness and operational expertise has earned him the trust and respect of the office, our drivers, our region and our customer! We will lean and rely on Austin’s knowledge and leadership to help carry us into a successful 2017.  

 

In Austin’s new role, he will be our resident operator and will be responsible for the planning, monitoring and execution of the plan each day.

 

Congratulations Austin!



Promotion Annoucement - Zach Brewington

 

We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Zach Brewington to Logistics Coordinator for Home Depot Van Buren!

 

Zach is a Bowling Green State University alum.  He also proudly serves in the National Guard as a 2^nd Lieutenant.  Zach joined our family in August 2016 as our resident Dedicated Manager in Training.  From there, Zach has quickly learned each role from the ground up within the operation. In the coming year we will rely on Zach for his leadership and his operational expertise.

 

Please join us in congratulating Zach on his well deserved promotion!

New Business Announcement - Office Depot

Earlier this week, the DCS Central Region was awarded new business with Office Depot!  Office Depot is an office supply retailer with a corporate office based in Boca Raton, FL.  The site will be located in Cincinnati, OH, where we will employ 6 - 7 full time professional drivers as well as an on-site Account Manager.  The startup is slated for the end of April.  We appreciate the opportunity to service this new customer!

Promotion Announcement - Keith Taylor

We are pleased to announce and welcome aboard Keith Taylor as our Account Manager for Home Depot Van Buren!

A graduate of Penn State University, Keith joins us from Home Depot Monroe, where he was a big part in their 2016 success.  Keith has tackled some sensitive and challenging assignments including managing the 24/7 yard and shuttle operations. Previously, Keith was also a big part in taking Family Dollar Ashley to the next level. Keith’s track record is impressive, as we are also excited for him to bring that to Van Buren.

Congratulations Keith!  Let’s go make 2017 the best year ever!

 

2017 Toyota Kaizen Award - Team Toyota

 

Toyota recently held their 2017 SPAO (Service Parts & Accessories Operations) Transportation Partners Meeting. During the meeting Toyota provided updates on the transition to their new North American headquarters in Plano, TX.  Toyota also provided insight into their “One Toyota, One Team” strategy.  As well as, their principals on “Embracing the Challenge” and “Being Excellent at the Basics”.  With all of the change occurring, Toyota is looking to those principals and strategies to help guide them through the transition.

After the SPAO Transportation Partners Meeting, a Kaizen Challenge and Transportation Partners awards ceremony.  For the 2017 SPAO Carrier Kaizen Challenge; there were several projects submitted by many different carriers, with JB Hunt DCS submitting a record high of three.  

The Toyota DCS team was awarded 2017 SPAO Carrier Kaizen Champion for their “Southbound Synergy” kaizen project on Density Improvement and Cost Reduction.  The project reduced empty miles by 6.5% and is projected to generate and annual cost savings to Toyota of over $163,000!   A special thank you goes to Zach Mattingly for all of his hard work on this specific project!

 

 

Mattingly and Newman take home the hardware



Over the past 7 years the partnership between JB Hunt and Toyota has continued to grow.  Being able to participate in the Carrier Kaizen Challenge each year has helped strengthen the partnership and provide a tremendous amount of value to Toyota.  Participating annually in this challenge annually has also become an avenue for continuous improvement and a development tool for our team.  The 2017 award marks the Toyota DCS team’s 5^th year in a row for receiving the Carrier Kaizen award and the 6^th award received in the past 7 years!

 

Let’s congratulate the Toyota DCS Team!

Happy Anniversary Karl Cuff

Congratulations to Karl Cuff on his 3^rd Anniversary with J.B. Hunt. Karl is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and has served numerous roles within the Southern States network. He was instrumental in the start ups for the Gettysburg, PA Bag, Vinton, VA bulk, and Cleveland, NC Bag fleets. Karl is currently the Account Manager for both the Bulk and Bag fleets for Southern States in Cleveland, NC. Further congratulations are in order as Karl is also engaged to be married later this spring to his fiancée Katie. Thank you Karl for all of your hard work!

 

Happy Anniversary - Kyle Herron

We would like to congratulate Kyle Herron on his 3-year anniversary.  Kyle started with J.B. Hunt in the Northeast Region working with C&S as the Operations Supervisor.  He then moved to the Central Region and was at HD Van Buren for a short time before landing at FD Ashley where he is currently the OS.  Kyle is originally from the Ft. Wayne area so he is glad to be back closer to home.  I am sure the traffic is better here than in the Northeast.  Congratulation Kyle on your anniversary. 

 

Happy Anniversary - Jason Craig

Congratulations to Jason Craig on his 3 year anniversary with the company.  Prior to coming to JB Hunt, Jason served in the Army National Guard.  Jason has spent his entire career in Indianapolis, first as the Account Manager and JMC in Richmond IN and currently as the Account Manager of Weaver Popcorn.  Jason is an avid fan of the soccer team Arsenal and diehard Purdue fan.   We would like to thank Jason for his service to his country and JBH.   Congratulations Jason!

 

Happy Anniversary - Jerry Hoban

 

Congratulations to Jerry Hoban, as today marks his 9 year anniversary with the company!  Jerry is a Regional Operations Manager based out of Central NY.  Jerry began his career as an Operations Supervisor at the Family Dollar Account in Rome, NY.  From there, Jerry was promoted to Account Manager running multiple sites for Cargill Animal Nutrition in Liverpool, NY.  After that, the pull to get back to Rome was just to great and Jerry came back to Rome as an Account Manager for the Family Dollar Account.  From there, Jerry was promoted to Transportation General Manager for our PPG Account in Pittsburgh, PA.  Jerry helped lead the transition of the operation from Delaware, OH to Pittsburgh.

 

In his current role, Jerry oversees all Dedicated Accounts for the Central Region within the state of NY as well as PPG.  Happy Anniversary Jerry!

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Rachael Knick

 

Please help us congratulate Rachael Knick on her promotion to

Account Manager of Family Dollar – Morehead, KY!

We are very pleased to announce the promotion of Rachael Knick to the Account Manager of Family Dollar in Morehead, KY.  Rachael started her J.B. Hunt career in May 2015, during which time she held the position of Operations Supervisor at MasterBrand Cabinets in Ferdinand, IN.

 

Rachael is a champion of driver dedication and out of the box thinking.  She creatively goes the extra mile for drivers no matter the circumstances.  Rachael is also incredibly tenacious and always looking for ways to continuously improve any process she touches.  We are all very proud of her accomplishments and her unique positive contributions to our team. 

 

Rachael grew up in Fredericksburg, Virginia, later moving to Farmville to attend Longwood University.  In May 2015 she graduated with a degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders.

 

She enjoys crafting, reading and spending time with her dog, Karl.

 

Please congratulate Rachael on this well-deserved promotion!

 

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Natalie Heeke

 

Please help us congratulate Natalie Heeke on her promotion to Operations Supervisor at MasterBrand Cabinets – Ferdinand, IN!

 

Natalie began her J.B. Hunt career as a DMIT in July 2016 and has proven to be a very strong add to our team. Her consistently positive attitude is next level and she brings up everyone around her. She is always going out of her way to make every driver interaction a special one.  There is no doubt that Natalie will make a fine Operations Supervisor on the MasterBrand account.

Natalie was born and raised in Elizabeth, IN and is a graduate of the great University of Indiana. 

She is married to her high school sweetheart, Michael, who has spent the last 20 years working as a diesel mechanic on tractor trailers in Louisville, KY.  They have two beautiful daughters, Alexis – 17 & Sydney - 10 who enjoy playing softball and hunting.  Her entire family enjoys camping, riding 4 wheelers, skeet shooting and long motorcycle rides, and travelling the country with their daughters for softball.

 

Please congratulate Natalie on this well-deserved promotion!

Happy Anniversary - Nathan Anglin

Congratulations to Nathan Anglin on reaching his 11 year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Nathan has spent his entire time with JB Hunt servicing the PPG Account.  In his current role, Nathan is responsible for evening operations where is he monitoring and managing the Global Fleet.  Nathan has been an integral part of our service to PPG over the years.  Happy Anniversary Nathan!

Central Region Driver of the Month for February - Walt Schleif

Congratulations to Walt Schleif for being chosen as Driver of the Month for the Central Region for February!  Walt is a driver on our Family Dollar Account in Ashley, IN.  Walt was selected from over 1,000 drivers in the Central Region.  Great job Walt!

 

 

Below is the write-up from our team in Ashley:

 

You want to hear a great story? Let me tell you about Walt Schleif. He has been with us at the Family Dollar – Ashley account for over 3 years. In that time, Walt has completed approximately 1500 store deliveries, totaling 1.125 million cases unloaded – by hand. What’s even better? He has never had an injury. Additionally, he has gone over 14 months collision free. That’s equal to about 60,000 miles of safe driving in some of the most difficult cities in the country.

 

While safety is the ultimate priority, it’s important to note that Walt provides exceptional customer service (no service failures in 3 years!) and is just a pleasant guy to be around. We always seem to have good conversations with Walt, and he provides great feedback on store deliveries and processes. It was an easy choice to pick Walt for driver of the month and we look forward to his continued success.

 



Happy Anniversary Kyle George!

 

Congratulations to Kyle George on reaching his 3 year anniversary with J.B. Hunt.  Kyle has spent his time with JB Hunt at the Family Dollar Account in Ashley, IN.  Through hard work and dedication, he has worked his way up from a Dedicated Management Trainee to his current role of Account Manager.  With Kyle’s leadership at multiple levels the account won the 2015 Risk Management Account of the Year honor, and most recently he won the 2016 Account Manager of the Year.  Before coming to us, Kyle served in the Air Force as a firefighter for 6 years.  Happy Anniversary Kyle! 

Macy's Driver Orientation

 

This week we kicked off our driver orientation at our Macy's Account in North Jackson, OH.  Here we will be orientating 9 incumbent drivers from Macy's prior carrier Eletto.  Incumbent drivers have been critical to our success at startups in the past.  Anytime you can hire a professional driver who has been servicing that customer already makes the transition that much smoother.  We welcome all of our new drivers as they begin their career with JB Hunt!

Promotion Announcement - Troy Smith

Please join us in congratulating Troy Smith to the promotion of Account Manager for L-Brands!

Troy joined the J.B. Hunt team in 2013 as a DMIT at the L-Brands account in Columbus, OH. He was then promoted to Operations Supervisor for The Home Depot Account in Van Buren, OH in February of 2014. Troy was then promoted to Logistics Coordinator in February 2015.

Troy grew up in the Central Ohio area where he excelled as a pitcher leading his team to the Division II State Baseball Championship in 1997. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 2006 with a Bachelors of Arts Degree, majoring in Business Management. Troy is also a history and sports enthusiast.

Congratulations Troy on the well deserved promotion!

New Business - Goodyear

This past week the Central Region was awarded new business with Goodyear!  Goodyear is rated as the number one tire brand in North America.  The site will be located in Lockbourne, OH, which is just south of Columbus.  Here, JB Hunt will employ 15 full-time professional drivers.  This includes a mix of both local and regional drivers that will be delivering Goodyear Tires throughout the Midwest!  In addition, the site will have an Account Manager and an Operations Supervisor.  This will be JB Hunt's third site with Goodyear, with the other two located in Victorville CA and Terrell TX.  Startup is scheduled for late June or early July.  Be on the lookout for more information over the next few weeks!

Toyota Louisville Opens New Yard!

With inventory continuing to grow over the next two months the Toyota team found themselves in a position in which space to hold frames was at a premium. Since the first of the year John Johnson has been scouring the Louisville area for space to fit all of our needs! As it turns out he didn’t have to go too far.

 

Last Friday the Toyota Louisville fleet delivered the first frames to the new storage yard. This yard is in a great location, less than two miles from the terminal! The Toyota-Louisville fleet will shuttle frames up from Laredo, TX for the next two months to build up a stock for Toyota. In total this new space can hold up to 3,000 frames! We are excited to continue the growth of the Toyota fleets and this is simply the latest step!



Harper Hotline Watch Party

 

Our Driver Experience Team does a quarterly conference call led by Craig Harper.  Last night, led by Anthony Hale, our team down at The Home Depot in Monroe, OH had the great idea to have a watch party.  The team was able to get 12 drivers to participate in the viewing of the online presentation.  The team brought in food and a great time was had by all.  Fantastic idea Anthony and Team Home Depot!