Happy Holidays DCS Central Region!

Central Region Team Members,

Thank you for all of  your hard work in contributing to a fantastic 2018!  It was a record year in terms of growth and new business and everyone played a role.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Be safe and we look forward to seeing everyone in Columbus in January at the 2019 Kickoff!

Home Depot Pittsburgh Pro PA Startup

 

Last week, we kicked off a new partnership with Home Depot delivering product direct from Home Depot Stores to customers.  With this partnership, we will employ 9 dedicated drivers and 2 managers to support this business.  Drivers will consist of both Class A and Class B, using not only daycabs and flatbeds but also Straight Truck Flatbeds as well.  These 9 drivers are stationed at different stores across Western PA, with our management team working out of our Final Mile Facility in Coraopolis, PA.  Through this transition, we were fortunate to retain 6 of the 9 incumbent drivers as well as their manager, Charles Grier.  We are happy to have these guys on the team!

 

Overall it has been a smooth startup and an excellent job by the team!

Getting to Know - Kerry Williams

This week, Account Manager Rachael Knick did one of her quarterly RATLA's with Kerry Williams.  Kerry is a regional driver assigned to the Kimball International Account in Jasper, IN.  Kerry is a new hire, and this is his first week on the account.  Being that Kerry is new, he was a good candidate for the RATLA program.  Overall it was a great day!

 

 

Account Write-Up:



Account Manager Rachael Knick went on a ride along with one of Kimball newest team members, Kerry Williams. Kerry has been a truck driver for over 30 years now and is very excited to start his career with JB Hunt. He left his local coal hauling position ready to go over the road and lose some weight with a driver off-load position! Kerry has been happily married for 25 years, with two sons & many grandchildren – Kerry is a true family man.

In his free time, Kerry enjoys being a couch potato – watching tv & movies.

Getting to Know - Warrior Lamar

This past week, Ben Killman spent some time out on the road with Kimball International Driver Warrior Lamar.  Warrior has been with the company since October, and is a regional driver delivering Kimball International products across the country.  Warrior lives in Shoals IN and has been a great addition to the team.  It was a great day for both learning about each other on a personal and professional level.  

 

Below are some additional notes on Warrior:

Warrior Lamar, a native of Indiana, has been driving for J.B Hunt since October of this year.  Warrior enjoys long runs to California, lifting weights and warm weather.  One day, Warrior hopes to move from Indiana to the deserts of the Great American Southwest – to enjoy the rural desert life, growing cacti and other dry climate plants.  In the meantime, Warrior enjoys driving on Interstate 40 and sees a long future with J.B Hunt. 

Happy Anniversary Ashley Haney!

Happy Anniversary to Ashley Haney!  December 14^th marks her 3rd Anniversary with J.B. Hunt. 2018 has been a big year for Ashley highlighted by her promotion to Account Manager at the Family Dollar Morehead, KY site.  She has done a fantastic job this year helping lead the Family Dollar Morehead team to produce some of its best safety and financial results in the site’s 10 year history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats on your anniversary Ashley and thanks for a great year!

Getting to Know - Chris Tucker

This past week, Account Manager Leigha Rutan was able to complete a ride along with Chris Tucker.  Chris is a driver on the Weaver Popcorn Account in Whitetown, IN.  Weaver is the world's leading manufacturer of microwave popcorn, and Chris is one of the driver's that plays a part in moving this product for our customer.  It was a great day, please keep the pictures and write-ups coming!

 

 

Below is the write-up:

Chris has been married to his wife, Amanda for 6 years now.  They have 2 daughters: Bridget, who turns 9 years old next week, and Vivian, who is 6 years old.  Chris began his professional driving career 13 years ago.  He came to JB Hunt in 2013, starting on the Pet Supplies Plus account in Seymour before transferring to the Kohls account and finally coming to Weaver earlier this year. 

In his spare time, Chris enjoys coaching middle school girls’ basketball.  But he mostly enjoys spending time hanging out with his family.  He prides himself on being a family man first and foremost.

Chris is very happy working for JB Hunt and the Weaver Popcorn account.  He stated he doesn’t have any suggestions or concerns that he feels warrant any attention.  Chris is satisfied with his daily schedule and truly enjoys going above and beyond to help the account in any way he possibly can.  He is a great asset for both JB Hunt and the Weaver Popcorn account.



Wreaths Across America

 

This morning we held a ceremony in Columbus OH as part of Wreaths Across America!  Two DCS Central Region Drivers, Orville Gregory and Joe Zieroff, will take the next leg from Columbus to St Louis.  Both Orville and Joe are military veterans who have proudly served.  The load will end in at Fayetteville National Cemetery this Saturday December 15^th where volunteers will lay these wreaths on the graves of military veterans.  Thanks to all that have served as well as The Ohio State Police for the escort out of town!



 

 

Winter Weather Blitz - Toyota

 

Winter Weather is always a major talking point at Toyota. The Winter Weather Blitz last week made Toyota increase their focus on Winter Weather more than ever. The team put more emphasis on roundtables, conference calls, and team inspections to increase the level of awareness and communication with the fleet. At each roundtable the stats on safety and maintenance from previous Winters were shared. As well as, discussions on previous Winter related safety events and learning points to help prevent future occurrences of those events. Along with management; Chris Block, Cort Duggins, and members of the Louisville Shop were able to attend the roundtables. By the end of the week the team was able touch base with over 120 drivers, just over 90% of the entire Toyota fleet! With plans to speak with the remaining 10% this week as well as keep pushing the Winter talking points throughout the remainder of Winter.

 

Roundtables: 9 (65 Drivers Attended)

Fleetwide Conference Calls: 2

Team Inspections: 81 Inspections

 



Getting to Know Lloyd Roberts!

This past week, Account Manager Hannah Church conducted a RATLA with Lloyd Roberts.  As an initiative of the Central Region, all managers are required to be out on the trucks at a minimum of every quarter.  Great work Hannah!

 

Lloyd Roberts was an incumbent driver who came over from UPS when JB Hunt started the Southern States Cloverdale account. Lloyd is very knowledgeable with the southern states stores and locations and likes to stick to a routine. He has no problem getting out and looking as often as possible to ensure a safe delivery. When he is not driving he enjoys his family time, especially going to visit his older uncle and help him when he can as he is getting older, now widowed, and can’t do everything himself. Lloyd said he also helps his mom in the same ways but doesn’t have to go check on her as often because she isn’t afraid to call if needed. Lloyd is a great team member for our Cloverdale crew and does his best to be safe and give good customer service, we are glad to have him as one of our drivers

Lloyd’s main concern is that some stores expect him to fully unload their product and as we currently stand we are only a driver assist account, not expected to unload everything. I shared with him how we are currently working with a few stores in particular on this and explaining to them what the expectations are on both ends but if he comes across a store that refuses to unload anything at all to give us a call as we can work with their DSM to get it resolved if the store isn’t already on our radar. Apart from this, Lloyd really didn’t have much else and is happy overall with the accounts.

Onboarding at The Home Depot DC - Van Buren, OH

 

As a region, we onboard over 700 new drivers a year.  Anytime you start a new career, there are many unknowns and the entire process can be chaotic.  With a significant shortage of professional drivers in the market, it is critical that we retain all of our employees.  The first 90 days are always the most difficult in regards to retention.  As a region, we need to make sure we are over-communicating with new employees in order to set them up for success.

 

Kudos to Marcus Benson, OS at HD Van Buren.  Marcus has taken this onboarding to the next level.  Marcus is responsible for new hires and the 180 day experience.  To help make his new drivers feel part of the team and the JB Hunt culture, Marcus put together welcome bags that he distributes to all new drivers.  In addition, Marcus goes out of his way to make sure introduces all new drivers to the entire office staff.  It's the little things like this that make new hires feel welcome and part of the team!

 

Fantastic job Marcus!

Central Farm & Garden Christmas Party!



On Saturday December 1, Central Farm and Garden hosted their 2018 Christmas Party at Triway Lanes in Wooster, OH.  The invitee list included CFG's entire team as well as our JB Hunt drivers and management team.  A fun night was had by all as they enjoyed bowling, food, and drinks courtesy of CFG.  Thanks again to the CFG team for inviting us to this year's event!

 

Event host and CFG President/Owner Corey Sheeley (pictured in front) hanging with the JB Hunt team (left to right) Brett Hershey, Ed Yarber, Mick Winstead, Shane Douglas and David Gibbons

 

 

CFG Professional Driver David Gibbons looks on as fellow Professional Driver Ed Yarber prepares to unleash another strike!