Driver Dilemma: In Search of Drivers

 

As a Company, Division, as well as a Region we have faced our own issues in staffing of drivers over the past year.  Attached is an excellent article on what is currently going on in our business.

 

 

http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fleet-management/article/story/2015/01/driver-dilemma-in-search-of-drivers.aspx

401K

 

As a company, it is important that we push our 401K program to all of our employees.  Contributing to our company 401K plan is an excellent way to reduce your taxable income and save for retirement.  In addition, studies have shown that 401K participation impacts employee retention.  Given the turnover in our industry, we need to be pushing this program on everyone of our employees that are not currently enrolled.

• How do I find out the 401K participation % for my Account?  The All Things People Website
• This will show you which drivers are enrolled, and which ones aren't
• What tools are available to discuss this program with my employees?
• Region HR Manager Megan Perez
• Your Regional Ops Manager
• Merrill Lynch Website Accessible through Workday under Benefits 

There is no reason that everyone of our employees should not be taking advantage of this program.  Let's do our best to get our participation % above 75%!



 

Congratulations Dan Tokar!

Congratulations to Dan Tokar on his retirement from JB Hunt!  Dan started with JB Hunt back in 2001 in our Truck Division.  Shortly after hiring on, Dan moved over to DCS and has been a local driver on our CHEP Account in Solon, OH.

 

Enjoy retirement Dan! 

 

Below from left, ARM Rich Schwartz, Bob Ritondaro, Dan Tokar, Adam Spanbauer, and Tracy Walker enjoy lunch for Dan's retirement!

 

 



Family Dollar Shareholders Approve Sale to Dollar Tree

Family Dollar shareholders voted Thursday to sell the Matthews-based retailer to rival Dollar Tree, ending almost 56 years of local control of a well-known company and months of uncertainty about its fate.  Virginia-based Dollar Tree has said the Family Dollar name will live on, with many of Family Dollar’s stores remaining. While Dollar Tree CEO Bob Sasser will be head of the combined company, Family Dollar CEO Howard Levine will join the board of directors and continue to help manage Family Dollar.  About 74 percent of Family Dollar shares were voted in favor of the deal, meaning Family Dollar successfully fended off a hostile bid from challenger Dollar General. Although Dollar General offered more money, Dollar Tree’s bid was more likely to be approved by antitrust regulators, Levine said.  The vote had been widely expected to go Dollar Tree’s way, after Dollar General declined last week to offer shareholders more money and said it would need more time to get regulatory approval. Dollar General CEO Rick Dreiling criticized Thursday’s vote in a statement.  “Today’s vote is a loss not only for Family Dollar shareholders, but also for consumers across the country who will not have the opportunity to benefit from the cost savings and efficiencies that we believe would have been created by a merger between Dollar General and Family Dollar,” Dreiling said. “Family Dollar’s lack of engagement and a contracted transaction timeline ultimately prevented us from completing this transaction.”  Levine said after the vote that the companies would maintain a presence at both their headquarters for some time, though he didn’t specify how many employees are expected to remain in Matthews.  “Both companies have a significant presence in their local communities,” said Levine. “In the foreseeable future, both headquarters will be maintained.”
Levine said Family Dollar’s merchandising and store operations teams, the largest part of its employment, would remain separate from Dollar Tree’s because the companies have quite different business models. He acknowledged there will be some overlap in the executive ranks, but said he expects most Family Dollar employees will continue to have “significant career paths.”
Family Dollar employs about 1,300 corporate workers at its corporate offices on Monroe Road. The company’s Matthews head count is down by about 100 since the takeover battle started, which Levine attributed in large part to uncertainty around the company’s fate.  The Dollar Tree deal could close as soon as March, the companies said.  Several dozen executives, shareholders and Family Dollar board members attended Thursday’s shareholder meeting at the Mint Museum on Randolph. One shareholder challenged Levine during a question-and-answer period, asking why he and the board recommended Dollar Tree’s deal over the higher bid from Dollar General.
“Dollar General offered us $80 per share, cash,” Gary Burgess told Levine. Burgess said he and his wife own 200 shares of the retailer. “That’s a heck of a lot better than $76.50,” the final value of Dollar Tree’s offer, said Burgess.  Levine said he agreed that Dollar General’s higher, all-cash bid looked tempting. But he again said the Federal Trade Commission was sure to block Dollar General.
“I agree with you, the economics of the deal, on paper, is better than the current deal,” said Levine. “But you also have to consider whether you could get the deal done ... Dollar General itself is at a roadblock with the FTC.”  Burgess pressed Levine to explain why Dollar General’s deal, which would have included a $500 million breakup fee if Dollar General couldn’t close it, wasn’t better than Dollar Tree for shareholders.  “I own a few shares also, so I care how this thing turns out,” said Levine, who is the largest single shareholder. He owns almost 8.8 million shares, 7.7 percent of the total, worth $672 million.  “I completely disagree with your analysis, and would suggest you do some research,” Levine told Burgess.  After the meeting, Burgess said as CEO, Levine has “responsibility for care, loyalty and disclosure,” but failed on the third point.  “He has a responsibility to shareholders to inform them. He did not inform me,” Burgess said.  A Charlotte story with a bumpy end.  Family Dollar was founded in 1959 in Charlotte by Leon Levine, now a prominent local philanthropist. The company grew steadily and topped 8,000 stores under the leadership of Leon Levine’s son and successor, Howard.  But Family Dollar’s performance suffered in recent years, as the company tried a strategy focused on more promotions and selling more consumable goods, such as food and tobacco. While sales rose, profit margins fell, putting the retailer under pressure to improve or sell itself to a rival.  In July, Family Dollar agreed to sell itself for $8.5 billion to Virginia-based Dollar Tree, one of its two main rivals. But Tennessee-based Dollar General – the largest dollar store operator – soon stepped in with an unsolicited rival bid. When Family Dollar said no, Dollar General made a hostile $9.1 billion bid to try to break up the Dollar Tree deal and acquire Family Dollar itself.  Levine argued that the FTC was likely to block Dollar General, which operates under a very similar business model to Family Dollar and owns thousands of locations that overlap with the Matthews retailer.  But activist investor Carl Icahn, who took a major stake in the company and pushed hard for Dollar General, argued that Levine was letting his family ties and desire to stay with the company cloud his judgment. He publicly accused Levine of putting his interests before those of shareholders.  After the vote Wednesday, Levine pushed back against those accusations.
“That’s just completely false,” said Levine. “We were open to doing a deal with either company.”
He said that as a major shareholder, he would have made more money personally going with Dollar General’s higher offer.  Both Dollar General and Family Dollar sell a variety of items under $10, from groceries to cleaning products and electronics, to households on tight budgets. At Dollar Tree, everything is $1 or less and the company sells an array of items that fit that price constraint.
Federal regulators could forbid such a deal due to antitrust concerns, or make Dollar General sell thousands of stores, making a deal less financially appealing.  While Dollar General insisted Levine’s concerns were overblown, the company said last week that it would still need more than a month to learn whether the FTC would allow or block a deal. Dollar Tree’s CEO said his company would back out of its Family Dollar acquisition and seek a $305 million breakup fee if Family Dollar delayed its shareholder vote further.  With Dollar General unable to assure shareholders it could close a deal, Family Dollar shareholders were left to choose between a lower, but more certain, offer from Dollar Tree and a higher, but much more risky, offer from Dollar General.  Levine said that though it was “painful getting here,” he was excited after the vote.  “I’m looking forward to getting this done and moving on with life,” said Levine.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/01/22/5463475/family-dollar-shareholders-approve.html#storylink=cpy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1421914688&v=Qudpdw2x39Y&x-yt-cl=84503534&feature=player_embedded

What will Diesel do in 2015?

We have had many customers ask us recently on our thoughts on what fuel will do in 2015.  The article that is attached believes fuel will average $2.85 in 2015.  This is down from an average of $3.82 in 2014.  With the drop in diesel fuel, many of our customers have seen their weekly fuel surcharge either drastically reduced or in some cases even a credit.

Another question that we get asked often is whether or not we hedge fuel.  With the low cost of diesel currently, we are seeing this question come up more and more.  The answer is no, as a company we do not hedge fuel.  We have discounts from all of the major fuel suppliers and our fuel surcharge is set to update weekly so it is always adjusting with changes in the market.  The discounts we get from the major suppliers is reflected in our base rates to the customers.  This past year is a perfect example of why we don't hedge fuel.  Had we locked in fuel a year ago we would be missing out on these low prices.  This is a good article to share with your customer to give them an idea on what their fuel expense will look like this year.

Take a look at this article

http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/news/story/2015/01/doe-diesel-to-average-2-85-in-2015.aspx

Congrats Dan Waffle on 20 Years with JB Hunt!

On Wednesday we celebrated Dan Waffle's (WAFD1) 20 year anniversary with the company. Over the course of 20 years Dan has been with OTR, Intermodal, and countless DCS accounts. Dan currently sits at 1.7 million miles and promised during lunch that he will reach 2 million before he decides to hang it up. Dan's work ethic is second to none and was recognized as the Central Region Driver of the Month in September 2014. George Vera, Jeff Holle, and Scott Tully were extremely entertained by Dan during lunch even while Dan was trying to sell us on taking our spouses on a cruise. I am fairly certain that Dan is STILL mulling another plan to advertise a cruise adventure for his lunch audience.  Congratulations Dan!

MasterBrand Cabinets New Business

 

 

We were recently awarded business with MasterBrand Cabinets.  MasterBrand Cabinets mission is to provide the best overall kitchen, bath, and other-room solutions for consumers and channel partners in North America.  JB Hunt will be employing 3 Dedicated Managers and 30 Professional Drivers to service this client in both Ferdinand, IN and Jasper, IN.  The official start date is February 15.   We look forward to a successful partnership with this customer!

 

Above, our Maintenance Team in Louisville works on assembling test cabinets for our drivers to practice unloading.

Happy Anniversary Brian Tabor!

 

 

Congratulations to Brian Tabor who recently hit his 9 year anniversary with the company.  Brian started his career in Columbus, OH working on the PPG Account.  From there, Brian assumed the role of the Account Manager at Limited Logistics in Reynoldsburg, OH.  In his current role, Brian is a Region Operations Manager located in Columbus, OH.  Happy Anniversary Brian!

Happy Anniversary Grant Dunivan!

 

 

Congratulations to Grant Dunivan for recently passing his 4 year anniversary with the company!  Grant works on our Toyota Account in Owensboro, KY.  Prior to moving to KY, Grant worked at our corporate office in Lowell, AR.  Thank you for you service Grant!

Happy Anniversary George Vera

Congratulations to George Vera who recently completed his one year anniversary!  George is the Account Manager at Aurora Parts in Lebanon, IN.  Prior to coming to the Tully Region, George worked in the RISE Program down at our Corporate Office in Lowell, AR.  George is a native of Chicago, IL and has done a tremendous job since assuming the Account Manager role a few months back.  Great job George!

Happy Anniversary Brad Middleton!

 

Happy Anniversary to Brad Middleton who recently completed one year of service.  Brad is an Operations Supervisor at Family Dollar in Ashley, IN.  Prior to coming over to JB Hunt, Brad worked for Werner.  Brad has been at Family Dollar Ashley since the startup, and is knowledge of the business has been a huge asset.  Congratulations Brad!

New Trailers at Intigral

 

As part of our renewal with Intigral this past year, we brought in 22 new 53' Trailers.  From  marketing standpoint, Intigral decided to decal all of these trailers in order to increase brand recognition of their company.  This was a fantastic idea and the new trailers look great!  Decaling of equipment is a low cost way for our customers to advertise.  The cost of decaling trailing equipment runs in excessive of $1,000 per trailer, but the payback is significant due to the number of people that see our equipment on the road daily.  Please offer this up to any of our customers that you believe will see value in this.

 

Team Warchol takes the Annual Central Region Cup!

 

 

Congratulations to Team Warchol for winning the annual Central Region Cup at this past weekend's kickoff meeting.  Thank you to everyone who attended!  You will all see a survey form come out.  Please give honest feedback so we can improve our kickoff for next year.  You will also see a link coming out to all the photos from the kickoff over the next few days as well.  Thank you again!

W-2s are Available in Workday!!

Central Region Kickoff Meeting 2015

Happy Anniversary Dustin Hatfield

 

 

Congratulations to Dustin Hatfield as today is his 7 year anniversary with the company!   Dustin has served in various operations roles before recently joining our Safety Team as an Area Risk Manager.  Dustin lives in Vandalia, OH with his wife Amanda.  Thank you for your service Dustin!

Happy Anniversary Scott Tully

 

 

 

Congratulations to Scott Tully on recently hitting his 12 year anniversary with JB Hunt.  Scott started his career at Target in Stuarts Draft, VA.  From there he spent time at PPG when it was in Delaware, OH.  After starting up AGC in Hebron, OH, Scott became Transportation General Manager at Home Depot in Van Buren, OH.  Scott has been in Indianpolis for the last 3 years as the Regional Operations Manager for Indiana and Western, OH.  Congratulations Scott!