Welcome Austin Mass!

Welcome to the J.B. Hunt Family Austin Mass!

 

Austin comes from Tiffin, OH where he went to Calvert High School and Tiffin University. He played basketball in high school and rugby in college while studying criminal justice.  Austin was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps upon graduation and completed his active duty time at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina, where he was stationed as a Logistics Officer.  Austin has been married for over four years to Rachele.  In his free time,  Austin enjoys reading and doing almost any outdoor activity.

 

Austin will be our newest Operations Supervisor on the Home Depot Van Buren team.  Welcome Aboard Austin!

Happy Anniversary David Jankowski

Please join us as we congratulate David on his first Anniversary with J.B. Hunt. David came to us from Schwan Food Company where he spent the last 20 years managing the warehouse crew, inventory control and maintaining the fleet. David is an Operations Supervisor at our Niagara Sheets Account based in North Tonawanda, NY. Thank you for your hard work and Happy Anniversary, David!

Happy Anniversary Mike McGuire

Please congratulate Mike McGuire on seven years with JB Hunt!

Mike started with JB Hunt in November 2009 when he came on-board as an incumbent driver during the Southern States Winchester, KY bulk fleet start-up.  He spent a few years hauling bulk feed until accepting a job as an operations supervisor at Family Dollar Morehead, KY.  When Southern States awarded JB Hunt the bag fleet in April 2014, he came back to Southern States as an operations supervisor and eventually the account manager.

Mike started working for Southern States in 1977 and held several different positions over the years including bulk driver and dispatcher.  The relationships he developed with the mill employees and customers has translated well into his current position.  Mike has played a major role in all the success that JB Hunt and Southern States have experienced together since the relationship began in 2009.

When Mike is away from work he enjoys fishing, working on his farm, spending time with his family, and watching his Kentucky Wildcats.

Happy Anniversary Chet Gilbert

Congratulations to Chet Gilbert as today marks his 2 year Anniversary with J.B. Hunt. Chet is an Operations Supervisor at the Family Dollar Ashley, IN account. Account Manager Kyle George has the following to say about him :)

In a past life, he was himself. He never says something tastes like chicken, not even chicken. He can speak French, in Russian. He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it feels. His legend precedes him, the way lightning precedes thunder. His is…the most interesting man in the world. Stay thirsty my friends.

Family Dollar Morehead Suprise

The Family Dollar Morehead, KY team surprised Account Manager Rhonda Thacker for her birthday by decorating her desk! Happy Birthday, Rhonda!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Wishing all of the Central Region, including our managers, professional drivers, and support groups a Happy Thanksgiving!  Thank you for all of your hard work in making this region, division, and company a great success.  Enjoy the day with your families and loved ones!

 

Below are some interesting Thanksgiving Facts:

 

• Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. 
• The date of the first Thanksgiving is not precisely known though it occurred between September 21 and November 9, 1621. 
• The first Thanksgiving is observed in Plymouth. The Plymouth Pilgrims dined with the Wampanoag Indians for the First Thanksgiving. 
• The First Thanksgiving lasted for three days.
• It was not until 1941, that congress declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday. It was declared to be the fourth Thursday in November.
• Although, Thanksgiving is widely considered an American holiday, it is also celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.
• Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. This tradition has held forth since at least the 1930s. 
• The different nicknames for Thanksgiving Day: "Turkey Day" "T-Day" "Macy’s Day "Yanksgiving" (Canadians sometimes call the Thanksgiving in the US as "Yanksgiving" to distinguish it from the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday)    
•  Turkey is the traditional dish for the Thanksgiving feast. 
•  91% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.  
• In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations.     
• Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States, each year, the average American eats somewhere between 16 - 18 pounds of turkey.    
• Fifty percent of Americans put the stuffing inside the Turkey. There are regional differences as to the "stuffing" (or "dressing") traditionally served with the turkey. Southerners generally make it from cornbread, while in other parts of the country white bread is the base. One or several of the following may be added: oysters, apples, chestnuts, raisins, celery and/or other vegetables, sausage or the turkey's giblets Turducken, a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, is becoming more popular in Thanksgiving .A turducken is a de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The cavity of the chicken and the rest of the gaps are filled with, at the very least, a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture.
• There are three places in the United States named after the holiday’s traditional main course — Turkey, Texas; Turkey Creek, La.; and Turkey, N.C. There are also nine townships around the country named “Turkey,” with three in Kansas. 

 Funny Turkey Facts

• The average weight of a turkey purchased at Thanksgiving is 15 pounds.
• A turkey usually has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.
• Turkey has more protein than chicken or beef.
• Turkeys will have 3,500 feathers at maturity.
• Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly. Turkeys have poor night vision.     
• A 16-week-old turkey is called a fryer.
• A five to seven month old turkey is called a young roaster.
• Turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated.
• Fossil evidence shows that turkeys roamed the Americas 10 million years ago.
• The 'wishbone' of the turkey is used in a good luck ritual on Thanksgiving Day.



Getting to Know - Logan Wells - Professional Driver - Tyson Corydon

It was my pleasure to ride along with Logan Wells on a Live Haul. Although Logan has only been with J.B. Hunt for about 4 months, he has several years of experience driving. Most recently, Logan drove all over the country hauling utility poles.  Logan began driving due to family tradition. His father along with others in his family were all truck drivers. In the short time that Logan has been with the company, he has already been selected as “Driver of the Month”. Logan has learned all the driving positions at this account; live haul, egg haul, chick haul and feed haul. He has become a very valuable member of this Tyson Team with this experience and his willingness to do whatever is needed.

 

Logan is a great family man. He is passionate about doing the best that he can to take care of his wife and daughter. He enjoys spending as much quality time with them as possible. One of his favorite times is when he and his daughter have “scary movie” night when Mom is working.

 

Logan enjoys motorcycles and boating. He enjoys spending time on the water with his family and friends.  Logan is also an experienced scuba diver.

 

J.B.Hunt is very fortunate to have a professional driver like Logan. He has a great attitude and enjoys working for the company.

 

Don Thompson, Operations Supervisor - Tyson Corydon, IN

PECO Pallets Prepares for Winter

PECO Pallets Account in Indianapolis is getting read for winter by putting together a winter preparedness kit for each truck!

Getting to Know - John Weiss - Professional Driver - Toyota

John Weiss joined the Toyota – Owensboro Account in February of 2016.  John hit the ground running and has become an asset to the fleet, regularly running “double loads.”  Rather than running one long load to the northeast in a week, John prefers to run two shorter loads when the opportunity presents itself.  He says that he likes the unload process and getting to operate his forklift.  It breaks up the monotony of his job and keeps things interesting.  John is an Army Veteran where he did a tour in Iraq.  He also lived in Alaska for two years while serving our country.  He swears it was not just for the Halibut, but he still has his pole and wants to take it to the Ohio River to see just how big those catfish really are.  When John is not working, he is a family man.  He has 2 sons and 1 daughter, Liam, Jude, and Amara.  He tries to have something special that he gets to do with them during his off time and the current event is going out for sushi. 

 

Nick Van Hooser, Logistics Coordinator - Toyota OWEKY

Happy Anniversary Jeff Story

Congratulations to Jeff Story, as today marks his 8th Anniversary with JB Hunt. He started as a professional driver with the PrimeSource fleet. Since then he has been in a management role, assisting with various locations and customers. He has filled in and assisted at accounts such as PrimeSource, Jamestown Container, Niagara Sheets and multiple Cargill locations. Congrats, Jeff!!

Getting to Know - Jerry Thomas - Professional Driver - CHEP Columbus

On 11/10/16 Chep Columbus Operations Supervisor Dan Tebbutt rode along with Jerry Thomas for the day.  Jerry has been driving truck for 10 years and he has enjoyed his time with J.B. Hunt so far.  He enjoys the hours he works here at the Chep account, unlike other jobs where he was constantly away from home and on call at any time needed. He has worked for other trucking companies such as Falcon, Schneider, Whirlpool, and Hogan. He has traveled over the road to almost every state east of the Mississippi River except for Alabama, Louisiana, and Missouri. Also, Jerry is a big Dallas Cowboys fan and enjoys watching them play every week. He believes this is the year they will win the Super Bowl based on how their quarterback is playing this year. 

Thanks Jerry for letting our management spend the day with you! 

Congratulations Jecorey Newman!

From left to right: Jecorey Newman, Alaina Newman, Leigh Van Hooser, Nick Van Hooser

Jecorey “Corey” Newman exchanged nuptials with his new bride, Alaina Hancox on Saturday October 29^th.  Nick Van Hooser who was hired one week apart from Jecorey in 2011 had the honor of standing next to him on his big day.  Team Toyota was on hand to witness the event and there were few dry eyes after the beautiful ceremony.  Jecorey and Alaina celebrated with a honeymoon in Mexico where they relaxed on the beach and did not think about freight needs.  Congratulations, Jecorey!

Happy Anniversary Michael Cohen

Please join me as we catch up, wishing Mike Cohen a Happy Anniversary with JBH. Two weeks ago, November 3rd, marked 2 years with the company. He graduated fro SUNY College at Buffalo and has worked his way from DMIT to Operations Supervisor at the Niagara Sheets account in North Tonawanda, NY where he plays an integral part of the team. Wishing you a Happy Anniversary, Mike!

Happy Anniversary Terry Galyon

 

Last Wednesday November 9th marked a special day at J.B. Hunt. Terry Galyon celebrated his 7 year Anniversary with JB Hunt. Terry has held multiple roles in various locations within the Dedicated Operations. In his current role he is the Region Safety Manager for the Central Region residing in Columbus, OH. Wishing you a Happy Anniversary, Terry!

Indy Honor Flight



Recently Professional Driver Nate Spainhower, of PECO Pallets Indy, was a part of the Indy Honor flight.  The Indy Honor Flight is a program which takes Veterans on a trip to visit their war memorials in Washington D.C.  Below is Nate’s story.

 

“I was lucky enough to be the guardian for two Korean veterans on a recent trip of the Indy Honor Flight. Mr. Joseph Benson U.S. Army transportation division, and Mr. Gordon Shepp U.S. Army engineer are the two gentlemen I was able to be a guardian for.  One of the pics below is Mr. Benson with Lieutenant General Joseph Anderson. At the time, neither of us knew, what a powerful and influential man Lieutenant General Anderson (google him) was. To us, he was just a soldier wanting to thank Mr. Benson for his service. You will also find a pic of Mr. Shepp with lip stick left on his cheeks after being welcomed home by two ladies dressed in the period attire of his deployment.

 

Being a part of the Indy Honor Flight has been one of the most fulfilling things I have been a part of.

Being able to not only accompany these men to Washington D.C., but to be part of a day where they truly get the respect and gratitude they deserve from the public at large as we walked the numerous monuments and memorials.  At times they were unsure and really taken back by the warmth and love they received, being thanked by current military, young children and pretty much every passerby.

 

I encourage anyone who is interested in this program to look them up online and get involved.

The Honor Flight program is 100% non-profit, and needs volunteers to do many tasks. To be a guardian it does cost $450 which covers the cost for 1 1/2 vets to be flown to Washington at no cost to the them.  For me this was a small price to pay to be able to help get these men and women to Washington D.C. to see the memorials that they have never seen, and may not have ever been able to do so.

There are chapters of the honor flight program all over the country.  A quick google search will find them in your area. If anyone is looking to understand this experience, there is a documentary film currently on Netflix called simply Honor Flight.”

 

Nate, thank you for your dedication to our veterans. 



 

Veterans Day 2016

The DCS Central Region would like to thank all of our managers,  professional drivers, and families who have served or who are serving our country as a member of the armed forces.  It is truly appreciated!

Below is some additional info on Veterans Day:

Originally, Veterans Day was called “Armistice Day,” and the date was chosen to commemorate the signing of the armistice with Germany that ended hostilities during World War I.

The armistice, signed on November 11th, 1918, did not officially end that war, however. That came on June 28th, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. On the other hand, since the U.S. never signed the Treaty of Versailles like the other Allies, one could say that for the U.S. at least, the November 11th armistice really did end the war.

At first, the focus of Armistice Day was on the veterans of World War I, though it was always meant to honor all veterans of foreign wars, who risked their lives on the battle field to secure the freedoms of all Americans. Over time, with the passing away of the World War I generation and the coming of new conflicts during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, the focus on the 1918 Armistice was lost and the name of the holiday was changed. Additionally, today, Veterans Day is generally regarded as honoring all those who ever served in the U.S. Armed Force rather than only those who actually fought in a war.

In 1919, the first celebration of Armistice Day took place, with Britain and the Allied nations of World War I all observing the day. Business as usual was briefly interrupted at 11am, the time when the armistice was signed with Germany. There were also parades and patriotic gatherings, and red poppies were put on display in many British Commonwealth countries.

Another development took place in 1926, when Congress finally decided to declare that World War I was over. It was odd for this recognition of an existing reality to come seven years late, but without the U.S. agreeing to the Treaty of Versailles, there had been no official end to the war. Congress also made November 11th a day of prayer and thanksgiving and expressed a desire that the U.S. flag be on display during this day and that special ceremonies be held.

Finally, in 1938, Armistice Day became a permanent, official public holiday. Eerily enough, the holiday designed to honor World War I veterans became official only a few years before World War II arrived. The next stage in the history of Veterans Day came in 1954, when it received its present name. Congress made the change when pressed to do so by various private veterans organizations.

A debacle involving Veterans Day came in 1971, when Congress changed the date from November 11th to the fourth Monday in October. This led to chaos because many states refused to recognize the change. Some would be celebrating in November while others did so in October, and the resistance to the date change never broke down. Finally, the date was changed back to November 11th beginning in 1978.

Another interesting Veterans Day “conflict” involves a matter of grammar and spelling. Today, many people spell the holiday as “Veterans' Day,” but the official government-approved spelling is “Veterans Day.“ The explanation given is that the adjectival spelling instead of the possessive-case spelling shows that the holiday is about honoring veterans rather than a day that belongs to them.

Many observe Veterans Day by simply flying the U.S. flag at their house, having a picnic or cook out with friends and family, and watching war movies or other patriotic programming on TV. Many also donate to veterans' causes and show appreciation to veterans they meet or are already acquainted with, and some veterans will don their military uniforms on this day, making themselves “easy to spot.”

Four ideas on what to do in the U.S. on Veterans Day are:

• Attend, or at least watch on television, the Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. You can watch the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You may also wish to respectfully walk through the cemetery, where over 40,000 veterans and their families are buried.
• Watch America's Parade, originally “the Veterans Day Parade,” in New York City. This is the largest Veterans Day parade in the country, bringing in around 25,000 attendees each year. It is held in Manhattan and has been running since 1919. There are also some other large parades to attend, including the biggest one west of the Mississippi River in Albany, Oregon, and there are many smaller parades as well.
• Tour the memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C., that are related in some way to veterans. There are too many to list, but look for the DC War Memorial, which honors local World War I veterans, the National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
• Spend the day, or part of it, volunteering at a local VA hospital or even just chatting with veterans who are there as patients. Many VAs will have special lunches on Veterans Day for the veterans, and they welcome volunteers to help prepare the meal.

Veterans Day is an important time to remember those who risked their lives to defend the freedom of others, and you will find there are many festive and patriotic activities to take part.

Central Region October Driver of the Month - John Labadie

Congratulations to John Labadie on being selected as the Central Region Driver of the Month for October!  John has been with JB Hunt since November of 2013 and currently serves on the Pet Supplies Plus Account in Seymour, IN.  John was selected from nearly 1,100 Professional Drivers across 10 states!  Congratulations John!

 

Below is some additional info on John:

 

 

At Pet Supplies Plus, we are lucky to have some of the best drivers JB Hunt has to offer. This month we are choosing John Labadie. John Labadie has been with JB Hunt since November of 2013 and has been an outstanding asset to the company. When we ask John to go above and beyond the call of duty he is always there with a smile on his face and a wonderful attitude. Every week John comes into the office with a bright and contagious positive attitude. At PSP the loads can come out late and make it hard for our drivers to get the job done for the week. However, John just takes it all in stride and just states he will get it done and if I have to stay out another night to get it done he is fine with that. Not only will he get the job done in a timely manor but he has not had any critical event for 132 days. Month after month he receives 0 RAIR points and always has 0 CSA points. All of this goes to show how much of an asset John is to us at PSP and also to JB Hunt as a whole.

 

 

 

When John is not behind the wheel driving for PSP he is at home spending time with his wife of 10 years. He enjoys travailing in Michigan seeing all of the fall colors that the state parks can offer. John and his wife also have family that has a lake home that they will retreat to over the weekend.  John’s wife was in a car accident a few months back and this has hindered some of his traveling but Johns giving attitude would never show any different . On the weekends he will help his wife around the house making sure  she is comfortable and  good to go for the week while he is on the road. We at PSP have a special place for Johns wife, she is always bringing in goodies for all of us to enjoy and she is quite good at is as well. All of the drivers think that Mrs. Labadie is the best baker around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Getting to Know - Mike Mahan - Professional Driver - Southern States Cleveland, NC

Mike has drove commercially throughout the entirety of his career hauling concrete, furniture, milk, and now feed at the Barber Feed Mill. Mike started with us last February and has quickly become a valued asset of our team.

 

Not only does Mike work for us full-time, he is also working towards getting his Masters Degree in Christian studies so he can accomplish his dream of being a pastor. In his free time, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and kids and working for his church, where he is the current Youth Minister.

Logan Williams, Operations Supervisor - Southern States

Home Depot Monroe Safety & Matintenance Blitz

On Oct 25 & 26 the Home Depot Account in Monroe Ohio hosted a 2-day maintenance/safety blitz. The purpose was to set aside time to engage in discussions with office/driving fleet assisting and educating on various topics. We were able to inspect 63 power units along with several trailers with the driver's credentials. This was the first event for many of the managers however they came prepared and jumped in interacting as drivers approached the inspection lane. AMM Cort Duggins and ARM Tracy Walker stated this was one of the best blitzes we had conducted having the least issues found with no equipment or drivers placed Out of Service. 

 

Great job by all putting in extra time to make this a success.

 

Happy Anniversary Joe Strater

Congrats to Joe Strater as today marks his 1st Anniversary with J.B. Hunt. Joe began his career with us as a DMIT in the Indianapolis area. In January of his year he promoted into his current role as Operations Supervisor at the Pet Supplies Plus Account in Seymour, IN. Joe is a member of the Indiana Army National Guard where he currently holds the rank of 1st Lieutenant.

Happy Anniversary Tracy Walker

Wishing Tracy Walker Congrats on his 13 year Anniversary with J.B. Hunt Transport. Tracy has held various positions in his time within both operations and most recently as an Area Risk Manager over the two Home Depot sites in Ohio and Central Farm & Garden. In recent month’s Tracy added “Grandpa” to his newest list of nicknames along side “The General” or “TWALK”.  Happy Anniversary, Tracy and Thanks for all you do!