FD Morehead Fantasy Driver League 2017!

This week began the first week of a six week safety campaign.

Last week the drivers received the official “Draft Announcement” explaining the details of the league.

 

The drivers are required to participate and engage in two weekly safety topics through safety messages, driver round tables with their “coach,” and receiving and reading their weekly conditioning points.

This week training topics include School Bus Safety and Driver Fatigue. Throughout the week they can win additional points by getting caught being an “All Star.”

 

At the end of the week the each team member receives a “Ticket to win it” with questions from the information distributed throughout the week in different forums.

By completing their tickets & participating throughout the week the team members earn points that they will receive raffle tickets for at the end of the six week period.

 

 

Throughout the week we have been completing driver profiles for each team member including their weekly safety stats, favorites SMITH System Key & Inspirational quotes.

 

We’re excited to see the progression throughout the training series -- and even more excited to see who the Fantasy Driver League Champions will be …. Team Thacker or Team Haney!

 

 

Getting to Know - Shawn Moore

Recently, DMIT Olivia Brewer conducted a RATLA with Home Depot Monroe Driver Shawn Moore.  Shawn was hired back in April, and resides in Dayton OH!  Shawn is a valuable member of Team Monroe, and does a fantastic job servicing our customer!

 

 

 



Below are some additional details about the ride along:

 

Shawn Moore has a big personality and a big dedication to safety. She started driving trucks in 1989, and stopped in ’95 to raise her two children. She got back into truck driving after graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in African American Culture Studies and a minor in real estate. In her spare time, Swan also writes and records her own music. She has produced several songs since she started singing/songwriting when she was 21 years old. Her most recent recorded song was a country/rap song about truck driving. During my 10-hour ride along with Shawn, along with feeling the safest I have ever felt on a ride along, there was never a dull moment in the cab. Swan’s outgoing character and driving experience make her a huge asset to have on our team here at Home Depot Monroe.

Shawn was very complimentary about our flexibility with her and her schedule. The only concerns she had were about pay and equipment. She is concerned with her miles being low which is causing her paychecks to be smaller. I explained to her that with her delayed schedule in the morning, the long hauls to WV or IL are already out the door. Additionally, she would really prefer to be put in the same truck every day. Having to jump around from truck to truck and get used to each one causes more delay during the day.



Getting to Know - Ken Carney

This past week, DMIT Dillon White was lucky enough to perform a RATLA with Ken Carney of The Home Depot Account in Monroe, OH.  Ken is a regional driver on the fleet, residing in Maysville, KY.  Ken will be coming up on his one year anniversary in September!  

 

 

Below is a few additional facts on Ken:

 

Ken Carney is originally from northern Indiana and grew up hunting, working on the family farm, and loves being outdoors. He told me many stories about going out to Gettysburg and Blue Ridge Mountain area and camping out. He also loves to ride his motorcycle any chance he gets and has even been seen towing his pop up camper with the motorcycle

 

Ken suggested we keep up the good communication in the office and mentioned how big that communication piece is to an operation like this. He said that he thought the Bendix system was a good tool to utilize when implemented and used correctly. When I asked Ken what the best advice he had for me as a new DMIT he said to be myself and make sure to clearly communicate within the team.

 



 

 

Central Region Driver of the Month for July - Myron Gilbert

Congratulations to Myron Gilbert for being selected as the Central Region Driver of the Month for July.  Myron has been with JB Hunt since 2010 and is one of the original drivers on our Home Depot Account in Monroe, OH.  Myron was chosen Driver of the Month out of more than 1000 drivers!  Congratulations Myron!

 

 

Below is the write-up fro the Monroe Team:

 



Relationship with Customer –

                Few drivers on the fleet have run such a dedicated route as Myron. In the days before MFL trailers and drop & hook delivery windows, Myron served as one of the 01:00 start time drivers, to make the live delivery window to several of the stores in Knoxville, TN. Myron’s personality is hard to forget, and several of the stores and backhaul vendors have a great relationship with him. On multiple occasions Myron has been able to exercise this relationship to help speed up load times or stay on the property of shippers when he was tight on hours.

Description of Driver of the Month –

                Myron is one of only a few drivers left that hired onto the account at startup. Myron hired on with J.B. Hunt in February of 2010 and has been a solid performer since. Myron is as consistent as they come; his attendance record is spotless and he hasn’t had any service failures in his time with the account. Myron’s safety performance is equally impressive, with only one critical event in 2017 and no incidents in the last 2 years. Myron’s relationship with the office is rivaled by few. The office lights up when he walks in, and every manager wants to pop in and say hello to him. Even when he isn’t in the office, the staff enjoys interacting with him. Most notably, Myron is known for his voice mail message, in which he pretends to have answered the phone, only to trick the caller into having missed “The Black Cat.” Myron sets a wonderful example for his peers and is a delight to work with. Thanks for all that you do Myron.

Promotion Announcement - Lane Whited

Please help us congratulate Lane Whited on his promotion to Operations Supervisor!  Lane joined us in May 2017 as a DMIT for the Cleveland, OH market.  While a DMIT, Lane learned quickly and helped support multiple accounts such as Intigral Glass, Macy’s and Ellwood City Forge just to name a few.  He is now relocating to the Columbus, OH area to take on the 2^nd shift Operations Supervisor position as L Brands.

Lane is a proud graduate of Ashland University where he majored in Science in Sports Management.  Lane also had quite a bit of work experience with his family’s business, Whited Construction in Shelby, Ohio before coming to JB Hunt in May.  In his spare time, Lane’s frequently found on the golf course. When he's not golfing, Lane enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with his girlfriend & their golden retriever.  

Again, congrats on the promotion and welcome to L Brands Lane!

 

Promotion Announcement - Jonathan Brand

Please join me in congratulating Jonathan Brand on his promotion to Regional Operations Manager for the Central Region for Louisville, KY!

Jonathan is a graduate of Western Kentucky University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, with a concentration in Human Resources and a minor in Marketing.  Jonathan began his career with JB Hunt in August 2010 as a Dedicated Manager in Training based in Southwest Kentucky.  Soon after that, Jonathan was placed as an Operations Supervisor at our Toyota Account in Owensboro, KY.

From there, Jonathan was promoted to Account Manager of Southern States in Park City, KY.  Here Jonathan managed the bulk and bag animal feed delivery operations for multiple sites within the Southern States network.  In February 2015, Jonathan was promoted to Transportation General Manager in charge of all the bulk feed plants for Southern States.  During this time, we saw continued growth and financial improvement under Jonathan’s leadership.  In 2016, we were awarded the remainder of Southern State’s outsourced retail business for an additional 91 drivers.

Jonathan and his wife Amy will continue to reside in Kentucky and will relocate to the Louisville area.  Congratulations Jonathan!

 

Goodyear Lockbourne, OH Flawless Startup

 

In 1898, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was established in Akron, Ohio.  The company was named after Charles Goodyear, the man who developed vulcanized rubber. Charles borrowed $3,500 from a brother-in-law to purchase the company's first factory. Goodyear originally employed thirteen workers, but the firm quickly emerged as a leader in the production of rubber items, including bicycle tires, pneumatic carriage, automobile tires, horseshoes, and hoses. By 1926, Goodyear was the largest rubber company in the world.  Fast forward to today, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company has sold more than thirteen billion dollars worth of products. The firm employs more than ninety-two thousand workers and has plants around the world.  They remain the largest tire manufacturer in operation.

 

We (JB Hunt) as a company have a long standing partnership with Goodyear that has spanned multiple years.  This year we have been presented the unique opportunity to grow our presence with Goodyear in the DCS Central Region.  July 24^th marked our first day of startup with the Goodyear Lockbourne, OH site.  Account Manager Schuylar Mcguffey, Operations Supervisor Chris Trajanovski and team did not disappoint!    

 

The week started out light on freight so they helped organize a driver recall training class giving out refreshers to over the half the driving fleet on Goodyear Account Specific training and procedures.  The class received rave reviews from drivers who were thrilled to receive the additional preparation in a controlled environment.  As the week went on the freight picked up.  But, our team was able to keep pace with it and offer excellent service thru out the week.  In all the week was a huge success!  Special thanks to all of the support team who helped with the startup. 

 

Schuylar and Chris still looking great after a long startup week with Goodyear.  Both are looking forward to the weekend to get some well needed rest!

Our Goodyear driving team is looking good in their Safety Vests as they receive the rest of their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the account

DCS Central Region Driver Trainer extraordinaire Rob Starkey leads a recap training class with the Goodyear driving team as well as Area Maintenance Manager John Dodson offers maintenance advise to the GY driving team

 

Region Safety Manager Terry Galyon leads a class during Monday’s recall training reviewing our collision mitigation systems as well as Safety Direct

 

 

Our driving team hand unloads trailers (similar to the trailer captioned) one tire at a time.  Each trailer contains an average of 15 stops