Happy Anniversary Justin Schloesser!

Justin Schloesser is celebrating his three year anniversary at JB Hunt!  Justin is our evening support Operations Supervisor for the DCS Central Region.  Justin came to us from The Ohio State University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in History. We are thrilled to have Justin back with us from his deployment to Kuwait in 2017.

In his free time, enjoys spending time with his wife Kimberly, shooting firearms, playing video games (PUBG), and building/collecting Legos.  Again, congratulations on your anniversary Justin!

LenCo Lumber Flatebed and Power Industrial Truck Training

 

On June 11 we completed safety recertification training at LenCo Lumber.  This OSHA compliance item is to be completed every few years to reinforce best practices for safe operation of the Moffett lift as well and proper load securement procedures.  The weather cooperated as we spent a few hours on the yard loading trailers and throwing/securing straps.  Thank you to our management team and professional drivers who participated!

Niagara Sheets CSA Blitz

 

This week we completed a 2 day CSA Blitz at Niagara Sheets in the joint effort by maintenance, safety and operation teams.  Nearly all trucks were inspected with various DOT violations identified and corrected. Account Manager Traci Kilger (shown in the photo) cooked up breakfast sandwiches which were a big hit while DMIT Juwan Thompson manned the grill day #1 with 1/3# burgers and dogs.  These events create a platform for not only inspecting equipment, but building relationships with the drivers or spending time listening to concerns.    

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Keith Taylor

Congratulations to Keith Taylor on his promotion from DCS Account Manager at Home Depot Van Buren, Ohio to DCS Pricing Manager.  Keith will be relocating to our corporate office in Lowell Arkansas.

 

Keith’s career with J.B. Hunt started as a Dedicated Manager in Training at Family Dollar Ashley under former Central Region AM Jon Gauda. After making a great first impression, fast forward six months and Keith’s shoulder was tapped to be an Operations Supervisor at The Home Depot in Monroe OH. His time at Home Depot Monroe led to some sensitive and challenging assignments. This included managing one of the most difficult 24/7 yard and shuttle operations. After being a big part of Family Dollar and Home Depot Monroe’s success, he was then promoted to be Account Manager at The Home Depot in Van Buren OH. After 16 months and Keith’s impressive track record at Family Dollar and Home Depot Monroe, he did the same at Home Depot Van Buren!

 

Keith is a graduate of Penn State University where he received a B.S. in Agricultural Science with minors in Horticulture and Political Science.

 

Good luck Keith on a well deserved promotion. We know you will represent the Central Region well.

Central Region Driver of the Month for May 2018 - Carl Luedtke

Congratulations to Carl Luedtke for being chosen Driver of the Month for the Central Region for May.  Carl has been with JB Hunt for just under 26 years, serving the majority of his time with the Truck Division.  In his current role, Carl is a region driver for the Kohl's Account in Findlay OH where he has been there since the beginning of the account startup.  Carl is one of the most reliable, hardworking, and professional drivers in the region and we are fortunate to have him on the team.  Congratulations to Carl for being selected Driver of the Month for May!

Below is the write-up from the Kohl's Team:

Carl has been with the Kohl's account since day 1 and has been a rock ever since. His insight into store deliveries and the entire process of deliveries from start to finish has helped almost every driver on the account at one point, as well as extending into the office to help management as well. You can plan Carl on any load and know that he will get it done without any supervision. When management runs into an issue with another driver at a store, Carl will more than likely be the first called upon to help walk that driver through what they need to do. His acceptance into that roll has been seamless. We cannot recall how many times we have asked Carl to go out of his way to recover a load, repower a load, or finish a delivery for another driver, and each time without hesitation Carl is on top of it.

Not to mention, there is hardly a month where carl has even 1 log point. His last critical event was in September of 2017. Which goes to show why he has almost 2.5 million safe miles with JB Hunt. Carl knows the job inside and out and will let management know if he foresees and issues with his plan for the day.  Carl has consistently gone out of his way to make sure that the Kohl's stores get perfect service and is always willing to move trailers around at the store if asked. We appreciate Carl for his almost 2 years of service to the Kohl's account and his 3rd time being Driver of the Month.

Getting to Know Jeff Lucas

This past week, Operations Supervisor Kaleb Springer, had the opportunity to complete a RATLA with Jeff Lucas.  Jeff is a local driver on the Niagara Sheets Account in North Tonawanda, NY.  Considering Jeff has only been with the company a few weeks, it was great for Kaleb to get out on the truck and spend some quality time with him.  It was time well spent, and both learned a great deal from each other throughout the day!

 

 

Below are some additional details about Jeff:

 

Jeff lives in the greater Buffalo area and has lived in Western New York for his entire life. He has been driving professionally for over 10 years. Before coming to J.B. Hunt Jeff drove OTR for a food service company hauling reefer trailers all over the country. Jeff enjoys Bills football (or tries to) and all hockey. This is Jeff’s first month with J.B. Hunt and he said so far so good. In his time off he likes to keep up on odd jobs around the house, watch sports, and relax on the front porch he just finished reconstructing.

 
Jeff said that he was happy with the account and the way that things are operating or as he put it, “so far so good.” Jeff has only been with us since the beginning of the month so he’s just starting to get a hold of all the routes and customers and such. He has enjoyed the drop and hook tendencies of the account because his last job consisted of a lot of wait time getting unloaded. He also likes being able to be home each day and not have to worry about planning for truck stops and such. – We look forward to keeping Jeff around for the foreseeable future and he looks forward to working with us for it as well.

Getting to Know Steve Robinson

 



Steve Robinson has been a driver with us since the account began in May, 2016! He has driven for Southern States for the past 7 years and has experience with the stores and routes. Steve has a wife and 2 children, a son who recently graduated and a daughter who is an EMT and going back to school to become a teacher. In Steve’s spare time he enjoys working on his mini truck, adding details to it and keeping it ready for shows. A fun fact I learned along the route about Steve was how he is not a fan of bugs/spiders and if one gets in his cab that is kept very clean he will take as much time is required to get it removed

Steve told me that he does not currently have any suggestions or concerns on our account, he is happy about how things are going and if anything does come up he will reach out and let me know.

Welcome Lane Simpson!

Please welcome Lane Simpson to the Central Region. Lane is originally from Bowling Green, KY, and is currently attending Western Kentucky University.  She is working towards an Economics major and Finance and Political Science double-minor. During her free time, Lane enjoys hanging out with her friends, attending concerts, traveling, and working out. Lane will be spending the summer assisting the Toyota accounts as an Operations Intern. Welcome aboard Lane!

Welcome Matt Centlivre!

 

Welcome Matt Centlivre!

 

Matt joins the J.B. Hunt family as our Dedicated Manager in Training at The Home Depot in Van Buren, OH. Matt graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Supply Chain Management and a minor in Economics. While attending BGSU, he participated in multiple student organizations and intramural sports while becoming very interested in transportation through his supply chain coursework. Matt grew up in Medina, OH, just outside of Cleveland. He lived briefly in Manchester, England from 2001 to 2002. He is also a major Cleveland sports fan and enjoys attending sporting events and almost any outdoor activity such as hiking, kayaking and fishing. Glad to have you on the team!

Happy Anniversary Oliver Skelton!

Oliver Skelton is celebrating his 4th Anniversary today with JB Hunt.  Oliver is our Account Manager at the Family Dollar - Morehead, KY.  He started his career with JB Hunt at the Pet Supplies Plus in Seymour, IN and has worked for Southern States and Champion Windows along the way in various positions.  In his spare time, Oliver enjoys cheering for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Green Bay Packers. 

 

Congrats on your anniversary Oliver!