Congratulations to Paul Sparks for being selected Central Region Driver of the Month for January. Paul has been with JB Hunt and the MasterBrand Account for 9 months where he is one of our go to drivers! Paul also proudly served in the US Army for 20 years! Paul has some exceptional stats, including the following:
No preventable collisions or incidents in 14 years of having a CDL
100% On-Time Percentage
100% Fuel Compliance for 12 weeks
7.87 MPG Average for 12 weeks
Congratulations Paul on this outstanding achievement!
Below is the write-up from the MasterBrand Team:
“My job as a driver trainer is to make sure that everyone on my team has substantial knowledge of the account’s procedures & ensure that they feel they are having a meaningful impact on our safety performance, compliance, and overall efficiency as a team.” said MasterBrand Driver Trainer & Veteran, Paul Sparks.
After 20 years of service in the United States Army, Sparks has gone above and beyond the call of a professional driver to ensure that his team has the understanding and competency to perform their job the best way possible while also providing them a lifelong resource & relationship as a their mentor. Sparks has excelled on the MasterBrand team, his strong leadership skills, instructional experience & overall moral integrity has had a lasting impact on his driver trainees and the account as a whole.
Driver, Scot Hlad transferred to the MasterBrand team in November. On his first run with Paul the truck broke down in route to a preferred customer, a top buyer of MasterBrand product. Very frustrated, Scot was ready to call it quits for the day.
“Paul kept his cool; he handled everything very efficiently and communicated very well. He was very patient, and we ended up back on the road in a couple hours.” Hlad said. “I don’t know if I would’ve handled a break down as well on my first load alone. Paul is a great guy, and has been a great resource to me on this account.”
Hlad has not been Paul’s first trainee success. From 2009-2011, Sparks was a Small Arms Trainer. He was responsible for training soldiers that were to be deployed to Iraq & Afghanistan. A proud member of the 1/24th Infantry Battalion, Sparks was 1 of 20 selected to train the 10th Mountain Division Special Forces, a light infantry division designed to receive intense specialized training for fighting in mountainous and arctic conditions.
Paul’s first driving job was with the United States Army, moving ammunition on base and received his 10,000 mile safe driving award on base. Paul has been driving for 14 years and has never had a preventable accident or ticket. He takes a great deal of pride in his work and his safety performance.
“I learned the SMITH System keys when I had my first driving job outside of the Army. I believe these keys should be used in and out of the truck.” Sparks said. “If I could make every driver on the road follow the SMITH System the roadways would be much safer. There is no need to take unnecessary risks by being in a hurry or not paying attention.”
Known for his dedication to progress, Sparks has been called upon by the MasterBrand Customer to evaluate the trailer loading process. The team has had a number of issues with out of sequence product. Paul led a trailer audit with MasterBrand Management to analyze the potential safety issues as well as efficiency problems encountered by the drivers every day. Paul successfully identified issues in the MasterBrand loading practices and made valid suggestions to mitigate these issues.
In a time of great need on the MasterBrand Huntingburg Fleet, Sparks was called upon to take over another driver’s position as he underwent surgery causing him to be disabled for multiple months. Sparks was asked to learn a new job in a matter of days using unique equipment. Without protest, he took over.
“We were nervous about the “change in guard,” of J.B. Hunt drivers; however we saw no routine change and continued to receive top notch customer service. Paul was a delight! ” said Zella Bissey, Receiving Warehouse Manager.
In 2015, MasterBrand requested a J.B. Hunt delivery audit in the Baltimore Region. Unknowingly, Spark’s deliveries had been selected. An audit that began poorly due to the shortcomings of other drivers was turned around at the hands of Paul Sparks as he demonstrated to the MasterBrand leadership how powerful and effective dedicated service can be when employed in the right capacity. The result of the audit turned out to be an influential success for J.B. Hunt, allowing the division to continue pursuing additional work with in the MasterBrand network.
“Not only was he an exceptionally safe driver and aware of his surroundings, Paul demonstrated a notable level of professionalism.” said Regional Operations Manager, Anthony Warchol. “He proficiently communicated potential solutions instead of complaining about problems.”
Paul’s wife, Cassandra, has held down the fort on their mini-farm in Marengo, Indiana while Paul has defended his country & hauled freight for the past 21 years of marriage. Cassandra said that loving a military man or a truck driver is somewhat similar, experiencing both in her marriage. “The distance is hard, the worry is hard, the sacrifices are hard… but loving him has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.” Cassandra said. Grateful that he is no longer in harm’s way defending our country, she still worries about him but says he is the safest driver she’s ever met, and knows that he goes out of his way to protect himself, and others on the road.
It’s easy to recognize Paul for his upstanding moral but his customer service has been noted around the country as he has made deliveries. He has been complimented by multiple customers for his service & commitment. Known for being a “southern gentleman,” Sparks has made lasting relationships with his customers.
“I always love to see Paul coming through the door! He’s so polite and always gets the job done right. If we ever have an issue with a missing product we know Paul will communicate with us if it’s found. If we could steal him for ourselves we would.” Mary, Store Manager at Sterling Kitchens said.
Paul’s leadership has driven substantial progress in our safety culture & driver efficiency. We would love to have a few more “Paul Sparks” to share with the rest of the company. It is with a touch of delight, but also tremendous pride that Team MasterBrand is represented & lead by this diamond of a driver. We would like to thank Paul for his outstanding performance and commitment to team development. We truly enjoy working with this distinguished driver who believes that nothing is more important than concrete training because the safety of others and the future of the account relies on the quality of instruction.
Thank you for unsurpassed dedication to our Country and Account!
