Month: February 2021

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Carlise Spotlight

Carlisle Construction Materials, LLC, is a manufacturer of building materials based in Carlisle, PA. They design and manufacture roofing products, insulation, underlayment, adhesives, and hardware for residential and commercial construction. As an MK driver, you’re probably most familiar with Carlisle SynTec in Greenville, IL. Most of our loads with Carlisle ship to or from that location. They supply roofing solutions for the construction industry including PVC Membrane used to waterproof rooftops.


We started with Carlisle running one lane from Bluefield, VA to Greenville, but recently we have been given the opportunity for several other lanes with them. Your home might be held together with some of Carlisle’s products!

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Recognition

Who Are We Wednesday

Hey all! My name is Mitch Wilson, and I’ve been here at Marvin Keller for about a year and a half. I graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Marketing degree in 2010. I worked in retail sales for almost 10 years, then decided it was time to make a career change. I’d been familiar with Marvin Keller Trucking for some time and had noticed how the business had really grown over the last several years. I figured this would be a great company to work for, and I have to admit that I was right! I am part of the customer team, so I schedule appointments, work with customers, and also handle back hauls out of the Texas area.  So far it’s been a great learning experience and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Values that I bring to Marvin Keller are honesty and integrity in the workplace and always keeping a positive attitude through change and uncertainty.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, golfing, and playing guitar with local musicians. 

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Announcement & Hot Topics

Promoted Parking

Truck Driver Parking is not always easy to find but is a very important part of a Driver’s day. We have all struggled to find parking in one state or another. Some of us have even had to shut down early to avoid going over on hours just to find a good place to park. MK has a plan to help our drivers find all the best places to park!

Every Tuesday we are going to post a region where parking may be limited. All you have to do is submit a post through DriveMK adding your favorite parking spot in that area. All drivers who contribute a parking spot for that area will be given an additional 200 pro points! Bonus points if you mention what lane you used this parking spot for.

Today’s region is Atlanta, GA!

Steps to add Parking to DriveMK

  • Search
  • Search the Name, Address, and State of parking location
  • Select Add Company

Categories
Customer News

Agri-Fab Spotlight

Author: Rachel Fry

Agri-Fab, a well-known business located in Sullivan IL, was founded in 1975 when the company developed a new type of lawn sweeper. It was the best-performing sweeper in the market and that turned the small, Midwest company into a major fixture in the lawn and garden-attachment industry. Over the years, they have developed a product line of lawn-care attachments and equipment, including fertilizer sprayers, aerators, lawn carts, snowblades, and wheelbarrows.

Agri-Fab has collaborated with Hydro-Gear of Sullivan to create solutions for the lawn-care and machinery industries. Together, they employ roughly 1100 jobs in the small town of Sullivan. MK hauls freight for both companies. The main lanes we run for Agri-Fab are based in OH, IN, IL, and MO. Chances are good that your home lawn and garden equipment could have been manufactured right here.

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New Hire Introduction

The Newest Members of MK!

Everyone please give a warm welcome to Quentin and Alan!

Quentin is originally from the St. Louis area and is now living in Texas. He was been driving for 20 years with a Class B license and recently made the switch to Class A. He will be signing on with our 4 on 4 off driving program. (Pictured on the left).

Alan is from the Nashville area and recently decided to get into the trucking industry. He will be signing on with our three-week out schedule. He is very eager to start driving. (Pictured on the right).

We are glad to have you both on our team!

Categories
Recognition

Who Are We?

This week’s “Who Are We” is dedicated to Karl Simmons, Marvin Keller’s Owner Operator Driver Trainer.

Karl was referred to Marvin Keller in 2013 by a friend who previously drove for us. This year will be Karl’s eighth year with MK! Hiring in as a company driver, Karl was asked to help grow our fleet by becoming a Driver Trainer. In 2020, Karl was able to purchase his own truck and lease on with us as an Owner Operator. We are thankful Karl is willing to continue training our drivers after this huge accomplishment. Karl enjoys working for MK due to our family atmosphere and willingness to go above and beyond to get our drivers home. He says that we are true to our motto of, “More Respect Per Mile.”

Karl has many tricks he shares with his trainees to ensure they are prepared. He shared two of them that he feels are of high importance.

  • Do not hesitate to shut down in bad weather. No load is more important than safety.
  • Do not let the possibility of violating stress you out. Violations happen and it is more important to legally get to safety.

Karl likes to spend time with his girlfriend and kids while at home. They like to go on trips and drive around in Karl’s 99 z28 Camaro. Karl’s favorite pastime is racing his Camaro.

Categories
Customer News

Hydro-Gear Spotlight

Author: Rachel Fry

Hydro-Gear has been in business since 1991.  It started as a joint-venture with Agri-Fab to assemble hydrostatic transmissions and axles before supplying them to the OEM (original equipment manufacturer).   Today, they design and produce components and drive products for commercial and industrial markets. 

Most of the freight that MK hauls is components, metal parts to build this machinery.  These parts come together to create transmissions, axles, drives, piston pumps, wheel motors, and other transmission and drive systems.  It’s likely that Hydro-Gear parts are used in the power equipment we use at home, such as lawnmowers.  Our usual lanes from HG deliver to the warehouses in Princeton KY and Mattoon IL.  Then those get taken over to the factory as needed.  A lot of our HG lanes are out east.  Saint Marys PA, Berea OH, Massillon OH, and Middleburg Heights OH are our frequent lanes.  Their busy shipping season is during the fall and winter since a lot of their equipment is being assembled for spring work.

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Paperwork Management

Click the link below the image to watch our Facebook video on paperwork management!

https://fb.watch/3yxaabNdRU/

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Make It Monday

On this week’s Make It Monday, we are featuring Low Carb Meals! A handful of the MK office employees are challenging themselves by sticking to a Low Carb Diet. Dieting isn’t always fun, but it makes it a lot easier when the people close to you are all on the same journey together.

Try out these yummy low carb meals and let us know which ones worked for you! Also, send in your favorite recipes through the messaging option in the App. We would love to share your recipes with the team.

Breakfast

  • 1 medium head broccoli chopped or bag of frozen
  • 1 12- oz package Jones Dairy Farm Little Links cooked and sliced
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar divided
  • 10 eggs
  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • Grease the ceramic interior of a 6-quart slow cooker well.
  • Layer one half of the broccoli, half of the sausage, and half of the cheese into the slow cooker. Repeat with remaining broccoli, sausage, and cheese.
  • In a large bowl, whisk eggs, whipping cream, garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour over layered ingredients.
  • Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours, until browned on the edges and set in the center.

Lunch

  • Add the ground beef to a medium-size saucepan. Cook over medium heat until browned.
  • Drain the grease and add the seasonings and the tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
  • Remove the pit from the halved avocados. Load the crater left from the pit with the taco meat. Top with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, and sour cream.
  • If you want to make a larger area in the avocado for the toppings, spoon out some of the avocados and set aside to make guacamole! Then fill with toppings.

Dinner

  • 1 1/2 Pounds Beef Steak Cut Into Thin Strips
  • 1/2 Packet Fajita Seasoning Such As McCormick Brand
  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion Diced Small
  • 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 2 Medium Green Bell Peppers Diced
  • Add all ingredients to a 5 quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
  • Serve beef fajita meat in flour or corn tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Categories
Customer News

Sherwin Williams Spotlight

Author: Mindy Miller

Sherwin Willams is one of Marvin Keller’s largest and best customers. We deliver to so many different locations for them and provide excellent service. When you hear the name Sherwin Williams, you automatically think of paint, right? They also sell home goods that don’t involve paint, like wallpaper. You can buy that at any one of their stores. They are also branching out in order to spark more creativity. They have created a design center where anyone can go and try their hand at decorating their own home, complete with the ability to see what it would look like as a finished product. Very impressive!

Sherwin Williams does not just sell paint in the United States. The company has a rather large presence throughout North America, but also in both South America and Europe. The company’s name came from its founders. When it first started in 1866, two different individuals made the decision to go into business together and sell paint. One carried the last name Sherwin, while, you guessed it, the other was Williams. They decided it would be easiest to create a company that carried both of their names. Altogether, there are approximately seventeen different brands of paint owned by them. With so many different options for paint and other items, Sherwin Williams is the largest paint company in the world and employs approximately 52,000 people!