Month: September 2023

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Reminder – I Spy Campaign

Have you come across our “I Spy” Stickers yet? These stickers have been placed in different spots on some of our trailers. The goal is when you complete a thorough pre-trip inspection and find a sticker, you will be rewarded with MK Pro-Points.

Only 33 drivers have found these stickers!

Reminder – What is the “I Spy” Campaign?

To reward you for thorough pre and post-trip inspections, we have created stickers that display a QR code linked to our Drive MK App. We are placing these stickers on multiple trailers so when you are out doing an inspection and find one, you scan it in and receive MK Pro-Points.

After scanning, you will receive the “I Spy” Badge and the opportunity to level up with the more stickers you find on different trailers. More stickers you find = more Pro-Points!

How do you scan the QR Code?

Here’s how you scan it in.

  • First, you will open your phone and the Drive MK App
  • Go to “^” which is the Settings, and click “Scan.”
  • Using the camera, you will hover over the QR Code to “scan it in”
  • Type in the trailer number assigned to you
  • Then you will be awarded the badge along with MK Pro-Points

**You are only able to scan the sticker that corresponds to the trailer assigned to you.

Why?

We want to ensure that everyone completes thorough inspections to guarantee a safe trip and help avoid OTR breakdowns. So make sure when inspecting your equipment everything is in working order, AND you’re looking for the “I Spy” stickers. Will it catch your eye?

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Samsara Announcement

Great News Drivers!  Marvin Keller has switched to a much better ELD system called Samsara.  It uses a very simple App to track your Hours of Service and Safety Scorecards.  We have a few drivers testing it now who have had a lot of positive feedback.  We are looking forward to switching everyone very quickly.  Your Driver Manager will schedule you through the shop to have it installed in your truck soon! 

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics Referral

Did you know?

Balancing Recruitment and Retention

It’s no secret that the demand for skilled truck drivers is on the rise. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to recruit new talent and retain existing drivers.

To stay competitive with other trucking companies in recruiting, Marvin Keller spends around $7,000 per month on job advertising sites to attract top talent. However, finding new candidates isn’t the only goal – we also prioritize retaining them. Our goal is to ensure that all new drivers joining the team have the tools and resources needed to succeed and grow within the company.

Importance of Referrals

Beyond job sites, there are many other ways to attract quality candidates, improve retention, and manage recruitment costs. Referral programs are often the most effective recruiting channel in this regard. Here’s why:

  • Improved retention rates: Employee referrals lead to higher job satisfaction and retention rates, saving the company time and money on recruitment.
  • Better cultural fit: Current employees are more likely to refer candidates who will fit in well with the company culture.
  • Cost-effective: Instead of spending money on job postings, we would rather rely on current employees to refer qualified candidates and reward them for it.

Tips on Referring

To find new driving talent, word-of-mouth is the most effective. To refer someone to Marvin Keller, we suggest getting to know them personally, explaining your work experiences, and directing them to the company website and social media to get a sense of our culture. Once you’ve done this, encourage them to apply using your name as a reference.

Please inform us if you want any materials to be handed out to potential candidates, such as business cards, flyers, and so on. We will be happy to provide them to you.

For your referrals, Marvin Keller has a referral campaign to recognize and reward you for referring potential candidates. Here is MK’s current referral campaign.

Categories
Maintenance & Equipment

New Maintenance Campaign – Trailer Tires

Take advantage of our new maintenance campaign to expand your knowledge and earn Pro-Points! This campaign focuses on the importance of tire inspections from a maintenance and safety standpoint.

Those who complete the campaign activities by October 20th, 2023, will receive 200 Pro-Points!

Campaign Materials:

Tire Maintenance.pdf

Tire Maintenance – Campaign Form

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics Safety

ORBCOMM Malfunction Extension – Use of Paper RODS

Please make sure you scan in all your paper logs! We need this information not only for compliance, but also in order to figure out our IFTA taxes.

From ORBCOMM, attached is a Malfunction Extension given by the FMCSA.

This extension allows drivers using ORBCOMM’s BT 504 platform to continue utilizing a Paper Record of Duty Status beyond the normal 8-day malfunction period specified in 49 CFR 395.8. This extension allows drivers to legally maintain a Paper Record of Duty Status through September 29, 2023, which is when we are aiming to have drivers switched back on to their ELD.

To utilize the extension and remain compliant, please ensure your drivers adhere to the following conditions:

  • Keep a copy of the Extension Letter in each vehicle.
  • If a driver is stopped for a roadside inspection, they must present the Extension Letter to the Enforcement Officer.  

ORBCOMM Malfunction Extension Letter.pdf

Categories
Referral

Fill a Seat, Get a Seat!

As a reminder, the baseball referral campaign ends in a few weeks, so if you haven’t already, be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to earn the bonus and get a chance to win a new truck seat! Make sure when they fill out the application, they fill in your name in the referred section.

Thank you again for your support! Here is the current leaderboard:

  • Dan Emel
  • Kaleb Green
  • Keith Thrasher
  • Orville Merrill
  • George Robinson
  • Nicole Young
  • Dalton Medley
  • Erika Gregory
  • Myles Rogers
  • Travis Palmer
  • Jessica Branham
FILL A SEAT, GET A SEAT!

Refer a driver to earn bases. The driver with the most bases by the end of the contest wins the Grand Prize! The more bases the better!

POINT SYSTEM:

Get a base for an application, applicant interview, applicant hired, and applicated seated.

REFERRAL PROGRAM INCLUDES:
  • $100 for EACH driver lead or application. PLUS 500 MK Pro-Points
  • $1,000 paid to MK Driver once the applicant is hired: $500 paid out once seated, $250 at 3 months, & $250 at 6 months
  • GRAND PRIZE: the driver with the most bases will receive a brand new truck seat
Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

ORBCOMM / Bluetree Service Interruption update

As you may have noticed, our Orbcomm/Bluetree systems have been down for a while now, and we are unsure when they will be restored. We have received an update from Orbcomm, and right now, if you are to log out of your Orbcomm device, you will be unable to log back in. Please document your last 7 days of logs somewhere safe in order to remain in compliance.

Stay logged in when possible, and if you do not have access to your E-Log, please switch to paper logs. If you need any assistance, please get in touch with someone here in the office.

If you’re in an event where you get stopped, please show them these letters.

ORBCOMM Malfunction Extension.pdf

ORBCOMM Roadside Outage Communication.pdf

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Workflow in the App

A Walkthrough for Workflow in the DriveMK App

You will start your order by pressing the blue play button on the right of the stop. Then a “Stop Confirmation” will pop up and ask, “Is the stop trailer number correct?” Your choices are “I don’t have a trailer,” “No,” or “Yes.” Choose what applies to the stop. Then it will ask, “Are you sure you want to start the timer?” If you’re sure, you will press “Okay,” and your timer will be started. You can see it at the bottom of the screen.  When the timer starts, it updates the arrival time in our system.  Leave the timer on until the stop is complete.  For instance, if you are live loading leave the timer on until your trailer is loaded and you are leaving the shipper.  This updates your departure time in our system.  You simply do the same thing for all the stops on your order. 

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Driver Spotlights

For last week’s driver spotlights, we recognized the following drivers who went above and beyond! We appreciate you going the extra mile!

First we would like to shout out Charity Battley. She traveled from Memphis to Texas to pick up her truck after a breakdown. Thank you for the extra effort and for staying positive throughout the hassle.

A huge shout out to Molly Gribler. We received a call from one of our Customers with lots of nice things to say about Molly. Thanks for showing respect and impressing our Customers!

Thank you to Darius Kerr for he had to take a train to get into another truck due to a breakdown.  We appreciate you keeping a good attitude through the moves. 

Shoutout to Jerry Frost for he helped us out with a Customer delivery on his day off – thanks for being so flexible!  

We would like to acknowlged Aaron Williams. While he was waiting for his truck to be serviced, he delivered a truck to one of our team drivers because their truck was down at a repair shop.  Thank you for being so willing to help out!

A huge shoutout to Marc Bear. He divided up a box of anti-skid plates between himself and two other city drivers to help us keep our supply costs down. Thank you for being someone we can rely on!

Lastly, we would like to thank Kaleb Green, Travis Palmer, Michael Bodine, Joe Aiello, Chris Pearce, & Allen Fitzgerald have all worked extra days in the past few weeks to help us make on-time delivery and keep our Customers happy.  We appreciate it!

Kaleb
Travis
Michael
Joe
Chris
Allen