The Central IL Truck Convy is taking place on August 24, 2024, at the Effingham County Fairgrounds. All proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish.
If you are interested in participating, please let us know and we can help you register!
https://www.centralillinoistruckconvoy.com/home#register
Statistics have overwhelmingly shown the importance of effective and plentiful communication in the workplace. According to Forbes, poor communication is expensive; it costs U.S. businesses approximately $1.2 trillion every year. It results in low productivity, greater workplace conflicts, and high turnover rates. Conversely, effective communication increases trust in the workplace by almost 75% and productivity by around 25%. To communicate more effectively remember the three C’s of communication:
You also need to be aware of the manner in which you communicate. It’s helpful to prethink what you are going to say, focusing on logic and rationality. Offer professional viewpoints, not personal or emotional ones, and express your feelings and perspectives in the context of the business environment. Be assertive with your speech. Assertiveness is the neutral middle ground between passive and aggressive; it allows you to effectively communicate your point while still being respectful.
If you’re expressing negatives, do it in a constructive way without personalizing or being petty or childish. Keep emotions out of the equation and be objective. Stay neutral, speak calmly, and avoid aggressive speech or body language. Make eye contact and remain upright to show you are friendly and approachable. Maintaining a positive attitude and tone of voice even when discussing difficulties is a trait of professionalism. Always practice active listening, which is listening to actually understand what one is saying, not just waiting so you can reply.
Clear and effective communication also improves teamwork. Positive interactions build trust by increasing transparence, honesty, and a willingness to help. When everyone on a team understands their objective and is in constant communication with each other, increased productivity and problem solving result.
For a better communication experience at work, remember to keep it clear, concise, consistent, and complete; these will help you to be the consummate professional.
In the competitive world of trucking, success hinges not only on moving freight safely and efficiently but delivering exceptional service. At Marvin Keller, we pride ourselves on our extensive customer network and the trust we’ve built over the years. This article explores how our performance and commitment to strong customer relationships sets us apart in the industry, supported by hard data that showcases our operational excellence.
Customer Network and Relationships
We’ve cultivated relationships with a diverse range of shippers across the country, ensuring a steady flow of freight opportunities for our drivers. This network is not just about quantity but quality too; we prioritize partnerships that are built on reliability, transparency, and mutual benefit. We have regular calls with our customers to review service levels, and potential new lane opportunities and to build relationships with their team. Each customer has an assigned Account Representative from our office to make sure their needs are met and they are happy with our performance.
Data-Driven Operational Excellence
80% of the loads we haul are booked directly through our customers. We offer dropped equipment to many Customers so that our drivers can keep moving and skip lengthy live load/unloading experiences. In addition, our Account Reps are working to fill gaps in our network with new lanes to help reduce the amount of empty miles we drive. We bid on hundreds of new lanes each quarter with the intent of increasing the density in certain regions. This will allow us to deliver the reliability our customers expect from Marvin Keller Trucking.
At Marvin Keller Trucking, we go beyond logistics to deliver exceptional service that exceeds expectations. As we expand our network and refine operations, we’re committed to meeting evolving customer needs with the highest standards of performance and satisfaction.
Each quarter, the Producer Badge is awarded to drivers who are in the Top 10% of the fleet in which they exceed the quarterly productivity goals. This badge symbolizes the driver’s hard work and success within Marvin Keller.
Congratulations to the following drivers who earned the Producer Badge for 2024 – Quarter 2!!
Owner Operators – Top 10% Total Revenue for the Quarter
Company Drivers, OTR – Top 10% Fleet in Total Miles
Company Drivers, 4 On/4 Off – Top 10% Fleet in Total Miles
Every week, each of our driver managers takes a moment to acknowledge one of their drivers for their outstanding performance. We want to give a special thank you to the following drivers for their exceptional work, which serves as a great example of what it means to be an MK Driver.
Travis Bartels – While he was waiting to get a tire repaired, he moved several trailers that were finished at Fleetmaster’s in Effingham over to the drop lot. Thanks for knowing what we needed without even being asked to do it!
Randy Murphy – Recovered a load for us that another driver had fallen off and helped us make on-time delivery. Thanks for being so flexible!
James Rheinecker – We had a rejected trailer at the GP Mill in Augusta, GA and Jim was able to get the tandems to slide without having to call a repair truck to fix them.
Jimmy Hendrix – Located a trailer for us that was in the wrong location at Stratas in Decatur and moved it to the correct spot. Thanks for being someone we can count on!
Josh Voeks – Found a trailer at Clarksville, TN that had a lighting issue and got it moved over to the nearest Loves to get it taken care of so we didn’t have to call roadside for repair. We appreciate it!
Kamenn Gittinger – Had a really long day this week with a difficult late-night delivery. Thank you for keeping a good attitude through it!
Wes Thomas and Joseph Bass – Recovered a truck in OH for us this week.
Rick Merrill and Paul Evans did a meet and greet to save a delivery on a load. Thank you for helping us keep our customers happy!
Marc Bear – A fellow MK Driver was broke down on I-80 and Marc was able to get him unhooked from his trailer and then hooked to it safely so he could keep it moving. Thank you for being so willing to help out.
Eric Loy, Tina Barlow, Terrance Parks, & Frank Rich have all worked extra days in the past few weeks to help us make on-time deliveries. We appreciate the extra work from all of you!
We would like to present the MK Elites for April to June 2024! Congratulations to the following drivers! Your dedication to prioritizing safety and upholding these high standards is deeply valued.
The Pro-Formance Scorecard is designed to evaluate your driving skills based on 12 different risk factors. Breaking down your performance into specific categories helps you identify the areas you need to improve. These factors are divided into these sub-categories: Safety, Compliance, and Performance, each rated out of 100. The goal is to score green in all three categories to achieve MK Elite Status!
A driver can earn 1,000 Pro-Points for each green score in Safety, Compliance, Performance, and MK Elite (green in all three categories). This means you can get up to 4,000 Pro-Points!
You can find the Safety Scorecard in the Resource Library.
Keep up the great work and strive to improve your driving performance! We’re here to help in any way we can!
Marvin Keller is in the business of hauling freight. In order to be profitable, freight must make it to the correct location, intact, while following industry regulations. Everything you need to make sure your load is in order before heading out can be checked during your pre-trip inspection. The safest drivers follow these pre-trip checks:
Customers expect us to deliver freight timely and in good condition. Following the simple steps above will go a long way to making sure we deliver on those expectations. If you have issues with your load or are concerned that it isn’t loaded properly or can’t be hauled safely, reach out to your Driver Manager. Safety is a value at Marvin Keller.
Summer has arrived, and we are launching our referral program with an exciting offer! Spread the word and earn cash rewards!
We only have one referral on our leaderboard. Let’s start referring to building more sandcastles! The top referrers will receive the cash prizes:
Please join us in welcoming Kanen Byard – the newest member of our team!
“Hi, my name is Kanen Byard. I am excited to join the Marvin Keller operations team as a Driver Manager. My logistics experience consists of wearing a few different hats. I started in the industry 8 years ago as an Operations Analyst for Celadon Trucking’s flatbed division in Indianapolis. They were bought by Blair Logistics, which gave me the opportunity to be a Driver Manager for one of Blair’s flatbed fleets working out of their Memphis, TN terminal. I then continued my career by moving back home to Central Illinois to be the Logistics Clerk for CHI Overhead Door’s fleet. At CHI I was the accounts payable for their drivers and helped the other transportation employees with load planning, dispatch, safety, and LTL when needed. CHI then gave me the opportunity to acquire my CDL and drive for them which I did for 6 months. I tried out trucking over the road, but ultimately decided operations is where I am best suited, however, I will always remember that experience as a driver.
So after coming off the road, I found an opportunity as the Traffic Coordinator for Lester Building Systems for a short stint and now have found a home at Marvin Keller. A little about my personal life… I have been married for 4 years now. My interests include camping, amateur hunter and fisherman, and hanging out in the woods. I also consider myself a researcher at heart. I love learning about history, biblical history, and reading the Bible. I also enjoy learning about homesteading and food preservation, off-grid living, and bushcraft skills and trying to practice them little by little. Fun fact about my family history… My great grandfather’s first cousin was LT Cdr Ralph Duncan Byard who was a survivor of the sinking of the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Don’t be a stranger if you see me around! I look forward to getting to know everyone here at Marvin Keller.”
Grady explains how our tire inflation systems work and unveils some slick benefits to make your life a bit easier while on the road. Check it out!