You can earn some cool cash this summer with MK’s Summer Referral Contest!
All you need to do is refer a driver to participate in our sandcastle-building competition. The Drivers who build the most sandcastles by the end of the contest win the grand prize! For this campaign, we’re doing something special – we’re having three grand prize winners!
Introducing the newest member of MK, Jon-Michael Winans. Jon works in our Operations Team as a Driver Manager.
“Hello, my name is Jon Winans. I am joining the Marvin Keller team as a Driver Manager and I am excited to learn something a little new! I come from the LTL world. I was a forklift operator for 6 years before becoming an operations supervisor and dispatcher for almost 10 years. I have enjoyed working in the transportation industry and look forward to growing more knowledge now with truckload. Prior to that I worked at a local pizza joint through high school and college and also dabbled in sales. I have been married just over 13 years now and have two children. My son is 13 and my daughter is 8. Outside of work I enjoy the outdoors, love to fish, and will never pass up watching a good baseball game! With that said, GO CUBS! At the end of the day, nothing beats kicking your feet up by a nice fire and roasting some marshmallows with the wife and kids. I look forward to my new role as Driver Manager and I am excited to get to know everyone especially the drivers!”
Our fleet has taken a significant step forward by integrating 410 trailers and 100 trucks with Samsara’s Tracking System. This technological upgrade offers real-time visibility of our equipment, boosting fleet efficiency and theft prevention through tracking devices.
Initially, we used Sky Bitz for tracking before switching to Orbcomm’s system. However, challenges with parts and installation delays prompted us to bring in Lonestar, a third-party tracking service. However, managing equipment across three software platforms posed monitoring challenges.
In September 2023, Orbcomm suffered a cyberattack lasting 22 days, resulting in a loss of visibility on our equipment, leading drivers to resort to paper logs. This Orbcomm security malfunction prompted a swift software deployment on our end. By the end of September, we started implementing a new ELD System called Samsara, which also included tracking devices. The MK team made it a priority for prompt installation to get us out of the dark. We worked closely with our reliable maintenance vendors to conduct routine lot checks and enlisted their help in the installation process. Furthermore, company drivers, Jimmy Hendrix, and Ken Newby installed many of the new trackers to our equipment in our local regions whenever possible, contributing significantly to the initiative.
We installed the final trailer tracker last week, wrapping up the project in just 8 months! This success was thanks to the collaborative work of our MK Team and Maintenance Network, ensuring a smooth installation process and progress towards our fleet’s high-performance objectives.
Spring Referral Contest has come to an end with a total of 10 referral applications! We appreciate everyone’s effort in referring and helping MK blossom!
With that being said, we would like to congratulate our referral winner, Merkeresseria!
Thank you to everyone who participated. Stay tuned for the next referral campaign!
The Hazmat Permit in your truck’s yellow permit book is set to expire on June 30, 2024.
If you park at the terminal the shop will put the new permit in your truck. If you do not park at the terminal you will be receiving the new permit in the mail. Please make sure you place it in your permit binder before July 1st in order to ensure compliance.
We will also upload the new permit to the Resource Library in the Drive MK app.
If you have any questions or will not be home before July 1st to get the permit please let us know.
Situational awareness is a crucial skill for truck drivers, as it impacts safety, efficiency, and overall performance on the road. At its core, situational awareness involves looking ahead and being fully conscious of your surrounding environment, understanding how various factors interact, and anticipating potential hazards before they become imminent threats. For professional drivers, this means constantly monitoring traffic patterns, road conditions, weather changes, and the behavior of other drivers to make informed decisions that ensure safe and smooth travel.
Knowing and implementing the Smith5Keys provides more space for the vehicle, visibility for the driver, and time to make and act on decisions.
Key 1: Aim High In Steering
Learning to look farther down the road (at least 15 seconds minimum) to see what’s ahead gives you the advantage of planning your next move rather than just reacting to situations around you.
Key 2: Get The Big Picture
Staying alert to relevant information, such as what the vehicles around you are doing, gives you the ability to make safe, well-informed decisions. By checking at least one mirror every 5 to 8 seconds helps create a circle of awareness around your vehicle.
Key 3: Keep Your Eyes Moving
Not only is an active mind less likely to become fatigued, but it is better able to process information. As you are looking farther down the road and using your mirrors to monitor what’s going on around you, you’ll see changes as they happen and be able to adjust your driving plan accordingly.
Key 4: Leave Yourself An Out
By surrounding your vehicle with the most space possible, you’re leaving “yourself an out” to change lanes and change your driving position, as the traffic around you shifts. Avoid traveling in traffic clusters. The safest position in traffic is the one with the fewest vehicles around you.
Key 5: Make Sure They See You
Make eye contact with other drivers and pedestrians. Make sure they know you’re there, and watch what they do so you can avoid sudden, unplanned movements that could turn into a crash. Your ability to keep an eye on how they’re reacting to conditions, and to make sure they know you’re there, can help keep everyone safer.
Remember to use the Smith System Keys to maintain a high level of situational awareness and to execute appropriate actions to mitigate over-the-road risks. Situational awareness is not just about personal safety; it also contributes to the safety of other road users and the timely delivery of goods, which is vital to the economy and community well-being.
Honesty means much more than just telling the truth. It encompasses a range of behaviors that contribute to a person’s integrity and make them a desired and valuable associate and team member. When you are not completely forthcoming, your team members pay the price. Being dishonest even in the really small things is a terrible weakness and will end up costing you and your team in the long run.
Most importantly, being honest builds trust, which is key to creating a professional and successful work environment. Transparency and open communication are essential and this begins with top management. MK’s leadership must foster this environment and ensure everyone feels free to respectfully provide suggestions, ideas, and solutions without fear of reprisal.
Honest associates are accountable and reliable. They take ownership of their work and their mistakes and don’t try to pass the buck. Because Truckers are essentially working remotely, no one is looking over your shoulders to make sure you’re doing everything correctly. An easy way to show honesty and build trust is to report when things happen, even the mistakes; this is how we learn and improve. Remember, mistakes are to be taken in the context of a process, policy, or procedure, not in a personalized or demeaning manner.
A new initiative to improve and reduce physical damage to the equipment is underway. This requires Drivers to routinely submit inspection reports noting any damage to the tractor or trailer before heading out on your shift. For us to improve, we need to understand what happened so we can try to prevent it from recurring. Equipment damage is costly and means there is work to do to improve. The first recommendation is to be more conscientious, deliberate, and careful with tight maneuvers and backing. Get Out & Look is the tiresome old slogan, but it is time-tested and effective.
Next, we will undertake a statistical analysis of frequency and severity of the damage and then determine what is needed to reduce and improve. We will share these results and continuously update our processes. This is how we find strength in being honest.
The most successful drivers ensure they are giving themselves plenty of time to be safe, follow DOT rules, and still make pickups and deliveries on time. Marvin Keller’s veteran drivers credit good trip planning to their success. Here are some of the important things to consider when planning your trips.
Plan for 20 to 30 minutes to do proper pre and post-trip inspections. This will help prevent time-consuming and costly repairs on the road, like blown tires. Ensuring your rig is DOT-compliant will also help prevent you from being stopped for random inspections or put out of service if an inspector notices something that’s not right.
Plan your route ahead of time; know the roads you plan to take and where you might stop for breaks and fuel. You may want to call ahead to get a parking spot for the night. Your driver manager can help with that as well.
Give yourself extra time to account for any potential delays, such as traffic congestion, construction slowdowns, or inclement weather.
Check the MK Drive app. Our drivers have created a wealth of information about shippers and receivers that can help you plan ahead. And remember, if you’re having trouble with trip planning or with anything else, you can always get ahold of your Driver Manager. They’re here to help.
Make sure you’re planning ahead to arrive on time to shippers and receivers. In the current economy, many trucking companies are all fighting for a small amount of business, and service has become a priority in order to compete. Do your part to make sure we remain a professional, elite fleet.
Recently, one of our drivers was stopped by a DOT Officer while transporting a sealed hazmat load. Upon inspection, the officer discovered that the load was not secured with any straps after breaking the seal. We want to emphasize to all our drivers that every hazmat load must be secured with a minimum of two straps during loading. This incident could have resulted in serious consequences, but fortunately, no harm was done
What Can You Do?
Properly secure all hazmat loads – minimum 2 straps
Verify the paperwork for the load
Plan your route with proper hazmat routes
Placard each necessary load accurately
Violations that Impact Our Score:
Placard Violations
Load Securement
Proper Paperwork
Potential Results of Receiving These Violations:
We could lose our ability to bypass the scales
Marvin Keller could lose the ability to haul Hazmat loads which could increase wait time and broker freight
We will be slowed down
Your commitment to these practices can make a significant difference in keeping everyone safe on the road and ensuring hazmat compliance.
Our team would like to acknowledge a few of our drivers who have demonstrated exceptional levels of dedication, positivity, professionalism, and hard work. These drivers have been chosen for their remarkable contributions and commitment to excellence.
“Recently Dalton has transitioned to a home-daily position that required relocation. He has communicated perfectly through this process and kept us updated the whole way through. Dalton is very attentive to keeping us updated on any given situation or issue. For example, he was having an issue with a facility needing a different pick-up number. Dalton let us know immediately and then using his own problem-solving ability started to call the broker to resolve the issue. In the meantime, he was able to work with the facility to load him without the number and secure the load in the process. He is hardworking and an asset to our team”
– Alex, Driver Manager
“Frank has been a valuable part of this company for many years and he has passed many years of knowledge on to many rookie drivers and rookie driver managers. When I first started I relied on his knowledge on multiple occasions. He doesn’t take shortcuts and always does the right thing, even if it will lead to downtime. His dedication to safety is top notch and he sets the standard for maintaining equipment.”
– Nick, Driver Manager
“George started with Marvin Keller 6 years ago as an owner-operator doing a lease purchase on 1 truck. He currently has 3 trucks and 4 employees including himself and is continuing to grow his business. He always has a positive attitude regardless of the situation and is very appreciative and grateful for everything he has attained since working at Marvin Keller. At least once a year he will provide the office lunch to show his appreciation to all in here. Most weeks he will send an email of appreciation for the week he has had. His positive attitude and kind words are much appreciated and uplifting.”
– Amy, Owner Operator Manager
“Joshua joined our company in May 2023 as a driver working four days on and four days off. He has now transitioned to over-the-road driving. Joshua is highly motivated and always maintains a positive attitude towards work. He aspires to become an owner-operator for Marvin Keller in the future.”
– Andrew, Driver Manager.
A huge thanks goes out to these drivers for their outstanding work. We appreciate all that you have done and continue to do to help us be the best carrier we can be. Keep up the great work! 🤩
