When on your break, please remember to turn the Kill Switch off. This will help prevent draining the truck’s batteries and will ensure your truck starts every morning. The video below shows where the Kill Switch is located on a Mack, Freightliner, and KW.
It’s no secret that drivers who are polite and courteous to customers, shippers, and receivers are more likely to experience fewer delays and a smoother loading and unloading experience. Customers are a premium at any time but that especially holds true during freight recessions when customers and freight are hard to come by. Truly elite fleets are set apart from the rest and get priority business by providing good service and showing respect.
Another way to show respect for customers is to pick up and deliver loads on time. When you follow a shipper or receiver’s schedule, you show that you have respect for their time. Having the product off or on the dock when they need it goes a long way in maintaining customer relationships and growing your business with them. If you’re going to be late due to circumstances out of your control, let your driver manager know so the customer can be notified. Showing up late without notice is unacceptable and leads to loss of business.
Marvin Keller is laser-focused on service and is watching service levels carefully. The driver manager team is here to support you. If you are struggling to meet our service levels, reach out to them and they will form a plan to help you succeed.
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.
Tim Garrett – Helped a shipper fill out a handwritten BOL and they called us to compliment his kindness and willingness to help out. Thanks for impressing our Customers!
Anthony Gilio – Helped out a fellow driver who is new to the industry and gave him guidance backing into a tight spot. Thank you for setting such a great example for other drivers.
Orville Merrill – Had a tire replaced and the Halo system was not hooked up properly so he was able to get it into another Love’s and repaired for no additional charge.
Dennis Anthony – went to get his truck started on his day off to avoid downtime at the start of his week. Thanks for being so flexible!
Aaron Stanley – Recued a damaged trailer from a repair shop and brought it to our drop lot. This saved us from having to pay storage charges at the repair show. We appreciate it!
Allen Fitzgerald – stayed out for the weekend to return a refused shipment back to GA from Michigan. Thank you for being so willing to help out.
Ed Hrezo, Chris Le, Blake Norman, Dan Schmitt, Gifford Libby, Jason Grigsby & Antonio Tucker 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!
Please join us in welcoming Dan, the newest member of our Customer Team!
“Hello, my name is Dan Fultz. I am joining the Marvin Keller team as an Account Representative, and I am excited to take on a new challenge in the transportation industry. I have 5 years in a sales background as a Financial Advisor and almost 20 years in various ministry leadership roles. I look forward to using this skill set to develop MK’s line network and supplier partnerships. My wife and I will soon be celebrating 17 years of marriage, and we have two children Alex (13) and Aubrey (11). I stay active with running, biking, and swimming while spending as much family time as possible. Growing up in Pennsylvania, we have made our kids Philadelphia Eagles fans but we’ve managed to survive 10 years in Bears country. I look forward to building relationships, growing with the company, and being part of a great team here at Marvin Keller!”
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!
Contest Rules:
Grand Prizes
Your friends will flip when they hear about MK!
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!”
Please join us in welcoming Jon!
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.
