Author: T. Ellis

The most successful drivers are highly organized. Organization is a means of managing your life, and it involves both your physical world and your mental state. When our physical surroundings are cluttered, our minds are as well. When we organize our days into regular routines, we are more productive and efficient.

Drivers who are highly organized and productive have routines they follow every day. They plan their trips in advance and know exactly when they need to leave out while accounting for a thorough pre-trip inspection, breaks, and possible traffic delays. Having a routine and following through with it every day is a great way to stay organized and productive. When you’re rushing around because you didn’t plan out your day it causes you to miss pickups and deliveries, take unsafe shortcuts, and can cause you to feel overwhelmed and stressed. It also frequently leads to downtime and money loss.

Organized drivers keep their paperwork organized and turned in every day. Bills of lading are currency in the trucking industry. In many cases, we can’t get paid without them. Drivers who don’t have a good system for organizing paperwork frequently lose bills or don’t get them turned in in a timely manner. This causes revenue loss for the company. Scanning in paperwork every day and keeping bills organized in a folder or binder removes the clutter and ensures you get paid for your work.

Having organized days allows you extra time and improves your work-life balance because you are able to manage your time more effectively. Time is a precious commodity, especially in the trucking industry where regulations have limited drivers to a certain number of work hours per day. By planning in advance, sticking to a schedule, and prioritizing tasks, you can be more productive and successful in your career.

Just a quick update on our exciting driver referral event! We’ve welcomed 3 drivers from your referrals – way to go!

To participate in this campaign, refer a driver and you might win a fantastic summer getaway to a sandy beach in our vacation giveaway draw! Remember, ask them to enter your name in the referral section of the application, and we’ll handle the rest. 

Thank you for your referrals to the following drivers!

• Anthony Dent
• Brian Doughty
• Anthony Collins
• George Robinson
• Myles Rogers
• Scott Lamotte
• Dennis Bradley
• Garrett McWilliams
• Mark Favreau
• Wes Thomas
• Jessica Wilson
• Frank Rich
• Merkeresseria Coleman-Goode

Here’s what the prizes look like:

• The Driver who builds the most snowmen wins the first grand prize – a vacation giveaway (location and dates are TBA)
• The Driver who builds the second most snowmen wins the second grand prize – a cash prize

How to build your Snowmen:

• Application: receive the bottom layer of the snowman
• Applicant Interview: receive the middle layer of the snowman
• Applicant Hired: receive the snowman’s head
• Applicant Seated: receive the snowman’s accessories

Referrals are good now through March 30th, 2024. Don’t miss out on your chance to win big – start referring drivers today!

The network team spends time each week reviewing our network and looking for ways to improve it.  We are always trying to find more freight that we can book directly through Customers and reduce the number of broker loads we are forced to accept.  Our team builds relationships with our Customers and we depend on drivers making on-time deliveries so we can keep the lanes that are strongest for us.  It is not uncommon for a Customer to take away lanes if the carrier cannot provide good service.  We have been providing excellent on-time delivery for Wal-Mart, ADM, Georgia Pacific, and Graphic Packaging.

In addition, we focus on drop trailer opportunities to improve the experience for our drivers.  We know drivers prefer to be able to drop and hook rather than wait for a very long unload.  Here are some of the improvements we have made in the past few weeks:

• Added a new lane out of Munster, IN that drops in Decatur, IL 10 times per week
• Added two drop trailers in Friendship, TN so they can start preloading for us
• Hired local drivers and created a drop lot in Cordele, GA to finish deliveries into Southern GA and stage shipments for road drivers.  This provides a faster turnaround and less wait time for OTR drivers. 

Our team’s goals for the year include growing Customer freight by 10% and reducing the bottom 10% of freight.   

Examples of the bottom 10% include:

• Lanes that do not pay well
• Broker lanes
• Lanes that have a long wait time
• Lanes that are outside our dense network regions

We are also working to reduce our deadhead (or empty miles) by 5% this year.  We have added a new Customer, Packaging Corporation, in Valdosta, GA to match up with deliveries we make in Valdosta on a daily basis.

Our team welcomes Customer leads from drivers so if you are at a facility that is friendly, clean, and quick…reach out to your Driver Manager so we can check it out! 

Complacency is the result of habit.  When we perform a task, a neural pathway is formed between the different areas of the brain involved in the completion of the task.  As we complete the same tasks over and over, the neural pathway becomes established and reinforced, requiring less effort and less thinking on our part in order to complete the task.  When this happens, we’re on a kind of “autopilot.”  In certain fields, this can be a dangerous thing.  Complacency causes decreased awareness and receptivity to events and hazards in the world, creating a dangerous, and possibly deadly, situation.

Statistics show experienced truck drivers are much more likely to be involved in a catastrophic crash. In a study run by HNI insurance company, almost all cases of their largest truck claims came from drivers with more than 5 years of experience; and this is a national trend.  While rookie drivers may be making more minor mistakes such as fender benders, dings, etc., the more serious crashes are being caused by veteran drivers.  Veteran drivers have experience and have developed confidence in their abilities.  They have become comfortable with their jobs and that can lead to complacency.  Road hazards, traffic congestion, and bad weather don’t go away when someone gains experience.  Distracted or inattentive driving often comes with years of experience. 

Safety is an ongoing endeavor.  When you start feeling too comfortable, think about the hazards you may be missing.  Change your routine a bit; any change from the usual can help you stay on your toes.  Learn new techniques that can help you stay safe, such as hands-free technology, to help you avoid distractions.  The cure for complacency is constant training and change. 

Don’t miss out on our maintenance campaign to expand your knowledge and earn Pro-Points! The campaign’s main focus is to provide you with valuable insights and recommendations to help you maintain the wear and tear on tractor tires.

Those who complete the campaign activities below by March 15th, 2024, will receive 200 Pro-Points!

Thank you to the following drivers who completed our campaign!

Campaign Materials

Tractor Tire Maintenance.pdf

Tractor Tire – Campaign Form

Transitioning from a rookie driver to an experienced professional in the trucking industry is a journey filled with learning and growth. As you gain more miles under your belt and become skilled in navigating different routes and handling various loads, the role of owner-operator may start to emerge. Owning your truck not only represents a significant milestone in a truck driver’s career but, also offers a sense of freedom and independence on the road.

Imagine the life-changing benefits of being your boss, making strategic decisions, and reaping the rewards of your hard work. Over time, our team at Marvin Keller has witnessed firsthand the transformation of many drivers from rookies to experienced drivers to now thriving owner-operators. Obtaining the skills, experience, and commitment will help ensure your success in this career path.

Taking the leap from being a company driver to becoming an entrepreneur is a challenging but highly rewarding experience. If you’re prepared to take on the challenge and enjoy the freedom of owning your own business, keep in mind that the journey ahead is full of endless opportunities just waiting for you.

NOTICE: Going forward, your logs will automatically transition from Yard Move status to Driving status when the vehicle speed is greater than 20 mph. Please contact your Driver Manager if you have any questions.

In a busy world, it’s often difficult to do the right thing. Every day we have opportunities to make bad decisions for immediate personal gain or convenience, whether it’s telling that little white lie to get out of trouble or slacking on the job and letting someone else deal with the problem later. It all comes down to integrity, our moral and ethical standards for ourselves.

When people have strong personal integrity, it blends into their professional careers. The good habits and behaviors help to build a good reputation for the companies they work for. Those with integrity are gracious and helpful, and they are respectful of others and their time. They are trustworthy and hard-working, realizing that everything they do impacts the company’s, and their own, reputations. Drivers who demonstrate integrity do thorough inspections and arrive on time and ready to work. They make sure their equipment is clean and in good working order and they are able to deal with conflicts that arise while remaining positive.

People lacking in integrity are often unreliable, showing inconsistency in their work habits. They frequently lack accountability, blaming others for failures and not accepting consequences. They lie and take shortcuts for personal gain without regard to the impact it will make on the companies they work for. They may leave trailers dirty, or tires or other equipment in bad condition for the next driver to deal with. They fly off the handle when issues occur and have a bad attitude or are unwilling to help. They
frequently neglect to make timely pickups and deliveries or make excuses for their performance.

Integrity is a value at Marvin Keller. Follow through on your promises, admit when you’ve made a mistake, and be honest with people. Humbleness is the key, and you will be rewarded with miles of goodness.