No matter where you find yourself this Christmas – whether at home with family, sleeping in your cab, or delivering the final gifts – remember that you are appreciated. While Santa Claus often takes the spotlight, it’s important to recognize the real heroes: our professional drivers. To those working over the Holidays, thank you for your hard work and dedication.
To the entire MK Family, thank you for being such an important part of our team. Thank you for keeping the economy moving and ensuring goods are delivered safely and efficiently. We appreciate all that you do for us here at Marvin Keller Trucking.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year!
A major part of being professional as a driver is practicing good safety habits. As a driver, your job is to move product safely from point A to point B. It sounds easy enough, but there are a lot of pieces involved in that. To start, you need to plan ahead. Trip planning is essential to the safe, on-time delivery of your load. Planning ahead for weather, traffic, road closures, or construction gives you an advantage as you know what to expect and can be proactive about any potential issues on your trip. Planning ahead also includes thorough inspections. Checking to make sure the truck and trailer are in good working order can prevent dangerous and costly accidents that put you and other drivers at risk.
When you’re on the road, follow your Smith System training. Eliminate distractions, always look ahead for hazards, and give yourself plenty of space and multiple ways out.
Developing safety routines and following them every single day can ensure that you are in control of most of what happens on the road. Avoid taking shortcuts and do the right thing even when no one is watching.
The costs of complacency when it comes to safety procedures can be dire. Avoid being lazy, reactive, or inattentive. These behaviors can lead to damage of products, equipment, or even loss of life. We want our drivers to make it home safely every week, and putting safety procedures first is how that happens.
The network team has recently acquired a new Customer, Packing Corporation of America. We started hauling Pulpboard rolls out of their Containerboard Mill in Valdosta, GA. Just last week, we also started to haul Pulpboard rolls out of their Counce, TN location. These shipments are preloaded and deliver to IL, IN, & MO.
PCA is one of the largest producers of containerboard and corrugated packaging products and has over 120 facilities across the U.S. They started as the North Star Mill in Quincy, Illinois in 1867 making paper from wild grasses and eventually straw. It was the first of the Central Fiber Products Company which became one of the three companies that formed PCA. In 1959 Packaging Corporation of America was formed by the consolidation of the Central Fiber Products Company, the American Box Board Company, and the Ohio Boxboard Company.
In 1991 PCA purchases two containerboard mills, 19 corrugated container plants, and cutting rights to approximately 650,000 acres of timberlands from Georgia-Pacific.
Last year PCA was included in Forbes magazine’s 2021 list of “World’s Best Employers” — one of only 24 U.S.-based manufacturing/engineering companies to make the list.
Corrugated boxes are everywhere. They are used to package, transport, display, and promote almost every product you see and buy. Corrugated is the most sustainable packaging material available and we look forward to growing our business with PCA!
Just a reminder, our team has initiated the second phase of MK Connect! The second phase focuses on how we can help you enhance your overall performance and achieve your individual goals. Let’s connect so we can better support you!
To access this survey, click on the link below that contains your Driver Manager’s name. Once you fill out and submit the survey, your DM will schedule a call with you to review your response. When filling out the survey, please be as detailed as possible.
Please fill this out as soon as you can. We appreciate your participation and look forward to reviewing your feedback.
At our operations meeting every Friday, 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.
First we would like to shoutout, Marc Bear, Dave Williams, & Jason Coleman for installing their own Samsung tablets in their trucks to save the cost of coming down to the shop. Thank you!
Marc Bear
Dave Williams
Jason Coleman
We would like to thank Alvin Jordan for he had been at a new location in TX recently and helped give directions to the next driver who was having trouble finding the office. Thank you for being so willing to help out!
Shoutout to Eli Greenwood for he took matters into his own hands to save time by restacking 5 pallets that had shifted rather than wait for the Receiver. Way to work extra so you could keep moving!
We would like to recognize Anthony Gilio. He pulled two loads out of Augusta so we could keep another driver moving who was not arriving until after that facility closed. Thank you for being someone we can rely on!
Thank you to Terrance Parks! He left out a day early several weeks in a row to help save deliveries for us. Thank for helping to keep our Customers happy!
We would like to shoutout Ken Newby for he disposed of damaged product at his own property to save us the cost of playing someone to pick it up. Thank you always for going over and above.
Shoutout to Jason Grigsby for he had a difficult situation a weeks ago with many complications including rejected product and lots of downtime Thank you for having a good attitude and being understanding through the mess!
We would like to recognize Eric Doney for he was struck by another driver at a truck stop and was able to chase the driver down to get his company info so we could claim the damages to our equipment. We appreciate your determination!
Lastly, thank you to Terry Hodge, Chris Le, Anthony Collins, Damien Strong, Robert Benton, and Garrett McWilliams for working extra days in the past few weeks to help us make on time deliveries. We appreciate the extra work from all of you!
Earn a $200 bonus on your settlement when you complete the What’s Your Why? Safety Campaign activities! Be sure to complete the campaign materials by November 30, 2023! Click the link to see more information about our campaign:
We all have something that inspires us to do what we do. What drives you? What is important to you? Is it your family, friends, pet, hobby, or favorite pastime? Because of your WHY, It’s essential to prioritize safety for yourself and the motoring public by operating safe equipment in a safe manner.
UPDATE: If you have any questions or if for some reason the sticker is not scanning, please inform your DM.
Did you know that you can earn MK Pro-Points when you find an “I Spy” sticker on our trailers?
What is an “I Spy” Sticker?
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!
Only 34 drivers have found these stickers!
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 numberassigned 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?
We have completed the initial phase of the MK Connect Surveys and have compiled all of your responses to help Marvin Keller make improvements. Here are some of the key findings:
One daily problem reported by drivers was the After Hours Call Center. To tackle this issue, we started weekly meetings with their team to provide additional training opportunities, which has significantly improved the call center’s service.
Another challenge cited by drivers was workflow in BlueTree. To address this, our team has integrated workflow into the DriveMK App, which all drivers should be using. And since switching to Samsara after the BT ELD went down, we have received nothing but positive feedback regarding workflow.
Marvin Keller wants to connect with You! – Phase 2
Now, we will be initiating the second phase of survey questions that will focus on how we can help you enhance your overall performance. Let’s connect so we can better support you!
To access this short survey, click on the link below that contains your Driver Manager’s name. Once you fill out and submit the survey, your DM will schedule a call with you to go over your response. We appreciate your participation and look forward to reviewing your feedback.
For the past couple of weeks of driver spotlights, we recognized the following drivers who went above and beyond! We appreciate you going the extra mile!
We would like to shoutout Molly Gribler. She noticed her copy of a BOL was missing a page and made sure she got it from the Shipper. This saved us from headaches trying to bill the Customer for the shipment. Thank you!
Thank you to Ed Hrezo. He headed out really early in the morning so we could make an on-time delivery. Thank you for helping to keep our Customers happy.
Kim Kuffel & Gifford Libby and Jessica Branham & Will Caldwell did Meet and Greets to help us get drivers home on time. Thank you for being so willing to help out.
Kim KuffelJessica Branham
Gifford LibbyWill Caldwell
Alvin Jordan, Sean Johnson, Dan Schmitt, and Ed Hrezo have all worked extra days in the past few weeks to help us make on time delivery. Thank you for being someone we can rely on.
We’ve all had those days – drooping eyelids, endless yawns, and a wandering mind. We can often push through with caffeine, music, or podcasts, but this puts us at risk and endangers others on the road. This is called driver fatigue, and it can be difficult to recognize when we’re too tired to drive safely.
Driver fatigue causes slower reaction times, decreased awareness of surroundings, and impaired judgment. Studies show it can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Catastrophic accidents, such as a driver veering into oncoming traffic or forgetting to check their blind spots before changing lanes, can result from driver fatigue.
As a driver of a large vehicle, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are driving safely. Listening to your body and not pushing beyond your limits is crucial. Taking breaks and resting when necessary can help prevent fatigue. Remember, sleep is the best medicine for combating fatigue. If you feel tired or drowsy while driving, always pull over to a safe location and take a nap. Your safety and the safety of others on the road is our top priority!
Other tips to help manage Fatigue:
Know your body’s sleep needs and limitations
Plan your trips to include regular times of rest
Get the amount of sleep you require in one stretch if at all possible
Take a short nap between 10 – 45 minutes when feeling the onset of fatigue
Understand the effects of caffeine and stay away from stimulants stronger than a cup of coffee
Do not accept loads that will require you to exceed hours-of-service limitations
Eat healthy meals
Exercise regularly
Drink plenty of water
Watch out for the warning signs of fatigue, and if you experience a combination of any of the symptoms, DO NOT DRIVE. Always pull over to a safe location and take a nap.
