We would like to recognize the following drivers for going above and beyond in helping us out! We appreciate you going the extra mile!
First, we would like to shout out, Allen Fitzgerald. He saw another Marvin Keller driver, Dave Ward, at a Walmart DC and noticed his headlight was out. Allen had some extra bulbs in his truck and helped Dave get his replaced. Thank you for setting such a great example for the rest of our drivers!
Shout out to Wade Owns for paying off his Lease Purchase truck – your dedication is leading you to success!
Thank you to Frank Rich. He located an old BOL that helped us bill a customer for an old shipment. It is very appreciated!
Shout out to Kerri Doss & Brian Doughty did a Meet & Greet to make sure we made on-time delivery. Thank you for keeping our Customers happy!
Kerri
Brian
Lastly, thank you to Wes Ryden, Dalton Medley, Dustin Carey, Mike Manion, Shaquille Eleazer, Eric Doney, and Jacob Mercer, who all worked extra days recently to help us make Customer deliveries. Thank you for the extra time and effort.
Did you know that cruise control can help you maintain a safe speed, follow distance, and avoid collisions?
The strength of cruise control is that it eliminates the systematic acceleration and deceleration drivers are prone to when traveling down an interstate or an empty country highway.
Safety features of cruise control:
Active brake assist
Lane departure warning
Automatically sets a following distance
These advanced safety features can help you maintain a safe following distance and avoid collisions.
Benefits of using cruise control:
Fuel-saving: Maintaining a constant speed over great distances is more fuel efficient.
Reduces stress: Constantly matching and releasing the accelerator pedal can stress the muscles excessively. But cruise control relieves truck drivers of that stress, allowing them to get some stretches in without losing time.
Cruise Can Help Control Traffic: By setting your cruise control just under the posted speed limit, you will create a natural buffer around your truck.
Speed: maintain a safe speed
BlueTree Scorecard:
Within the Driver Scorecard, cruise control impacts your performance score. It’s measured by the percentage of time spent traveling over 55 mph while engaging the cruise control. Thus, the more you use it, the better your score.
Cruise control is an impressive piece of technology that helps to save fuel and drive efficiently. But before you engage the cruise control in your truck, remember only to use it during favorable weather conditions and at reasonably low speeds.
Did you know the higher the RPM, the more fuel is burned? If you enjoy revving hard and taking off at speed, you may not realize its effect on your fuel mileage.
First, what is over-revving?
Over-revving occurs when the driver revs the engine beyond its recommended RPM range. RPM or Rotations Per Minute deals with how fast the engine operates.
Effects of Over Revving:
Nowadays, most truck engines are designed to be protected from over-revving. Though, this doesn’t mean there aren’t any effects from doing it.
One notable effect of over-revving is poor fuel efficiency. The faster an engine spins, the more fuel it uses, so allowing your truck to reach excessively high revs in any gear causes poor fuel efficiency. Trucks running at 1400 RPM will achieve the best fuel mileage.
How is Over Revving Measured in BT Scorecard?
BlueTree Metric Definition: Over Revving – Accelerated RPM
In the BlueTree Performance Scorecard, over-revving is measured by the percentage of time spent over the RPM target.
3% of the time: Good (Green)
6% of the time: Okay (Yellow)
12% of the time: Bad (Red)
RPM Target
Anything lower than 1700 RPM – Green
Anything higher than 1700 RPM- Yellow
Reaching or higher than 1900 RPM – Red
How can I improve in the over-revving category?
If you notice that you place yellow or red in the over-revving category, here are some tips to help you achieve green:
Avoid aggressive acceleration
If driving a manual transmission car and realizing that you have under-shifted, that best way to avoid over-revving is to jam the clutch pedal in. When your clutch is depressed in a manual car it prevents the wheels from being connected to the engine. Make sure when you’re shifting gears your in the correct gear.
Proper use of engine break – for Owner Operators only
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We were lucky enough to receive these delicious cupcakes from Owner Operator, Mark McKinley’s daughter. They were magically delicious! Thank you so much to the McKinley Family.
We wish you good luck, blessings, and happiness for today and every day.
Although engine idling may appear harmless, you may not be aware of the financial costs and truck damage it causes.
Idle wastes fuel and money
Did you know a truck that idles up to 6 hours daily will consume 1,800 gallons of fuel a year?
For every hour you idle, you burn one gallon of fuel.
If a truck idles for 6 hours per day and operates 300 days a year, it would consume 1,800 gallons of fuel per year, simply idling
At $4.29 per gallon of diesel, this idling comes with a price tag of $7,722 per truck
Idling causes engine wear and tear
Did you know that idling time does more engine damage than starting and stopping? Running an engine at low speed (idling) causes twice the wear on internal parts compared to driving at regular speed. Thus, it increases maintenance costs and shortens the lifespan of the engine.
MK’s #1 repair due to excessive idling:
The most common repair we see related to idling is replacing the DPF filter. Replacing the DPF filter can cost between $2,500 – $10,000 which also leads to 3-4 days of downtime. Not to mention multiple Regens and further damage to DEF pumps and/or 1 box can also occur from high idling.
BT Scorecard:
Idling is also a metric category within the BT Driver Performance Scorecard. As of right now, your score is affected when your engine is idling for more than 3 minutes without moving. To improve your score in the idling category, see the tips down below or contact your DM.
What can you do to help reduce idle time?
Turn off your engine if waiting to load or unload
Turn off equipment during breaks
Follow manufacturer’s recommendations for minimum warm-up time – usually 3 to 5 mins
Did you know you can improve your fuel mpg just by driving at a lower speed? When it comes to optimizing your fuel economy, a lead foot loses. From a cost perspective, we want to show you how much money you can save just by increasing your mpg:
You can conserve fuel by learning how different driving behaviors affect fuel economy and by adopting techniques to save fuel and money. Below are some fuel-saving techniques to start implementing:
Drive at or under the posted speed limit: faster speeds encounter more air resistance, requiring the engine to work harder and compensate with more fuel.
Set a speed that is responsible.
LOVES is MK’s preferred fuel station: We receive the best discounts!
Each MPH over 60 mph equals a 1/10 decrease in MPG
Avoid hard braking and sudden stops by maintaining a proper following distance of 6-7 seconds.
Coast as often as practical: Loaded trucks can coast long distances. For example, when approaching a stop sign, ramp, speed zone, or construction zones, use the momentum of the truck instead of the accelerator.
Accelerate in a relaxed, measured, and deliberate manner.
Shift smoothly and at lower rpms.
Check tire pressure daily using a calibrated tire gauge on trucks and trailers.
Shut the truck off: turning it off even if it’s for a few minutes or a short period of time helps with fuel performance.
Tractors burn up to one gallon of fuel per hour while idling.
Track your weekly fuel economy.
The worst time to start improving your fuel mileage is when fuel costs are high. We should always be proactive and constantly bettering our fuel mileage no matter what.
Spread your knowledge and practice these techniques every day to see improvements!
We are constantly trying to improve your wait times at shippers and receivers, but it becomes very difficult to improve on something we don’t know is happening. Being detained can affect the next 2 or 3 loads planned on you, so we need to stay updated. Starting today, please help us help you by following the policies listed below.
Inform your DM if you have been checked in at a shipper/receiver for an hour. This lets us know you are being delayed.
If there is a broker involved, you must also notify them of detention. They must be told beforehand or there will be no compensation.
Once you have done this, keep us posted on your progress. (In a door, unloading, empty, etc.)
All Bill of Ladings must have in/out times on them, whether or not you were detained. This is our only way to get detention, and our only way to verify what we have in the system.
As stated above, we want to help reduce your time in a dock, but we cannot improve this process without your help. The more information we have, the better the process will get!
Please send an email or a BT message to your Driver Managerstating that you have read and understand the detainment policies.
In the Drive MK app, we have 23 different badges you can unlock. Some badges are awarded for simple actions, such as adding in your Avatar Profile Picture or adding Company Notes. Others can take a period of time to earn, such as reaching Monthly Top Runner or MK Elite. Nevertheless, put in the work, and you can earn all the badges!
The following article will guide you step by step on how to earn these badges. If you have any questions, reach out to us!
How to locate all your badges:
Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
Click the “Profile” tab
The “Badge” section shows the badges you have already earned
Click the “See All” tab within the “Badge” section to view all the available badges
Click on a badge that you’re interested in earning. Then you will be directed to a description of the badge explaining what it is, how to earn it, and how many pro-points it awards.
Milestone Badges
Work Streaker: Work consecutive work days without an excused absence. Awards 1,000 pro-points at 100 consecutive days.
Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
Click the “Profile” tab
The “Badge” section shows the badges you have already earned
Click the “See All” tab within the “Badge” section to view all the available badges
Click on the “Work Streaker” badge to see how many days in a row you have worked.
Memoji: Update your Avatar for the first time. Awards 200 points.
Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
Click the “Profile” tab
Click the camera icon located on your avatar. (See image below)
Then select the photo you want to appear for your avatar from your photo library
Pin Dropper: Help fellow drivers by adding a new location, such as new companies, truck stops, etc.
Go to “Search” (second icon at the bottom)
Type in either the name or location of the company/ truck stop in the search bar
Scroll to find the correct company name with the corresponding address. Then click on that company name
Click the “Add Company” tab. It will ask you if you are sure about adding it and you will click “yes”
If there isn’t an “Add Company” tab at the bottom of the page, then that company has already been added by either us or another driver
Amenity Updater: Help fellow drivers by updating company’s amenities.
Go to “Search” (second icon at the bottom)
Type in the name of the company in the search bar
Scroll to find the correct company name with the corresponding address. Then click on the company name
Click the “Add Amenities” or “+” tab located under the company’s name
There are many different amenity options to choose from. Click the ones that apply to that company specifically
Click “Save” in the top right corner. If you do not click save, the amenities will not go through
Lowdown: Know a stop really well? Share the lowdown with other drivers by leaving a Note.
Go to “Search” (second icon at the bottom)
Type in the name of the company in the search bar
Scroll to find the correct company name with the corresponding address. Then click on the company name
Click the “Add Note” tab directly across from all notes
Type in what you would like to share. You can even add images by clicking the “Add Media” tab
Click “Save” in the top right corner. If you do not click save, the note will not go through
Curious George: Ask for assistance by submitting a “How do I…” support request.
Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
Click the “Support Request” tab
Under “What do you need help with?”, click the drop-down and select “How do I…”
Then share your thoughts. Once finished with your message, click “Submit” in the top right corner
Bug Catcher: Call out bugs by submitting a “Found a bug” support request.
Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
Click the “Support Request” tab
Under “What do you need help with?”, click the drop-down and select “Found a bug”
Then share your thoughts. Once finished with your message, click “Submit” in the top right corner
Futurist: Share ideas for new features by submitting a “Feature Request” support request.
Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
Click the “Support Request” tab
Under “What do you need help with?”, click the drop-down and select “Feature Request”
Then share your ideas on new features or something you want to add to the app. Once finished with your message, click “Submit” in the top right corner
Other Feedback Submitter: Give general feedback by submitting an “Other” support request.
Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
Click the “Support Request” tab
Under “what do you need help with?”, click the drop-down and select “Other”
Then share your thoughts. Once finished with your message, click “Submit” in the top right corner
MKer of the Week: Be on the top of the weekly leaderboard for pro-points. Calculated at the end of each week.
Go to the “Highway of Honor” page (bottom middle icon)
Make sure you have “Pro-Points” and “This Week” selected
Then see who is at the top of the leaderboard
Weekly Top Runner: Finish the week at the top of the Highway of Honor for mileage.
Go to the “Highway of Honor” page (bottom middle icon)
Change from “Pro-Points” by clicking the drop-down and selecting “Mileage.” The leaderboard should change from pro-points to mileage.
Scroll and see who is in the top three for miles and where you are ranked for that week
Monthly Top Runner: Finish the month at the top of the Highway of Honor for mileage.
Go to the “Highway of Honor” page (bottom middle icon)
Change from “Pro-Points” by clicking the drop-down and selecting “Mileage.” The leaderboard should change from pro-points to mileage.
Change from “This Week” by clicking the drop-down and selecting “This Month”
Scroll and see who is in the top three for miles and where you are ranked for that month
Award Badges
Quikr Pickr Uppr: Pick up an extra day of work to earn this badge. Awards 200 pro-points
For the People: Awarded for driver referrals. Awards 500 pro-points
Safety First: Score green in the Safety category on the Blue Tree scorecard. Awards 1,000 pro-points.
Compliance: Score green in the Compliance category on the Blue Tree scorecard. Awards 1,000 pro-points
Performance: Score green in the Performance category on the Blue Tree scorecard. Awards 1,000 pro-points
MK Elite: Score green in all three categories on the Blue Tree scorecard. Awards 1,000 pro-points
The Producer: Do work and exceed quarterly productivity goals. Awards 1,000 pro-points
Million Miler: Drive over 1 million miles with MK. Awards 200 pro-points
Trainer: Member of the MK Training Team
MK Graduate: Successfully completed the MK Finishing Program
Attached you will find a copy of our updated permit book, which includes all of our current permits and insurance information. Make sure you have a hard copy in your truck.
Per diem is NOT an “extra pay”. What we are doing is taking a certain portion of your regular pay and labeling it as a meal and incidental reimbursement instead of taxable income. All this means is the government has decided that as a “perk” of staying out over the road, truck drivers are allowed to not be taxed on a certain portion of their income.
As a company driver, we take care of calculating this for you each week. There is an IRS standard meal and travel allowance deduction at tax time that you will not be eligible for since we take care of it for you all year long. Also, per diem is for “night” spent in the truck and we max out at 5 each week.
Our per diem rate is now increasing from $66 to $69 per day.
If you have any questions, please call your driver manager or accounting! We’re here to help.
