Marvin Keller Trucking has added a few new Driver Trainers to its program. We understand the importance of having a competent and reliable group of trainers who can effectively train and guide our new drivers. Our trainers go above and beyond to offer valuable insights, skills, and safety guidelines for our drivers to succeed while on the road.
We are grateful for the dedication and hard work that our trainers put in every day to shape the next generation of skilled drivers
If you’re interested in training, let your DM know!
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.
Aaron Williams – Rescued a trailer from a towing yard that was very muddy and crowded. Thank you for being patient and having a good attitude.
Jessica and Terry Branham – Took the time to get a trailer that was stuck in the mud out. Thank you for being so willing to help out.
Merk Coleman – Had some great weeks of being our relay driver out of Cordele, GA. Thank you for being flexible as we figure this new position out.
Kerri Doss –Repaired a temp sensor on her truck that saved us time and money from an over-the-road service call. Thank you for being someone we can rely on.
Rick Merrill – Ran 3100 miles in a week which takes a lot of diligence. Thanks for going over and above.
Johnathon Neumann and Jeremiah Brubaker helped a fellow driver who was struggling with his fifth wheel. Thanks for being great team members.
Deb Coleman – helped a new driver move trailers around so that she could get to her load.
James Watson – Restacked and reworked pallets that had shifted and saved us the expense of paying someone to do it. We appreciate it!
Franks Rich, Charity Battley, Gifford, Libby, and Kamenn Gittinger 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!
Each quarter, the Producer Badge is awarded to drivers who are in the Top 10% of the fleet in which they exceed the quarterly productivity goals. This badge symbolizes the driver’s hard work and success within Marvin Keller.
Congratulations to the following drivers who earned the Producer Badge for 2023 – Quarter 4!
Owner Operators – Top 10% Total Revenue for the Quarter
Junrey Montejo
Robert Willis
Nicholas Harjung
Terry Hodge
Christopher Hopper
Company Drivers, OTR – Top 10% Fleet in Total Miles
Richard Merrill – 40,557
Jessica Branham – 38,445
Allen Fitzgerald – 35,463
Orville Merrill – 32,028
Company Drivers, 4 On/4 Off – Top 10% Fleet in Total Miles
Ed Hrezo – 26,835
Deb Coleman – 25,249
Anthony Collins – 24,705
Jeffrey Efird – 24,203
Robert Benton – 23,740
Eric Doney – 22,121
When Drivers receive the Producer Badge, they earn 1,000 Pro Points. Being in the Top 10% is a great achievement and we appreciate the extra work these drivers put in to be our Top Producers! Keep up the great work drivers!
For last week’s driver spotlights, we recognized the following drivers who went above and beyond! We appreciate you going the extra mile!
First, we would like to shoutout Dan Emel. He witnessed a crash last week and was a good Samaritan by pulling over and waiting for help to arrive. We are very proud to have you on our team!
A huge shoutout to Ron Langley for he repaired the Flowbelow areo kit on his truck and saved us time and expense of taking it to a shop. We appreciate your talents!
We would like to recognize Charity Battley. She had to deal with a difficult broker load and stayed out an extra day. Thank you for keeping a good attitude through the hassle!
Shoutout to Dan Schmitt and Judy Collins both worked extra days and shoutout to Anthony Gilio and Jacob Mercer who completed a Meet & Greet to help us make Customer deliveries. Thank you for the extra time and effort!
Dan Anthony
JudyJacob
Lastly, a huge shoutout to all the following Drivers who have found the “I Spy” Stickers. We appreciate your thorough Pre-Trip Inspections!
We want to acknowledge these exceptional drivers who went above and beyond in assisting us. Your willingness to go the extra mile is greatly appreciated!
First, we would like to recognize Dan Emel. He witnessed a crash last week and was able to help the driver and her five children out of the vehicle safely. He also waited with them until help arrived. We’re very proud to have you on our team, Dan!
Shoutout to Darrell Seaman who helped cover a load so that we could get another driver home to AZ for her time off. Thanks for being a team player!
We would like to recognize Allen Fitzgerald. He found an air leak in his truck on a pre-trip inspection and was able to get it fixed. Right after that he passed a Level 1 DOT inspection defect free! Your dedication is leading you to success, Allen! Keep up with great work.
A big thank you to Gifford Libby. One of our new drivers Joel Kindrick, wanted to let us know that Gifford did an outstanding job as a trainer and appreciated his guidance into the industry. Thank you for helping our Drivers be prepared for their new careers, Gifford!
We would like to acknowledge Michael Bodine for his quick thinking when he was hit by another vehicle. He immediately started recording with his camera, which helped us obtain video evidence to ensure that the cost of repairs will be covered by the other driver’s insurance. Great job for being proactive!
Thank you to Randall Bayles for helping us by taking two trailers in the same day to Fleetmaster and waiting for their repairs. Thank you for your time and effort!
Shoutout to Frank Rich for helping us cover a rush Hazmat load to Nevada which was such a long trip he had to take his 34 hr reset over the road. Thank you for helping keep our Customers happy!
Finally, we would like to acknowledge Ryan Ernst for his exceptional work in filming a pre-trip video for our Quarterly Maintenance Campaign. We highly value and appreciate his talents and the effort he put in to create the video. Thank you, Ryan!
For last week’s driver spotlights, we recognized the following drivers who went above and beyond! We appreciate you going the extra mile!
First, we would like to shout out Eric Doney for taking the time to completely clean out the truck he was moved into temporarily. It looks like a new truck – thank you for going out of your way to do that for us!
Shout out to Bob Willis for flying out to GA to pick up a truck that had been down for repair. Thank you for the time and effort it took to rescue our truck!
Thank you to Deb Coleman & Dan Schmitt, both worked extra days this past week to help cover Customer freight. We really appreciate having you on our team!
Deb Coleman
Dan Schmitt
Lastly, shoutout to Dave Ward & Mark Jordan and Brandon Jones & Dustin Carey. They all did Meet & Greets to make sure our drivers got home on time. Thank you for keeping our Customers happy!
For last week’s driver spotlights, we recognized the following drivers who went above and beyond! We appreciate you going the extra mile!
First, we would like to shout out Orville Merrill. He saw one of our drivers, Cheyenne, on the side of the road with a flat and stopped in his personal vehicle with his hazards on while she waited for repair. He even brought her back dinner from his house. Way to take care of your fellow driver!
Shoutout to Darrell Seaman for he picked up our company car for us in Champaign this week. Thank you for going out of your way to do that for us! We appreciate it!
Thank you to Todd Sargent for helping us cover a rush load to TX for one of our Customers. We really appreciate having you on our team!
Julie K. & Dustin Carey and Molly Gribler & Ryan Ernst all did Meet and Greets to make sure our loads were delivered on time. Thank you for keeping our Customers happy!
Out of our entire MK Fleet, we currently have 29 Lease Purchase Drivers! Transitioning from a Company to a Lease Purchase Driver is a BIG STEP UP and an incredible accomplishment! This career path is about gaining more independence and becoming an entrepreneur.
With that being said, we would like to recognize all the drivers who are currently leasing or have leased with us and are successfully growing their own trucking businesses!
Bryant Austin
Jeremy Beck
Matthew Blevins
Michael Booker
Harold Cain
Dan Emel
Jerry Frost
Timothy Garrett
Kevin Habing
Nicholas Harjung
Philip Hollaway
Dwayne Howie
Curtis Jones
Julie Kelly
Fredrick Kruger
Kyle Luesmann
Tim McBride
Mark McKinley
Randy Murphy
Johnathon Neumann
Wade Owens
Jim Rheinecker
George Robinson – Leasing 3 trucks!
Todd Sargent
Darrell Seaman
Omer Terry
John Therieau
Keith Thrasher
David Ward
Want to become an Owner Operator?
Consider our Lease Purchase Program! This program provides the opportunity to purchase one of our trucks by lease with a third-party financing institution. After the Driver pays off the lease they own the truck in full, essentially having the means to begin their own transport service.
Our hope is that the program can fund and supply our Driver Associates to develop their own transportation companies while at the same time growing our trucking company through partnership.
Wanting more information? Seek some advice from the drivers above. Some Lease Purchase Drivers are mentoring others by providing tips and advice from their own personal experiences. Don’t hesitate to ask!
If you have any questions at all, talk to your driver manager. We’re here to help!
Did you know you’re able to spend your points on any item at any time? You can exchange your Pro-Points for a variety of things, such as gift cards, tools, TVs, or even cash in your points on your weekly settlement! In addition, you can send us a link from Amazon with the item that you want and we will get it ordered as soon as we can.
For instance, Anthony Gilio exchanged his Pro-Points for brand new Cobra Exhaust Pipes to put on his motorcycle. Check it out!
How can I earn more Pro-Points?
Below are some of the different ways you can earn Pro-Points:
Interacting within the app: Simply use and engage within the app. For instance, drivers are awarded 50 Pro-Points for sharing their knowledge by adding a note to a Shipper or Receiver.
Earning badges: Within the Drive MK App, there are many badges that we award with Pro-Points. The highest-earning badge is the Work Streak Badge; keep a work streak and you can earn up to 5,000 Pro-Points!
BlueTree Scorecard: You can earn 1,000 Pro-Points for each green score in Safety, Compliance, Performance, and MK Elite (green in all three categories). Meaning you can get up to 4,000 Pro-Points!
Outstanding Performance: DMs award Pro-Points to recognize their driver’s extraordinary performance.
This week we are introducing Driver Trainer, Tina Barlow.
Tina has had a love for the Trucking Industry for as long as she can remember. She was introduced to trucking at the age of 3 by her father who was a driver. The first time she climbed into the seat her eyes lit up and her passion was born.
Tina has been part of the MK Fam for 6.5 years now after being recruited on a school visit by our recruiting department. She loves the family atmosphere that we provide here, which is what made MK stand out to her. In her words, “You come into the office and you are welcomed as a family member.” Tina believes MK is different from other companies in the way we teach our drivers how to believe in themselves and turn them into leaders.
Tina has many words of wisdom to share with the fleet. Starting with taking the time to pre-plan your trip. When planning, make sure to utilize many resources to ensure you have a clear picture of the route you are taking. Do not rely solely on one GPS system. Another tip she has is to give yourself space on the road. Take the initiative to slow down and distance yourself from the pack.
Tina loves to spend her time outdoors whether it be spent camping, fishing, or boating. She recently found a love for sowing and makes memory bears and pillows. Tina values her time spent with her family. She has 3 children and many grandchildren.
Tina, you are a great addition to the team and have tons of knowledge to share!
