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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

Sources:

What is the true cost of truck idling time?

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 Manager stating that you have read and understand the detainment policies.

If you have any questions, please ask your DM!

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:

1. Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
2. Click the “Profile” tab
3. The “Badge” section shows the badges you have already earned
4. Click the “See All” tab within the “Badge” section to view all the available badges
5. 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.

1. Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
2. Click the “Profile” tab
3. The “Badge” section shows the badges you have already earned
4. Click the “See All” tab within the “Badge” section to view all the available badges
5. 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.

1. Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
2. Click the “Profile” tab
3. Click the camera icon located on your avatar. (See image below)
4. 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.

1. Go to “Search” (second icon at the bottom)
2. Type in either the name or location of the company/ truck stop in the search bar
3. Scroll to find the correct company name with the corresponding address. Then click on that company name
4. Click the “Add Company” tab. It will ask you if you are sure about adding it and you will click “yes”
5. 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.

1. Go to “Search” (second icon at the bottom)
2. Type in the name of the company in the search bar
3. Scroll to find the correct company name with the corresponding address. Then click on the company name
4. Click the “Add Amenities” or “+” tab located under the company’s name
5. There are many different amenity options to choose from. Click the ones that apply to that company specifically
6. 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.

1. Go to “Search” (second icon at the bottom)
2. Type in the name of the company in the search bar
3. Scroll to find the correct company name with the corresponding address. Then click on the company name
4. Click the “Add Note” tab directly across from all notes
5. Type in what you would like to share. You can even add images by clicking the “Add Media” tab
6. 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.

1. Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
2. Click the “Support Request” tab
3. Under “What do you need help with?”, click the drop-down and select “How do I…”
4. 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.

1. Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
2. Click the “Support Request” tab
3. Under “What do you need help with?”, click the drop-down and select “Found a bug”
4. 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.

1. Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
2. Click the “Support Request” tab
3. Under “What do you need help with?”, click the drop-down and select “Feature Request”
4. 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.

1. Go to “Menu” (bottom right icon)
2. Click the “Support Request” tab
3. Under “what do you need help with?”, click the drop-down and select “Other”
4. 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.

1. Go to the “Highway of Honor” page (bottom middle icon)
2. Make sure you have “Pro-Points” and “This Week” selected
3. 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.

1. Go to the “Highway of Honor” page (bottom middle icon)
2. Change from “Pro-Points” by clicking the drop-down and selecting “Mileage.” The leaderboard should change from pro-points to mileage.
3. 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.

1. Go to the “Highway of Honor” page (bottom middle icon)
2. Change from “Pro-Points” by clicking the drop-down and selecting “Mileage.” The leaderboard should change from pro-points to mileage.
3. Change from “This Week” by clicking the drop-down and selecting “This Month”
4. 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

Veteran: Proudly served in the U.S. Armed Forces

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.

Permit Book 2023 – 2024.pdf

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.