Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Promoted Parking

Truck Driver Parking is not always easy to find but is a very important part of a Driver’s day. We have all struggled to find parking in one state or another. Some of us have even had to shut down early to avoid going over on hours just to find a good place to park. MK has a plan to help our drivers find all the best places to park!

Every Tuesday we are going to post a region where parking may be limited. All you have to do is submit a post through DriveMK adding your favorite parking spot in that area. All drivers who contribute a parking spot for that area will be given an additional 200 pro points! Bonus points if you mention what lane you used this parking spot for.

Today’s region is North Carolina!

Steps to add Parking to DriveMK

  • Search
  • Search the Name, Address, and State of parking location
  • Select Add Company
Categories
Customer News

Nestle Spotlight

Author: Donna Reed

Nestle in Bloomfield, MO has been a customer of ours for around 9 years. This is just one of Nestle’s Tidy Cats brand kitty litter factories. We are currently doing outbound lanes to Menards in Plano, IL as well as to Walmart in Spring Valley, IL and Seymour, IN. We also have an inbound lane coming out of Decatur, IL that supplies the containers for the kitty litter.

We are one of the carriers that they will accommodate drop and hooks, which is convenient for drivers. Recently, they went live with a new warehouse management system and, at the same time, expanded their warehouse. Doing both at the same time has been very challenging, which has caused some problems with preloading trailers timely. They are working hard to get back on track and we know that will be soon!

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Promoted Parking

Truck Driver Parking is not always easy to find but is a very important part of a Driver’s day. We have all struggled to find parking in one state or another. Some of us have even had to shut down early to avoid going over on hours just to find a good place to park. MK has a plan to help our drivers find all the best places to park!

Every Tuesday we are going to post a region where parking may be limited. All you have to do is submit a post through DriveMK adding your favorite parking spot in that area. All drivers who contribute a parking spot for that area will be given an additional 200 pro points! Bonus points if you mention what lane you used this parking spot for.

Today’s region is Pennsylvania!

Steps to add Parking to DriveMK

  • Search
  • Search the Name, Address, and State of parking location
  • Select Add Company
Categories
Technology

Technology Innovation

Author: Melissa Shain

Marvin Keller continues to add new technology and time-saving methods to our day-to-day activities.  To continue that initiative, we have recently added a new payment method for lumper services.  Relay Payments will save not only drivers’ time while at receivers but limit contact as well. 

Wasted dock time is reduced by up to 45 minutes on average by using Relay instead of other paper methods of payment. When a driver is dispatched, they can be given their relay code with the load information and not have to contact their driver manager for a lumper code during the unload process.  They will have everything they need to complete the load right from dispatch.  No more waiting on hold for after-hours or waiting to get a code from the office.  Once the Relay code is processed electronically- no calling it in. A receipt is automatically e-mailed to customer service with the load number and correct amount.  The driver does not have to do anything with the receipt, or report the actual amount of the lumper to the office; that is all taken care of automatically with Relay. 

Relay codes are accepted at over 800 different receivers and growing- almost all of the receivers Marvin Keller delivers to.  Relay prides itself on helping keep drivers moving and limiting duplicate work inside the office, allowing more efficiency and productivity.  We are excited to continue gaining more drive time for drivers and this small change is proving to do just that.  Please contact your DM or Melissa for more information or to answer any other questions you might have with this new process.        

Categories
Customer News

Graphic Packaging Spotlight

Author: Melissa Shain

Weekly, Marvin Keller hauls 40-50 loads out of Graphic Packaging in Shelbyville. Many receivers we deliver to are actually warehouses that deliver smaller amounts of product to their local businesses like Wendy’s and Dairy Queen. We have new shippers for Graphic Packaging where volume continues to increase. The shippers that supply finished goods are Shelbyville, IL, Centralia, IL, and Clarksville, TN. These facilities ship paper items such as cups, lids, cup sleeves, microwave trays, beer cartons, etc. Other GP facilities ship raw materials, instead of finished goods. These are the GP Mills. As we continue to grow with GP, more sites will be introduced with different products being hauled.

Graphic Packaging International Logo
Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Lost in the Arizona Desert

A favorite hobby of Joe’s is touring on his BMW Adventure Bike, a GS1200. The bike is equipped with an extra-large fuel tank with a range of about 300 miles. He noted that Arizona is the best place to escape winter on a motorbike. The latest trip was in the Tonto National Forest just Northeast of Phoenix. Scroll through the pictures to take in the beauty of the desert.

Joe traveled all over AZ. These are a couple of places he stopped to admire.

One landmark Joe stopped at is the Hassayampa River Bridge. This bridge was constructed in 1924 after a petition for a permanent wagon bridge over the Hassayampa River. The construction of this bridge simplified the means of travel, providing transport over the river rather than through it.

STOPPED BY SNOW!

Joe also stopped at the Walker Fire Station located in Walker, AZ. This station is ran solely off donations from the community and by volunteers. They provide emergency care for Walker and surrounding communities.

Now, for some beauty shots!

Categories
Uncategorized

Carlise Spotlight

Carlisle Construction Materials, LLC, is a manufacturer of building materials based in Carlisle, PA. They design and manufacture roofing products, insulation, underlayment, adhesives, and hardware for residential and commercial construction. As an MK driver, you’re probably most familiar with Carlisle SynTec in Greenville, IL. Most of our loads with Carlisle ship to or from that location. They supply roofing solutions for the construction industry including PVC Membrane used to waterproof rooftops.


We started with Carlisle running one lane from Bluefield, VA to Greenville, but recently we have been given the opportunity for several other lanes with them. Your home might be held together with some of Carlisle’s products!

Categories
Recognition

Who Are We Wednesday

Hey all! My name is Mitch Wilson, and I’ve been here at Marvin Keller for about a year and a half. I graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Marketing degree in 2010. I worked in retail sales for almost 10 years, then decided it was time to make a career change. I’d been familiar with Marvin Keller Trucking for some time and had noticed how the business had really grown over the last several years. I figured this would be a great company to work for, and I have to admit that I was right! I am part of the customer team, so I schedule appointments, work with customers, and also handle back hauls out of the Texas area.  So far it’s been a great learning experience and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Values that I bring to Marvin Keller are honesty and integrity in the workplace and always keeping a positive attitude through change and uncertainty.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, golfing, and playing guitar with local musicians. 

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Promoted Parking

Truck Driver Parking is not always easy to find but is a very important part of a Driver’s day. We have all struggled to find parking in one state or another. Some of us have even had to shut down early to avoid going over on hours just to find a good place to park. MK has a plan to help our drivers find all the best places to park!

Every Tuesday we are going to post a region where parking may be limited. All you have to do is submit a post through DriveMK adding your favorite parking spot in that area. All drivers who contribute a parking spot for that area will be given an additional 200 pro points! Bonus points if you mention what lane you used this parking spot for.

Today’s region is Atlanta, GA!

Steps to add Parking to DriveMK

  • Search
  • Search the Name, Address, and State of parking location
  • Select Add Company

Categories
Customer News

Agri-Fab Spotlight

Author: Rachel Fry

Agri-Fab, a well-known business located in Sullivan IL, was founded in 1975 when the company developed a new type of lawn sweeper. It was the best-performing sweeper in the market and that turned the small, Midwest company into a major fixture in the lawn and garden-attachment industry. Over the years, they have developed a product line of lawn-care attachments and equipment, including fertilizer sprayers, aerators, lawn carts, snowblades, and wheelbarrows.

Agri-Fab has collaborated with Hydro-Gear of Sullivan to create solutions for the lawn-care and machinery industries. Together, they employ roughly 1100 jobs in the small town of Sullivan. MK hauls freight for both companies. The main lanes we run for Agri-Fab are based in OH, IN, IL, and MO. Chances are good that your home lawn and garden equipment could have been manufactured right here.