It’s a Haul-O-Holiday Season! Refer drivers to join the MK Family—the team with the most referrals takes the grand prize!
Referral Rewards: – $100 Bonus for every qualified driver application, plus 500 MK Pro-Points – $2,000 Bonus: $850 paid out once seated, $575 at 3 months, $575 at 6 months
Grand Prize: The winning team scores limited-edition MK apparel and a feature in our newsletter and social spotlight!
Campaign Goal:
Your referrals have been incredible this year, and we’re raising the bar! Help us hit 20+ referrals this campaign, and we’ll boost the next referral bonus to $2,500. Let’s make it happen—refer and earn more!
We would like to present the MK Elites for July to September 2025! Congratulations to the following drivers! Your dedication to prioritizing safety and upholding these high standards is deeply valued.
Dave Bruchman
Deb Coleman
Dan Schmitt
The Pro-Formance Scorecard is designed to evaluate your driving skills based on 12 different risk factors. Breaking down your performance into specific categories helps you identify the areas you need to improve. These factors are divided into these sub-categories: Safety, Compliance, and Performance, each rated out of 100. The goal is to score green in all three categories to achieve MK Elite Status!
A driver can earn 1,000 Pro-Points for each green score in Safety, Compliance, Performance, and MK Elite (green in all three categories). This means you can get up to 4,000 Pro-Points!
You can find the Safety Scorecard in the Resource Library.
Keep up the great work and strive to improve your driving performance! We’re here to help in any way we can!
Each quarter, the Producer Badge is awarded to drivers who are in the Top 10% of the fleet in who 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 2025 – Quarter 3!!
Owner Operators – Top 10% Total Revenue for the Quarter
Miller Team
Junrey / Daniel Team
Edison Aguila
Shoemaker Team
Johnathon Neumann
Company Drivers, OTR – Top 10% Fleet in Total Miles
Bruchman Team – 40,836
Branham Team – 39,514
Richard Merrill – 38,638
Orville Merrill – 36,863
Allen Fitzgerald – 34,227
Larry Blankenship – 33,321
Company Drivers, 4 On/4 Off – Top 10% Fleet in Total Miles
Ever pulled into a truck stop at the end of a long day only to find every spot taken? You’re not alone. Finding safe, legal, and convenient parking has become one of the biggest challenges for drivers nationwide. Whether you’re finishing a long haul or taking your mandatory break, proper trip planning can significantly reduce stress and help keep your schedule on track.
To help, we asked our experienced driver trainers to share their best advice. Here’s what they had to say:
1. Always Have Multiple Parking Options
“I always tell trainees to find three parking spots along their route — one about an hour before their projected stop, one at the stop, and one about 30 minutes beyond it. That way, you’re never left scrambling if a location is full,” Brian Doughty
2. Avoid Congestion and Plan Early
Finding parking near large cities can be especially tough. “Truck stops in cities are usually full all day long. I parked in rest areas more than in truck stops,” said Ryan Ernst.
Ryan’s tips to make parking easier:
Start early, finish early. The earlier you plan to shut down, the better you’re parking options.
Use technology. Apps like Trucker Path (and newer ones on the market) help you locate available spots in real time.
Know your options. Some weigh stations and even shipper or receiver properties may allow parking. Be sure to check ahead of time.
Always have a backup plan. Never rely on one single location.
3. Plan Ahead — Especially for Late Arrivals
Charity offers strategies for drivers who often park later in the evening:
Know your route, distance, and estimated arrival time. Then do a Google search for truck parking in said area.
If you’ll arrive after 7 PM and plan to park at a truck stop with reserved spots, reserve your space in advance.
Never assume there will be parking available when you get there. Spots fill up faster than ever, especially on weekends.
Best Advice: Choose a spot that’s safe, legal, and comfortable with good lighting, restroom access, and enough space to maneuver safely.
To note: if you are having trouble finding parking, our Driver Managers can help reserve a spot. Just ask!
Parking will always be one of the trickiest parts of life on the road, but with planning, flexibility, and awareness, it doesn’t have to be stressful. Take the time to plan your stops, use the tools available, and always prioritize safety.
You reap what you sow, as the saying goes. Those who exhibit positive personality traits are more likely to find positivity and opportunity in return. Conversely, those who think negatively will probably see negativity in everything. Positive traits such as resilience, empathy, and adaptability are important to a successful career. These qualities not only enhance individual performance but also foster a collaborative and productive workplace culture. By embracing these traits, employees and organizations can navigate challenges more effectively and drive long-term success. Here are the traits Marvin Keller is looking for in a driver.
Adaptability
Adaptability is the essence of intelligence, the ability to evolve with changing environments and solve problems. Embrace change and focus on what you can control; try to learn new things instead of resisting change, and seize opportunities for growth. Be resourceful, using creativity to find solutions to problems.
Ambition/Self-Motivation
Show you are motivated to succeed by exhibiting enthusiasm and a good work ethic.
Friendly/Empathetic
Be approachability and express genuine interest in others and be willing to go out of your way to help others.
Honesty
Honesty and integrity are important in any job; being able to trust your employees and coworkers creates a more open, transparent atmosphere. Being honest is especially important for drivers. Because we can’t be on the road with you, we have to be able to trust that the information we are given is accurate. Deception with your managers or bosses undermines that trust and you become a target for micromanagement.
Humility
Put the team ahead of yourself; consider achievements that others helped with as team efforts. Show that you are interested in the success of the whole company and not just those of the individual. The humble person avoids arrogance and self-aggrandizement. There’s nothing wrong with taking credit for your work, but be modest about it. Hyping your own work at the expense of the team is a bad look.
Optimism
See opportunity in adversity and challenges, and always look for ways to improve.
Respect
Everyone has different strengths and that is what benefits an organization. If everyone was good at and deficient in the same areas, success of the team would be hindered. Respecting those differences and the contributions of others is integral to team success.
Resilience
Carry on, even when things are tough. Being able to recover quickly and powering through challenges makes you a stronger, more successful person.
Dependability/Thoroughness
Be dependable in delivering results. This is an easy skill to develop as you just have to do your job and be reliable. Doing so consistently builds trust among your coworkers and bosses and sets you up for success and upward mobility.
Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?
Our referral campaign has officially wrapped up, and we’re thrilled to share the results – we received 20 referrals, which is 6 more than our previous campaign! WOO HOO. A huge thank you to all the drivers who submitted referrals and helped make this a success.
A special congratulations goes out to Andrew and his team of drivers for leading the way with the most referrals. The winning team and all referrers will receive exclusive, limited-edition MK apparel.
All Referral Winners: Dennis Anthony, E’Lanna Augustus, Charity Battley, Robert Benton, Terrance Bogan, Obdulio Bonilla, William Caldwell, Cheyenne Clark, Brian Doughty, Jeffrey Efird, Mark Favreau, Phyllis Hilll, Cody Huffman, Jordan Kale, John Kledzinksi, J’Lonnie Mcleod, Jonathan Montgomery, Asia Moss, Blake Norman, Bobby Palmer, Terrance Parks, Sandra Sparks, Georges Theodore, Philip Wagner, Aaron Williams, Jermaine Wilson, Michael Woodham, Hugh Shoemaker, Demetrick Norment, Dave Bruchman, Dustin Reagan, Christian Johnson, Johnathan Neumann, and Jordan Richardson.
Let’s keep the momentum going – and remember, you can refer drivers anytime and earn rewards. Just check in with your Driver Manager or Recruiting Department to get started.
So you were hired as a driver for MK. You already cleared a big hurdle, as MK only hires about 1 in every 50 drivers who apply. While orientation can get you started, it doesn’t provide enough time to go over everything that is expected of you as a driver. In this article, we will explain our standards and what it means to be MK Elite.
Being an Elite Driver means exhibiting all or most of the traits that embody driving excellence. These traits are as follows:
Basic driving duties
Always works to improve driving skills, techniques, and proficiencies
Equipment is kept clean, organized, and vigorously inspected
Employs a defensive driving mindset with excellent safety habits
Knows that complacency is a fatal risk, especially for the most experienced drivers Conscientiousness
Is courteous, polite, and dressed for success
Is organized, reliable, and a consistent performer
Avoids the temptation to take shortcuts
Believes learning is a lifelong endeavor Integrity
Has pride in self, the trucking profession, the company, and the team
Believes in a higher purpose; job is not just a paycheck
Is always professional even when no one is watching
Say what you mean, and acts out what you say
Positivity/Teamwork
Embraces positivity while avoiding negativity
Appreciates and compliments others; offers constructive criticism
Demonstrates selflessness by sharing knowledge and helping others; a true team player
Understands success and winning is shared by the team; there are no winners and losers
Takes responsibility for mistakes and doesn’t cast blame or make excuses
Sees challenges not as crises, but as opportunities to improve
Is calm, cool, and level-headed even when faced with adversity
Individual performance impacts team performance; one bad driver can bring the whole team/company down
The Elite MK driver knows that our values are never to be compromised.
Please join us in welcoming Leyton Ellis – the newest member of our team!
“Hello, my name is Leyton Ellis, but if you are around me, you’ll probably hear someone calling me Bibba. I am just starting my career after graduating from Illinois State University in the spring of 2025. In the past, I did work some summers in the MK office, I also used to work at the local library as a clerk. When I’m not at work, I enjoy going to concerts, golfing, basketball, and playing lots and lots of video games. I’m also in the process of learning content creation. Entertaining people is something that I’ve learned to enjoy in recent years, with the ever-growing boom of social media. I am very excited to learn all that comes with logistics, knowing what it takes to run a business, and ultimately upholding the tradition we have here at MK.”
To our incredible road warriors– thank you for the dedication, long hours, and commitment you bring to the road every single day. You are the heartbeat of our company and the backbone of this country, keeping shelves stocked, families supplied, and businesses moving forward.
We recognize the sacrifices you make, the challenges you overcome, and the pride you put into your work. This week (and every week), we celebrate YOU and all that you do.
From all of us – thank you for keeping America moving. We couldn’t do it without you!
We received 28 gift cards from our guys at Best One Tires out of Decatur, IL. In all fairness, we decided to enter all the drivers who haven’t won a prize this week! We created a short video to show the drawing.
Congrats to all the randomly drawn winners!
The winners: James Rheinecker, Edison Aguila, Anthony Dent, Robert Thrasher, George Robinson, David Ward, Cody Huffman, Joshua Johnson, Michael Bodine, Bobby Palmer, Georges Theodore, E’Lanna Augustus, Asia Moss, Jermaine Wilson, Terrance Parks, Jason Coleman, Jessica Branham, Ken Newby, Ryan Ernst, Hugh Shoemaker, Erik Loy, James Mester, Richard Merrill, Dan Emel, Christopher Pearce, Blake Wyatt, Kyle Luesmann, and Michael Binder.
