If you’re asked what you do for a living, I think most of you, if not all, would respond that you are a truck driver. But that’s only partly true. In reality, you are freight movers. Driving is just the means to accomplish that and the most time-consuming and demanding part of the job. As professional freight movers, you work in the service industry. Your job is to deliver products to customers safely, on time, and in good condition.
Working with customers directly is the lifeblood of trucking operations. No trucking company can survive working solely on the spot market. In order to attract and maintain customers, companies must bring value and good service to their operations. A major part of that is ensuring that accepted loads are picked and delivered on time. This is especially important when carriers are plentiful and shippers have a lot of options; they can afford to be picky. Marvin Keller must always strive to be an elite fleet, which is one that stands out and is a go-to company for customers to move their freight. While we in the office aim for timely updates and communication and proactive problem-solving, we have to count on the drivers to execute the plans.
Everyone has heard at some point that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This metaphor applies in business as a team is only as successful as its lowest-performing member. How you perform directly affects your team and the entire company. MK is fortunate to have a great team of professional drivers and we frequently get compliments from shippers, receivers, customers and brokers. This is one of the reasons we have been in business for 60 years. In order to maintain that level of service, we hold all employees to high standards of performance. Here are a few examples of the standards we expect from drivers.
- On-time pickup and delivery: This requires proper trip planning to know what you have time for and ensure you leave with enough time to make it. Of course, there are always unplanned issues; trucking isn’t perfect and we understand that things happen in transit. Just keep in mind that pickup and delivery times are not suggestions; these times are when the customers expect loads to pick and deliver. We must do our best to provide this service.
- Safe Transport: Most loads are required to be secured, sealed, and weighed by the driver. There are some shippers that may do all this themselves, but for the most part, it is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that each load is properly secured for transport and isn’t going to shift. It also must be weight by the driver picking up to ensure it is legal. Most trailers are required to be sealed, either by shipper or driver. These three things are very important as any violations or issues that arise from a lack of diligence can be inordinately expensive. There have been innumerable instances of load shifts due to harsh brakes or quick turns that have resulted in rework charges in the thousands, often wiping all revenue from the load and even putting us at a negative on the loads. Overweight tickets and claims due to missing product on broken-sealed loads can also cause us to lose more money on a load than we’re making.
- Adherence to DOT regulations: Now that E-logs are the norm and drivers can no longer fudge their paper logs without notice, it’s important that HOS regulations are followed. If you are unsure how you should be logging your activity, or have questions about more complicated regulations like split breaks and personal conveyance, reach out to your driver manager. If we get violations, you could be put out of service, get hefty fines, and our CSA scores take a hit. Customers look at these things when considering which companies to work for.
- Communication: This is very important. If you’re running behind, let your driver manager know so we can alert the customer/broker. If your load doesn’t match your dispatch, communicate that. If you’re overweight, broken down, having trouble with the truck, can’t get out at the expected time, or any other issue that will result in a customer failure, communicate. Customers are understanding; they all know that things happen on the road and they are forgiving as long as we let them know what’s going on and keep them in the loop.
Marvin Keller is looking forward to a prosperous 2025 with a focus on growth, performance improvement, and the employee accountability that is necessary to succeed. Always reach out to your driver manager if you want help with improving performance and providing great service to our customers. We are committed to being the fleet of choice for all our customers.