J. B. Hunt Truckload Division Driver of the Month-May 2014

Please join us in congratulating Larry Freel, our May 2014 Truckload Driver of the Month!

(Larry is shown in black shirt being congratulated by Jay Johnson, his Truck Director, and Ryan Ardary, his Fleet Manager.)

 

 Larry earned the award the hard way.  He earned it.  His May performance was solid as exhibited below:

 

 

12,533 Miles

0 Service Failures

7.39 MPG

22% Idle

3.9% Variance

0 Collisions or Injuries

 

 

Larry lives in Young Harris, Georgia.  This is the northern part of Georgia that people seek out for its beauty and recreation.  Larry has two children.  He has been a vital member of J.B. Hunt for 4 years and we appreciate his committment to excellence.

 

Peter and Chad's Last Day On the Truck

Our team powered up on Friday morning with a top notch trucker's breakfast.

Def nozzle is blue just like the Def tank and lid.  Diesel nozzle will not fit in the Def tank.  Diesel is always green.

Our team stopped at I-40 travel plaze and scaled the truck fuel of fuel with no trailer, driver or passenger.  The weight was 20,400 lbs heavy.

Scale ticket from CAT

 Walmart Regional Distribution Center-Bentonville, AR

 Pete about to utilize the driver room.

 Break room

 The end of a successful journey!  Pete and Chad shake hands after a successful week.

Chad had this to say about Pete and the week:

 It was a pleasure riding alongside Pete.  He is a professional.  Pete is a proud representative of the company.  He bleeds yellow and black!  It is clear to me that to be a successful employee on the road you have to be a defensive driver, constantly be thinking 2-6 hours ahead, be a master of the in-cab technology, and conserve every single minute of time possible.

Truck driving isn't for the weak.  The days are long and you have to hustle in order to utilize all your drive time.  I believe everyone in our division would benefit from doing a ride along.  It should be a policy.  

 

 

Peter and Chad's Last Day on the Truck

Pete prides himself on having the tools he needs to fix the most minor mechanical or electrical issues he comes across on the road.  He has the following:

• Hammer
• Saw
• WD40
• Screwdrivers
• Sockets
• Wire Strippers
• Pliers
• Cutters
• Tape
• Load Straps
• Broom
• Bolt Cutters
• Nail Puller
• Cheater Pipe
• Zip Ties
• Clamps
• Rubber bushings
• Light kits
• Air fresheners

Everything but the kitchen sink is in this sidebox!

Peter and Chad's Truck Adventure-Day #4

 Our team stopped at the Pilot Truck Stop in Magnolia, Mississippi at mile marker 13.  Pete is tempted to make a purchase! 

 This is a new strategy by Love's Truck Stop.  These are smaller repair shops without the massive investment in brick and mortar. 

544 miles today with a 1 hour side trip to our Memphis terminal.  Its bedtime for our team after a long day on the road.

Peter and Chad's Truck Adventure-Day #4

 Entrance gate to our shipper---Folgers in Lancombe, Louisiana

 The entrance security gate to our shippers facility.

 Airlines and pigtail securely attached.

 Brake check for our trailer.

 Seal intact.

Folger's gate pass.

Peter and Chad's Truck Adventure-Day #4

 The team was excited about finding a new trailer at Walmart in Robert, LA.  They knew that this trailer would not be refused at the next shipper (Folgers, Lacombe, LA). 

Our new trailer has the Meritor inflation system on the trailer tires.  This is a great benefit for our drivers.  It also helps when we are inspected.

 

More than 80 percent of fleet tire problems are caused by improper inflation. In fact, tires represent the second largest financial expenditure for most fleets.

The award-winning Meritor Tire Inflation System (MTIS™) by P.S.I. is an automatic tire inflation system that keeps tires properly inflated. The system increases tire life, fuel economy and safety by helping to compensate for pressure losses resulting from typical tire punctures and other slow leaks. Unlike equalization systems that merely distribute air from one tire to another, or monitoring systems that simply tell when a tire has lost air pressure, MTIS uses compressed air from the trailer’s air system to inflate any tire that falls below a preset pressure whenever the vehicle is in operation.



Peter and Chad's Truck Adventure-Day #4

Here is the entry process to Folgers in lacombe, LA.   This employee is very thorough and friendly with our team.  It makes you wonder what some of the treatment is at locations that aren't so nice?

*Video is attached.  You will not be able to view the video on your smartphone 

Shout Out for Navigo-Final Post for Day #3

Pete really likes Navigo and Chad is now a convert too.  It is easy to operate and nice to be able to look over and see your miles to shippers/receivers.  It is a great tool for our drivers to set their ETA.  This is imperative as we strive to reach our 96% On Time Service Goal! 

Peter and Chad's Great Adventure-Day #3

 Chad met a friend at the Pilot fuel stop off I-10 exit 13.  An intermodal driver named Willie Jackson was fueling next to us.  Willie is approaching 3 Million Miles safe driving, so he is no rookie out on the road.  Look at that uniform!  Representing the Scroll the right way!  

 Willie is teaching Chad how he keeps his truck clean.  Chad listened well since Willie has been with the company 27 years.  That is impressive!

 Visibility is a key to being safe out on the road and accumulating all those safe miles.

 

Uh oh? Is this the tank with the blue cap for DEF?

Peter and Chad's Great Adventure-Day #3

Our team saw two sites that anyone familiar with I-10 knows all to well.  The USS Alabama and the I-10 tunnel are two great landmarks.

Peter and Chad's Great Adventure-Day #3

Our two bloggers worked up a hearty appetite.  Pete selected a place that is obviously a favorite.  It was called Felix's Fish Camp.  Looks like the 30 minute break rule worked in our guys favor today!

Peter and Chad's Great Adventure-Day #3

This is the screen that Pete likes to check to know exactly how he stands  as it relates to overall hours.  This is extremely handy to see hours available instantly.   We surveyed our drivers two weeks ago and 75% viewed electronic logs favorably.

Peter and Chad's Great Adventure-Day #3

 Our team stopped in Castleberry, Alabama right off I-65 for a leg stretcher.  During the stop Pete took the opportunity to slide the tandems  to better distribute the weight of the load.  

 The rest area is extremely nice, clean, and modern. 

 This is why it is so hard to eat healthy on the road.  Temptations everywhere!

Good parking available for our rig in the middle of the day.  It doesn't look like this after 7pm each evening.

Peter and Chad's Great Adventure-Day #3

Our tractor is equipped with collision mitigation technology.  This manuever by V2 made it beep.  Our professional driver backed off as he is trained to do. 

 

 

That's A Wrap

Peter and Chad end  day #2 with very little time left in the hours tank.  Rest has been earned!

ELD Opportunity

Our team identifies an opportunity on the Peoplenet unit and our Workflow.  The attempt by our driver to enter an ETA that is not the same as the delivery date caused messages to flow back to our in cab computer.  Our guys were trying to drop a trailer earlier than the window appointment. This message was received multiple times by Chad and Peter.  This issue has been communicated to our support team of Brad G and Jean-Claude B.  These are the nuggets we are looking for when we send our leadership out on trucks.  It is all about improving the "Driver Experience."   

Destination: Kimberly Clark-McDonough, GA

Peter arrives at the receiving office to deliver our load.

 An example of the receiving office and the driver breakroom.

 Seating and concession area for drivers to utilize during any wait time.

 Peter dollies down his landing gear.  Notice he is using the proper points of contact and correct ergonomics.

 Our team swept out the trailer that they picked up so they were prepared for our next shipper.

 Here is what our fifth wheel looks like when the kingpin jaw is active and locked correctly.  This helps avoid the "dropped trailer" syndrome.

Chad's Week On A Truck-Week #2

Two scenes from traffic during Peter and Chad's trip east on I-20.  The below is west bound traffic as the guys depart the Pilot Truck Stop.  Luckily they were headed eastbound.

 Suprisingly easy traffic in Atlanta, Georgia

Chad's Week On a Truck Ride-Day #2

Peter and Chad stopped at the Pilot Truck Stop at exit 165 on I-20 for their 30 minute break.  They hit the Subway restaurant for a sandwich.