Weekly MDI Report 3-29-16

Two Cheers For Chad and Gary

Daryl Gordon left us a comment based on our post "This Guy Is A Keeper":

I definitely agree with that. Chad is always helpful and easy to talk to. Also Gary Smith on nights is very kind and treats me like a friend every time I need something. They are two of the best. 

Bruce Cox's Truck Parking Diary

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization, today launched a new research initiative to collect real-world information on the daily situations and challenges that truck drivers face in locating appropriate and safe parking.  ATRI is recruiting drivers who will keep a 14-day diary of their truck parking issues.

The diaries ask drivers to record daily stops that relate to fuel and food stops, their 30-minute rest break and the mandated 10-hour break.  Drivers will record the time and location of their stops, how long it took them to find available parking and other information about the location, amenities and why it was selected.  Drivers will also log the amount of time they lost in their duty day if they parked before running out of hours simply to secure available parking.

The data collected in ATRI’s driver diaries will also build on existing knowledge of truck parking shortages by providing qualitative information on driver parking behavior as well as how parking uncertainty impacts the industry’s productivity.

“ATRI’s truck parking diaries represent a first-of-its-kind opportunity for drivers to document their truck parking issues.  We all talk about how tough it is to find truck parking; ATRI is giving us the chance to document the issues on a national scale so that solutions can be identified and acted on,” said professional driver David Green of Werner Enterprises and one of the America’s Road Team Captains.  “I am excited about completing my diary and I encourage my fellow drivers to also participate.”

Guess who else was selected to participate?  Our own Bruce Cox, one of our Truckload Professional Drivers.  Check out Bruce's reaction:

Thank you for thinking of me for ATRI’s Truck Parking Diary data collection. On Friday I received a response from the pre-qualification survey I took and have been accepted into the study. They will be mailing me the material for the diary this week. 

This Guy Is A Keeper

We received this message from Anthony Mugan, one of our Professional Drivers, giving great feedback about one of our night fleet managers.  Enjoy the below: 

Every time I am lucky enough to get (Chad) Charles Helms on the phone I am greeted with familiarity and kindness. Instead of rushing on to the next call he always gets all the information and does what he can to help. Thanks Chad for being on my team!

Driver Hotline Updated 844-588-8785

Weekly Hotline Update...

Please call our Driver Hotline for the latest information and this week our topic is the importance of accurate ETA's. 

844-588-8785

It's All About Petty

Check out this great feedback from one of our honored guests at the Atlanta Speedway:

Just wanted to thank everyone involved in the J. B. Hunt / Richard Petty Nascar race on Sunday.  I had a ball!!!  It was top shelf from the transportation, trackside terrace,  food /beverage, driver "meet and greets",  pit passes, flowers on the tables (my wife thanks you): not to mention the race itself.   You even thought of the smallest details - ear plugs!  I will cherish the autographed baseball cap and pullover from Sunday.  Meeting other drivers from other areas of J. B. Hunt was enlightening.  All management people went above and beyond  to show appreciation to the drivers.  What a perfect scenario where drivers, management, and customers all came together to enjoy the race.   Also, you could not have picked better weather to hold this event.  Thanks again for such a memorable day.

Sign me up for the next race!

The Connected Truck

As a child I used to watch The Jetson's, a space age cartoon that originally aired from 1962 to 1963. By the time I saw the show the series was in syndication.  It made you envision a form of transportation used by George Jetson and his family that was much different than the fossil fuel burning engines of today.  The technology was extremely innovative throughout the futuristic utopia of robots, aliens, and aerocars powered by mystery. 

Now lets fast forward to our own industry.  Things like geofencing, automated arrival and departure notifications (workflow), and real-time alerting are regular offerings.  We have the ability to have our equipment connected to technicians and support throughout our organization to help make split second decisions to protect service and utilization. 

What is next?  If you were a part of our ATRI conference in Dallas, Texas last week you would have heard a lot of discussion about autonomous trucks.  Live routing that allows us accurate information about traffic and crash conditions with timeliness and ease of use will drive our supply chain as we all attempt to work within the hours of service limits that are placed on our Professional Drivers.

Vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure connectivity will help the supply chain become more efficient and safe.  Who would have dreamed this when we were making daily check calls from a pay phone.  The future holds great promise for transportation.           

Did You Notice?

Our Blog secured its 50,000th hit  this past week.  That is 1,852 hits per month.  Our blog started on January 1, 2014.  The most posts in any one month occurred in February of this year.  We had 54 individual posts last month.  We are thankful for our loyal subscribers who help fuel our fire.  Our ongoing challenge is to keep our content fresh, educational, and inspirational.

    

Insight To The Planning Side - A Fleet Manager's Take Away

Recently Laura Pilcher had the pleasure of sitting with Jeremy Horton, an Area Service Manager at J.B. Hunt.  There was no way to predict the amount of insight and knowledge she would gain from observing his daily tasks and responsibilities.  So, to gain insight we asked her to write a review.  Enjoy the observations below that Laura made during her time with Jeremy: 

I observed that Jeremy was extremely proficient in navigating through the many programs and screens that are required for an Area Service Manager, including the Freight Sifter screen. These are loads that come over for approval before we can plan them on trucks. The Spot Price screen requires an e-mail to approve a rate on a load, multiple FM2 screens in order to see the loads for the market and another FM2 screen to see the drivers that are in the market and information on their truck including how many hours they have remaining, if they are due for time off, or if they have a trailer to run a load. 

In observing Jeremy and all his screens he still found time to constantly check capacity, ensuring loads were being covered by drivers. An ASM must have great organizational skills, as well as process the ability to manage, problem solve and trouble shoot in a fastenvironment while providing top notch customer service. In conclusion, I am very grateful for the opportunity to cross train and look forward to future opportunities.

The Best Thing About JBT - A Note From A Professional Driver

We received this note from one of our Professional Drivers this week:

Perhaps the best thing that J.B.  Hunt has done for drivers in the past year is the big improvement in detention pay that went into effect last May, or thereabouts. And yet other drivers frequently tell me that detention pay is a rip-off, and that they're never able to collect it. I don't understand that at all, as I never have any trouble with it. I can only think that many drivers don't understand the simple process that must be followed. Perhaps it would be beneficial to make sure the detpay process is covered correctly in orientation, and/or in one of your recorded messages.

Lowell Orientation Welcomes New Truckload Members

We had the privilege of attending our Lowell AR orientation last week and meeting some of our newest Truckload drivers. It was impressive seeing our new hires navigate through the driving course as well as they did.

Spending some quality time with our group proved to be of value, it turns out they had a lot of questions and we were able to provide them answers. 

This group agrees with our Smith System Safety Training, in fact a large majority of the drivers in orientation said they had either heard of it before or used it before and feel it truly saves lives.

Doing a proper job safety analysis (JSA) will impact the CSA scores and breakdown time of our drivers. Our new drivers were shown what it takes to do a proper pre-trip inspection by ex J.B. Hunt Driver turned Safety Instructor, Stephen Marchand of our Memphis team.

Fun Fact from Steve:

The driver sitting behind the steering wheel always has a blind spot directly in front of the vehicle that can range from a distance of 30 to 50 feet. 

A blind spot existing directly behind a vehicle can range at a distance of 200 feet. 

Take into consideration, an 8-foot wide trailer multiplied by the 200-foot distance equal 1,600 square feet of blind space.

We know it is there but do we ever really think of how large that blind spot is? 

Fleet manager Keith Hall, on-boarding manager Jessica Wheeler, and on-boarding manager Elizabeth Johnson joined us for lunch to make sure all last minute questions were answered and every driver was ready to take their first dispatch for J.B. Hunt Transport. 

We are lucky.  Not often do we get the opportunity to meet and help on board our new truckload members. Who know's, maybe the difference in having a face to put with a name is just what we need in our truckload division? 

Driver Feedback from a Veteran

Million Mile driver Richard Santowski (SANR28), a 21 year driver of the Truckload Division, stopped by the office on Tuesday. He took the time to offer his opinions on our new technology. Always willing to offer valuable insight, Richard shared some recommendations. Richard has always been a strong communicator when he sees an opportunity for us to improve. His suggestions have proven to be invaluable and often lead us to making adjustments. We cannot thank him enough for his feedback, constant good attitude, and great work ethic. 

Richards happens to drive one of our five military wrapped trucks and shared with us how proud he feels every time someone stops him to compliment him on his truck. he says he loves what he does. Richard said he could not imagine driving for any other carrier than J.B. Hunt.  

Some key takeaways from Richards visit: 

1) Fuel stops are popping up all over, how can we update our locations quicker?

2) Richard loves the new improvements he is seeing in our facilities.  Free laundry and free coffee are long over due.

2) He states "as an ex-Engineer, I choose to have a flip phone".  How do we get him on a smart phone?

Weigh My Truck Feedback

We asked Eric,one of our Professional Drivers, the following questions about "Weigh My Truck":

What is your average time to scale a load?  How much time do you think this will save you in a week?  Will this give you more miles per week?

Here was his response:

It depends on where I’m at scaling the load. Sometimes it can be 10 minutes, sometimes longer. An example: Scaled at Flying J in KC the other day. Always busy there, sometimes have been there almost an hour, because you scale, which takes maybe a couple minutes. 

Then you find a place to park, which there never is when you need it. Then you get stuck in the fuel lane and go in and wait in a long line with ONE cashier. Then if you have to reweigh…the cycle starts over. 

When I scaled there this week, I was there a total of 10 minutes: 4 to scale, 6 to wait for driver blocking me to park so I could get out of there.  

I also think it will save time when I do have to reweigh. I get the weights while I’m still on the scale, so as soon as I pull off, I can slide my tandems or 5th wheel and reweigh. 

No more lines in the truck stop to deal with. That could, depending on how many heavy loads I get, recover 2-3 hours a week. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but I can be driving instead of waiting. So, I think I could get at least a few more miles a day. 

Hope that helps.

Freight Tonnage Hits Record

Truck tonnage jumped 8.6% in February, posting an all-time record that was helped by freight that moved later due to January storms, American Trucking Associations reported.

While the trade federation's seasonally adjusted for-hire index stood at 144, besting the previous high of 134.7 set in November and December, ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said, “I caution everyone not to read too much into it.”

“The strength was mainly due to a weaker-than-average January, including bad winter storms, thus there was some catch-up going on in February,” said Costello, who consistently cautions that single-month tonnage readings need to be placed in context. “If March is strong, then I’ll get more excited.”

Typically, tonnage declines sharply in February, compared with the month before. The 7.2% gain in 2016 compares with sequential drop-offs of 5.4% to 6.7% over the past three years. As a result, a small increase in tonnage produced the large seasonally adjusted increase, ATA reported. The year-over-year gain was the largest in more than two years. It also marked the largest sequential gain in more than three years.

The not seasonally adjusted index, measuring freight actually hauled, also was strong, rising an identical 8.2% over February of last year. Sequentially, the increase excluding seasonal adjustment was 0.4%. Costello’s analysis included a frequent comment voiced by other economists.

“I’m still concerned about the elevated inventories throughout the supply chain,” he said. “Last week, the Census Bureau reported that relative to sales, inventories rose again in January, which is troubling. We need those inventories reduced before trucking can count on more consistent, better freight volumes.” February’s result produced a 4.8% year-over-year average increase for the first two months of 2016. ATA revised January 2016 tonnage to a 0.3% decline

Weekly MDI Update 3-22-16

Musings from the Road - Lyle Maurer

Lyle Maurer is one of our Professional Drivers in the Truckload Fleet.  Lyle sends great information on a regular basis and we thought it would be wise to bring him to the blog.  Enjoy: 

This is the shipping office and driver desk at one of our Northeastern shippers. 

 Notice the effective use of insulation in the wall.  

This shipper has brought pen security to a new art form.

Truckload Facts

Ever wonder how many high achievers we currently have in our Truckload
 fleet in regards to safety?  We have the following 146 Professional Driver
 that are million milers in our Truckload family:

1 Million Milers = 88

2 Million Milers = 49

3 Million Milers = 9 

Sit. Stay. Ride the rails with your furry friend.

Here is a new policy in a like-type industry:

Dog and cat owners of America, rejoice: A five-year highway appropriations bill that Congress reportedly agreed to on Tuesday instructs Amtrak to develop a policy allowing pets on passenger trains.

The provision, tucked into page 877 of a 1,300-page bill, would create a pilot program for the government-subsidized rail system. According to the legislation, Amtrak will have to dedicate at least one car per train “in which a ticketed passenger may transport a domesticated cat or dog in the same manner as a carry-on baggage.”

There are some restrictions.

The dog or cat would have to be “contained in a pet kennel” that complies with Amtrak size requirements for carry-on bags. The passenger transporting the pet will have to pay a fee, which would offset Amtrak’s cost of accommodating pets. The authors of the bill made clear that “no federal funds may be used to implement the pilot program.” The government is facing a debt crisis, after all.

Amtrak, for its part, would have to keep pet cars at a “temperature controlled in a manner protective of cat and dog safety and health.” After a year of operating the pet pilot program, Amtrak will be required to submit a report to relevant congressional committees assessing how it worked.

For a the dog-loving lawmakers who have long advocated for pet-friendly Amtrak policy, it was a great day. The first push for such a change came in 2013, with the introduction of the Pets On Train Act, a legislative effort with bipartisan support that failed to get much traction. Earlier this year, language from that bill was inserted into a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee rail reform bill, which, likewise, stalled in Congress.

Lowell Driver Experience

 

 Our Professional Drivers showcased our new gear.  We chose the classic dark brown as a testament to our past.  The group participated in a corporate tour, lunch with their managers, driving course work, and concentration on our technology (E-Logs, PeopleNet, DRIVE).  We ended the day with pizza and a roundtable.  We enjoy asking them why they love J.B. Hunt and the Rogers Magic Wand question (You get one wish to make a change at J.B. Hunt.  What do you change tomorrow?) .  The #1 response to what they would change tomorrow was more time after orientation learning about the tools that can make them successful. We are going to fulfill this request for Job Specific Training immediately.  It will make us better in key areas like retention, utilization and service. 

What a great looking team minus the bald guy in the middle.  The weekly roundtable is one of the highlights of my job.  Interacting with our Professional Drivers and hearing a new employee's perspective is refreshing and energizing.

Our Growing IC/LP Team

As the wheels turn... our Contractor Team grows!  We are now at 13 business partners supporting over 285 contractors. Our team includes:

Floyd Couch
Adam Neil
Jason Britten
Doris Miles
Holly Hager
Desiree Guynn
Mark Brissey
Fred Woodruff
Bill Alderson
E.J. Roussell III
Brian Zinn
Eddie Riebel
Mark Nuessner

DRIVE Feedback

Got this note from one of our Professional Drivers yesterday:

Did you know that I am #1 on my FM's board and #285 in Truckload? 

This was in reference to the safety rankings now available on the DRIVE app.  When Truckload gets utilization/miles brought to the front window pane of the tool with accuracy we will see enthusiasm from our driving force.  Bottom-line...our people love to compete and everyone wants to win. 

RTLA in NYC

Byron Munden performed a RTLA (Ride, Talk, Listen, Act) this week with one of the Professional Drivers from our WMPD account in Tannersville, PA.  Many of our employees and carriers complained about the trips to the city, so what better opportunity to seek out what caused this feedback.  Check out his notes:

Hi everybody. Kevin and I made it safely to our first stop (Changes Company). Traffic was good from Tannersville to basically the time we crossed the GW Bridge. Took us well over 1 hour to get to Changes once we crossed the GW. I thought traffic was heavy. Kevin said it was nothing and actually pretty light

Kevin was able to maneuver in some areas and on some streets that would be an extremely tight fit for a small car. Very professional and composed. Very impressed with Kevin and his ability. 

This was difficult place to get to once we got off the main roads. Seemed like we drove for 30 miles down narrow streets. Vehicles and other obstacles in the way non-stop. Once we actually got to Changes, Kevin had to make a difficult backing maneuver into an inside dock with no light. Kevin made it look pretty easy. Very limited room to make this backing maneuver safely. Cars parked all the area which adds to the degree of difficulty. Kevin said it actually wasn't as bad as it could be. I would hate to see if there were even more vehicles parked in the way and blocking access to the dock. 

Weekly MDI Update 3-8-16

Edwina and Her Big Truck

Check out Edwina's latest accolade...Team Clean Award for Lady E!

Three Cheers For The Blog!

Our collection of bloggers got a shout out this morning from Leslie Lim, a fellow blogger:

I have found your blogs to be friendly and welcoming. Thanks for making this one. I really enjoy reading and surfing it.

Sneak Preview - Dallas Terminal Renovation (before the ribbon cutting)

Today we visited the Dallas Terminal at 5701 W. Kiest.  This terminal was in desperate need of a refresh in the bathrooms, common spaces, office area and the Professional Driver lounge. 

The terminal grounds were greatly improved and looked terrific.

This is the new safety and welcome area.  Check out how sharp the concrete floors look!

Here is our new and improved orientation room.  What a great impression this must leave with our newest employees.  Concrete floors are the bomb!

 Now this is my idea of a lounge area.  All it is missing is our new signage.  The branding is due to be placed in the facility in the next 72 hours.

Clean and bright area for interactive training and charging stations. 

Look at how sharp the concrete floors look. 

This is the conference room space.  We are getting a modern table with plug in features that are accessible from the top of the surface.

Washers and dryers look top-notch in Dallas, Texas.

TIREPASS - A Newer Service Offering By Love's

Some of our Professional Drivers are using this service to improve the quality of inflation of their tires on the trucks and trailers.  This service is offered by Love's.  Once drivers pull into one of the 10 locations currently offering TirePass, they can enter the “TirePass Inflation & Fuel Express Lane.” 

A callbox is then used to alert an attendant that service is needed. While the trucker begins fueling up, a tire technician will hook all tractor and trailer tires up to the automatic inflator.  In addition to inflating tires, the TirePass service will record the tread depth using a digital tire tread depth gauge. Once completed, drivers can go to the fuel desk to receive a full report on the condition of their tires.

Love’s claims the TirePass service reduces downtime, increases fuel efficiency, extends tire life, and improves safety.

The first visit is free.  Each visit after the initial inspections is $5 for tractor and $5 trailer. 

I would love to hear about this service from the perspective of our Professional Drivers.  We are always looking for ways to improve our Out Of Service performance and this appears to be one way to attack this issue.   Plus, it could help us with MPG and tread life on a casing.