Quote of the Month:

“Show me a guy who is afraid to look

bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can

beat every time.”

- Lou Brock (HOF Leftfielder for

the St. Louis Cardinals)

• Driving Safely with Dan Strong, CEO\

• Customer Profile—Home Depot

• Flashing Lights!

• Roadcheck 2013

• Triple Filter Test

• DOT Roadside Inspections

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

JUNE 2013 NEWSLETTER

Welcome New Non-Driving

Employees:

Renea Hodges—O/O Recruiter (TX)

Donald Richards—Mechanic (KY)

Tyler Holmes—Truck Detailer (MI)

Jeremy Criswell—Mechanic (KY)

Greg Hall—Workers Comp (MI)

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Driving Safely with: Dan Strong, CEO

Remember the Chevy Vega? It was quite the big thing for a

time in the 1970’s. Then the aluminum blocks started melt-

ing and the Vega went away. Long haul trucking is kind of

like the Vega. It was a good thing for a while; however time

is passing it by.

The shale oil play in the United States is going to bring

some interesting changes to our country in the next 5-12

years. It appears some manufacturing of oil based prod-

ucts will be moving back to the United States. China is los-

ing some of their desirability due to increasing labor costs

and higher costs of transportation (and the fact the prod-

uct sits on a boat for a long time…the owner of the product

doesn’t make any money when the product sits in a can)

and the lower potential cost of energy in the US, coupled

with less transportation expense, makes the US a strong

target for expansion. Regionalized transportation is the

key to any future business model.

Last year trucking was 68.5% of all freight hauled. The

train continues to boom, devouring long haul trucking and

making inroads in shorter haul as well. The shale oil suc-

cess is somewhat limited because of a shortage of rail

cars to move products. The rail has a stronger lobbying

group than trucking, and trucking has been handicapped by

next to zero expansion of highways, etc., as compared to

the growth in population.

So what is my point? Long haul trucking is shrinking, re-

gional is growing and the rail continues to take away freight

from trucking. Super Service LLC will continue our model

as a best in class regional carrier. We have a great plan,

some excellent people and progressive technology. While

the new hours of service changes the government is

throwing our way will bring new challenges, we’ll continue

to work with our shippers to improve the process and keep

our trucks moving. We have reduced our deadhead miles

nearly 20% this year, tightened our network, improved our

utilization and our fuel economy.

We remain excited about Super Service LLC and the future

of our company. Thanks for all you do for Super Service

LLC!

Let’s be safe, healthy and productive!

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The Home Depot was founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus, Arthur

Blank, Ken Langone and Pat Farrah. The founders had a vision of

one-stop shopping for the do-it-yourself individual. The first two

stores opened in Atlanta, GA, on June 22, 1979. From the begin-

ning, The Home Depot emphasized the importance of customer

service. The Home Depot revolutionized the home improvement

industry by bringing the know-how and the tools to the customer

while providing prices lower than their competition. During the

1980‘s it had become one of the fastest growing retailers of its

time and by 1989 the chain opened its 100th store.

The Home Depot has a set of core values which are the fabric of

the company’s unique culture and are the key to its success.

The five core values are:

Taking Care of People

Giving Back to their Communities

Doing the Right Thing

Excellent Customer Service

Building Strong Relationships

Currently, The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement retailer, the fourth largest retailer

in the U.S., and the fifth largest retailer in the world. More than 1 million children have built their first

toolbox at The Home Depot Kid’s Workshop and The Home Depot has the largest garden club in the world.

The Home Depot continues to grow and we have continued to grow our business with them. As one of Su-

per Service, LLC’s top 10 customers, we will continue to provide them with the best truckload service on

the road servicing ten of their Distribution centers, located in the Northeast, Southeast, Central and Mid-

west.

Submi�ed By: Faith Kleiman,

Pricing Manager

HOMEDEPOT

How do you feel when you see flashing head-lights as you are traveling down the road? You know it is a sign from a fellow driver there is a cop somewhere down the road, so you react, you slow down, check to make sure you lights are on, your seatbelt is buckled and you are not talking or texting. This is your flashing lights warning! Roadcheck 2013 is an annual event where all states agree to open all scales for 72 hours , this will occur from June 4th through June 6th. Take the next few days to check your equipment. Do you have current inspection and IFTA stickers? Do an in-depth pre and post-trip inspection, listen for air leaks, check for fluid leaks and check brakes, lights, tires, suspension. Is your dash clean? This would also be great time to get a truck wash if it is available to you.

The flashing light warning is here...take the time to do a thorough job of what you already do twice a day. Here is your opportunity to have a clean inspection, get a reward and make the company shine. There should be no ex-cuses...he headlights are flashing! From June 4th through 6th the scales will be opened and fully staffed...so take the time to double check and be pre-pared.

Here are just a few items to check:

Permit Book

Registrations and Inspections for both Tractor and Trailer

DOT Quick Reference card for eLogs and eVirs (in permit book)

CDL and Med card both ready an accessible current

Fire extinguisher - secured and charged

Triangles (3) in place and secured

Fuse variety pack near fuse box

You been given the flashing headlight warning, take the time to makes sure you are doing it right or you may be seeing a different kind of flashing lights.

By: Rick Earl, Director of Safety

FLASHINGLIGHTS

This article is not about some fancy new filter for our trucks. It is about something I want to apply to my life...because I

am as guilty as anybody else when it comes to rumors and gossip . All too often I hear rumors about people, about com-

panies, about politics, etc.

I came across this article on the internet (author unknown) and found it to be quite profound. Please read the below:

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great phi-

losopher and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”

“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment

and filter what you are going to say. That’s why I call it the Triple Filter Test. The first test is Truth. Have you made ab-

solutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“Well...no,” the man said, “Actually, I just heard about it and…”

“All right,” said Socrates, “So you don't really know if it’s true or not. Now, let’s try the second filter, the filter of Good-

ness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”

“Umm...no...on the contrary…” said the man.

“So,” Socrates continued, “You want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you are not certain it’s true. You may

still pass the test though, because there is one filter left...the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my

friend going to be useful to me?”

“No...not really”, replied the man.

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “If what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful...why tell it to me at

all?”

TRIPLEFILTERTEST

By: Steve Maat, Director of Human Resources

DOTROADSIDEINSPECTIONS

By: Chuck Creekmore, Safety Manager

Your driving career depends on maintaining a good CSA score. How should you prepare for road-

side inspections?

Prepare yourself and your vehicle:

• Keep your vehicle clean and neat (especially the dash or anything visible from the outside).

• Properly conduct pre-trip inspections to spot potential problems and get them corrected.

• Check your registration book. Are your insurance card, registrations, and permits up to date?

• Keep your documents in a central location so they are easily accessible (BOLs, Hazmat info,

CDL, DOT card, etc.).

• Keep your logbook / e-logs up to date (approve logs daily)

• Drive safely

Federal Regulations: A vehicle that passes an inspection will be awarded a decal. “Pass Inspection”

means no violations were found. Decals are affixed to the vehicle and remain valid for no longer

than three months. Generally, vehicles displaying a decal are not subject to re-inspection unless a

problem is observed.

The quarter in which an inspection is performed is indicated by the color of the decal:

January—March = Green

April—June = Yellow

July—September = Orange

October—December = White

GACOOKOUT

By: Steve Maat, Director of Human Resources

Dan Strong, CEO, Roger Waddle, COO, and John Kidd, Director of Driver Services, travelled to our Ellenwood, GA facility to

host a cookout for our Professional Drivers and non-driving staff on 5/3/13. Below are some of the pictures (you can

see more on Facebook):

Dan Strong manning the grill John Kidd carving the meat

Employees enjoying the meal Yummy!

Employee Profile of the Month—Bill Lewis

Bill Lewis works from the Somerset, Kentucky office and has been with Super Service since March 7, 1983. He started his career with Super Service as an Over the Road Driver. In 1986, he gave up driving and became the Safety Instructor until mid 1990...at which time he went into operations as a Driver Man-

ager and Load Planner.

In 1992, he was approached about starting a truck driving school to hire and train drivers for Super Ser-vice. In 1993, he was promoted to Fuel Manager for Super Service. During this time Super Service has implemented fuel optimization. Bill has been responsible for programming and picking legal and safe fuel

routes as well as purchasing fuel at the lowest cost possible.

Outside of work Bill enjoys spending time with family (especially spoiling grandchildren) as well as his church family. Hobbies are officiating basketball at all ages from AAU through varsity high school. He

has been licensed to officiate through KHSAA for the past 14 years.

Bill still holds his CDL license and enjoys making short trips from time to time.

Bill at his 20 year anniversary

Bill and his wife (Jennifer)

3

June Driver Years of Service Recogni�on—Thank You!!!

Name Years of Service

Cox, Tarrence 4

Hertel, John 4

Kern, Kevin 4

Reuschling, Robert 4

Spaulding, Tom 4

Cerulo, Michelle 5

Kalmowitz, Mark 5

Kounse, Daniel 5

Metenosky, Adam 5

Morgan, James 5

Rolle, Steven 5

Metellus, Gary 6

Rogers, Stacey 6

Eyster, Charles 7

Thayer, Raymond 7

Cameron, David 8

Tucker, Gene 8

Taylor, Hashan 10

Tyler, Tony 12

Christian, Frank 13

Jones, Lawrence 13

Wilson, Chris 13

McKenzie, Bruce 17

Bice, Donald 18

Howard, Jeffrey 19

Phillips, Clyde 21

Finch, Michael 23

Pontius, Dennis 23

Harris, Hubert 9

Name Years of Service

Adamovich, Thomas 1

Anderson, Michael 1

Bishop, William 1

Blackburn, Rob 1

Chapman, Robert 1

Cole, Donovan 1

Dickson, John 1

Fichter III, George 1

Gordon, Alonzo 1

Gwin, Denise 1

Hardaway, Eric 1

Horton, Anthony 1

Kennedy, Brian 1

Lanham, Allen 1

Nieves Jr, Miguel 1

Rouse, Donald 1

Thorpe, Thomas 1

Wroblewski, Robert 1

Zufan, Steve 1

Carr, Elmer 2

Chancey, Claude 2

Davey, Terry 2

Davis, Randy 2

Hart, Terrainio 2

Howard, Steven 2

Price, John 2

Ross, Allen 2

Walker, Fred 2

Wilson, Harold 2

Comley, Donald 3

Copeland, Jonathon 3

Guzman, Joel 3

Koenigs, Roney 3

Mosley, Karl 3

O’Connor, Dennis 3

Archer Jr, Causey 4

Castle, James 4

Ciobanu, Vasile 4

June Non-Driving Employee Years of Service Recogni�on—Thank You!!!

Name Years of Service Position

Heather Bullock 1 Maintenance Assistant—KY

Phillip Neal Jr. 1 Mechanic—TX

Lee Ann Sumner 1 Driver Recruiter—KY

Tony Price 3 Breakdown Coordinator—KY

Ann Page 4 Maintenance Assistant—FL

Jeanette Kirkland 5 Driver Recruiter—TX

Ace Choate 6 Driver Manager—KY

Steve Steinberg 6 Planner—MI

Kim Caldwell 9 Nights Lead Breakdown—KY

Jennifer Lucas 9 Planner—KY

Bernice Peck 9 Driver Payroll Administrator—MI

Stephen Thai 9 Nights Driver Manager—MI

Kim Baize 11 Customer Service—KY

Doug Stratton 15 Maintenance Shift Foreman—MI

Doreen Coop 16 Customer Service—IN

Mike Ray 20 Planning Manager—KY

Butch Page 22 Terminal Manager—FL

Sandra Rowlett 23 Log Clerk—KY

Ruth Skaggs 27 Assistant Controller—KY

Damon Wade 27 Facilities Manager—MI

Cindy Burgin 29 UPS Operations Manager—KY

Refer Safe, Qualified

Drivers and Earn $$$$

As we all know, one of our seven compa‐

ny goals is “number of staffed trucks.”

The success of our company is commen‐

surate with our ability to attract safe,

qualified drivers to our company.

Super Service, LLC offers a generous

$2000.00 recruiting bonus for each safe

qualified driver you refer. And now, we

offer the recruiting bonus for owner‐

operators as well!

Contact recruiting for all the details! Re‐

fer drivers & owner‐operators and start

earning $$$$ today!

‐ Super Service LLC Recruiting

• We have Safety Mee"ngs every Friday at

Super Service terminals. Join us for some

good grub and important safety informa"on.

Safety will be available to answer ques"ons.

Upcoming Events

Super Service, LLC

6000 Clay Ave SW

Grand Rapids, MI 49548

616-530-8558 ph

616-261-4942 fax

smaat@superservicellc.com

Charlie Akers caught this snake at the DIB distribution cen-

ter in South Carolina.