newsletter inside this issue - super...
TRANSCRIPT
Exceed Expectations!
Performance Plus Pay Update
Now You Know The Rest Of The Story
Team Effort!
ASE Certified Technicians
Operation Safe Driver Week
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
OCTOBER 2017
NEWSLETTER
Quote of the Month
“Growth is never by mere chance; it is
the result of forces working together.”
- James Cash Penney
Welcome New Non-Driving Employees:
Blake DeWolfe—Truck Technician (MI)
Kerry Rogers—Student Trainer (KY)
Susie Carl—Customer Service Rep (MI)
Exceed Expectations!
Message From: Ron Scalzo, President and COO
We are experiencing unprecedented demand in the market with several analysts
predicting year end demand to be at its highest levels in years. This combined
with major disruptions from hurricanes Harvey/Irma and the ELD mandate will
likely continue well into 2018 and beyond.
This environment creates both challenges and opportunities. We continue to expe-
rience tightening on drivers; so it is a reminder to all of us how we value and ap-
preciate the dedication and commitment of our drivers and the service they provide
to our customers. On a seasonal basis, demand is approaching an all-time high in
advance of peak season providing tremendous opportunities to drive utilization
while serving our customers. Our logistics business continues to experience tre-
mendous growth and is a great example of demonstrating the Super Service “Can
Do” spirit. With our Lakeland office taking a direct hit from hurricane Irma and
being without power for a week, our logistics team set up shop in a garage and
continued to book freight and service their customers and is on track to meet or ex-
ceed their forecast for the month.
As a quick business update, we are excited about signing on with several new mar-
quis customers while continuing to grow with many of our key accounts. We are
benefiting from the current market in the form of revenue per truck and rate per
mile which also translates into increased opportunities for our drivers.
The operations improvement efforts we initiated a few months are beginning to
yield results:
Optimizing our network to drive utilization and yield improvements
Improvements in our maintenance cost per mile as a result of our PM and
tire program initiatives
Positive trends in service levels
Increased paid miles for our drivers
As we approach the end of our third quarter and prepare for peak, we ask that we
continue to work as a team and be supportive of another. I encourage all of us to
be inspired by the example of our Logistics team in the aftermath of Irma. Let’s all
strive to Exceed Expectations as we finish 2017.
Our recently implemented Performance Plus Pay program is off to a great start! 9 out of 10 drivers who are
eligible to participant have qualified for extra pay per mile since June of this year. If you recall, this new in-
centive can add anywhere from 1 to 5 additional cents per mile to your base pay rate depending on monthly
driver performance results. On average, our drivers are earning 3.5 cents more per mile by achieving perfor-
mance goals in some or all of the measurement categories. As an added bonus, freight volumes have increased
drastically over the past 3 to 4 weeks. The U.S. economy grew 3.1% in the second quarter which is the quick-
est pace in more than 2 years. Retail season will soon be upon us creating even more freight opportunities.
There are and will continue to be more miles for each of our drivers with no end in sight. Let’s all work togeth-
er and make the 4th quarter of 2017 one to remember.
PERFORMANCE PLUS PAY UPDATE
Submitted By: Vaughn Yow, VP of Operations
NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY
Submitted By: Jay Thomas, Director of Safety
Hello, Americans! Eight years ago, Paul Harvey died at the age of 90 having been on the radio for over 70
years. He was one of my favorite radio announcers because he always told a story which ended with an un-
expected ending. The ending was always referred to as the rest of the story. Paul would sign off with, “Now
You Know the Rest of the Story.” I miss Paul because, today, you just don’t really know what to believe.
In this article, I want to provide everyone with “the rest of the story” regarding some forth coming changes
and the reasoning behind the changes.
AOBRD—ELD
Electronic logging devices (ELDs) are re-
quired to be in all CMVs by December 18,
2017. If companies are currently using
Automatic On-Board Recording Devices
(AOBRD), they have until 2019 to comply
with the ELD requirement. Super Service
has been using AOBRDs since 2011. The
service provider is Omnitracs and they are
working with the FMCSA to certify their
devices as ELD compliant. This certifica-
tion is expected by the end of October.
So, what is the difference between an
AOBRD and an ELD?
The fact is, these terms are currently used
interchangeably in our industry. The pre-
sent FMCSA regulation for Hours-of-
Service compliance (FMCSA 395.15) us-
es the language “Automatic On-Board Re-
cording Device for Hours of Service Com-
pliance.” So technically, “AOBRD” is the term for the legally compliant technology today.
EOBR was the term used in the FMCSA rule 395.16, which was vacated. Legislation MAP21, passed by
Congress in 2012, requires that the FMCSA issue a new rule mandating HOS recording devices which will
be called ELDs. The term “ELD” for “Electronic Logging Device” is growing in popularity. Maybe it’s just
faster to say “ELD” than “EOBR or AOBRD?” To me, the older ones sound like something out of Star
Wars. In the table shown are the main differences between an AOBRD and the new ELD rule.
Some additional changes include providing “Yard Moves” within the next couple months. Some of the
changes which were removed from carriers include Speed and Range. As some may remember, as a carrier,
we could set parameters to allow trucks to operate under 10 mph and at a distance of no more than 1 mile
before the AOBRD would put the driver on the drive line. The custom carrier modifications are fading away
under the new ELD mandate. Hence, why you see trucks around the country doing the 4 mph shuffle to
avoid using up drive time.
When Yard Movements go live you will be able to once again drive within certain radiuses (yards) without using your
drive time (properly identifying the movement). Keep in mind, Yard Movements will not stop your 14 hour clock.
Several people have asked about articles which indicate there will be no enforcement or that OOS violations penalties
will go into effect on April 1, 2018. So, I thought it would be appropriate to point out some details about these state-
ments. First, let’s talk about what is happening behind the scenes. The FMCSA and its state enforcement partners are
preparing materials and conducting training for their compliance and enforcement staff. The Commercial Vehicle
Safety Alliance (CVSA), an organization dedicated to improving the uniformity of roadside inspection and enforce-
ment efforts in North America, recently added ELD-related information to its “North American Standard Out-Of-
Service Criteria” (OOS criteria), the pass fail criteria for driver and vehicle inspections. The purpose of the OOS crite-
ria is to identify critical violations that render a driver, vehicle and/or cargo out of service until condition(s) or defect(s)
can be corrected or fixed. The new CVSA OOS criteria is updated and published each year on April 1st. Therefore,
the official OOS criteria enforcement will be published April 1, 2018.
However, don’t be fooled. Drivers in violation of the HOS regulations will receive violations and could be placed out
of service prior to the April 1, 2018 publication. In fact, Super Service LLC has had some drivers find out the hard
way they can be placed OOS. Also, keep the term “ELD” in mind. Super Service is currently using AOBRDs and the
OOS criteria has already been published for AOBRDs.
If you have additional questions about the ELD mandate, please feel free to contact myself or any safety personnel and
we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
CRUISE CONTROL
As everyone is aware, Super Service LLC has two different speed limiters (or governed speeds). One for the foot pe-
dal and the other for cruise (62mph & 65mph). As you also know, Super Service LLC takes safety very seriously. Not
only your personal safety, but the safety of the motoring public with which you share the road. It is for these reasons
we will be making changes to the tractors to permit you to operate our equipment at the same speed (65mph) regardless
of whether you are using cruise or manually using the foot pedal. In addition, because it is unsafe to operate any vehi-
cle on wet or slick surfaces, the cruise control will be inoperable when the windshield wipers are in use. Your life is
very important to us and these changes will help provide you a safer work environment. Although I cannot use tech-
nology to control the use of cruise control when driving at night, it is highly recommended NOT to use your cruise be-
tween the hours of midnight and 6 am. Crash data indicates driver who doze at the wheel with cruise on suffer more
serious injuries than drivers who were not using cruise. I guess it is easy to see that if you doze off without cruise you
are likely to also not be pressing the throttle. But I hope everyone knows by now “NO LOAD IS WORTH YOUR
LIFE OR THE LIVES OF OTHERS” so you should not be driving if you are tired.
SMITH SYSTEM – DEFENSIVE DRIVING CLASS FOR PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS
Recently we made the change from teaching Smith System to teaching the National Safety Counsel’s Defensive Driv-
ing for Professional Truck Drivers course. You may ask why the change when both are good programs and teach driv-
ers skills to be safer on the roadways. I’ve always been the type of person to ask why. If we are going to change, why
did we decide to change? In 7th grade, my math teacher told the class Pi was equal to 3.14159 and I asked why. I
guess she was having a bad day or thought I was just being me and she answered me, “Because I said so.” After a
short debate, I was told sternly to proceed to the principal’s office. Well, things are not much different today as I still
like to know why.
National Safety Counsel’s Defensive Driving Course for Professional Drivers spends more time teaching drivers why
it is important to maintain a 7 second following distance instead of just telling drivers to do it. They spend time on real
skill building exercises including how to look for the unexpected instead of just aim high in steering. I think if we all
share why we are doing something or changing something you get better results. Learning is a continuous cycle of
gathering knowledge which means you need to know why in order for you to actually learn.
Though I am not Paul Harvey, I hope the information shared here will be helpful to you. If you have questions or con-
cerns, regardless of the topic, please feel free to call me or a member of my staff. The Safety Department is a resource
to you. It is up to you to use it. Be safe and thank you for what you do!
TEAM EFFORT!!!
Submitted By: Fred Needham, VP of Sales/Marketing
Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc throughout the Southeast and effected hundreds and
thousands of people, including several of our drivers. I heard many touching stories of
our professional drivers offering to donate their services to help with the relief efforts.
Irma had a tremendous impact on our logistics office in Lakeland, as they lost power
for several days. Given the size and scope of what they do, we had to put on our rally
caps on and figure out how to get them back on line. The main issue was there were
not any generators within 500 miles of Florida due to the outrageous demand. One of
our sales staff reached out to one of our long-term customers, Camping World, to see
if they could assist. They did a company-wide search and found they had two genera-
tors which met our needs in their retail store in Nashville. They generously sold both
of them to us at their cost and the sales person got them loaded up in their SUV and
headed to our terminal in Ellenwood.
Once they arrived, Tim Cooke (our Shop Foreman) took full control of the situation.
Since we needed to get an extra empty trailer back from Florida, these were attached to
the frame behind the cab. Due to the preciousness of this particular cargo, he took great
care to ensure it was completely secured to arrive intact and in a safe manner for all. This
picture is BEFORE the two chains and padlocks went on. David Yon took the baton and got things rolling, literally. He
knew the traffic was going to be terrible, as everyone was re-
turning back from their refuge in Georgia back to Florida at the
same time. He had a super attitude and was all-in on doing what he could to make
this happen. David also did a great job managing his clock to accommodate for all
of the time needed to secure things and began his run with fresh hours. After the
fact, he said it ended up being some of the worst congestion he had ever encoun-
tered in south GA, but overcame those obstacles and arrived in Lakeland the next
morning.
With the help of his staff and his father, Brandon was able to set up a makeshift of-
fice in his garage, which had recently been converted into a play area for his two
small children - please note all of the toys in the background! This allowed his team to work for almost three
full days before power was finally restored to their office.
You cannot turn on a TV or a radio today and not hear all of the nega-
tive things which are going on around us. Although this is a very small
thing in comparison, it is still a great example of how we can all still
come together as people, as a company and as fellow Americans to
lend a helping hand. Thanks again to everyone who made this possi-
ble!
David Yon (left) and
Brandon Bodine
MAINTENANCE MINUTE—ASE CERTIFIED
TECHNICIANS
Submitted By: Fran Kephart, Director of Maintenance
The above photo recognizes our ASE certified technician in our Grand Rapids, MI maintenance facility. Mike Rice, Truck Techni-
cian, is currently certified in T8 Preventive Maintenance and T4 Brakes. Laif Lampson, Body Shop Technician, has earned ASE
body certification in B2 Paint and Refinishing, B3 Non-structural Analysis and Damage Repair and B5 Collision Mechanical and
Electrical Components. Jim Miller, Truck Technician, has also earned certifications in T8 Preventive Maintenance and T4 Brakes.
The above photo recognizes our ASE certified technicians at our Somerset, KY facility. Wade Higginbotham, Body Shop Techni-
cian, has earned body certification B2 for Painting and Refinishing. Joey Vaughn, Truck Technician, has ASE certifications in T2
Engines, T4 Brakes and T8 Preventative Maintenance. Brian Sexton, Service Manager, has completed certification in T4 Brakes.
Finally, Austin Thurman, is a ASE Master Certified Truck Technician. He has earned his Master Certification by completing all
seven certification categories. Austin is certified in T2 Engine, T3 Air Conditioning/Heat, T4 Brakes, T5 Suspension, T6 Electri-
cal, T7 Drive Line and T8 Preventative Maintenance.
We do have additional technicians with expired ASE certifications. Many of these technicians are in the process of registering for
recertification. We encourage all technicians, ERS Coordinators and Service Managers to register for the certification test and
work towards becoming an ASE Master Truck Technician or Body Technician. We will continue to celebrate the success of the
maintenance staff as the ASE certifications are renewed or new certifications are earned in future newsletters. Please congratulate
these technicians on their accomplishments the next time you visit one of our maintenance facilities.
Left to Right: Mike Rice, Laif Lampson, and Jim Miller
Left to Right: Wade Higginbotham, Joey Vaughn, Brian Sexton
and Austin Thurman
Employee Profile—Steve Steinberg
Steve Steinberg started his career in transportation in 2005 at Gainey Transporta-
tion after graduating from Grand Valley State University. He has been a Driver
Manager, Team Driver Manager, Logistics Coordinator and a Planner in his 12
years in the industry.
He and his wife Michele have been married for 8 years and have a 9 year old son,
Ayden. They enjoy traveling every chance they get and love exploring new places.
They also love going to Michigan football games, camping, and spending time
with family and friends by the pool.
Ayden and Steve
Michele and Steve
OPERATION SAFE DRIVER WEEK
10/15/17 -10/21/17
Submitted By: Jeff Adelman, Compliance Manager
Law enforcement agencies throughout North America will engage in heightened traffic safety
enforcement and education aimed at combating unsafe driving behaviors by commercial motor
vehicle (CMV) drivers and passenger-vehicle (car) drivers as part of CVSA’s Operation Safe
Driver Week, Oct. 15-21, 2017.
Unsafe driver behaviors by CMV drivers and passenger-vehicle drivers continue to be the lead-
ing cause of crashes. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) “Large
Truck Crash Causation Study” cites driver behavior as the critical reason for more than 88 per-
cent of large truck crashes and 93 percent of passenger-vehicle crashes. CVSA’s Operation
Safe Driver program was created to help to reduce the number of crashes, deaths and injuries
involving large trucks, buses and cars due to unsafe driving behaviors. During Operation Safe
Driver Week, there will be increased CMV and passenger vehicle traffic enforcement.
Examples of unsafe driver behaviors that enforcement will be tracking throughout Operation
Safe Driver Week are speeding, failure to use a seatbelt while operating a CMV or in a passen-
ger vehicle, distracted driving, failure to obey traffic control devices, traveling too closely, im-
proper lane change, etc.
Last year, Law enforcement officers issued warnings/citations to 11,182 commercial motor ve-
hicle (CMV) drivers and 9,466 passenger-vehicle drivers during 2016 Operation Safe Driver
Week.
The top five warnings and citations issued to CMV drivers were: 1. State and Local Moving Violations – 56.7 percent
2. Speeding – 19.6 percent
3. Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device – 7.6 percent
4. Failing to Use Seatbelt While Operating CMV – 7.1 percent
5. Using a Handheld Phone – 2.4 percent
The top five warnings and citations issued to non-CMV (passenger vehicle) drivers were: 1. Speeding – 39.4 percent
2. State and Local Moving Violations – 37.1 percent
3. Failing to Use Seat Belt – 11.7 percent
4. Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device – 1.9 percent
5. Inattentive and/or Careless Driving – 1.5 percent
Avoid violations by obeying the rules of the road and doing excellent Pre-Trips, In-route,
and Post Trip Inspections. Remember, a violation free DOT inspection, properly logged
and turned in within 24 hours pays company drivers an additional $50 bonus.
CONGRATULATIONS RASCH FAMILY!!!
Submitted By: Steve Maat, Director of HR
Congratulations to Jon Rasch, Director of Operations, and family on the birth of a
beautiful baby girl, Delaney Jade Rasch! Delaney weight in at 6lbs 10oz and is
20.5 inches long. She was born on 9/14/17.
3
October Driver Years of Service Recognition—Thank You!!!
Name Years of Service
Borde, Hugh 9
Kimray, Donald 9
Neff, Thomas 9
Shaw, Darell 9
Williams, John 9
Barber, John 10
Barber, Richard 10
Barber, Theresa 10
Chappel, Harvey 10
Bean, Jessie 15
Cervantes, Clarence 17
Nguyen, Minh 18
Zukauskas, John 19
Hahn James 20
Svirid, Sergei 21
Name Years of Service
Anderson, Charles 1
Anyanwu, Edward 1
Buffington, Cory 1
Burr, Leroy 1
Civitello, Michael 1
Grandberry, Paul 1
Gruszecki, Randal 1
Khing, Kyaw 1
Kirkpatrick, David 1
Polchek, Anthony 1
Teribury, Frederick 1
Tobias, Stan 1
Tun, Sai 1
Vining, Jeffery 1
Williams, Candice 1
Brouse, Shawn 2
Higgins, Larry 2
Lockhart, Tiffany 2
Rhinebeck, Jesse 2
Barnes, Jeffery 3
Hayes, Michael 3
Boersen, Bryan 4
Scott, Susan 4
Newman, Albert 5
Dearman, Mark 6
Raymond, Edward 6
Simington, George 6
Browder, Demarquenes 7
Limban, James 7
Rusk, Homer 7
October Non-Driving Employee Years of Service Recognition
Thank You!!!
Name Years of Service Position
Matthew Cathey 1 Regional Sales Manager—GA
Douglas Omedeo 1 Emergency Road Support—GA
RJ Shinn 1 2nd Shift Driver Manager—MI
Kristin Moon 3 Customer Service Rep—GA
Eric Schut 3 Driver Manager—MI
Kelly Dornon 4 3rd Shift Load Tracker—MI
Curtis Johnson 4 Shop Shift Foreman—GA
Danny Caldwell 8 Recruiting Manager—KY
Scott Wood 10 3rd Shift Driver Manager—MI
Melissa Ayers 16 Customer Service Rep—TN
Tommy Taylor 16 Regional Sales Manager—TN
Mickey Wilson 16 Billing Specialist—KY
Steve Duncan 18 Emergency Road Support– KY
Cheryl Metternick 23 Benefits Administrator—MI
Mark Collins 24 Emergency Road Support—KY
September Clean Road Side Inspection List
We Pay $50 For Every Clean, Properly Logged Inspection
Dale Dasho Randy Carter Alan Bailey
Aubrey Tolle Brian Williams Bobby Kirkland
John Cedilnik Linwood Mills Jason Hill
Herman Gooding Cameron Bartlett David Allen
Jaelen Sanders-Parker Carlos Brignoni Russell Lowe
Mark Reed Michael Campbell
Earn Up To $2,000 for
Driver Referrals
We know our Super Drivers come in contact with other safe, experienced professional drivers every day. We hope you will consider sending them our way! Now, telling them about the opportunities at Super Service is even easier.
We created a new handout, espe-cially for referring prospective driv-ers. So, when you find someone who could be a great fit for the Su-per Service Team, send them our way! Drop by the Recruiting De-partment and pick up a few of the new driver referral door hangers to-day or contact recruiting at 800.326.8889 for all the details! Re-fer safe, experienced drivers and start earning $$$$ today!
- Super Service LLC Recruiting
We have Safety Meetings every Friday at
Super Service terminals. Join us for some
good grub and important safety information.
Safety will be available to answer questions.
Upcoming Events
Super Service, LLC
6000 Clay Ave SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49548
616-530-8558 x1341 ph
616-588-6391 fax
Super Service Social Media Program
https://www.facebook.com/superservicellc
https://twitter.com/superservicellc
Super Service Blog:
http://blog.driveforsuperservice.com/