WINTER 2019

Quarterly Newsletter for Ozark Motor Lines, Inc. First Edition

The Slick Advisor

SAFETY....................page 3 by Pat Landreth

MAINTENANCE.......page 4 Wrenched by Glenn McDonald

OPERATIONS...........page 5by Dave Roberson

RECOGNITIONS......page 6-7

WELCOME..............page 2A Message from Donnie Caldwell

Welcome to the First Edition of the Slick Advisor, where our hope is to keep you informed about the happenings here at Ozark. Each edition will contain articles from each department and also hopefully share some stories about you - our drivers. I would like to take a minute and tell you who I am and what I do. I am Donnie Caldwell and serve as Chief Operating Officer here at Ozark. My primary role is to manage the day to day operation, including the Operations Department and Sales and Marketing. My career here started as a mechanic in 1986, and have since had the opportunity to work in operations, and sales and marketing. In my role as COO one of the things I truly enjoy is meeting and talking with our drivers. I have had the opportunity to meet many of you personally, and many of you I have known for years. My hope this year is to meet all of you and get to know you personally, so please come by my office for a visit, my door is open and no appointment is needed.

By now you are all aware of the new pay scale, the increase to the per diem, and the announcement that the Medical Insurance premiums would remain unchanged. These are some of the exciting things that have already happened this year and we are looking forward to continuing to make improvements to benefit drivers. Here are a few things you will see happening this year: Our new tractors have already started showing up, as you will see we are staying with Freightliners, and we are continuing the changeover to Automatic Trucks. Along with the new Road Tractors we have purchased 30 New City Trucks and will be upgrading our city fleet as well as adding some to expand our local operations. We are also continuing our trailer trade cycle so look for new trailers to be showing up as well.

Thanks for checking out the Slick Advisor, and don’t forget to come see me. We anticipate another great year at Ozark Motor Lines, Inc.

Thanks for being a part of the Ozark Family!

Donnie Caldwell

Looking forward to 2019 by donnie caldwell

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safety - Lane ChangeWelcome to the first edition of our company electronic newcommunication tool that can be a two-way conversation. Hfeedback, offering ideas, and adding suggestions about wha

First let me introduce myself if we have not had the opportuLandreth, V.P. of Safety & Human Resource. I replaced Miand was in this same position for 29 years. This is my 36th industry and it fascinates me that you never stop learning. Special Chauffeur license in the 80’s to a Class A CDL that IIf we haven’t met, I encourage you stop by so we can get to

A trending topic lately throughout our fleet is lane change aoften some of our most costly accidents since they usually inan automobile. Fenders and bumpers are not too expensiveis a true game-changer! That is why I wanted to share with

The majority of our lane change accidents occur while we aand of course that’s the more difficult area for you to see, doof your equipment. So what can we do to eliminate lane ch1---Don’t change lanes! Well, sometimes we have no choicIf you must change lanes, make the decision well in advancemaneuver, therefore giving yourself time to “plan” the lane change.2---If you must change lanes, signal your intentions early. C(fender, spot, & flat mirror) 2-3 times before you begin to c3---Make the lane change gradually, allowing a “hidden” veto alert you of their presence.

The best tool you can carry in your toolbox are your 5 keys,

Aim high in steering Get the big picture Keep your eyes moving Leave yourself an out Make sure they see you

Everyday our number 1 goal is to get you back home safely can do that, no doubt we will all be successful.

Thanks for everything you do!

s by pat landreth

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why monthly training?

As you already know, nothing remains the same. Things are constantly changing, new technology, new laws and regulations, and doesn’t everyone want to be up to date on the newest and best!Another reason for training comes from “litigation”. When we are involved in accidents, one of the claims made against us is always about “not having been properly trained”. So in your and Ozark’s best interest, training is an ongoing and probably forever thing. Think about it this way; what if your doctor or surgeon never received training and kept doing things the old way? So, training it will be!

Ozark made a change to its training program in May 2018 by changing from annual training once a year to monthly training. In doing so, it shortened the length of each training topic to an average of 10-15 minutes. Where it used to take a half day away from our drivers and had to be done in our office, now the training can be done anywhere there is an Internet signal. And since the topics are so short, monthly training can be accomplished while being loaded/unloaded at a customer!

Monthly training will continue as we go forward in 2019, but beginning April 1st, we will move our training to a different online training vendor. We will no longer be doing business with ProTread, and instead will begin to use Vertical Alliance Group. While your screen will look different, everything will basically work the same. You will use a new web address, then enter a user name and password, and a click or two later you will be viewing your monthly training. The new vendor will allow us to upload custom videos, provide more choices of topics, and all at a better price. We will provide more detail in March. Till then, continue to complete your training each month as you have been. - Pat

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3

wrenched by glen mcDonald

help us help you!

Have a Safe Day. My direct line is 901-375-8501 - Glen

c h e c k o u t t h e n e w

c a s c a d i a s o n t h e l o t

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For our first newsletter, I thought I would continue a theme that I have been preaching at the last few drivers meetings, Help Us Help You! You are the only customer the shop has and our only job is to keep the truck you drive and the trailer you pull in the best condition possible. However, we need your help.Pay attention to your equipment, it will tell you many things. When reporting issues or writing your truck up, please give us all the information you can. Everything you can tell us about a problem will help us get it fixed right the first time. All the lights, bells and whistles have a purpose; they all mean something. As sophisticated as today’s trucks are, they still won’t fix themselves. So help us help you, when you have a check engine light (CEL) or a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) don’t just ignore it and hope it goes away, be proactive and communicate with the shop. No one wants unnecessary downtime; we learned a long time ago if the wheels aren’t turning none of us are doing any good.

Today’s trucks are very sophisticated. Did you know the newest trucks have 16 ECU’s (electronic control units)? An ECU is a computer with internal pre-programmed and programmable computer chips that is not much different from a home computer or laptop. They are used to control systems on the truck. For example, having the engine and the transmission talk to each other. They handle traction control, anti-lock braking, and complex emissions control system, along with many other integrated functions. There are many features that as you move from one model of truck to the next you need to become familiar with. The dash in the “NEW” Cascadia is different than the previous model, as well as the APU is different. When taking the giant step from a manual transmission to an automatic (automated manual) there is a learning process just like when you learned to drive the manual. The transmission has many features: creep mode, hill start aid, decent control, skip shifting and eCoast to name a few. The truck knows how steep of a grade you are on and how heavy of a load you have. Hill start aid will help you start up a hill, decent control will help maintain your speed going down a hill and eCoast will shift to neutral to help save fuel if the conditions are right. Take time to learn your equipment and ask for help if needed. Our goal is to provide you the safest most fuel efficient truck on the road today.

OPERATIONSBY DAVE ROBERSON

A big thanks to all of our Drivers, as well as our Maintenance, Safety/Recruiting and Administrative Staff for a great 2018. The hard work, teamwork and knowledge provided by everyone is critical to Ozark’s success—past, present and future.

Our primary focus in Operations is driver and customer relations; how to find balance for both. We look for opportunities to add (or reduce) freight lanes that help maximize driver utilization, while also maintaining vital customer relationships to add revenue and pay the bills.

A few items we improved in 2018 include:

• Reducing the number of loads that require pickup and delivery appointment times. These typeappointments are rarely efficient for the driver, with dwell time before the pickup and delivery.

• Added freight with more flexibility (preloaded trailers, 24 hour pickup/delivery) and betterdestinations

• Created new dedicated driver divisions – added drivers in other division to create more dedicatedroutes.

To everyone’s credit, we maintain a 99.75 % on time delivery for FedEx. During the first 3 weeks of December 2018, we delivered 3,639 loads with 5 late deliveries. That is exceptional and everyone should be proud of this service level.

• Added 2 night dispatchers to provide better coverage after hours• Installed new computer software to improve our planning and dispatch for better visibility for

planning ahead.• Added a new fuel and route software that is more “driver friendly” aiding in drive time, breaks

and traffic surges.• Expanded our Intermodal and Lebanon City divisions to provide more local, and hourly jobs.

As always, our mission is to support and assist our drivers in every way possible. We understand the difficulties and the challenges that drivers face daily.

We will continue to strive for excellence and improvement in 2019. - Dave

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6

have you noticed our new communication stations?

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Ozark recently installed several new digital signs around the Memphis campus and other terminals. We encourage you to check them periodically for helpful information regarding monthly training, weather conditions, safety and other happenings at Ozark Motor Lines.

LOCATIONS

Memphis - LobbyMemphis - Dispatch (Transflo)Memphis - Upstairs, Main office Memphis - Employee Center (Transflo)Lebanon, TN Lenoir, NCSpringfield, MOMaysville, KY (coming soon)

salute! a new truck decalWe are pleased to announce the recognition of drivers who have served our country. This special decal is approved by Ozark and available for drivers who have served in the U.S. Military. Recruiting will determine if new hires are eligible, and pass that information to the orientation leaders, Loretta and Tonya. Once a driver completes orientation, a request for the decal will be sent to the shop personnel.

Ozark values our military veterans and the sacrifices they made to protect our freedom, and keep our republic strong.

We Salute You!

Easy money!!

Ozark offers drivers easy money with the Driver Referral Program.

Make sure to write your driver code on the front of the card!

helpful tips for drivers

Take some business cards Write your driver code on the front Give the card to prospective drivers

*The referral of TRAINEE, CITY, Intermodal Division(IMD), AND 2nd seat DRIVERS of a TEAM will notqualify you for the bonus. This referral bonus does notapply to rehires. Referral bonus does not apply toadditional drivers in Owner Operator vehicles. Members ofthe safety and recruiting department are excluded from thisprogram.

When we hire them, you get the bonus!$250 – end of week 1 orientation$500 – after 1 month of employment$500 – after 3 months of employment$750 – after 6 months of employment$2000

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Often, drivers’ strike up conversations with others at truck stops or waiting at customer locations. A driver may ask about our benefits, pay or company culture. Here are few talking points to remember:

Benefits start on the first day ofwork (Health, dental, vision &401(K))

Pet Program - 50-pound limit, novicious dogs, $200 pet depositdivided over 4 weeks @$50

Rider Program - must be 18 orolder, valid ID, $5 per week for 1year

Sign-On Bonus

Pay based on experience

Flexible home time

No fee per Diem