Matthew McCormick

We are pleased to add a new member to Charlotte Intermodal. Matthew was hired in September as a Fleet Manager in Training. His picture and short autobiography is listed below.

I grew up in California, Texas and Tennessee.  I attended Belmont University where I graduated in May of 2011 with a B.B.A with a major in Business Management and a double minor in History and Education.  Once I completed my Bachelor’s Degree, I pursued my Master’s Degree from East Tennessee State University where I earned my M.B.A in December of 2013.   In my spare time my hobbies include playing golf, running, watching sports and pursuing outdoor activities.  I am currently engaged to the love of my life and we are planning on getting married in the very near future.  I have been a part of JB Hunt Charlotte Intermodal since September 2014 and I look forward to a successful career with this company.   

JBI Work Hard and Play Hard

  The Charlotte Intermodal team recently celebrated Driver Appreciation on August 30th at Frank Liske Park in Concord, NC.

Well over one hundred people were in attendance to fellowship with coworkers. The weather was a bit on the warm side at 90 degrees, but we were pleasantly surprised with a light breeze throughout the afternoon. Some of the activities for those in attendance were fishing, trail walks, a playground, paddle boats, horseshoes, volleyball and dominoes. The food was excellent and consisted of fried chicken, barbecue chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers & pulled pork with all the trimmings.

                               Pictured below is an image from the barbecue.

Back-back-back-back..... GONE!

The Memphis Intermodal team recently attended a baseball game at AutoZone park where the Memphis Redbirds hosted the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

 

It was a cool 75 degrees throughout the mid-July night and the conditions were perfect for a baseball game. The smell of world famous Rendezvous pork BBQ nachos filled the entire stands as almost every one of the 10,000 fans in attendance were eating portions piled as high as the old Memphis Pyramid.

 

Xavier Scruggs, the 1st baseman for the Redbirds, hit a 2-run shot in the bottom of the third inning to put Memphis up 2-0. That homer was enough to keep the Redbirds on top the rest of the game. At one point in the night a foul ball was hit directly to our section of the stands. Several hands went up in the air so that one lucky person would have bragging rights within the office. After a failed attempt at a bare handed catch by DJ Jinks (Local FM), and after the dust and commotion settled, Melanie Brown (Regional FM) rose victoriously with the ball in hand.  A nice souvenir for it being her first time ever to AutoZone Park! 

 

Fireworks were provided after the game and it was a great ending to a great night.

Pictured below is an image from our seats on the third base line.

GO REDBIRDS!

 

New Additions to the Charlotte Intermodal Team

Due to significant growth in Charlotte, NC two new Fleet Managers joined the Charlotte Intermodal Team in June. Their pictures along with short autobiographies are listed below.


                                                  Colin Malcolm 

I grew up in southern Virginia in a town called Lynchburg with two older sisters, mom, dad, and two dogs.  My passions growing up were tennis, biking, snow skiing, and golf.  My claim to fame growing up was beating American professional tennis player Andy Roddick in tennis when we both were juniors.  I graduated high school and enrolled at James Madison University were I played collegiate tennis all 4 years.  After college I moved to Richmond, VA for a couple years where I met my wife and for the past few years I have lived in Northern Virginia. I started working for J.B. Hunt in March of 2013 for the DCS division in Winchester, VA.  I was an operations supervisor for the Home Depot regional fleet.  This job has taught me a lot but most importantly it has shown me first-hand the hard work that truck drivers put in, so citizens can have products in the store every day.



      
                                                      Austin Wolff

                                               


I grew up in Snellville, GA with my brother and parents. I graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation. I’ve been with JB Hunt since November of 2011. I worked with DCS for the first 2 and a half years with the company at Weyerhaeuser, Mission Foods, and Corsicana Bedding account in North Carolina and Georgia. I’ve relocated three years in a row right around Labor Day weekend.  As a kid I raced motocross and that lead to an interest in racing cars. I’ve been drifting for four years now. I’m currently competing in a Formula D Pro-Am series which holds competitions all across the southeast.





































 

Memphis driver, Bill Gober, celebrates 30 Years with JB Hunt.

1984... It was a time of hair bands, thick mustaches and french rolled, stone washed jeans when Bill Gober first started driving for JB Hunt.

 

The #1 movie was "Beverly Hills Cop"
The #1 televison show was "Dynasty"
The #1 song was "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes
The #1 album was the "Footloose" soundtrack
The average price of a gallon of gas was $1.19
Ronald Regan was elected for his 2nd term
The Cosby Show first debuted on NBC

You couldnt ask for a better driver.  Bill is sitting at just over 2.5 million safe miles, he had one preventable accident (trailer door) back in 2003 that closed out at $148.00, and has had no work comps.  He's pleasant to be around, and will do anything he can to help a fellow driver or manager.

Bill is pictured here with his good friend Glen Cook.  Glenn hit 27 years with JB Hunt before retiring in 2012.

We celebrated the day with a cake, and lunch at Memphis BBQ.  During lunch Bill and Glenn spoke of what it was like driving back in the 80's for JB Hunt, and the challenges they faced back then.  There were no computers, no cell phones, and DOT regulations were loosely enforced.  They had story after story which made for a very interesting time.  A lot has changed in 30 years, and we are blessed that Bill has stayed with JB Hunt for so long. 

Congratulations Bill!!

John Calcote
Ops Manager - Memphis, TN

Jon Mowery and Carrol Phillips

Here is a great picture of Jon and Carroll next to his new truck.

 

It also comes with the new Cummins 400 HP engine, too.  And what driver would not want that!!

 

New Trucks in Haslet, Texas

 

We received our first Peterbilt Day Cab today.  When Carol Phillips heard he was going to get one he was speechless.  Carl as been with us since 1988 and is a super employee.  He wears the company colors well and does his part to take care of our customers.  He does this as a midnight starter, too.  Probably to beat the Texas heat!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Happy Birthday to our Two Local Load Planners in Haslet

 

 

 

Two of the best planners, too.  Carl has been with JB Hunt since 2004 and Mandi since 2010.  They both have had a few different positions within JB Hunt and even here in Haslet.  Both do a super job in planning our ever growing local market.  So drop them a line and wish them Happy Birthday today!

 



Spring Chicken - Don Welch

While visiting the Memphis terminal, I had the pleasure of meeting Don Welch (WELD).  Don mentioned that he thought he was the oldest driver in the entire company.  I looked it up and sure enough, at 81 years of age, he is the oldest....and still going strong.  By comparison, the 25th oldest driver at JB Hunt is younger than Don by TEN YEARS!

Don lives in Oakdale, LA and has spent most of his JB Hunt career with OTR.  He has been running JBI regional since 2008.

Don originally joined the company in 1988.  He left for a couple of years in the late nineties to work for a small trucking company and returned in 2001.  He has had only one preventable accident at JB Hunt in all that time.

His goal is to attain his 3 million mile award before retiring.  He is currently standing at 2,800,000.

Good luck Don!

-John McKuin
VP of Intermodal Operations

Don pictured below with John Flynt, Bo Kirkland (Fleet Manager), and John Calcote (Ops Mgr).

Houston Texas Team Recognized by Home Depot

We never seem to get a chance to say thanks enough to our team members, especially when they do a great job.  Well the team in Houston has been doing a super job of late, especially with the challenges of moving ETAs on their inbound trains and customers expecting miracles when the train does come in.  Rodney, Edward and Christopher were recognized for the great job they have done by Home Depot. 

Heather Shell , Director of Sales for JB Hunt sent me the following e-mail on our Houston team:
"I just got off the weekly Home Depot service call and wanted to send over our thanks for all of your work in Houston. They said that we are the carrier that has done the best job on keeping them informed (both of issues with refusals and what is coming in each day) and catching them back up. Thank you so much for your hard work! I know it has been a huge challenge and Home Depot has recognized the great work you have done. Please thank your team as well." So our corporate offices through Stephanie Curran sent the team some pizzas.  A small token of our appreciation but an appreciation none the less.   We all need to recognize our team members from time to time for the work they do. I personally want to thank these three for their work.  Rich Doarn 

 

Edward Garza (FM), Rodney Woodruff (RM) Christopher Gregg (FM)



For those who are unaware of this unfortunate event, Corey Hart passed away early morning Wednesday March 12, 2014 after being involved in a tragic accident while on duty as a local intermodal driver in Atlanta.  The investigation is still underway, but the preliminary report indicates another tractor trailer lost control and jackknifed while merging onto I85 north off of I285 West (spaghetti junction).  Corey was traveling northbound on I85 and stuck the other vehicle’s trailer as it jackknifed (perpendicular) across I85.   Corey had little time to react as the jackknife happened directly in front of him. 

Corey was a valued member of our team that everyone in Atlanta called a true friend.  Our hearts hurt for Corey’s young son, Corey Jr., who frequented the office many times throughout the past two years alongside his father.   Corey’s upbeat manner and his commitment to being a loving family man rubbed off on those who were around him.  Corey will truly be missed here in Atlanta and in New Jersey where he previously worked as a local intermodal driver for J.B. Hunt. 

Please keep Corey and his family in your thoughts and prayers through this tough time.

Haslet Texas - time for some fun and relaxation

 

After a long stressful move into a our new facility and an even longer winter it was time to take some time off and have some fun as a group.  What better atmosphere the minor league Hockey?   Saturday night was family appreciation night at the Lone Star Brahmas and considering we are a family here in Texas we thought this was a great time for some fellowship and relaxation.  Some of our team members have never been to a hockey game in the past but they still had fun, even though some did not know it was going to be 'cold' inside the hockey rink.  It is 'ice hockey' and not 'field hockey" after all.  Never the less we all had a great time and getting together to celebrate our new building and recent safety results was good for everyone with friends and family.

 

 

Not all of our team was able to attend but from right to left bottom :  Deb Baker, Kelli and Ronnie Vandargift, Jon and Linda Mowery.  top row from right to left:  Darrell and Michelle Wilbanks, Marco Galaviz, Ivan Khoe, Chris Stewart, Rich Doarn.  Not pictured are Thomas Pendleton and special guest Paula Elam and Rich's wife, Jana and son Davis -- great times had by all.

 

 







Greetings from Atlanta GA!

We'd like to announce a new addition to our J.B. Hunt Intermodal team. After a long awaited pregnancy, Christina Mize finally gave birth to baby Trapper Jace McCullough on March 4th at 10:47 am. This little guy came weighing in at 7 pounds, 11.7 ounces, and 19 inches long.  Both baby and Christina are doing outstanding!

Congratulations Christina! We're looking forward to your return, but enjoy the time off with Trapper!

 

 

 

Haslet, TX  Phase Two Begins

 

 

Finally starting the second phase of the operation here in Haslet.  This phase will be the 4-5 acres of parking in the front of the building were drivers, managers, maintenance, and visitors will be able to park.  Addtionally, we will install a securtiy gate similar to the one in Harrisburg, PA.  The greatest thing about starting Phase Two is that the shop is now on site.  Previously our drivers had to take trucks and containers some 6 miles to Justin, TX to have them worked on.  Now, we have 6 truck bays and 6 container bays.  We are all excited about the progress we have made to date.

 

Looking forward to more concrete being poured and developing the great team we have here in Texas.



Took a while but we are finally out of our Triple Wide office trailer and into our new facility.   Phase 2 is now under way which will include the entrance and additional parking.  Hard to believe that we spent almost 8 years in a set of office trailers and now----WOW what  most of the team here says.  From 14 work stations where we had to hot rack most of them to 22 work stations with room to grow.  From a small meeting area where 14 were too many to a meeting room to now where 48 seems just right.  From about 5 acres to almost 28.   From about 150 total drivers to almost 400 drivers.  Looking forward to even more growth in manager and driver numbers.

Shop on site and not 8 miles down the road.  Stacking close 1250 containers a few months ago -- now, due to weather haver about 150 left.

We are all so very glad to be in the new digs.

President to direct next round of emissions, fuel efficiency standards for trucks

Here's a recent article from the Commercial Carrier Journal concerning new emission and fuel efficiency standards for trucks.

President Barack Obama is set to announce Feb. 18 new greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards for post-2018 year model trucks, per a White House announcement, in a speech today in Maryland.

Obama will order the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation to produce a rule by March 2015 to once again tighten fuel efficiency standards and greenhouse gas emissions standards, nailing down specifics for the president’s Climate Action Plan unveiled in June 2013, where Obama announced his intention to direct such initiatives.
The rule would go into effect March 2016, per the White House announcement, and will build upon the first-ever fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks implemented for 2014-2018 model trucks.
The first round, the White House says, is expected to save the trucking industry $50 billion and save 530 million barrels of oil.
The next round will save the average truck owner $73,000 in the typical lifetime of a truck, the White House says.
The announcement says that in 2010, trucks made up four percent of the vehicles registered in the U.S. but accounted for a quarter of the nation’s fuel use and emissions.
As the means to achieve greater fuel efficiency, the White House hopes the plan will “spur manufacturing innovation and lead to the adoption of new fuel-efficient technologies on trucks and semi-trailers,” and the EPA and DOT will hope to push improvements in engine and powertrain efficiency, aerodynamics, weight reduction, tire rolling resistance, hybridization, automatic engine shutdown and other parts, according to the announcement.
 The EPA and the DOT will be directed to work with industry stakeholders — like manufacturers and trucking fleets — to determine opportunities for fuel savings and emissions gains.
The President also plans to try to form public-private partnerships to help increase adoption of natural gas and other alt fuel vehicles.
The White House says it also plans to continue its work with manufactures in building concept trucks, like the SuperTrucks developed so far working with Cummins, Volvo, Navistar and Daimler, in an attempt to push the average fuel economy of a Class 8 truck and trailer to 9.75 mpg.
The President in his speech today also is going to prod Congress to end subsidies for oil and gas companies and to create a research fund for research into “advanced vehicle technologies.”

Charlotte Intermodal

Nicknamed the Queen City or Home of Nascar, Charlotte's central location between the population centers of the northeast and the southeast has made it a transportation focal point and primary distribution center. It's  also home to The J.B. Hunt Charlotte Intermodal Fleet which consist of 63 trucks and 80 drivers broken into two categories:

Local - services all customers within a 150 mile radius (55 drivers and 39 trucks)

Regional - services all customers over a 150 mile radius (25 drivers and 25 trucks)

 The Charlotte service area covers the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and parts of Virginia. The  management team consist of four managers that are pictured below.

Pictured left to right:

Franklin Barnes - Fleet Manager
Kimberly Cooper - Logistics Coordinator
Hiram Rodriguez - Fleet Manager
Derek McCall - Ramp Manager

The Memphis Crew

East of the Mississippi River, South of the Nonconnah Creek and center stage in "America's distribution center," you'll find the JB Hunt Intermodal Memphis Crew! The Memphis operation has grown over the years from a handful of drivers back at the beginning of 2000 to now operating with nearly 250 drivers on a daily basis. Of that 250, roughly 100 drive for the local fleet and 150 for the regional fleet. The entire operation is overseen by fifteen managers, most of which are pictured below. Within the Memphis area, there are four major railroads (BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX and the Canadian National) that handle the freight for a customer base that covers an eight state radius.

Pictured from left to right is the Memphis management team:
Pierre Ross - Fleet manager
Quincy Foster - Driver/Part-time dispatcher
Cary Lucas - Fleet manager
Sharon Cryer - Fleet manager
Ross Hensley - Fleet manager
Philip Harwell - Logistics Coordinator
John Calcote - Regional Operations Manager
Bo Kirkland - Fleet Manager
John Flynt - Director of Operations
Jordan Bowden - Logistics Coordinator
Melanie Brown - Fleet Manager
Anthony Lipford - Fleet Manager

Not pictured: Jeremy Thompson - Fleet Manager
Sharonda Robinson - Fleet Manager
Patricia Weikel - Logistics Coordinator 

 

 

Not Waiting on Washington

As many of you know our Chief Operating Officer, Craig Harper, has for the past several years lobbied for regulation that would make the trucking industry safer.  These efforts have focused primarily on mandating EOBR usage and hair testing for illegal drug use.  Craig and his counterparts from the Trucking Alliance he helped form are featured in the latest issue of the Arkansas Trucking Report.  The cover can be seen below (Craig is seated on couch).

Theirs is an unusual cause rarely seen in our nation's capitol:  business leaders lobbying for MORE regulation of their industry.

Below is a link to the entire article which begins on page 24.

http://www.arkansastrucking.com/publications/arkansastruckingreport/184-issue6-2013


John McKuin
VP of Ops

Sunshine State

Several years ago when JBI had very little volume into the state of Florida, almost all of these loads were outsourced to dray carriers.  Over time, DCS who had several accounts within Florida began adding extra drivers to handle many of the intermodal loads.  JBI paid DCS for these moves like they were a dray carrier.  Eventually, entire DCS fleets were created solely to handle the intermodal volume.

Effective January 2014, the former DCS tractors, drivers, and managers began working within the JBI family.

Jacksonville - 45 drivers
Titusville - 14 drivers
Orlando - 6 drivers.

Pictured (in Channel 7 Action News manner) left to right are our Jacksonville managers:



Shannon Newsom - Load Planner
Nathan Melody - Ramp Manager
Matthew Curington - Fleet Manager
James Hastings - Fleet Manager









Welcome to the JBI Team!!!