| A.M. Express, Inc. 1-800-548-9783 or 906-786-0645 |
| *******NOTICE******* Procedural Change Due to safety concerns and recent near misses when a driver pulled away from the dock before he was emptied, MPI is requesting the following procedure take effect immediately. Drivers will no longer rely on the light turning green to pull away. Prior to loading and unloading driver must slide the tandoms to the back of the trailer.This will prevent trailer from rocking when being entered by lift trucks. When delivering waste paper, drivers are not to pull away from dock until they have received their completed paperwork from the material handler which will given to them after trailer is unloaded, swept out and gang removed. When taking outbound that is being live loaded, drivers are not to pull away from dock until they have confirmed with loader that shipment is complete and received a bill of lading. Your cooperation on this request is appreciated and expected. David Tennyson Manistique Papers, INC. |
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THE EXPRESS GAZETTE January 1-800-548-9783 1401 N. 26th Street, Escanaba MI 49829 1-906-786-0645 Mission Control (Tammy, Sarah, Jessica Dorothy & Michaele) Drivers remember if you have a problem or a question during the day or after hours call your driver manager first; if you can’t reach your D.M. you can then try another. Also remember on Saturdays we may have only 1 D.M. on duty so cut them a little slack.. Here is a list of driver manager’s cell phone numbers. Sarah..906/280-1459 Dorothy..906/280-8267 Michaele..906/280-5139 Jessica..906/399-3896 (Load Planner) More freight than trucks seems to be the quote of the day lately. We’ll get through it, Pats getting more trucks so we can move down the road. Good job drivers keep up the good work and be safe. From The PREZ. Winter is on us, I think, 40 plus in January is un heard of. Well at least the roads haven’t been too bad. It’s the start of a new year and the start of new ideas and new solutions. Our big goal in 2012 is getting our CSA Scores down. Every time we get an inspection at a scale house and it ends up in a write up, out of service or not, our score goes up. They are looking at everything and any reason to write you up. The only way we can win is to do our jobs .Most of our violations are small in nature but can be avoided with pre trips and making sure your logs are correct. Our score reflects on you the driver, and your score reflects on AM Express. If we pull together our scores will improve. So Remember write up’s out of service or not will count against us and you the driver. The lower the scores, the fewer inspections and more freight. It’ s a win win. Be safe as you travel up and down the highway. God speed. Pat Red Pine Equipment Maintenance (Dwayne, Mark, Kevin) Winter time is here and it’s time to check everything before it’s too late. Make sure your bunk heater is working. The shop has floor dry in containers to help you out in slick situations. We are now photo logging each tractor to record any damage before and after assigned to driver, this will eliminate any confusion on what happened to a unit or how it was damaged. We also have tire gages for your tractor, each gage will be assigned to the tractor and must be returned with the tractor or there will be a $15.00 charge. For your safety the shop has 24 -7 video surveillance in and on the property. The shop hours are 8-5 M-F and by appointment only on Saturday. The lounge is open 24-7. Remember the shop area and office area are off limits to drivers for safety. If you need to set up an appointment do so with Mark 8-5 pm M-F and if you can fax or e-mail what needs to be done so they will be ready to get you in and out quickly. Fax # 888-528-6821 e-mail kgilbert@amexpressinc.com Paper Chasers (Lynn, Lois & Shelley) Paperwork needs to be mailed each week no later than Monday morning. If you do not get your paperwork mailed in time please fax a copy of the front of your trip sheet to the office on Monday morning. This helps prevent any problems with payroll. If we do not have trip sheets to compare with what comes from dispatch it may cause a discrepancy in your paycheck. This not only creates problems for you but also creates extra work for us. Mack Longhauls Corner Trucking is a high-risk profession, as many as 600 truckers are killed on the job every year. The fatalities and injuries involved with trucking stem from vehicle collisions and fuel fires. However, long term health problems linked to fume inhalations and circulation problems also make trucking dangerous. Below are a few tips to keep truckers and other motorists safe. 1. In rain or snow conditions be sure to keep substantial space between your truck and the vehicle in front of your truck in case of an emergency stop. 2. In bad weather, do not feel obliged to go as fast as the speed limit. Slower speeds are necessary to avoid rollovers, jackknifes, and collisions. 3. Always keep tire chains on hand in case of snow or ice. 4. Keep the fuel tank full during the colder seasons as water condensation can build up in the fuel line. 5. Remember to take extra precautions on bridges as they freeze before roads do . Birthdays 1/5 –Kolbert Bonner 1/14—Ron Sinnaeve 1/19—David Braden 1/20—Greg Coyne 1/23—Donald Guarniere Jackie Lenox 1/25—Fred Westfall Jess Finney (BOOM) 1/26—Christopher Feldpausch 1/29—Bruce Fudala 1/30—Michael Honeycutt Mark Posthumus Double “D” Defense Ward (Dan & Dave) ACCIDENTS In the event that you are involved in an accident, it is mandatory that you report it, even if you think it is minor. Report it to the Safety Department, fill out an accident report, take pictures, and get it mailed to the office immediately. News from around the nation.. 3 Driver Behaviors That Can Reduce Fuel Consumption In the past, looking at profit and loss statements meant seeing labor and equipment expenses as the major cost components associated with managing fleets. Those days are gone now and for the majority of carriers, fuel is currently the biggest cost driver. While we may be helpless to control prices at the pump, we can certainly focus on reducing consumption and mitigating the damage. Most experts agree that having the right truck for the job is 70 percent of the battle. At low speeds, for example, having the right tire inflation is essential. On the highway, where the emphasis is on drag, having the right aerodynamic package is critical. Drivers are the key to the last 30 percent of the fuel cost issue, and this is the hardest part to manage The way a driver operates a vehicle can be the difference between a route being profitable or loosing money. There are three driver behaviors that can be managed effectively by reports: idle time, speeding and progressive shifting. 1. Idle time Excessive idle time ALWAYS negatively impacts fuel economy. Some idle time may be required as a cost of doing business. Drivers that operate line hauls, for example, are required to drop and hook trailers. They generally have higher idle time percentages than route delivery drivers. Other drivers that do layovers and sleep in a bunk may need to idle in order to combat bad weather. Still others may have trucks equipped with Power Take Off (PTO) for operating peripheral equipment, such as booms or cranes. The successful motor carrier uses vehicle performance reports to identify these appropriate reasons for idling and then establishes a benchmark limit for non-productive idle time. The key then is to measure this frequently and communicate results with the workforce. The results are typically immediate. 2. Speed limits Speed limits can be debated a number of different ways. States limit speeds differently. Carriers may allow drivers to run at different speeds in different parts of the country. The bottom line is that high speeds lower fuel economy. While many studies in the past ten years state that fuel economy drops 0.1 mpg for each mph over 55, the truth is that speed may have increased a bit as engines have become more efficient. In any event, the biggest most efficient carriers establish speed limits (usually under 65 mph) and require their drivers to adhere to them. 3. Progressive shifting Managing progressive shifting is a bit more of a painstaking process. A common problem today is that newer trucks are designed to run at lower optimum engine speeds. Experienced drivers may feel that they aren’t getting all of the power out of the truck in its highest gear, and will not shift at the appropriate time. Correcting this issue will require identifying the driver with the problem by means of reports and providing instruction on optimal shift points. By automatically recording MPG, speed, idle time, hard braking and more, Xata gives you real-time numbers you can use to help your drivers improve their fuel performance. With Xata you’re able to optimize fleet performance by cutting fleetwide idle time, improving MPG, reducing speeding, optimizing driving techniques, including shifting, braking and cruise control. Road checks The following information is to help remind you what you should do: Keep logs current to last change of duty status Keep logs for previous 7 days Keep your current medical card in possession Keep Daily Vehicle Inspection Report Complete a pre-trip inspection looking for: - Lights - Wipers - Wheels - Air Lines - Brakes - Mirrors - Windshield - Load TRUCK DRIVERS SHARE SAFE WINTER DRIVING TIPS • If you must travel in bad winter weather, begin with a “walk around” of your vehicle before leaving your terminal/driveway. Check your tires, wipers and fluids, radiator and heating system. You can prevent many of the problems that strand motorists on the side of the road. • Slow down and increase your following distance substantially in snow and ice to help with braking and ease visibility problems from spraying snow and ice. • Expect the unexpected. Try to avoid situations where you have to make a quick move; your vehicle may not stop or turn the way you want it to. • Look further ahead in traffic than you normally do. Actions by car and other trucks will alert you quicker to problems and give you a split-second extra time to react safely. • Use low beam headlights for best visibility. Stop often to clean lights – especially taillights. [Type a quote from the document or the summary of an interesting point. You can position the text box anywhere in the document. Use the Drawing Tools tab to change the formatting of the pull quote text box.] |
| The Duck’s Nest…..Aflaaaac! What’s New??? Guaranteed Issue Disability? What does that mean? It means that you do not have to answer health questions to get disability. So if in the past you did not qualify….call us, or if you are a new employee and wish to look at disability options, call us. Now is the time! Why Now? Because it is your open enrollment time to enroll with Aflac through payroll deduction with many offerings on a pre-tax basis, which means you save tax $$$!!! Watch for the payroll stuffer describing other items. We will be contacting you individually to set up a time to meet with you if you are interested in Disability or other options which include Dental, Accident, Life, Hospital, Critical Care and Cancer. If you are not interested, you will be asked to sign a waiver as Aflac is offered through a cafeteria plan at AMX and IRS guidelines need to be followed in order to get pre-tax benefits. Questions???? Call : Agents, Mary Schatz – 906-789-0544 office, or 906-399-0907 cell Kim Sanville – 906-420-2911 |
