October 2007 Edition
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On September 13, Dart contractors met with Dart representatives at
its Eagan Operating Center for one of Dart's Contractor Forums. |
Contractor forums
Meetings give Dart insight to improve business
Kristin Ries, Staff Writer
Do you have a suggestion on how Dart can better its operation? What about a concern or problem? Dart is listening!
Dart is interested in helping contractors run successful businesses. That's why Dart holds forums periodically to give contractors the chance to communicate their issues and ideas to representatives at Dart's Eagan and Dallas Operating Centers.
No subjects are off-limits during discussions, so contractors readily bring up anything from pre-planned loads to the cleanliness of trailers.
"The main purpose of the forums is to help Dart understand how to enhance the business to business relationship with our contractors and to understand how we can mutually support our customers," says Kevin Smith, General Manager at Dart's Dallas Operating Center and mediator of the forums.
After the forums, information gathered is passed along to different departments within Dart. Each department then reviews, evaluates and prioritizes the information to determine the order in which the issues will be addressed.
Since Dart implemented the forums, improvements have been made in several areas including trailers, pre-planned loads, and Pro Stop's Vehicle Maintenance Department.
Trailers
Dart purchased 400 new trailers, and 600 more will be added by the end of the year. In addition, Dart is investigating technology that will help determine the exact location and status of equipment.
Also, Pro Stop Truck Service, Inc. hired additional trailer mechanics to better serve contractors with trailer repair and maintenance issues.
Pre-planned loads
Currently, Dart is working to better predict how many trucks will be in a specific area and how to solicit loads in that area. Two things Dart has already put into action are a new Qualcomm Macro for receiving pre-plans away from the truck and the load "Optimizer" to effectively match contractors with loads.
Macro 45 allows contractors to be dispatched while they are away from their trucks. It works when a contractor sets the Macro to show they are out of the truck and provides a phone number or e-mail address where they can be contacted. Contractors are then notified of pre-plans through their cell phone or laptop computer, so they don't miss a pre-plan.
To enhance its dispatch process, Dart uses the "Optimizer," a computer-based load-planning tool to match loads and drivers. After a contractor enters in accurate hours of service, the Optimizer puts together a plan for the contractor to get the most miles and best use of their time. Contractors still have the ability to accept or reject loads based on their business needs.
Vehicle Maintenance
Pro Stop Truck Service, Inc. hired additional staff in its Vehicle Maintenance Department and increased the amount of training staff members receive. Also, the Pro Stop in Dallas added a second shift, increasing its hours of operation. It is now open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
"Dart's intent is to do as much as we can with what is discussed in the forums," Smith says. "We encourage contractors to keep providing us with information and to spread the word to other contractors about the forum."
Contractors of the Month
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| Robert Doom |
Robert Doom- Dallas Operating Center
Kristin Ries, Staff Writer
Robert Doom has lived all his childhood dreams. "I've been a cowboy, sailed a ship (in the U.S. Navy) and drove a truck," he says.
Robert has been in trucking on and off for 47 years. "I can't get away from it," he says. "Even while I was doing other jobs, I still drove."
He contracted with Dart in 1992 after a friend referred him to Dart's Dallas Operating Center. Robert is now leasing his fourth truck through Highway Sales, Inc., a truck and finance vendor to Dart contractors.
Robert has a National contract. "I've been on every system Dart has," he says. But with National, Robert gets lots of miles. "You don't make any money sitting at home. Those wheels got to turn." That's why he works three weeks or more at a time before going home.
While home, Robert spends time with his wife Evelyn, six kids, 20 grandkids, and eight great-grandchildren.
"I'm not one to jump around here to there to yonder," Robert says about why he stays contracted with Dart. "You can always depend on Dart."
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| Anita Robertson |
Anita Robertson - Eagan Operating Center
Kristin Ries, Staff Writer
Trucking is a woman's business, says Anita Robertson.
Her driving career started seven years ago, after her mother suggested she give it a try. "I was doing something not very many other women at the time were doing – driving solo," Anita recalls.
But she wanted more. "I wanted to become an owner operator and have the freedom to do what I want to do," Anita says. She contracted with Dart in 2003, and now runs a successful business of her own.
Anita averages between 6.5 and 7.2 miles per gallon. But she has several fuel-saving secrets. Four years ago, Anita purchased a RigMaster APU, which saves her money on fuel.
She uses a laptop computer and wireless Internet to access Dart's web site to find the cheapest places to buy fuel. She gets a preventative maintenance service once a month and she sets her cruise control.
But Anita measures success in another way. "I think success is being happy," she says. And I am happy. I'm doing what I want to do. I love it!" But Anita measures success in another way. "I think success is being happy," she says. And I am happy. I'm doing what I want to do. I love it!"
Sellersburg celebrates a week of Contractor Appreciation
Kelly Zola, Safety Advisor
Instead of having just one day of food and fun, Sellersburg dedicated an entire week to showing contractors they are appreciated.
Monday and Tuesday we ordered pizzas and submarine sandwiches, and had barbeques on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We grilled everything! Contractors chose between chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs and brats with all the fixin's.
Aside from the great food, we also had prize give-aways every day. Prizes included a power washer, gift cards, tires, an air compressor, a digital camera, satellite radios, MP3 and DVD players and lots of tools and other great gifts. Something for everyone and everyone won something!
The whole week was a lot of fun. Thanks for coming! See you next year.
The Dart "brand"
David King demonstrates what Dart is all about
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| David King |
Luke Knadle, Dedicated Operations Supervisor
Dart Contractor, David King, is a great example of the Dart "brand."
On August 9, David began his day like any other, bringing a load to a Target store in Omaha, Nebraska. En route on U.S. Highway 75 in Kansas, he saw a gentleman collapse on the side of the road. David exited the highway immediately and looped back around to help the man.
David called 9-1-1 emergency services and waited with the gentleman until an ambulance arrived. His actions positively impacted this gentleman's life, avoiding a potentially deadly situation.
"Dave's willingness to help this man in a time of need is a great display of his overall persona," said Tim Kress, Regional Transportation Supervisor at the Target DC in Topeka, Kansas. "Not only did he impact the life of the injured man, but he also influenced the lives of several onlookers. We at Target are happy to have Dave and the entire Dart team carrying our freight to our stores. Dave's actions truly portray the spirit we look for in all of our Target team. We thank Dave for his help throughout our community."
We at Dart Dedicated are proud of David and appreciate his efforts. He is a true professional. Thanks, David, for all that you do in carrying the Dart "brand" to our customers.
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| Heather Parish |
Truck trip gives Fleet Manager new attitude
As part of training, Dart employees take "truck trips" with owner operators to learn firsthand what life on the road is all about.
Heather Parish is a New Contractor Fleet Manager. After riding with Al Beck, one of Dart's independent contractors, Heather now has a new view of what it takes to be a professional truck driver.
Heather Parish, New Contractor Fleet Manager
After reading a few past articles on truck trips, I decided I should tackle one myself. My name is Heather Parish, and I am a New Contractor Fleet Manager. I work solely with new OTR contractors, educating and helping them get up to speed with Dart Transit.
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| Al Beck |
However for my truck trip, I went with a veteran Dart contractor: Mr. Al Beck. Al has contracted with us since 1994, and he brings a wealth of knowledge from both his personal life and his life on the road. I know from working with contractors on my board they come from a variety of backgrounds. Al was definitely no exception to that rule.
Al is a city contractor, and lives about one hour from our Eagan Operating Center. He has several acres of lakefront property, and says he enjoys the seclusion of it. While taking in the beautiful scenery, Al has the opportunity to watch the different types of birds and wildlife, which he says is a wonderful stress reliever from the daily grind of the road.
Shortly after we were talking about his property, we arrived at our customer in St. Cloud, Minnesota. We went inside to sign the paperwork, and I saw firsthand what contractors unfortunately have to sometimes go through. The customer was extremely upset because they were missing product due to another Dart contractor having to shut down due to lack of hours. As Al comes here several times a week, he has built up a good relationship with them. Al was doing his best trying to calm the customer, but they just didn't understand. She said it had been happening more often lately, and it needs to get better or else we will lose them as a customer. I know this happens on a daily basis, all over the country. Since I was there, I tried to explain to the customer that we have been working to improve our service numbers. After we left, Al told me this type of conversation happens all the time. Since he has been here many years, the customers learn to trust him. He hears bad stories and good stories about our service.
After St. Cloud we headed up to Brainerd, Minnesota. Along the way, I heard many stories and side notes about towns we were passing through, businesses we were driving past. One of the interesting points I learned about on this portion of the trip was bean growing! He asked me if I knew what type of bean that was, and I had no idea. He then told me how you can tell what type of bean it is by the color, how close to the ground it is and how it's growing. This was just one of the many new things I learned about that day. Things I never would've learned (or even thought!) about if I had not met Al.
After Brainerd we headed back down to the Twin Cities, unfortunately right in the middle of rush hour. This is where I saw firsthand what contractors deal with on a daily basis. We saw vehicles cutting in front of us, vehicles slamming on brakes; anything you can think of, we saw. But fortunately, Al has a perfect driving record, and it showed. He was accurately predicting what cars would do before it happened. He told me you usually can tell what they will do, just by how they have been driving. He said also with being so high up, you know if the driver is paying attention. He is definitely the definition of a proactive driver!
After that, our day was complete. We drove back to the yard, and I got out of the truck with a new view and new attitude about what it takes to drive a truck.
What's new at Pro Stop?
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| Shad Breckel |
New shop manager at Pro Stop in Tifton
Shad Breckel, Pro Stop Shop Manager
Hello. My name is Shad Breckel. I am the Shop Manager at the new Pro Stop Truck Service, Inc. facility in Tifton, Georgia.
I wanted to introduce myself and let you know that our facility is up and running at full speed now. We are able to serve any truck or trailer repair needs you may have in the South Georgia area.
We are located just off of I-75 at exit 59, approximately 1/4 mile past the Loves Truck Stop. Our hours are 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (Eastern time) Monday through Friday.
We are a full service Pro Stop facility very similar to the other locations you are familiar with in Lancaster, Houston, Sellersburg and Eagan. In the future, we may expand to include a settlements and/or a recruiting office at this facility. We have the space to grow.
Don't forget about Pro Stop's monthly specials for Dart contractors. Through the month of October, all Pro Stop locations will test your alternator and battery for FREE. Schedule your maintenance in advance and take advantage of the great deals!
For questions, for more information, or to schedule maintenance at the Pro Stop in Tifton, please feel free to contact me at 229-386-5935.
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Dart contractors say "goodbye" to Pro Stop Fuel Cards and "hello" to new
payment methods at Pro Stop Fuel in Minnesota and Indiana. |
New fuel pumps at Pro Stop
Kristin Ries, Staff Writer
Diesel pumps re-opened in late August after being temporarily closed this summer at the Pro Stop Service Centers, Inc. locations in Sellersburg, Indiana and Eagan and St. Paul, Minnesota. The new pumps are complete with a new card system that allows Dart contractors to use their EFS cards, among many other methods to pay for fuel at the pump.
"The system takes most fleet and credit cards," says Tim Moreno, Pro Stop Service Centers Shop Manager. "It provides customers with more options to pay for service, and gives us room to grow."
Currently, unleaded gasoline is not available at the new pumps, but Pro Stop expects it to be available soon.
The Great American Truck Show 2007
From the booth to the Safety Advantage Simulator – Dart was busy
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| Dart's booth and simulator at the Texas truck show. |
Sandy Alcala-Villagran, Fleet Services Administrative Assistant
On August 23, 24 and 25 Dallas, Texas hosted the Great American Truck Show (GATS). What an event!
Each year I help coordinate Dart's participation in the show. A truck show as big as GATS means that everything has to be planned and ready to go, right down to the last detail. And when you add Dart's Safety Advantage Simulator to the mix, it can get downright scary!
Calvin Gilbert, a recruiter at Dart's Dallas Operating Center, drove the Highway Sales, Inc. show truck into the convention center. Randy Peterson, Dart independent contractor and operator of the simulator, maneuvered the truck and trailer around the Dallas Convention Center through the other booths.
Several Dallas and Eagan recruiters helped set up Dart's booth and the simulator. It took over 15 hours just to set up. Did you ever imagine, when you walk through the show, that much effort has gone into putting it all together?
In the end we managed to have a really good show. We worked all three days and 280 people took the Dart Advantage Safety Challenge.
To take everything down and get it back out the door on the last day was a challenge, but since the simulator and show truck were the last ones into the convention center, they were the first ones out.
What a sight to see – Randy maneuvering a 53-foot trailer and conventional Volvo through a maze of booths, displays and equipment! We were quite proud of him.
I really appreciate the help from everyone who pitched in to help make the show a success. And to those Dart contractors who stopped by to go through the simulator and say hello – we hope you enjoyed it!
