An Enemy Called Average - Quickway Carriers

THE DISPATCH

Published by: Emily Raiford

A Monthly Journal for Your Company

January 2015

An Enemy Called Average “The Quality of a person’s life is directly proportional to their own commitment to excellence, regardless of their endeavor.” – Vince Lombardi It is said that Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention; sincere, honest effort; intelligent leadership; and professional execution. The first step is your choice. A person must make a personal commitment to be the best they can be, and to invest their time each and every day being excellent. If you are a driver, you must be the most safe, professional driver you can be every day. If you are a billing or clerical person, daily excellence is essential; mistakes cannot be hidden, they always come back. A dispatcher, coordinator, or operations manager carries the leadership responsibility not only for their own performance, but the direction of others. Everyone must be willing to be a leader- to show excellence by example, to lift others up. The enemy is “average”. Really, does anyone consider themselves average?? How could you?? There is no one else in this world exactly like you- DNA proves it! Each of us is uniquely created to be great. You don’t have to be a movie star or an athlete to be great, you just have to make up your mind and do it!! Start by being the best husband/father, or wife/mother you can be. Then try to be the best employee you can be. Understand “Why you Work”, and how meaningful your role is. I know one thing everyone can be great at; being SAFE. That is my request for 2015- everyone be great at being safe. Average is unacceptable! We need a “commitment to excellence.” Every Shareholder must be Excellent at Safety in 2015. Let’s make it our safest year ever! Bill Prevost

Inside this issue: An Enemy Called Average

1

New Year’s Resolutions

2

Goal Setting

3

Beneficiary Designation

4

ESOP Diversification

5

Lowest Idle Week

6-7

Traveling Driver Recognition

8

Our Truck Fleet

9

Rodman Clark’s Retirement

10

Self Certification & Physicals

11

Anniversaries

12

Birthdays

13

The History of New Year’s Resolutions and Goal Setting The practice of developing New Year’s resolutions or setting goals is not something new. The earliest recording of a New Year’s celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia around 2000 B.C. The early Roman calendar designated March 1 as the start to the New Year. Julius Caesar introduced the solar-based twelve month calendar in 46 B.C., and January 1 was recognized as the start of the New Year for the first time in Rome in 153 B.C. In 1740, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, started a new type of church service, the Covenant Renewal or Watch Night services. These services served as an alternative to holiday revelry and encouraged members to reflect on the New Year and renew their covenant with God. In early American times, resolutions were often based in religion, but have since become more secular and have become focused on selfimprovement. Most resolutions today focus on weight loss, eating better, exercise, debt reduction, saving money, or volunteering your time. A CBS News poll in 2013 showed that only about 30% of Americans made annual resolutions or goals. This number is nearly a 25% decrease from 2010. Only about half of people who make resolutions or annual goals work toward accomplishing their goals. Many people under the age of thirty do not make any annual goals. Setting goals can lead to a more productive life, and allow you to succeed in all areas of your life! Our President, Mr. Prevost, often says that the biggest secret in the world is, “People with goals achieve them!” Why do people set goals? Top-level sports professionals, successful business-people, and achievers in all fields set goals. Setting goals gives you a long-term vision and shortterm motivation. Goals help you focus on where you need to place extra effort and attention, and help to organize your time and resources so you can make the very most of your life. By setting clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals, and you’ll see progress in your daily life, leading to increased self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. If you have never set goals, make a point to sit down and think about what you would like to accomplish this year. Take the time to write your goals down and refer back to them often. You might surprise yourself with what you can accomplish. On the next page are a few tips for setting goals. Hope you take some time to challenge yourself and be the best you can be in 2015! -Scott Heard, VP Safe Operations Page 2


Goal Setting—Challenge Yourself to “Be Your Best!” Do you know the biggest secret in the world? People with goals achieve them! Tips for Setting your Goals: Here are some guidelines for helping you set effective, achievable goals. Be Precise – Set goals, putting in dates, times, and amounts so that you can measure achievement. This way, you’ll know when you have achieved the goal, and you can take satisfaction in your achievements. Set Priorities – When you have multiple goals, give each one a priority. Don’t become overwhelmed by having too many goals. Keep your eye on the most important, first! Write Goals Down – This is most important! Writing your goals down and posting in a prominent spot will hold you accountable. Set Realistic Goals – It is important to set goals that you can achieve. Push yourself, but don’t make the goal unrealistic. Achieving Goals When you have achieved a goal, celebrate! Take the time to recognize your accomplishments and focus on your remaining goals. Rewarding yourself will improve your self-confidence. With the experience of having achieved this goal, review the rest of your goal plans: If you achieved the goal too easily, make the next goal tougher. If the goal took too long to achieve, make the next goal a bit easier. If you learned something along the away that leads to changes to your goals, do so. If you discovered other issues in achieving your goals, decide whether to set goals to address the issue. Remember – failing to meet your goals does not make you a failure, learn from the experience! Failure is an event, not a person! -Scott Heard, VP Safe Operations The Dispatch

Page 3

Page 4


ESOP Diversification—Questions and Answers Some shareholders were exposed to the diversification requirement in our ESOP in 2014. Others have heard about it and have questions. Below are a few questions and answers that will help you to understand this feature a little better. Question 1 – What is Diversification? Answer – Per IRC Section 401(a)(28)(B), a qualified participant must be given the opportunity to elect to diversify a portion of their ESOP account during their qualified election period for those ESOP accounts consisting of 100% of company stock. Diversification attempts to reduce risk by spreading an investment over several investment options. Question 2 – What is a Qualified Participant? Answer –With regards to our Plan, a Qualified Participant is an employee (not terminated) who has completed at least 10 years of participation under the plan and has attained age 55. Question 3 – When will I be able to exercise my right of Diversification? Answer – The initial opportunity to elect must be offered within 90 days after the close of the Plan year. If you satisfy both of the criteria highlighted and underlined above, you will receive an election form that must be returned by March 31, 2015 to a Plan Administrator. The election form will be mailed to the official address in the payroll system of all eligible participants by February 28, 2015. Question 4 – Is Diversification a One Time Election? Answer – No. The qualified election period is a 6 Plan year period beginning after becoming a qualified participant. Question 5 – How much may I Diversify? Answer – A qualified participant can diversify up to 25% of the ESOP shares in the participant’s account in each/any of the first 5 years of diversification, and up to 50% in year 6 provided the cumulative amount of shares diversified does not exceed 50% of the total shares that have ever been allocated to the account. Question 6 – What Investment Options do I have? Answer – Currently, Diversification is satisfied in our Plan by making a distribution. An actual cash payment will be made to the participant, who then must make their own investment choices outside the Plan, or it can be made directly to a qualified rollover account, such as an IRA or 401(k) the participant has established. Question 7 – Is it Taxable? Answer – If the distribution is not made directly to a qualified rollover account, it is 100% taxable and must be included in the participant’s tax return for the year of distribution. Question 8 – Will I know where to mail the election form? Answer – The Plan Administrator will provide mailing instructions in the election package mailed to all Qualified Participants.

This Q & A presentation is an attempt to educate participants with regards to diversification. The Plan Document is to be relied upon in the event of discrepancy.

The Dispatch

Page 5

Quickway Lowest Idle Week 2014

Long Idle % Ranks - Week Ending 12/27/2014 #

Terminal

Long Idle %

# of Drivers Under 3.74%

% of Drivers Under 3.74%

1

08-Newark

0.5%

36 of 38 Drivers

95% of Drivers Under 3.74%

2

14-Landover

0.6%

20 of 20 Drivers


3

38-Edwardsville

0.7%

6 of 6 Drivers


4

90-McComb

1.0%

8 of 8 Drivers


5

56-Indianapolis

1.6%

83 of 91 Drivers


6 53-Murfreesboro

1.8%

40 of 46 Drivers


7

70-Louisville

2.0%

24 of 27 Drivers


8

26-Bloomington

2.1%

13 of 17 Drivers


9

42-Lakeland

2.3%

5 of 7 Drivers


10

28-Anderson

2.8%

11 of 15 Drivers


10

58-Shelbyville

2.8%

96 of 131 Drivers


12

16-Livonia

3.0%

32 of 33 Drivers


13

52-Ft. Worth

3.2%

26 of 38 Drivers


14

48-Lynchburg

3.4%

18 of 24 Drivers


15

50-Dallas

3.4%

12 of 18 Drivers


16

55-Conroe

3.4%

14 of 23 Drivers


17 30-Simpsonville

3.7%

18 of 27 Drivers


Averages/Totals

2.3%

462 of 569 Drivers


Page 6


Quickway Lowest Idle Week 2014

We had our lowest long idle % for the week ending 12/27 for the entire year of 2014. Congratulations! All terminals were below our Company Goal of 3.74%. The company average was 2.3% for the entire week. We have made great progress this year, and idle time has been positive and will benefit our share price in 2015. We had 81% of our drivers below the goal. Our highest percentage of drivers that did not meet the goal have joined us in the last 45 days. Help a new shareholder out, and stress the importance of reducing long idle time. Our newest shareholders have a lot of information coming at them during the first 30 days! Help the new drivers along with some positive coaching! We know the cold weather is upon us for the next three months, but remember, let’s keep the truck from idling as much as we can. Stay safe in the winter weather! -Scott Heard, VP of Safe Operations

The Dispatch

Page 7

Traveling Driver Recognition From time to time, due to expected holiday or seasonal spikes in our business, or even unexpected weather related issues, some of our terminals required additional drivers to cover higher than normal volume. This past November and December offered no exceptions to that rule. In the event of high volume, we look to our fellow terminals for extra capacity to support our driver needs and maintain exceptional customer service. By temporarily moving drivers from one terminal to another, we are holding true to our second Core Value, “We will be the low-cost provider, run lean and efficient, while maintaining the highest standards of safety, service and compliance.” We would like to recognize those drivers that have traveled to different terminals in effort to maintain customer service to our valued partners.

From our Murfreesboro terminal: Steve Baggett Rick Cunningham Alan Hayes From our Indianapolis terminal: Diondre Smith Derrick Thomas Larry Holly Ed Gant

From our Newark Terminal: Rodney Hykes Tom Hickman Levi Scott Tom Cottrell From our Livonia Terminal: Jack Coburn Kevin Anderson Raymond Richardson

-Gentlemen, We thank you for your dedication and loyalty to Quickway. Chris Cannon, Northern Region VP

Page 8


Our Truck Fleet

Although the trucking industry is enjoying an improving economy, most companies are living with aging equipment. A few reasons for this are obvious. A new Class 8 truck costs multiples of a new automobile, and you only need a truck if you have both freight and a driver to fill the seat, neither of which are guarantees these days. Emissions regulations and higher prices for key raw materials such as steel, aluminum, and rubber have the cost of trucks and trailers rising at doubledigit rates. The level of investment needed to renew a truck fleet is staggering. While the industry’s average fleet age is now 6.6 years, here at Quickway our average fleet age is 3.3 years. Lower maintenance costs and better fuel economy continue to force the retirement of our aging equipment. In the 4th quarter of 2014 we took delivery of 77 new tractors and we are expecting 150 more in 2015. We are committed to taking full advantage of the safety, comfort, lower maintenance cost, and better fuel economy of the new technology that is available. -Steve O’Neal, VP Equipment & Maintenance The Dispatch

Page 9

Rodman Clark Retirement Rodman Clark began his 35 year driving career with DLH Distributing in June 1979. He has always been a local delivery driver and never really cared much for over the road experience. For 25 years he unloaded milk loads that were non-palletized, dragged out with a milk hook, and put on a 4-wheel cart. Talk about work...this was work! Quickway enjoyed his employment from 2006 through all of 2014. He never faltered, never got injured, and was a safe driver other than a couple of minor mishaps in the entire 35 year period. Rodman is very quiet and does his job without any hesitation, day in and day out. Most recently in the past 15 years he has been on the Paris/Sherman/Dennison route in Texas. All the store personnel know him well and they are always glad to see his smiling face. About all you ever got out of Rodman was, "Hi, how are ya," and after that it all business unloading the milk. He maintained a perfect driving record for all those years and had several million miles of safe driving. It is with both joy and sadness that I announce his retirement on December 31, 2014. He will be missed and we wish he and his wife Carolyn a pleasant retirement. Now it's time to do what you really want to do, Rodman. Good luck! -David Harms, Southern Region VP

Page 10


Self Certification and Physicals

By now, everyone should have self-certified with their state, registering as either an interstate driver or an intrastate driver. This was to be done by last January but the enforcement date was postponed until January 30, 2015. This means if you didn’t self-certify then you are at risk of having your CDL privileges suspended. MVRs are run every 60 days at the corporate office and reviewed for compliance. For the past year, we have been looking for the self-certification on there, but not all states have this information listed on them. We have been reminding terminals to make sure drivers have had this done. Another requirement is that all physicals be sent to the state in which you hold your CDL. Some of the clinics have been doing this, but please don’t rely on them to do this for you, as it may result in CDL privileges be suspended. A lot of states warn that it could take up to a week to update the physical information, so it is suggested that you go at least a week before your current physical is due to expire.

-Denise Elmore

The Dispatch

Page 11

Anniversaries

Gerald Blackburn has been with Quickway for 5 years!

Christopher Craig has been with Quickway for 5 years!

John Gilliland has been with Quickway for 15 years!

Rodney Hykes has been with Quickway for 5 years!

Let’s also congratulate Jessica Fleming on celebrating her 5th anniversary with Quickway this month! Page 12


Happy Birthday to Our January Birthdays! Christopher L Adam Herman Akers, JR Scott E Anderson Tyler B Benefield Dennis Biszantz Loyce Buckner Jonathan G Campbell Chris Cannon David E Case Larry Casey Gary Dale Chapman Joseph L Churchill DeCorey J Clayton Russell L Cooper Thomas Cottrell Joe E Craig Timothy Crance Jimmy Curry James Davidson Shane Deppermann Brandon Dodson Jeffrey Doughten Johnny Dunham Timothy Egan William Emch Tara Faux Tully Franks Jason Eric Frieze James Goad William Greer Mitchell Hazelbaker Terry Hull Jonathan Hunter Darold Jackson John Johnston, JR Anthony Jones The Dispatch

Kenneth King Michael Kresch Bryan Landers Bernard Logston William Loman Deborah L Miner Robert Moore Alex O’Neal Paul O’Shields Rashon Page Steven Pappas Gerald Parker, JR William Pinnick William Pulley Lawrence Rice Dwayne Saucier Greg Scites James Scruggs Christopher Siano Brian Sims Christopher Smith Darvae Spells Jeremy Sprague Chris Tate Daryle Taylor James G Taylor Thomas Telles Marcus Terry Steven D Thornton Linwood Twine, JR Harley Wagstaff Julius Walker Barry Ward Bryan Wilkinson Douglas Wright Edward Wykle, JR Page 13

An Enemy Called Average - Quickway Carriers

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