TRUCKER BUDDY HIT HARD BY ECONOMIC TIMES!
IF TRUCKER BUDDY IS TO SURVIVE, IT NEEDS YOUR HELP
Show your support for Trucker Buddy by becoming a member of the Trucker Buddy Nation
We hear it in the news everyday that charities are often the first and hardest hit when the economy falters. Trucker Buddy is no different. Many of their traditional corporate sponsors cannot be as generous as they were in the past.
In its 17 year existence, Trucker Buddy has informed over 850,000 children about the important role that trucking plays in their daily lives. To put this into real terms, about 55,000 children per year.
Over 10,000 drivers have been Trucker Buddies
This vital education program is currently serving 2,755 classrooms
Every U.S. State and most Canadian Provinces has had or does have Trucker Buddy classrooms.
What can you do to help?
Join the Trucker Buddy Nation as either an individual or corporate member.
Organize a Membership Drive where you work, challenge your colleagues and friends to join with you.
SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO P.O. BOX 2114, GIG HARBOR, WA 98335
Or visit their website and make your donation on line.
www.truckerbuddy.org www.truckerbuddynation.org 1-800-MY-BUDDY - - - 1-800-692-8339
TruckDriver.com
Carrier of the Month
Marten Transport, LTD
Roger Marten founded Marten Transport in 1946 at the age of 17, delivering milk and other dairy products. His routes were primarily in the Modena, Wisconsin area where he was born and raised. Driving for the Modena Co-op Creamery, Roger purchased his first truck route with a $400 loan from his mother.
In the 1950s, he expanded his milk delivery routes, purchased and drove school buses, and hauled petroleum products with his first tractor-trailer.
In 1956, the first tractor-trailer combination was purchased, and Marten began hauling petroleum for Bauer Built of Durand, Wis. Marten's volume doubled after the acquisition of Mondovi Trucking Co. in 1959. The following year Marten added a tandem axle tractor to its fleet.
In 1962, the Land O' Lakes drying operation in Mondovi closed, creating a need for a milk transporter. Marten secured a contract to haul the products, purchased two tractor-trailer units and began what would become a long-term, profitable relationship with this dairy cooperative.
Having experienced some regional success in the early 1960s, Roger began to develop his interstate carrier business. His initial focus was on serving customers in the Midwest and on the West Coast. Roger made a decision to secure his company's roots by planning a small office complex and service terminal on the property that now houses the current corporate headquarters in Mondovi, Wis.
In 1965, a one-bay garage (in Mondovi) became Marten's first terminal. That same year Roger's son, Randy, joined the company, initially assisting with equipment maintenance and dispatch. Dry vans were also added to the fleet to expand Marten's service to include dry milk products.
By 1972, six new trucks had been added to the fleet and Marten began hauling milk to Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, expanding the company's long-haul milk transport business. In 1976, Marten purchased Hiawatha Produce of Winona, Minnesota. This acquisition was the start of Marten's long-distance hauling of perishable foods in refrigerated trailers.
Marten opened its Ontario, California terminal in 1985 to better serve customers on the West Coast. In 1986, Marten began trading on the NASDAQ National Market. That same year, Marten named Randy Marten President, the company exceeded $50 million in revenue for the first time, and built a major expansion to its Mondovi headquarters.
Electronic Data Interchange (or EDI) was implemented in 1987, allowing for more efficient flow of information between Marten and its high volume customers. In 1989, temperature-sensitive transportation service became the company's primary focus and the Aurora, Oregon service center was opened.
In 1993, Marten surpassed $100 million in annual revenue, but it also suffered the tragic loss of company-founder Roger Marten. After his father's passing Randy Marten assumed the primary leadership role for the company. During that year, Randy oversaw the completion of a 15,000-square foot corporate office expansion, the addition of a new terminal in Jonesboro, Georgia and the implementation of a satellite tracking system.
The company made a strategic decision to begin hauling 53-foot trailers in 1995. The new equipment allowed Marten to position itself for maximum market flexibility. It also purchased a maintenance facility in Wilsonville, Oregon, near Portland and grew its fleet to more than 1,000 tractors.
In 1996, Marten reached three historical milestones; it opened the Roger Marten Community Center in Mondovi, celebrated 50 years in business, and 10 years as a publicly traded company.
In March of 2000, Marten moved from the Jonesboro, Georgia terminal to a new facility in the town of Forest Park (in the Atlanta metro area). A new state-of-the art video conferencing platform was added in 2001. The new technology allowed Marten to extend training, driver seminars and orientation classes to its terminal locations.
In 2002, Marten introduced its own in-house video production department. Using state-of-the-art digital equipment and computer-based non-linear editing, Marten began to produce customized training materials, radio ads and video productions to address specific needs. The department has further evolved into New Media Development, where it now supports the company's efforts through the creation of technological, promotional and instructional resources.
An 11,000 square foot expansion was added to the corporate headquarters in 2004 and a new terminal opened in Indianapolis, Ind. A plan was set in place to add more then 160 jobs during the next three years. Randy Marten was named Mondovi VFW Citizen of the Year and earned a Lifetime Achievement award from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Company revenue and net income rose to all-time highs.
In the past two years, Marten has been recognized for its ongoing commitment to be the best. The company has twice been named one of the 200 best small businesses in America by Forbes magazine ('05 and '06). Company President, Randy Marten earned the distinction as a regional winner of Ernst & Young's prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year award for Transportation in the Wisconsin Region ('05).
Marten was selected as "The Best Place to Work" in the area by Chippewa Valley B2B magazine and also earned the Grand Prize for Safety from the Truckload Carriers Association. But beyond the awards, Marten continued its push forward, by introducing Intermodal and Logistics divisions to diversify its offerings to customers.
Marten has enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years. Because of the company's strong client base and numerous advantages for drivers, Marten has not only withstood economic ups and downs, they have continued to thrive. By opening new terminals, launching new regional runs and adding new trucks to its fleet, Marten expects to continue its winning streak far into the future
With more than 60 years of experience Marten Transport continues to push forward. The company has grown from a small, regional carrier into one of today's leading national protective service transportation companies. With terminals in Wisconsin, Georgia, California, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Indiana, Marten serves customers across 48 states and Canada. Today, the company that started out as one young man's dream, employs more than 2,600 people and works with nearly 300 contractors as it carries on its founder's philosophy of "Expecting the Best."
According to CEO Randy Marten, the company's success comes down to its people. "When my father started Marten Transport more than 60 years ago, he developed a philosophy that still guides the way we do business today,” Marten says. “Treat your driving force and customers with the respect they deserve, and success will come naturally. It's a philosophy that has served us well, and as long as I'm in charge, that's the way it will continue to be.”
Take a moment to learn more about what Marten Transport can offer you.
You'll rise above the rest with the right combination of opportunity, support and drive. They have career options above others...an expectation for the best!
Marten has opportunities for company drivers (OTR, Regional, Dedicated, Intermodal and Teams). They also offer opportunities for contractors, lease-purchase and small fleet programs.
Click here to visit the Marten recruiting site or visit Marten.com.
Truck Driving Employment in a Soft Market
DOTJobhistory.com
I always know what a dog is thinking. I just look at a dog and I know. It’s “I’m Hungry.
(Basketball Great Larry Bird)
And I know what commercial drivers have been thinking for years. “If I keep my nose fairly clean and my current employer does not work out, there are several more jobs just like it that I can get without too much effort.” And for years, that is how it has been as trucking companies tried to keep up with their need for drivers. But now freight is slow and there have been new headlines such as “Driver Turnover Plummets.”
I have been involved in driver recruitment and screening in one capacity or another since the mid-1980s and have been reasonably alert most of that time. I have never seen a climate like the one we are in. Drivers are staying put, and companies are hiring fewer drivers to replace the ones that do leave. In fact, in periods of 2008, driver turnover rates reached their lowest level in at least eight years (when the final tally is made, I think it will be much longer) as opportunities to switch employers were reduced by carriers’ decisions to trip fleets in the sluggish freight market. When carriers are hiring in this economic environment [today], they can be choosier about whom they hire. Driving and employment records that may have been good enough to get a job two years ago may now be bad enough to prevent getting the same job.
The bad news is that no one knows how long the current economic slump will last and no one is venturing any short term rosy predictions. The good news is that when the economy does get moving again, trucking and freight should be an early mover. And demand for drivers will grow—quickly. As the average driver population is aging and drivers have left the industry during the downturn, the need for drivers and the “driver shortage” will come back with a vengeance. (I’m confident the economy will turn around, freight will pick up and drivers will be in short supply. If the economy does not turnaround to the degree that there is no freight and increased need for drivers, we are going to have bigger problems than this article is prepared to address.)
I’ve discussed the climate with many drivers over the past several months given some advice and listened even more. Here’s what I am hearing:
If you’re currently employed but want another job...
The best time to plan for your next job is while you are at your current job. You can afford to be picky in choosing a new job—but you cannot afford to be unprepared. You should give yourself thirty days to obtain all your driving, criminal and work history information before you think you will need it—it may be inaccurate and you need to have time to correct it. If a company obtains information on you and denies you a job, they oftentimes will not consider you again for a given period of time. Remember that qualification standards are higher with many companies than they have been in times past. You should know what information shows on your record and be able to prove employment—even if one of your past employers has gone out of business. If things are not going well, keep your cool and continue to do a good job—but start preparing now.
If you’re unemployed…
You can waste a lot of time and effort on companies that are not hiring. Be prepared by knowing your information and zero in on those companies that have freight in the area you want.
In case you haven't heard, and you probably haven't, TruckDriver.com is now on Facebook!
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The results of The TruckDriver.com Who's the Biggest Fool at Last Survey are in, and it looks like the biggest fool is us!
We asked, Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year?
You responded:
Yes, I did. It was great! - 25%
I tried, but they didn't fall for it. - 3%
I forgot all about it. - 19%
No, I gave up April Fool's jokes in grade school. - 53%
Seems like people are always asking truck drivers what they like most about driving. We'd like to take this opportunity to turn that around with The TruckDriver.com One Thing I Don't Like Survey.
Until next time, keep on truckin' and please drive safely.
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