Dear {FName},

Today is April 15th, and in case you didn't know, April 15th is an important date.

April 15th is the day Abraham Lincoln died in 1865. It's the date General Electric was founded in 1892. Rand McNally published it's first road atlas on this date in 1924.

And, since 1955, April 15th has been known as Tax Day - the last day on which tax returns can be mailed (postmarked) to avoid penalties. 
 
Happy Tax Day! !

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The Art to Rebutting Unfavorable Employment History 
Derek Hinton - dotjobhistory.com

A Truck driver husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart. The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart. [They’re in their personal car and off duty of course.]

“What do you think you're doing?” asks the wife.

“They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans,” he replies.

“Put them back, we can't afford them,” demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.

A few aisles further on along, the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.

“What do you think you're doing?” asks the husband.

“It’s my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,” replies the wife.

Her husband retorts: “So do 24 cans of Budweiser and they’re half the price.”

The store intercom crackles and an announcement is made: “Cleanup on aisle 25, we have a husband down.” 

There are times when even though something is true, it’s better left unsaid. If you’ve been married long enough, you know that to be true. If you’ve been in the working world long enough, you probably also know that to be true. (If I could go back in time, I’d sew my smart mouth shut a few times.)
 
Some of the times when less is better are when you are rebutting (adding your version of events) to an employment reference that has been provided by one of your former employers. There is an art to this. On the one hand, you should always dispute and provide all manner of proof to rebut something on your employment history that is false. You should guard your good employment history as your livelihood depends on it.
 
That said, there are occasions when things are better left unsaid. To give an extreme example, I remember one driver who had a “no show” on his DAC employment history. He had refused dispatch and wanted to state that, being a safe driver, he had been to a party and was in no condition to drive or take a drug test should his name be picked. For a potential employer, this rebuttal would have made things worse, not better.  The goal of a rebuttal is to improve your employment chances, and even though something may be true, or it might feel really good to lambast your past employer, it pays to be smart when rebutting a negative employment reference.
 
Smarter still is to take steps to avoid having to rebut something in the first place. Attempt to leave an employer on the best of terms—though it might feel good to cause them some grief. Give written notice of your leaving and keep a copy of the notice. During your employment if your equipment is damaged in any way, document the circumstances and damage.  

If there is something wrong with your history, dispute it with all the documentation you can provide. Having something removed is preferable to rebutting something. If you need to rebut something, try to keep it short, direct and pertinent. “I had just gotten in a fight with my wife,” “I was talking on the cell phone,” “the dispatcher was a 400 pound jerk” all may be true—but don’t help your cause. If you rebut with multiple paragraphs every employment history you’ve ever had, potential employers may be turned off.  

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TruckDriver.com
Carrier of the Month
Bolt Express

Founded in 2001 by a team of seasoned transportation veterans, Bolt Express has grown to over fifty employees and expanded their facilities twice to accommodate their growth rate. They are located in Toledo, Ohio and service all of the contiguous 48 states, as well as Canada and Mexico. Their operations center is staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and their friendly representatives are always available.

Bolt's fleet consists of cargo vans, sprinters, dock high straight trucks and semi tractor trailers. All vehicles are monitored by state of the art satellite tracking, allowing the customer to have up to the minute status updates on their shipments, as well as providing their drivers with assistance in getting to their destination.

Their goal is to do everything they can, for both their customers and their drivers, to ensure that each and every shipment is a success. In short, when their customers and their drivers are happy, so are they.

This is reflected in our mission statement: Bolt Express is committed to satisfying our customers expectations and we pledge to be responsive and to follow through on all commitments. We desire to be predictable, reliable, trustworthy, safety conscious and willing to go the extra mile for something we believe in and to be the best at what we do.

Bolt Express is looking for professional Owner Operators to join their team. At Bolt Express you are not just another contractor, you are a part of the team and Bolt values what you do out on the road, each and every day.

Bolt Express offers Owner Operators the highest level of professional transportation services in an effort to help you make your business successful & profitable. Some of their Striking Advantages include competitive pay, no upfront sign-on costs, paid fuel surcharge, weekly direct deposit & no forced dispatch.

If you are an Owner/Operator you have come to the right place. Bolt Express is always looking to add new members to their winning team of Owner/Operators, and they can help you take your business to the next level and will do everything they can to ensure that it does!

If you are Fleet Owner, Bolt Express can help put your fleet to work. And if you are looking for Drivers, they just may be able to help you there, too. They have a running list of Drivers that are always looking for Fleet Owners with available trucks and they would enjoy the opportunity of helping both of you find exactly what you are looking for

If you are Driver without a truck, Bolt Express just may be able to help you too. They have a list of Fleet Owners that are always looking for responsible and reliable Drivers and would enjoy helping both of you find what you are looking for.

To learn more about how to join the team and the benefits of working with an industry leader, please call to speak with a recruiter at 800-545-4789 or visit www.boltexpressrecruiting.com.

As you can see, there are a number of good reasons why you shouldn't hesitate.
Join the friendly team at Bolt Express today!

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From the results of the TruckDriver.com Smarter Phones, Smarter Drivers Survey, it doesn't appear the smartphone has penetrated the driver market as readily as it has the mainstream market.

Here's what you told us when we asked, Do you own a smartphone?

Apple iPhone - 9%
Motorola Droid - 12%
Nexus One - 2%
Blackberry - 25%
Palm Pre Plus - 0%
Other Smartphone - 11%
Regular Cell Phone - 35%
Do not own a cell phone - 6%

That's all we have to say about that.

Now, take the TruckDriver.com Where's My Refund Survey and let us know if you got one!
Until next time, keep on truckin' and please drive safely.

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