2015
Employee News MESILLA VALLEY TRANSPORTATION V O L U M E
9525 Escobar Dr. 3590 West Picacho Ave. El Paso, TX 79907 Las Cruces, NM. 88007 T- 915-872-2250 T-575- 524-2835
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3750 Stewarts Lane Nashville, TN 37218 T-615 627-5117
901 Carriers Dr. Laredo, TX 78045 T 956 717-9849
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10210 N Vancouver Portland, OR 97217 T 503 286-6110
www.m-v-t.com
Employee News
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Hello MVT! I have had a blast meeting everyone and truly feel the family atmosphere we have here at Mesilla. I came to Mesilla with a varied background in transportation, customer service and sales. I started my trucking exNewest member of our MVT TEAM
perience with Interstate as their Customer Service Manager in 2011 after graduating. I quickly learned what it was all about. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to move out of customer service and into Operations Manager within a year of being with Interstate. I had a couple of very close mentors that helped me grow and learn the ins and outs of our industry. From that point, I took over planning and remained in that position until coming to MVT. I was excited to come here and have a chance to marry my experiences. I hope to grow our Nashville terminal and our market presence in the East and feel like we have the right momentum to get there. What’s there to know about me personally? I have a beautiful wife
Christopher Patrick
East Operations Manager
and we are having our 9 year anniversary this October, we’ve been together since we were 18! I have two boys Elliott and Evan, a day away from being ex-
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actly two years apart. I actually just had my youngest the week I started at MVT (that may be the reason for my grey hair, ha!) I’ve always lived in Nash-
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ville my entire life and love it here. I’m all about enjoying each day to the full-
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est and as if it were your last. I spend my extra time with my two boys of
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course, but if not with them I’m either at the gym or spending time with our
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church, or doing anything to keep me moving.
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Missy (Wife) and Tatum (youngest Daughter)
I look forward to working with everyone more as we continue to grow, let’s go win!
Nashville, TN.
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Article written by: MVT’s Training Department
As some of you may know, the Training and Development Department has recently started monthly departmental workshops. In these workshops, we are implementing and concentrating on team building exercises to help us put our unique personal skills and proficiencies to work and spice up the day with friendly competition with the goal of evolving and becoming better as a team. Let’s dig a little deeper. What comes to mind when you hear the word team? An example would be when thinking of your favorite football or soccer team. If you’re thinking working together to achieve a win, then you’re on the right track. So, what is team building really about? Team building is an ongoing process that helps a group work and come together to evolve as a solid unit for better productivity. Sometimes we forget we have a team to work with on a daily basis. Think about it this way. For those of you that are not familiar with the game of football, each position and member of the team must contribute in order to allow the team to score as many points as possible. The primary roles of a running back is to receive handoffs from the quarterback, to catch passes, and to block. A quarterback can’t hand off or pass the ball if he doesn’t have a running back. If the running back is absent, the mission for the team to score a touchdown has not become impossible, but has become more of a difficult task for the QB to perform this play on his own. There’s not much of a difference in the work place. Even though the company is broken down into many departments, as a company, we are one whole. Each of the different departments must work together for everything to fall into place and to achieve a win just like in a football game. Many times, you will experience some kind of dissonance with another coworker. It’s quite simple to understand. Everyone thinks differently. Your idea is going to be different from your co-worker’s idea. You may think your plan is the best way to deal with an issue, and your co-worker probably believes his/her way is the best method. Maybe both ideas are a good fit to solve the issue. The bottom line is that differences will always be present as long as you have people around you. The team building exercises are not designed to eliminate diversities, but are structured to enable nonverbal communication, teamwork, cooperation, trust, and many other focuses that form joint effort from all parties involved in these activities. The exercises we put together do more than create some type of group consensus. The pictures shown on this page, (aside from the funky color straws, masking tape, and unusual contraptions), show some teams working together to building a model from one of the many activities we have completed. In the activities we create, team members not only share expectations for accomplishing group tasks, but trust and support one another and respect one another’s differences and decisions. Our outlook for each activity is a unique, hands-on, get-out-of-your-chair-and-have-fun-approach. We are excited to open this opportunity to any department that would like to participate in any of our team building workshops and we hope that all departments will take advantage of this opportunity. We dare YOU to be part of this challenge. EMPLOYEE
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NEW Driver Recruiting Center Have you heard the news? The Recruiting Department at MVT in El Paso TX. MOVED?! Don’t worry they didn’t go far. Actually they just moved down the street from the Escobar Terminal. 1155 N. Zaragoza Suite C106 El Paso, TX. They made it official Friday June 26th with a Grand Opening. With music, food, and some giveaways it was made to be a good time. The El Paso Chamber of Commerce graced us with their presence and presented the Recruiting Department with a welcome letter and also said the El Paso Star, which is a city land mark, was to be lit that evening in honor of their opening. It was a great turn out with lots of walk -ins interested in driving for the company. If you haven’t had a chance to stop by and see their new set up I truly recommend it! Know any one interested in driving? I know an awesome group at the Driver Recruiting Center that can help them get started!!
1155 N. Zaragoza El Paso Suite C106
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#GroupSelfie5am
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Mesilla Valley Training Institute is NOW OPEN in Nashville, TN.
You get a Grand Opening, And YOU get a Grand Opening! EVERYONE gets a Grand Opening!! I know it seems like this is all we hear about these days, we might not be Oprah Winfrey but we share her enthusiasm! Growth is a great thing to see within companies. I want to have a special shout out to Mesilla Valley Training Institute for opening up a new location/school in Nashville, TN. MVTI has truly come into their own and they continue to grow. Mesilla Valley Training Institute is where you go to get your CDL and training to drive. With the major shortage in drivers, it is imperative that we have institutes like Mesilla Valley Training Institute. They help certify and train people to drive that may be interested in driving for companies like MVT. Do you know anyone interested in driving truck? Well this is the place to send them. MVTI helps you get certified but also tries to help you to find the right Meet the Nashville team from Left to right: company for you to build your future with. Check Kevin Bradley, Joy Page, Melonie Roberson, them out today: www.MVTInashville.com and Garry Keith
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Mesilla Valley Transportation is proud to announce their first annual charity golf tournament. “For Our Heroes” Charity Golf Tournament benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) serves veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound, co-incident to their military service on or after September 11, 2001 and their families. On that date, America watched in horror as approximately 3,000 people died including hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers. Many warriors note a sense of duty to volunteer for the military following these tragic events. With advancements in battlefield medicine and body armor, an unprecedented percentage of service members are surviving severe wounds or injuries. For every US soldier killed in World Wars I and II, there were 1.7 soldiers wounded. In Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, for every US soldier killed, seven are wounded. Combined, over 48,000 servicemen and women have been physically injured in the recent military conflicts. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment. With the mission to honor and empower Wounded Warriors, WWP is the hand extended to encourage warriors as they adjust to their new normal and achieve new triumphs. Offering a variety of programs and services, WWP is equipped to serve warriors with every type of injury – from the physical to the invisible wounds of war. This is the first annual golf tournament hosted by Mesilla Valley Transportation to support the Wounded Warrior Project. This event will be held at Red Hawk Golf Club, 7502 Red Hawk Golf Road, Las Cruces, NM 88012, September 11th at 1pm. Take part in this exclusive event and amazing opportunity to play Red Hawk’s great course. Limited to 30 teams. Includes lunch and awards dinner for players and a ticket to the Shenandoah Concert at 7pm that night at Red Hawk Golf Club. Registration and lunch at noon 4 person scramble with shot gun start at 1pm. Entry fee for a team of 4 is $480 or $120 per person. If interested in playing in this tournament please contact emily.roof@m-v-t.com www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Watching Out for Yourself and Others Loaded calls, empty calls, T-calls, fuel solutions, bills of lading. What do all these terms have in common? They are different parts of our own company and all companies in the transportation industry and they help to make sure that we are keeping our business in order as well as serving our customers to the greatest extent possible. However, we must make sure that our number one priority is safety. There is one aspect of trucking that is vital to the safety of a driver driving a 40 ton vehicle and also to the people around that heavy vehicle. A truck driver is bound by limits on the amount of time he or she is able to drive and to be on the job, or otherwise known as being on-duty. These rules and regulations are meant to decrease incidents caused by fatigued drivers and have been set by the U.S. Department of Transportation. They are called Hours of Service. Hours of Service regulations are fairly easy to understand. Drivers are only allow to work a certain number of hours each week before needing a rest. In the case of OTR or Over the Road drivers, they are only allowed to work a total of 70 hours over an 8 day period. If a driver does exhaust all 70 hours over an 8 day period, then they will need to take a 34 hour reset, which will reset their 70 hour clock back to 0 hours used. Furthermore, drivers cannot drive more than 11 hours or be on-duty for more than 14 hours per shift. The 11 hours counts against the 14 hours of on-duty time. Drivers also need to take a 10 hour break after each shift to reset their 11 and 14 hour clocks back to 0 and they must also take a 30 minute break before reaching the 8 th hour of driving per shift. Drivers can also take an 8 hour break to pause their shift if using the split sleeper method. Two more rest hours after further driving will still need to be taken to fulfill a full 10 hour rest period before driving again. In order to save hours, we must always be weary of what counts as being on-duty and will affect the 14 hours of on-duty time. There are many instances when a driver can be on-duty and therefore using his or her 14 hours of available onduty time. These instances include all time that a driver is waiting at a location to be dispatched, all time inspecting, fueling, or driving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), and all time loading or unloading a CMV. If a driver is not responsible for loading or unloading, then the driver can log his or her duty status as “sleeper berth�. If the time spent in sleeper berth status is 2 or more hours, then the driver has met the first requirement for the split sleeper method. Drivers must remember to manually change duty status on the driver terminals in each truck. This will help save hours, stay in compliance, and gain more miles as a result. Other instances that count as being on duty include when drivers perform any function for a motor carrier, which can include the time spent on activities such as providing a breath sample when complying with post-incident procedures. A good basic idea of being on-duty is when a driver is anywhere in, on, or around a CMV. There are some exceptions to the rule. Any time spent resting in a parked vehicle, when not at the controls of that vehicle, or in the sleeper berth is not considered as being on-duty. Also, when drivers are driving as a team, up to 2 hours riding in the passenger seat of a CMV moving on the highway immediately before or after a period of at least 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth is not considered as on-duty time. These limits are designed to make sure that drivers are not on the job excess hours which could lead to a fatigued driver behind the wheel. Being diligent with hours of service is the key to staying in compliance as well as providing a safe environment for drivers of CMVs and passenger cars alike. At MVT, we take pride in providing the best service to our customers. However, we add to our satisfaction knowing that we can serve our customers while staying in compliance and providing a safer atmosphere for all drivers out on the road.
Article written by: MVT’s Training Department
http://www.momtastic.com/food/175523-30-ways-to-make-grilled-cheese/
Creative Grilled Cheese
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Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich A buttery and toasty grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with cool and creamy guacamole, crispy bacon and melted jack and cheddar cheese. The crunchy crumbled tortilla chips in this grilled cheese pay tribute to the classic combination of tortilla chips and guacamole dip.
2 slices bacon 2 slices sour dough bread 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature 1/2 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded 2 tablespoons guacamole, room temperature 1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled (optional)
Directions
1. Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain. 2. Butter one side of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese onto the unbuttered side of one slice of bread followed by the guacamole, bacon, tortilla chips, the remaining cheese and finally top with the remaining slice of bread with the buttered side up. 3. Grill over medium heat until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Roasted Strawberry, Brie + Chocolate Grilled Cheese makes 2 sandwiches
6 strawberries, quartered 1/2 teaspoon canola oil pinch of salt 2 tablespoons butter 4 thick-cut slices of multigrain bread 2-3 ounces of brie cheese, sliced 1-2 ounces high-quality chocolate Preheat oven to
375 degrees. Toss strawberries with oil and salt, then spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Heat a large skillet or grilled over medium-low heat. Butter the sides of two slices of bread, place them on the skillet butteredside down, then layer on a few slices of cheese, chocolate and strawberries. Top with a few more slices of cheese, then butter one side of the other bread slices, and place on top of the cheese. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has started to melt, then gently flip the sandwich and cook until golden. Serve immediately!
**If you can’t make the car give away stop by the nearest MVT Terminal to celebrate Driver Appreciation and enjoy a cookout on us in appreciation of all your hard work! **
Laredo, TX
Nashville, TN.
Denver, CO.
How can you help?
#HighHeelsForHighHopes #JoinOURteam
Attend our upcoming Events:
JOIN US!
-Dunking For Dimes at MVT 8/13 LC
High Heels For High Hopes! Friday November 20, 2015 Convention Center Las Cruces, NM
-Dunking for Dimes MVT 8/20 EL P -Whiskey Dicks Concert 9/10 -Fore the Babies Golf tournament 10/24 And more to come!
High Heels for High Hopes Runway Show is an evening of high fashion, featuring the best of the best of the leaders in your community. Local men and women will take the stage and raise money to support March of Dimes Programs and Research that helps babies. Jackie Jones and myself were honored to be part of this year’s line to be a High Heels for High Hopes representatives. Keep an eye out as we have lots of upcoming events to help raise money towards this great cause. Seeing our MVT family come out and show their support Show some Love! I hope to see our MVT family join in on this great cause! If you have any questions on these events please contact Jackie Jones at Jackie.jones@verdelogistics.com or Emily Roof at Emily.roof@m-v-t.com
Letter from the Editor I believe that everyone is born unique. Unfortunately, through the years we work hard to be like everyone else. I have come to see that the reason people don’t change is simply that they do not dare to be different. But guess what? Being different isn’t a bad thing. We shouldn’t be afraid to challenge the norm or to make your own track instead of following the well-trodden path. Sometimes you have to be willing to take the chance and create your own destiny instead of having someone else plan it for you. Life is too short not to be awesome. Every day you should show the world what awesome looks like! That starts with you. The definition of Awesome- causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, or admiration. I challenge each of you to be just that. Be awesome! Don’t be afraid of being different, be afraid of being the same as everyone else. If you want something go out and get it! “Be your own kind of beautiful!”
Emily K. Roof Marketing Director
Making the Difference Everyday
The MVT Way