2015
Employee News MESILLA VALLEY TRANSPORTATION V O L U M E
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9525 Escobar Dr. 3590 West Picacho Ave. El Paso, TX 79907 Las Cruces, NM. 88007 T- 915-872-2250 T-575- 524-2835
MAY-JUNE
3750 Stewarts Lane Nashville, TN 37218 T-615 627-5117
901 Carriers Dr. Laredo, TX 78045 T 956 717-9849
10210 N Vancouver Portland, OR 97217 T 503 286-6110
www.m-v-t.com
M A Y
Employee News
– J U N E
Newest member of our MVT TEAM
Anthony Black Safety Director INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
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I would like to begin by thanking everyone for the warm welcome to MVT. As the New Kid on the Block at MVT, I would like to tell you a little about myself and my background. I started my career in transportation in 1983 as a supply clerk at Watkins Motor Lines. I shipped all the supplies for terminal operations to the various terminals. At that time there were 85 terminals. For you youngsters this was 1 year following deregulation. Trucking took on a whole new look and the competition was great for the industry during this era. By the time I left Watkins 20 years later, they had over 400 terminals and more than 10,000 employees. I worked various jobs during my tenure there. These included Linehaul dispatcher, Dock supervisor, P&D dispatcher, Operations manager and Occupational Safety Manager. One of the reasons I stayed so long at Watkins was because of the Watkins family and feeling like I was part of a family as an employee. That is the main reason why I came to MVT. I already feel part of the family here. I received my Certified Director of Safety designation in 2004 and have worked as a Safety Director ever since. I am proud to say that I work for MVT and am glad to be a part of the team.
Sincerely,
Insider Letter
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Dress for Success
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Your CSA score
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MVT NIGHT
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#TruckYeah
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Editor Letter
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Tony and Wife Reyna, 3 children, and 5 grandchildren
Keeping up with Mesilla Valley Transportation is taking safety to the next level. Tony Black, our new Safety Director here at MVT invited Texas Highway Patrol to come do in-house DOT (Department of Transportation) inspections. The Texas of Highway patrol has been graciously working with Mesilla Valley Transportation in getting our trucks DOT inspected. Having Mesilla Valley’s Trucks meet the standards and regulations of DOT is important not only for our drivers but for the public’s safety. With so many thousands of serious truck accidents, and so many that are caused by improper or negligent maintenance these inspections are Imperative. These inspections need to happen at least twice a year unless requested otherwise. Tony Black states “We will continue building a relationship with Highway Patrol and meeting DOT regulations. They can count on our requests for multiple inspections.” Safety is the foundation of this company here at MVT and we will continue to get MAD, which is MVT’s safety slogan standing for “Making A Difference.” Black states “Every bit counts and it will make a difference.” For more information on Mesilla Valley Transportation safety record please contact our Safety Director Tony Black.
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Dressing for SUCCESS this Summer Article submitted from MVT’s HR department Summer unofficially started this week, and you have probably started digging out your warm-weather clothes for this weekend’s barbeques, pool parties and get-togethers. You *might* be tempted to repurpose those sandals for work or try to pull off those khaki shorts in the office, but before you do, check out our top summer wardrobe tips to help you stay professional: •Do your due-diligence – Get a clear guideline on what is and is not appropriate to wear in the office from your HR department. If you don’t remember what they went over in orientation, just ask. It’s never a problem or full policy can be found in Employee Policy Book (Section 705) •No flip-flops – These shoes are great for the pool, but not for work. Shoes must provide safe, secure footing, and offer protection against hazards •Appropriate hemlines – Ladies, avoid dresses and skirts that are shorter than knee-length. •Watch out for lighter fabrics – Light fabric might feel better when it’s hot outside, but it can also wrinkle easily and sometimes be a little seethrough. •Sleeveless shirts? – The straps of your shirt should always be an appropriate width. Make sure any shirt/top covers the whole shoulder front and back. Never wear a spaghetti-strap shirt to the office. •Think layers – It’s hot outside, but the AC is on full blast. Bring a jacket or cardigan with you to the office, so you’re comfortable with both. •Too hot for Business Suits? Consider these options to look sharp and stay cool. Khaki sport coats are lightweight and neutral, so they can handle any color combination. Lightweight sport coats and “statement” blazers with defined patterns and brighter colors make for great outerwear. Bamboo or hemp jackets are amazingly lightweight, ideal for humid summer days, and they are both sustainable, Earth-friendly textiles. •Jeans on Friday and Wednesday? No holes or frays – If you have a summer dress code that allows for jeans on Fridays, don’t abuse it by coming in with holes and frays. Casual jean days are only on Wednesday and Friday. Dress attire should follow guidelines listed above and jeans must be in good taste and must not have holes or stains on them.
•Stay polished – It’s easier said than done on the really muggy, hot days, but remember, you’re coming to work, so you should always be tidy. Perfume, cologne, and aftershave lotions should be used moderately or avoid altogether, as some individuals may be sensitive to strong fragrances. Offensive body odor and poor personal hygiene is not professionally acceptable •When in doubt, don’t wear it – It’s always better to be safe than sorry! We all tend to relax more in the summer. However, it’s not a green light to wear whatever you want to work, so keep these tips in mind! If you have any questions or concerns please contact MVT’s HR Department.
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What is a Clean Inspection Worth? Tips for Improving Your CSA Score Article written by: MVT’s Training Department What’s in a number? When it comes to improving your CSA score, a lot. Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association’s (FMCSA) safety compliance and enforcement program. FMCSA is promoting safety compliance to help keep our Nation’s roadways safer for everyone. The CSA gathers safety and compliance data from transportation providers, evaluates it, and uses the findings to make interventions in how transportation companies, enforcement agencies, and other parties behave. You might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with me? Why should I care about a low CSA score? There are 5 million truck and bus drivers sharing the road with more than 250 million motorists. With stakes so high, it’s essential that everyone should Get Road Smart. The fact is, CSA is real, it is not going away, and unless you can consistently get clean inspections you will not survive as a driver. Bad scores hurt everyone and may translate into more frequent inspections for all company drivers. What can you do to maintain a low CSA score? Those who have mastered CSA know that they cannot drive above the posted speed limit, must log legal and current at all times, must secure cargo properly, and must keep up on vehicle maintenance items. Particularly important are brake adjustments, tires, lights and air lines. So what happens if you’ve had a bad inspection, or a ticket, or an accident and you’ve run up some points?
You can get a handle on your score. There are ways to lower it, but it does require an immediate effort and complete commitment to change on your part to your regular driving practices as previously stated. But did you know that a Clean Inspection can actually help lower your carrier’s score? Clean Inspections positively help a CSA score because the calculation used dilutes violation points with relevant clean inspections. What exactly is a Clean Inspection? Let’s keep things nice and simple. A clean inspection is simply an inspection that has no violations. Other names for clean inspections include “zero-defect inspections” and “no violation inspections.” Same thing. BASICs where Clean Inspections IMPROVE CSA Scores: Fatigued Driving (HOS) Driver Fitness Controlled Substances/ Alcohol Vehicle Maintenance Cargo-Related HazMat
Did you know that MVT
offers $100 for every Reported Clean Inspection?
When you report your Clean Inspection to our Safety Department, not only will you be contributing to lowering MVT’s CSA score, you will also receive $100 for your commitment to excellence! Maintaining safe driving practices will ensure a low CSA score as well as putting cash in your pocket. What more could a driver ask for? Remember, it is company policy to report every incident, accident, or inspection immediately! No matter how minor it may be. Drive Safe!
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EMPLOYEE
NEWS
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JUNE 12th– BBQ BASH JULY 31st– Burgers/Brats/Brew August 21st– Italian/Wine Bring the kids! This is FUN for the entire family! $10 Adults and $5 Kids under 7yrs get in for FREE!
www.golflascruces.com
6-8PM EACH NIGHT
PLEASE CALL 575-373-8100 for more info.
You can treat yourself, your friends and family to a night at the races at the Southern New Mexico Speedway June 27th or at the El Paso Speedway July 3rd and enjoy our Famous firework show. Each Employee will receive 2 FREE Tickets and up to 2 Extra tickets for $10 EACH! You MUST get your free and discounted tickets IN ADVANCE! You can pick up these tickets at MVT in Las Cruces or El Paso terminals with your badge or paystub, no need to e-mail just come and get them!!
AGAIN YOU MUST PICK UP TICKETS IN ADVANCE starting NOW and ending on Thursday June 25th! (Don’t miss out!!) There will be complementary
FOOD for EMPLOYEES AND THEIR SPOUSE!!
Like everything else, MUST SHOW BADGE or PAYSTUB!! Contact Rue Stone at rue.stone@epspeedwaypark.com if you have additional questions. Holly Jones has the tickets in El Paso for those that have been asking.
If you delay you will pay regular $15 admission at the gate, NO Exceptions. **Once at the gate you must present your 2 free tickets with your badge or check stub to get into the event.** These requirements are to KEEP THE LINE SHORT! As always, kids 10 and under are FREE!! EMPLOYEE
NEWS
Letter from the Editor
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TRUCK YEAH A Truck Expo bringing together the trucking industry throughout the Southwest. El Paso, Texas, -Border International, a heavy duty and medium duty full service truck and trailer dealership with locations in El Paso, TX, Las Cruces, NM. And Tucson, AZ, is pleased to announce the launch of their second annual Truck Expo, to be held June 18th and 19th at Southwest University, 6500 Montana El Paso TX. A two-day event, the Expo will bring together fleet managers and trucking professionals from El Paso, Las Cruces and the surrounding areas to share experiences, perspectives and insights. This event represents an exceptional opportunity to see state-of-the-art trucks from Border International, MHC, Doggett Freightliner, and Rush Enterprise along with Great Dane and Vanguard Trailers. Showcasing the latest in trucking products and technological advancements within the industry from premier vendors such as Allison Transmissions, Stemco, Eaton, Meritor, Cummins Filtration, and many more! The event provides the attendees exclusive opportunities to speak directly to the product representatives. Guest Speakers will include Tim Shick, currently the Vice President of North American Engine Sales at Navistar. Tim is a key figure in the development of the original Ford Power Stroke engine and in Navistar's N13 – 13 Liter big bore engine. He will be speaking on Thursday, June 18th. Also giving this event a touch of Southwest twang, a favorite local country band will be performing Thursday, June 18th 3pm-4pm. Border Avenue. Check out their music at www.borderavenueband.com
“This event will be one of a kind,” says Charlie Cogdill, overall General Manager to the Border Dealerships. “The Border International Truck Expo gives us the opportunity to convey the importance of the transportation industry. The event is supported by 60+ different vendors within our industry who will be showcasing the latest and the greatest products that Border International carries.” Knowledge is power within the transportation industry and the key to success and survival of our society. Come check out this amazing event with great food, tons of fun, live demonstrations, and a “Hail Mary” guest appearance Thursday June 18th from former Cowboys Champion, Drew Pearson. Autographs and pictures will be available. Oh and don’t forget, there will be lots of giveaways. For FREE registration to this event please go to the Border International web site, www.borderint.com. After June 17th, there will be an entrance fee of $10 at the door. For more information or to arrange an interview please call Emily Roof, at (575) 571 3783 or via email at emily.roof@borderint.com or Vanessa Solis at (915) 356-8938 or Vanessa.solis@borderint.com
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EXPO, EXPO, EXPO. If you haven’t heard Vanessa and I have been working hard since November 2014 planning our second annual Border International’s Truck Expo. I feel like it’s all we talk about, but with good reason. This Expo will be one of a kind in the Southwest region. If you didn’t get the chance to attend last year’s show, you CAN’T miss this one! Let me explain a little more, this expo is a transportation companies dream. In two ways… the first way is through the customers eyes. The show itself is supported by 60+ vendors. These vendors revolve around the industry showcasing the latest and greatest products. Everything you need to know in improving your fleet or increasing your fuel mileage with a very diverse selection of makes and models of trucks and trailers will be on display under one roof during this 2 day event. From a 2 truck fleet to a 14,000 truck fleet each owner or manager can benefit from this event giving them the opportunity to compare products and pricing to see what fits their fleet best. Secondly, this dream brings our dealership, Border International, to a reality. No other dealer has put this much time or effort into an event like this. Having Border’s name attached to this show really pushed our store to the top of the list. Which makes me very grateful to have this opportunity to have the ability to help put on such an event! The picture to the right is myself and Vanessa after our first show. We were utterly exhausted at that point. Going 24 hours, non stop for weeks to make sure everything went smoothly. Yet, here we are again going for round two! So bring on the coffee these girls are determined!! Again, if you get the chance to attend this event I highly recommend it! MVT will have their own kick ass booth on display. The event is June 18th and 19th (Thursday, Friday) at Southwest University 6500 Montana. Hope to see you all out there! “ Work hard. Dream BIG”
Emily K. Roof Marketing Director
“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”
Making the Difference Everyday
The MVT Way