SOUTHEASTERN FREIGHT LINES F O U R T H Q U A R T E R 2 0 14 Eagle Eye News “The Best and the Biggest in the Sunbelt” WHAT’S INSIDE 4 Javis Gore’s 50 Years of Service 5 Fleet Services Associate of the Quarter 6 Jacksonville Open House 10 Living Our Culture in Orlando 18 Quality in Action 22 Thanksgiving in Roanoke Special Olympics Convoy By Stephanie Cullum, Marketing Coordinator T he World’s Largest Truck Convoy® for Special Olympics is a fundraising event that provides a unique opportunity for law enforcement and the trucking industry to partner together to change the lives of Special Olympic athletes, creating a sense of teamwork in communities throughout the United States and Canada. On Saturday, September 20, 2014, several of our P&D drivers from Columbia, SC, volunteered to drive in the World’s Largest Truck Convoy®. Southeastern was wellrepresented, along with an army of other trucks and drivers who were escorted across the highways of South Carolina by DOT officers to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics. Special Olympic athletes train in various sports throughout the year. Participation is free to the athletes, so law enforcement and truckers help to provide funding needed for them to participate. The South Carolina Truck Convoy® had over 60 trucks and raised $16,350.00! H Special Thanks to: L to R: Michael Kent; Shawn Mock, Special Olympics; Dean Crowell; Nathan Tipton; Clark Brendle; Kendrick Lyles Boring Genealogy By Tobin Cassels, President The first seventeen verses of Matthew gives the genealogy of Jesus Christ that shows how he was a direct descendent of King David, as well as Abraham. This was critically important to the Jewish people, as they knew that the Old Testament had prophesied that the Messiah would come from David’s lineage. But what about us? Terribly boring reading, right? These are the type verses that I can just skip over... there is nothing I can learn from reading these genealogy verses. Or is there? If you read these passages you will see that they outline forty-two genealogies of men from Abraham to Jesus. Notice I said men. Back in biblical days, men carried so much more importance than women. It was all about the men. But wait a minute, there are four women mentioned here (see the verses that are highlighted in yellow). 2 | Southeastern Freight Lines Matthew 1 1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. We have Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and an unnamed woman referred to as “Uriah’s wife.” Why was the mother mentioned in four of the forty-two generations, but not in the other thirty-eight? There must be a specific reason these four women are mentioned. Let’s learn a little bit about each of these ladies. 1.Tamar – Tamar’s husband died before they had any children. It was important for a woman to have a son, as the son would receive her late husband’s inheritance and he would then be able to take care of her (Remember, women did not carry much worth and on their own would not receive the inheritance). In order to ensure the inheritance would be passed down, she disguised herself as a prostitute and seduced her father-in-law into sleeping with her. What? Surely the Son of God would not come from the genealogy of Tamar... or from the father-in-law who hired a prostitute! 4.Uriah’s wife – Do you remember the story of Bathsheba? She was married to a soldier named Uriah who was off at war when King David saw her bathing on her roof top. The rest is history. David summoned her, slept with her, impregnated her, and then had her husband murdered! Really? Note that the author Matthew didn’t refer to her by her name Bathsheba, but listed her in scripture as “Uriah’s wife.” It’s as if he wants everyone to remember the gory, sinful details of how their son Solomon came to be conceived. Why did Matthew include these four women in his genealogy but no other women in the other thirtyeight generations? He clearly is making a point. Jesus came to this earth as a baby boy to save us sinners whom he loves dearly. He doesn’t care about our past or where we come from. He came for all of us. He came for the prostitutes, the murderers, the Moabites, and the Canaanites... He loves us all! 2.Rahab – If you thought Tamar was bad, Rahab is even worse. Rahab didn’t disguise herself as a prostitute... she really was a full-fledged prostitute by trade. To make matters worse, she was a Canaanite from Jericho and not even an Israelite at all. How in the world could she be the great grandmother of King David? To quote Max Lucado, “Stepping from the throne, he removed his robe of light and wrapped himself in skin: pigmented, human skin. The light of the universe entered a dark, wet womb. He whom angels worshipped nestled himself in the placenta of a peasant, was birthed into the cold night, and then slept on cow’s hay.” 3.Ruth – Finally, we have a godly woman... a woman of faith. But like Rahab, Ruth was not a Jew at all. She was from Moab and belonged to a race often despised by the people of Israel. What is God trying to tell us as we look at Jesus’ ancestors? And He did it because He loves us! Merry Christmas! H Fourth Quarter 2014 | 3 Jarvis Gore Celebrates Fifty Years of Service J arvis began his career in October 1964 in our Support Center. The total number of Southeastern associates at that time was 300. In 1968, he transferred to our Charleston, South Carolina, service center and held various positions including rate clerk, office manager and linehaul dispatch. In those days, a person wore many hats in their job responsibilities. Eight years later he was promoted to Service Center Manager in Tifton, Georgia, which one year later became Albany, Georgia, and he served there for six years. He was asked by Mr. Cassels to return to the Support Center in 1981 to begin a Weighing and Inspection program for our company. Jarvis has a unique ability to adapt to change. This skill has served him well because he has seen significant change during those fifty years in processes, procedures and technology, and has incorporated these tools in the W&I process. With strong support from IT, he has taken the process from platform scales on our docks 4 | Southeastern Freight Lines all the way to scales mounted on our forklifts. We are currently experimenting with a new technology called dimensioners, that are hung from the ceiling of our service center dock to assist us with weight and dimensional rating that not only improves our W&I revenue, but also gives our pricing analysts accurate information to use in costing our customers’ freight. When people talk about Jarvis, the word humble is one of the characteristics mentioned frequently. His quiet, unassuming style, coupled with strong servant leadership, has produced amazing results in our Weighing and Inspection program. In 1982, the first full year of the W&I process, our W&I revenues were $134,893. In 2014, we expect our annual W&I revenues to exceed $36 million. The average annual growth percentage during those years has been 21%! Jarvis is quick to point out that the success of the W&I process is due to diligent associates in our service centers who weigh and inspect the freight consistently, while having the support of service center management and regional leadership. Jarvis is a true believer in our culture and lives it every day! It is rare to find an individual who will serve at one company for 50 years. His humility, adaptability, consistency and just plain hard work have set the example for others to follow. The good news is – he’s not done yet! Congratulations, Jarvis, on achieving a milestone few will ever reach! H Alejandro Viramontes, South Houston Fleet Services Associate of the Quarter By Alfredo Aguirre, Fleet Services Manager, South Houston I t is an honor to recognize Alejandro (Alex) Viramontes from the South Houston Fleet Services facility as the Fleet Service Associate of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2014. Alex has been serving our company for the last five years. During these five years, he has demonstrated his willingness to grow as a technician as well as a leader. Alex began as a C-3 class technician and with vast effort, he escalated to an A-2 technician. Alex is also recognized as a fully ACE certified technician. He received his GMAW certificate as a welder and he now serves by training other technicians to become GMAW certified as welders. Alex has been a great asset to the recently opened South Houston facility. He moved into a leadership role in the trailer shop and has played a vital role in getting South Houston designated as a full Southeastern trailer shop. Alex has taken the responsibility of training new technicians to learn and apply their mechanical skills and procedures needed to be a successful technician. He continuously looks for ways to do things better and pulls from the knowledge and experience of other trailer shops to ensure standards are met and the job is well done. At first glance, Alex seems quiet and somewhat reserved. However, once you get to know him, he is very outgoing and friendly. He has built a respectful and trusted relationship with his coworkers, customers, and leadership. Alex is always willing to serve and help his coworkers and the customers (drivers) when they need assistance. Alex is very responsible and makes sure he arrives to work on-time every day. He is always available for any unexpected situations. Having Alex in our facility gives us peace of mind because we know we can count on him. The Regional Fleet Services Manager for this area, Scott Shimer, summed it up very clearly when asked about Alex and his contributions to our company when he stated – “Our culture comes easily and natural to Alex, that’s the way he is. Alex’s willingness to serve, his dependability, and also his knowledge make him a natural leader that others in his work group emulate.” Alex is not only admired for his work ethic, but also for being an involved and proactive husband, father, and citizen of his community. He serves as a softball coach in his community little league park. His favorite hobby is having an outdoor, Texas-style BBQ accompanied by his wife Monique, who he has been happily married to for 13 years, and his three children (Alexis, Jessica, Baby Alex). The Viramontes family attends the Fellowship of the Woodlands Church every Sunday. There are many characteristics that make Alex special, but there are some that make him very unique. One of his unique enjoyments is participating in different “Hot Sauce” competitions. Alex also enjoys fishing and deer hunting with his friends and family. Please join us in congratulating Alejandro for his welldeserved recognition as the Fleet Services Associate of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2014! H Fourth Quarter 2014 | 5 Jacksonville Open House – October 17th, 2014 I t has been eleven months since Jacksonville was blessed with a state-of-the-art facility, and on October 17th, we had the opportunity of sharing it with our external and internal customers. With countless hours of planning and teamwork by our Jacksonville team, it went off with great success. We had over a hundred customers stop by for lunch and a tour. Each customer was greeted by a different team member and given a complete tour of our facility. They were given goodie bags to take with them on their way out. Our customers were amazed by the new technology, huge appointment warehouse, and cleanliness of our dock—and, of course, by the 6 | Southeastern Freight Lines most famous truck of all, the “Mighty Mite!” The best part of the tour was the interaction between our people at the service center and the customers. It’s always great to put a face with a name! To top the week off, our Jacksonville team had a family day on Saturday, October 18th. We had a Prevention: remarkable turn out. It was the perfect opportunity for the Jacksonville associates to bring their families here to show them this beautiful facility. Kids were running around playing in the bounce houses, eating cotton candy and snow cones, getting their faces painted, and dunking our leadership team in the dunk booth. We also had a band perform that did a fantastic job. It was a fun time laughing, eating, and building great friendships. Thank You to all who took part!H The Engine of Quality By Larkin Gomez, Outbound Supervisor, Region 5, Fort Worth, Texas T he Outbound Team in Fort Worth has been an impressive example of the power of “Belief, Alignment and Teamwork” in their quest to work injury-free. The team has set the bar high and determined that it is unacceptable to have a preventable injury. We take our focus on prevention very seriously. Prevention is our daily mindset, and as a team we maintain, act on, and discuss injuryprevention on a routine basis. On October 22nd, 2012, the Fort Worth Service Center opened its doors. The Outbound Team started with five full-time and two part-time dock associates. Since then, the crew has grown to 15 full-time dock associates and 14 part-time dock associates. From the opening date to October 30th, 2013, we worked over one year injury-free. On October 31st, we had one chargeable “debris in eye” injury. From November 1st, 2013, to November 1st, 2014, we again achieved another year injury-free. Over the course of two years, we have had an average of 319,212 bills and 738 days completely injury-free. Prevention is the key to success in all of our processes at Southeastern Freight Lines. Congratulations to the Fort Worth Outbound Team for accomplishing world-class results on injury prevention. The Outbound Team is confident that we shall have another safe and successful year of injuryfree work. H Fourth Quarter 2014 | 7 Here We Grow... AGAIN! Kentucky Expansion – March 2015 By: Rachel Beebe, Account Manager, and Jeff Burton, Business Development Manager S outheastern Freight Lines is pleased to announce our growth into Kentucky and the opening of four service centers on March 2nd, 2015. The word of the openings officially came in June 2014 and the planning for Kentucky’s success was quickly underway. Southeastern will be proudly serving in and around the Kentucky areas of Bowling Green, Lexington, and Louisville, as well as Cincinnati, Ohio. The service center managers have been chosen and all have a combined experience of over 50 years. They each have a strong track record and are truly committed to making Kentucky the best opening of a state in our history! 8 | Southeastern Freight Lines A combination of operations, sales, and marketing teams have been diligently working to prepare, plan, and proactively call on customers to let them know that Southeastern Freight Lines is coming to SERVE— with the start of obtaining a business directory for the entire state of Kentucky, using LinkedIn and other social media platforms to help find candidates and customers, as well as using Google Maps to survey the new areas near all facilities. Joining the Chamber of Commerce in each city has also led to many networking and speaking opportunities, connections within the cities, and potential Southeastern Serves Community service projects. The meticulous planning has allowed us to become more efficient before our doors are even open to the public. Finally, to keep the information flowing, associates are encouraged to contribute and send any leads they may have (inbound or outbound) to Kentucky@sefl. com. We truly look forward to expanding our Quality Without Question into the great state of Kentucky! H Fourth Quarter 2014 | 9 Living Our Culture in Orlando By Susan Greene, SC Admin Specialist II/Quality Specialist O n August 27th, Orlando celebrated our 1st Annual Quality Day Event. Given that it was the start of Football Season, we found it only appropriate to score a touchdown for Quality. A great time was had by all as we learned to truly value each other. We started the day with games, yummy treats, and raffles. Each associate had a chance to earn throws on the football scoreboard by answering important questions about our Mission, Culture, and Quality Improvement Process. We ended the day with great prizes, but more importantly, each of us came away with a new and refreshed attitude toward Quality. Our Quality Day brought a better understanding of our Quality Improvement Process and associate participation reached an all-time high. It was truly gratifying to see the excitement and teamwork, as we remember the importance of our Game Plan for Success. H 10 | Southeastern Freight Lines Southeastern Serves the Charlotte Rescue Mission By Katherine Wallace, Account Manager O n October 29, the Charlotte and South Charlotte leadership and sales teams met at the Charlotte Rescue Mission to serve lunch to 130 men in the Rebound Program. While we have served here before, the experience never ceases to touch each of us. We are reminded each time of how quickly one decision or life event, whether large or small, can change the course of a person’s life. Founded in 1938, The Charlotte Rescue Mission has assisted thousands of men battling homelessness and/ or addiction through Biblically-based counseling, while relying 100% on donations. Their mission is “To minister the Good News of Christianity to individuals caught in the crisis of poverty, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” — Aesop hopelessness, or addictions by meeting their spiritual, physical, and emotional needs.” The staff strives to assist these individuals through spiritual, mental, physical, social, and vocational support. They offer a 90-day program, as well as an onsite halfway house. Our group is always welcomed into the Rescue Mission with open arms, and the men show so much gratitude for us. This experience can be incredibly humbling. As we enter into the 2014 Holiday Season, it is a blessing to be reminded of those we can help in our day-to-day lives and to be thankful for everything we have. Whether we serve lunch to a group of 100 men struggling with homelessness and addiction, or we give a coat to a person we see living on the street, we should remember there are always things we can do to serve in our communities. H Fourth Quarter 2014 | 11 Fall Festival for Columbia Presbyterian Home By Sue Ricard and Brooke Keisler, Sales and Marketing 12 | Southeastern Freight Lines O n Saturday, October 11th, 2014, our Sales and Marketing volunteers, along with other volunteers from the Support Center, teamed up with the Columbia Presbyterian Retirement Community to host our 2nd Annual Fall Festival. This event began in 2013 when the Sales and Marketing committee discussed possible Southeastern Serves opportunities. The Columbia Presbyterian Home, which is right down the road from the Support Center, is a retirement community that provides residency options ranging from patio homes, apartments, residential and assisted living, and health services. We wanted to serve our neighbors and form long-lasting relationships with the residents and staff. The day started off with the arrival of the Mighty Mite, with a huge crowd of residents and family members watching the unloading process. With over 60 volunteers from the Support Center and nearly 200 residents and their family members, the participation almost doubled from last year’s festival. Our fun-filled day included grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, balloon artists, playing corn hole and football toss, and enjoying music performed by a local band. An extra special treat for everyone was a performance by the cast of Grease from a local theater! 1 Peter 4:10: As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. One of the most memorable parts of the day was the balloon volleyball game. This was a challenge that was initiated by the residents, who are very competitive. Our children played against them, and at the conclusion we presented the residents with a trophy that they have on display for everyone to see. The day ended with a raffle for various SEFL items and plants. The residents enjoyed receiving their prizes from our children volunteers. When the festival was over, SEFL volunteers assisted the kitchen staff in the cleanup. The staff especially appreciated this, because it allowed them to join in the fellowship and take part in the festival. We all worked hard to serve our neighbors, but in the end we’re the ones who were blessed. If you have served your community before, you know the feeling. Just to see the smiles on everyones’ faces and to hear all the gratitude and appreciation for such a wonderful day validates why our company is committed to serve those less fortunate. We look forward to the 3rd Annual Fall Festival in 2015, with an even bigger crowd of volunteers and residents. H Fourth Quarter 2014 | 13 Southeastern Reduces Quotes, While Customers Increase Quotes By Clete Cordero, Director of Traffic T he title above may seem confusing. How can the total number of quotes from customers increase, while the total number of quotes that Southeastern processes decrease? Over the last two years, the total number of quotes from customers has grown from 48,888 to 67,180 a week. Forecasting the trend two years ago that quotes would continue to increase, a quality improvement process was put in place to focus on increasing the percentage of quotes entered directly by customers online while reducing the percentage of quotes called in by customers. This quality improvement process involved all facets of our company from Fredericksburg to El Paso, and from Puerto Rico to Tulsa. For the improvement to take place, everyone from account managers to office personnel had to work with 14 | Southeastern Freight Lines and train customers on the benefits of entering quotes online versus calling in quote requests. Entering a quote online allows the customer to obtain the quote much quicker and to control exactly what is being entered. Also, if a customer enters the quote online directly, Southeastern associates have more time to focus on other tasks. Beginning October 2012 through October 2014, we experienced a 37% increase in quotes. During the same time period, the percentage of quotes entered online by customers increased from 86% to 92%, as shown on the graph. While quotes increased 18,292 per week, the number of quotes that SEFL associates manually processed decreased from 6,844 to 5,374 a week. This process has seen Continuous Measurable Improvement year over year and is on track for another positive shift to end 2014. Thank you to everyone for demonstrating the power of “Belief, Alignment and Teamwork,” and for continuing to drive this process as we head toward our ultimate goal of 95% of all quotes being entered online. H Congratulations Team on Earning Scotts Award By Tommy Keeton, National Account Manager D uring the recent Scotts Distribution Conference held in West Palm Beach, Florida, at PGA National, Southeastern Freight Lines was presented The Scotts Company “2014 Transportation Excellence Award.” The award is presented to the LTL carrier with outstanding performance metrics which include: • % On-time Delivery • Pick-up Arrival % • Pick-up Departure % • Appointment Date % • Delivery Arrival % • Delivery Departure % Southeastern Freight Lines is The Scotts Company’s largest LTL provider. Through October, we have handled 28,142 shipments for Scotts. Frank Dreischarf, Global Transportation Manager, sends his thanks to the entire Southeastern team. “Southeastern Freight Lines has been an excellent partner for Scotts. With industry-leading service, flexibility to our changing business needs, and excellent customer service, we value and appreciate everything that Southeastern does to support our business.” We are extremely grateful to receive the Scotts award again this year. Rest assured, our vision is to continue to provide the best LTL transportation service in the Sunbelt! H Fourth Quarter 2014 | 15 Training and Equipping for Success 22 Leaders Graduate Human Relations Seminar in South Houston By Ken Bazzell, Regional HR Manager “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” A dvancing our Culture by equipping leaders for success through training is one of the cornerstones of developing our I.Q. Leadership group at Southeastern. Proper human relations training supports our Game Plan for Success, helps our leaders improve associate interactions, and should lead to increased Belief, Alignment and Teamwork within our company. A major component in this leadership development is our 3-day Human Relations Seminar, which is conducted several times throughout the year. This year, the traditional format was altered to focus more specifically on the body of knowledge a Front Line Supervisor needs to properly engage our number one critical success factor — our people! South Houston hosted our last session of 2014 during the week of November 10th. Tobin Cassels always kicks off this event with his presentation of the 9 Principles of Good Human Relations, which “creates the environment” for the remainder of the week. Aren’t we grateful to work for an organization where the owner has so much passion for Valuing Each Other Completely that he personally teaches this message to our front line leaders! The group also receives instruction on several other topics, including I.Q. structure, proper Corrective Action, and Safety. Our leaders had a great time learning and interacting with each other and the presenters. Each morning the participants took tests which covered the previous day’s material. These test scores were used for both individual and group competition. Congratulations to Clay Meaux, (pronounced MO, if you’re not from Louisiana) Outbound Supervisor of Orange, Texas, for winning the VPC Award for best overall individual scores. Clay pulled a comefrom-behind victory in a contest that was not decided until the final test results were revealed. The winning HUMAN RELATIONS SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS’ TOP 5 SCORES Participant Location Title Average of All Tests Clay Meaux OTX Outbound Supervisor 97.88 Reshard Gresham JCK Inbound Supervisor 97.45 Kelly Brackeen TYR Operations Manager 96.85 Daniel Coburn TOK Inbound Supervisor 95.00 Jay Williams ABI Inbound Supervisor 94.43 16 | Southeastern Freight Lines VPC Winner South Houston: Clay Meaux (OTX) Winning Team South Houston: L-R: Dillon Wynn (FTW), Kelly Brackeen (TYR), Dean Parks (WAC), Jay Williams (ABI), Carlos Gonzalez (MCA), (Reshard Gresham, JCK, just wanted his picture in the Eagle Eye News since the race for the VPC award was so close and we obliged!) team with the best overall scores was also recognized and consisted of Dillon Wynn (Fort Worth), Carlos Gonzalez (McAllen), Kelly Brackeen (Tyler), Jay Williams (Abilene), and Dean Parks (Waco). While these folks received special recognition, it should be noted that all of the participants passed the seminar. Thanks to all of our graduates, presenters, and people behind-the-scenes who help make this a success. H Can you guess how many ACTIONs have been submitted since we started our Quality Improvement Process in 1985? One of the cornerstones of our Quality Improvement Process is the ACTION process. Thanks to Mike Nations our Service Center Manager in Savannah, ACTION stands for “A Chance to Identify Opportunities Now.” Can you guess how many ACTIONs have been submitted system-wide since we started our Quality Improvement Process in 1985? Be the first person to come closest to the actual number and win a prize! Email your best guess to [email protected] before January 31st, 2015.. H ** Limit 1 guess per associate please ** Fourth Quarter 2014 | 17 Quality in Action It’s Time to TAKE ACTION! By Dana Kaminer-Haulbrook, Quality Department Q uality doesn’t just happen and we don’t just find it. It requires action on our part. What does this entail? First, we all must have an attitude that thinks “Quality” at every stage in the process—in our jobs and when serving customers. In other words, we individually have a sincere desire to make every process error-free. The key is to stay focused on looking for opportunities for improvement and from time to time, ask the question, “why do we do it this way?” Here are three tips that can make it easier to capture those great ideas: 1.Write ideas down: Keep a small notepad to jot down ideas, waste, or problems we experience during the day. Since the best ideas often come when we’re hard at work (and don’t have time to immediately fill out an ACTION form), keeping a list will help ensure these great ideas are not forgotten after a busy workday. 2.Make time to address each opportunity. A problem not identified cannot be corrected. Therefore, it is so important that we take time to transfer the opportunities from our list to an ACTION form. Please don’t feel uneasy about filling out an ACTION form. We don’t want to miss out on a great idea, and for anyone who may feel unsure about communicating in writing, each service center has a local Quality Specialist that can help. The most valuable thing our associates can contribute is their input. Their solutions, recommendations, and identification of errors, are invaluable. The ACTION Process is the perfect vehicle for associates to share those great ideas to help us become more and more efficient. Opportunities for improvement include: • S omething that prevents us from serving EVERY customer Error-Free, •A n error that happens regularly (even if it is a ‘small’ one), •A nything that keeps us from doing our jobs efficiently 18 | Southeastern Freight Lines 3.Don’t overlook the small stuff! There are opportunities for improvement in every process and even those seemingly ‘little’ problems can amount to tremendous waste in our company. We will all benefit as we eliminate waste and strengthen our company. The companies with people willing to do this are the companies that will be strong a year or two, or five years, from now. When we all make Quality personal and take the time to identify opportunities for improvement, our company becomes stronger, which in turn contributes to the long-term security for each one of us. Please take advantage of the ACTION process and don’t let those great ideas get away! Exciting ACTION News By Evan Holmes, Quality Department S o have you ever thought, “I wrote an ACTION a few years ago, but can’t find my copy”? Or have you wanted to get a copy of a resolution? If so, we have great news! We have begun implementing a process of electronically filing ACTIONs for longterm retention, but also for times when they may be needed for a Quality Achiever recommendation, to follow-up on a resolution or program request, or just for curiosity’s sake. What you may not have known is that there are two different types of ACTIONs. We call them—simply enough—TYPE 1 and TYPE 2 (crazy, isn’t it?). The difference between the two is that TYPE 1 ACTIONs are opportunities that can be handled within the service center and are assigned to a local ART (ACTION Resolution Team). TYPE 2 ACTIONs are areas that fall outside the local service center’s control or may concern system-wide opportunities (all TYPE 2 ACTIONs come to the Support Center to be assigned an ART). Highlighting Outstanding ACTIONs A s you read this, our associates have submitted over 1,700 ACTIONs this year! We see so many great ideas and wanted to highlight a few that are OUTSTANDING: ACTION 077-140017, submitted by Eric Johnson, South Charlotte Fleet Services: Eric recognized a potential problem with the transmission cooler lines rubbing on the new 2015 Volvo tractors and submitted this ACTION, along with his suggestion on how to reroute the wires. By catching this early, we were able to correct the problem before a unit broke down on the highway, causing freight to be delayed and upsetting customers and our drivers. Additionally, thanks to Eric’s ACTION, Southeastern was able to claim nearly $6,000 in warranties on the repairs and parts, as about 200 units were affected! This also benefitted the manufacturer so they could correct the problem on the front end. We’ve been storing TYPE 2 ACTIONs electronically for several years and these are readily available once the ACTION is resolved and closed. However, TYPE 1 ACTIONs are closed at the service center by the local Quality Specialist and generally hard copies are kept on file for an average of three (3) years. Earlier this year, we began testing electronically filing TYPE 1 as well as TYPE 2 ACTIONs. With the help of 22 service centers, we have been able to preserve both TYPE 1 and TYPE 2 ACTIONs and the process has been a great success. It’s been easy, too! Once the local Quality Specialist closes the ACTION at the service center, they simply scan and e-mail a copy of the ACTION and resolution to the Quality Department, where it is filed numerically along with the service center’s TYPE 2 ACTIONs. Since it has been determined this will be an effortless way to maintain TYPE 1 ACTIONs electronically, the process will be implemented system-wide beginning January 1, 2015. I’m sure you will agree that this will be an excellent resource and we will all reap the benefits long-term. Eric Johnson, South Charlotte Fleet Services This was an outstanding ACTION that resulted in making our trucks safer and gaining a significant amount of warranty money due on these repairs. Great catch, Eric! Fourth Quarter 2014 | 19 Greg Parker, Debra Porubsky, Fayetteville Linehaul Driver Support Center Rate Specialist Greg Parker, Fayetteville Linehaul Driver: With ACTION 018-140005, Greg identified an opportunity to improve efficiency and save time for drivers using the scales on the Charlotte yard. Greg noticed that based on the location of the weight display, drivers had to get out of their truck when trying to get the weight for specific axles. While this might only take a few seconds for each driver, with hundreds of loads being dispatched out of Charlotte every night, it certainly adds up to a significant time savings. Since Greg’s ACTION, the display has been relocated, which has allowed our drivers to be more efficient as they no longer need to get out of the truck when checking the weights on their loads. Debra Porubsky, Support Center Rate Specialist: With ACTION 916-140006, Debra identified the need to include linear feet or length information in order to be able to rate correctly, especially on CubicCapacity corrections (avg. 20-30 each night) where the customer has these specific length guidelines. We’ve seen an increasing number of customers who have added length exceptions (i.e., shipment must take up 16 ft., 18 ft., etc.) to apply to their rules governing how we assess additional charges for this type of shipment. Without this information, the Rate Specialist either has to reject the correction (potential loss of additional revenue), estimate the length based on the number of pallets shipped (inaccurate and could result in the customer disputing the rate, thus more errors then corrections), or send it to an auditor who must call the contact at the terminal and get the length information to rate the pro. Resolving Debra’s ACTION was an easy fix that reaped BIG benefits for both internal and external customers. Today, W&I Inspectors include the length information with their corrections, which enables us to rate these bills correctly the first time with no additional steps or time required. Way-to-go, Debra! H Greg was recognized with a QWQ for this outstanding ACTION, where Coley Campbell (Regional VP) summed it up perfectly—“This minor adjustment has and will continue to save time for the drivers and also improve arrivals into destination.” Great job, Greg! 20 | Southeastern Freight Lines New Trailer Placement System By Braxton Vick, Sr. Vice President, Corporate Planning and Development F or over 20 years, Southeastern has had a process for placing trailers at the dock to reduce the travel distance from pickup trailer to loading trailer. The existing program simply computes the distances from every unloading door on the dock and compares it to the destination doors for the shipments contained on the trailer to be unloaded. The system then prints the best 10 unloading doors on the stripping manifest used to unload the freight from the trailer. Using this concept, we are able to reduce dock travel time and reduce our close-out times on the trailers, improving overall transit time for our customers. There are three major flaws with this system: (1) over time, our Dock Management System eliminated the need for a strip manifest since our dockworkers simply scan the bar code on the freight to move the shipments, so we no longer need a strip manifest, (2) when a dropped trailer is involved, we don’t know what is on the trailer so no projections can be made, and (3) it is difficult to communicate the optimum door location to the drivers as they arrive, since in many instances the optimum door for one trailer may also be the same for another. We needed a better mouse-trap! Within the next few weeks, we will be dropping in a new Trailer Placement System at a test service center which will revolutionize the way we optimize trailer placement. First, the new system uses an algorithm to calculate the optimum trailer unloading door, based on the contents of the trailer when our drivers indicate they are returning to the service center using their onboard computers. This computation is compared to other loads that are also enroute to the service center and places the results in a queue awaiting arrival of the loads. When a dropped trailer is involved, the system looks at the loading history of the shipper and calculates the volume and destinations based on that history. Secondly, when our drivers cross the “geofence” for the service center, the Trailer Placement System sends the driver the optimum door location to place the trailer, and changes the placement of other inbound loads accordingly to reduce traveling distances on the dock. The “geofence” is an imaginary “bulls-eye” around the latitude and longitude of a service center, which allows us to know when a tractor is inbound or outbound from the facility. We currently use this technology to capture the dispatch gate-times for our outbound linehaul units and arrive some 97% of our inbound units each night. The new system optimizes the best trailer position to reduce dockworker travel time during the unloading and loading process. It estimates the shipments and destinations of dropped shipments based on the shipper’s history. And it communicates the optimum dock position to the driver’s onboard computers so he knows exactly which door to use as he arrives at the service center. Using this system will revolutionize how we place trailers at our docks to reduce platform distance/time, improve closeout times to better meet our schedules, and improve the overall consistency of transit times we provide our customers. This is a great example of taking a good process and making it even better utilizing the latest in technology. Quality Without Question! H Fourth Quarter 2014 | 21 Southeastern Serves Thanksgiving in Roanoke By Clinton Wininger, Service Center Manager O ur team in Roanoke came up with the idea of providing a Thanksgiving meal to less fortunate families in the school system. We held a food drive and collected donations in our service area. Twenty-four associates participated including Dean Tidmore who is our road driver out of Charleston. Once the donations were assembled, we were able to build five complete Thanksgiving meals. Each meal included a 12-pound turkey, three side dishes, rolls, and a couple of 2-liter soft drinks. We then contacted five different schools in our service area to spread the outreach throughout our service area. We reached out to the principals of each school and they were very thankful for the help. One that stood out the most to me was the principal at West Salem Elementary. Mrs. Debbie Carroll said the mother of one of her 4th grade students was in her office just that morning. It was an emotional meeting when the mother broke and cried because her daughter was just released from the hospital. Unfortunately, they were so far behind on medical bills that they would not be able to afford a Thanksgiving meal or Christmas this year. 22 | Southeastern Freight Lines L-R: Clint Wininger, Joshua Wilson, Brenda Hardison, George Arrington, Butch Dodd Mrs. Carroll expressed that our phone call to her was an answer to prayer. In less than an hour after the mother left her office, she was able to contact her and thanks to our team was able to provide a Thanksgiving meal for her family. She was so grateful that we reached out to her school and was blown away by the timing. Thank you to our team in Roanoke. You’ll never know how much your generosity means to the families we were able to serve this Thanksgiving. H Southeastern Is Increasing the Matching Contribution to the Retirement Savings Program in January 2015! Don’t miss out— get the most out of your Southeastern Freight Lines Retirement Savings Program. Beginning in January 2015, Southeastern is making it even easier for you to save more for retirement by increasing the matching contribution from 50% of the first 4% of eligible pay you contribute to 50% of the first 6% you contribute. Of course, you have to contribute in order to receive the matching contribution! If you are contributing to the Southeastern Freight Lines Retirement Savings Program, you will automatically begin to receive the increased matching contribution on your contributions up to 6% of your eligible pay. If you are contributing at a rate less than 6% of your eligible pay, please consider increasing your contribution rate to 6% or more. And if you’re not participating in the Southeastern Freight Lines Retirement Savings Program, make sure you’re getting your full share of the matching contribution by enrolling today! To either enroll in the Southeastern Freight Lines Retirement Savings Program or to increase your contribution today, please: • Log in to the website at rps.troweprice.com. • Call T. Rowe Price at 1-800-223-4055. Representatives are available during business days from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. eastern time. q Effective January 1, 2015, BlueCross BlueShield of SC is the health plan administrator. Please be sure to show your new BCBS insurance card when you go to the doctor’s office, pharmacy, hospital, or other healthcare providers. Your BCBS card also will reflect any vision coverage you selected and should be shown at EyeMed providers. Please use your Delta Dental insurance card for any dental coverage. q Between January 1-31, 2015, eligible associates and spouses may complete a Personal Health Assessment (PHA) by logging on to My Health Toolkit at www.SouthCarolinaBlues.com. Eligible Co-Pay Plan participants will earn a reduction to their deductible, and CDHP and CDHP Max participants will earn an HSA contribution. The PHA collects information about your individual health behaviors and provides feedback to improve and maximize your personal health. Your information is confidential and will not be shared with Southeastern on an individual basis. Fourth Quarter 2014 | 23 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID COLUMBIA SC PERMIT 470 PO Box 1691 Columbia, SC 29202 Address Service Requested Eagle Eye News A publication for associates and friends of Southeastern Freight Lines Comments or material for possible inclusion in future issues should be directed to the Quality Department. Dropping in to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 24 | Southeastern Freight Lines
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