Spotlight on Safety--Rearend collision avoidance

Urban Areas

Urban areas are considered cities with more than 50,000 in population.  Seventy five percent of us live in an urban area.  Most severe crashes involving fatalities are likely to happen in rural areas; yet the majority of non-fatality injuries, pedestrian deaths and property damage collisions occur in urban areas. 

The 5 most common types of urban accidents: 

1.     Running red light, stop signs and yield signs
 

2.     Vehicle had stopped or was in process of stopping and was rear ended (FMS has had 8 such events in the past 4 months)

3.     Running off the road and striking an object

4.     Swerving into an occupied lane

5.     Turning left and colliding with an oncoming vehicle

Half of all urban accidents happen at intersections.  Of those collisions, 52% are at intersections controlled by traffic signals and 21% are intersections equipped with stop signs. Easy ways to build a space cushion – stop a couple car lengths (15 to 20 feet) behind the vehicle ahead of you. When the light changes to green; hesitate 2 seconds after the vehicle ahead of you moves forward. This automatically builds a space cushion and helps prepare you to handle any stop and go traffic at the intersection.

J.B. Hunt on the recruiting trail

 

You may or may not know, but J.B. Hunt is always on the lookout for talent!  The photo with this article was taken on July 28^th in a Naval Flight hanger at Ft. Dix, NJ attending the Hire Our Heroes (HOH) Career Fair hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  At this career fair we spoke to candidates about ALL of the opportunities we had available from driving, office, and maintenance.  Hire our Heroes career fairs are put on for service members, and veterans to find employment after they have served (they plan to host over 1400 events nationwide in 2014) is just one of the many opportunities we use to find great people!  As we get closer to the fall we have put together a college recruiting schedule of institutions and career fairs we plan on attending and or speaking at.  This is a great opportunity for you to get out of the office, and help us bring more great people to our company.  We regularly attend classrooms, and speak to students about the transportation industry, and are represented at general career fairs throughout the country.  If you think this is something you might want to help out with or are alumni of one of these schools, even better!  Be sure to check with your chain of command, but we always welcome those who would like to participate and spread their experiences with those who want a future with JBH!  Below is our current fall college recruiting schedule for 2014, and a link to Hire Our Heroes list of events.  Matt Kaczynski – NE Regional Human Resource Manager

http://www.uschamberfoundation.org/events/hiringfairs -  Hire Our Heroes

Penn State Supply Chain Career Fair (State College Campus) September 11^th (1100-1600)

Rutgers University Mega Fair! (North Brunswick, NJ) September 12^th (1200-1700)

Rutgers School of Business Meet and Greet (North Brunswick, NJ) September 17^th (1200-1600)

UMass Amherst Isenberg Career Day 2014 (Amherst, MA) September 23^rd (1100-1600)

Morgan State University Career Fair (Bowie, MD) October 8^th, 2014

University of Maryland Supply Chain Career Fair (College Park, MD) October 10^th (1000-1500)

Shippensburg College Career Fair (Shippensburg, PA) October 27^th (TBD)

York College Transportation Management Class Room Session (York, PA) October 27th (All Day)

University of Rhode Island Career Fair (Providence, RI) November 20^th (1100-1400)

GE in talks to sell appliance business

General Electric Co. (GE)’s home appliance business has drawn interest from Sweden’s Electrolux (ELUXB) AB and Quirky Inc., a consumer-product development startup, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

The companies are in talks to buy the century-old unit that GE recently decided to try again to sell as Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt focuses on industrial operations, said the people, who asked not to be identified because details are private. Quirky would team up with private-equity firms to acquire a majority stake, leaving GE with a minority holding, the people said.

The appliance division may fetch about $2 billion in a sale, the people said. There’s no guarantee that the discussions will lead to an agreement, they said.

Quirky, which builds products based on ideas submitted by a community of online users, counts Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE among its financial backers after the manufacturer made a $30 million investment in November.

GE also opened up thousands of patents to New York-based Quirky when they formed a partnership last year to develop a line of smart-home devices, including an air conditioner controlled by smartphones. Electrolux is No. 2 in U.S. sales of appliances such as dishwashers, cooktops and refrigerators, behind Whirlpool Corp., according to research service Statista. GE ranked third by market share, Statista’s data show.

See the full article at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-13/ge-appliances-said-to-draw-electrolux-quirky-as-suitors.html

Chuck's Corner....Advice from our efficiency expert.

TRAFFIC JAMS ARE EXPENSIVE!!!!

I don’t know many people who enjoy sitting in traffic.  We are either anxious to get to work, or to get home after a long day.  Why is it that we can develop a tolerance for unnecessary traffic on our loading docks?  The “conventional wisdom” is that if we throw more labor at a problem, it gets done more quickly.  Not so!  Take a look at the picture below.  How utilized would you guess this labor team is?  50%?  40%?

Rule of thumb:  Keep a load team to 2 to 3 people per door.  In an RDC, if you assign 4 or more to the Load Team, load multiple doors simultaneously.

Injury Prevention--Speed Kills by Lee Sarratt

When you hear the expression "Speed Kills", What first comes to your mind? If you are like most people who work in our industry, you will more than likely think of vehicular accidents, running a red light, etc. I encourage you to keep that mentality at all times while driving a CMV or your personal vehicle. I would also like you to think of that expression when you are making a delivery, handling product on a dolly, going up and down stairs, etc.

Our most important asset (our drivers/installers) are being injured far too frequently. In many, if not most cases, we find it could have been prevented if the work being done was simply done so at a slower pace. When you find yourself handling product in the truck or on the lift gate, take a deep breath, analysis your surroundings first, then begin moving the product in the proper manner. I challenge each and every employee to do this for 21 continuos days and at every delivery. Behavior science shows us that it takes 21 repetitive days to create a "HABIT". If the greatest opportunity for injury is when handling product, What greater way to reduce, if not eliminate that risk than developing the habit of performing that activity slowly and safely? You will be asked to participate in training regarding this issue in the near future. Your opinions, concern and input will be greatly appreciated. We feel we have the strongest and most hard working employees in the network. Please help us and making you the safest as well.

 

Lee Sarratt

Director of Safety

Final Mile Services Region Driver of the Month - June 2014--Christian Mena

After reviewing several outstanding nominations, I am pleased to announce that Christian Mena has earned the honor of our Final Mile Services Region Driver of the Month for June. Christian has consistently delivered exceptional customer service, safety and productivity results.  Please join me in congratulating Christian on this well earned accomplishment! 

Region Driver of the Month - $500 cash
Christian Mena
Final Mile Services Edison, NJ

 

Christian is a newer driver to our region, but has immediately stepped up to become one of the best drivers in the fleet.  He receives 2-3 positive surveys a week and is frequently requested by customers for repeat deliveries.  His productivity numbers are consistently strong and he puts in long hours to ensure every customer receives their product with excellent service. 

Christian recently ran our “swash” route, going to six very big and important bloggers for new Whirlpool product.  He did everything without a hitch, receiving no complaints or poor feedback.  To the contrary, we received positive feedback from the Bloomingdale's stores and the “Swash” representatives who were on the route with him.  This is an important product rollout for Whirlpool and Chris was an integral part of making it successful.   

Great customer service, attitude and utilization are just a few of the reasons why Christian was nominated by the Edison LDC this month.

 

Other Outstanding Nominees: $200 cash

Mark Wilson @ Final Mile Chicago, IL (FMS C)

Everardo Cervantes @ Final Mile Santa Fe Springs, CA (FMS W)

Arnold Whipple @ Final Mile Garden City, GA  (FMS S)

Appliance Connection--"Save the Sale"

The list of Final Mile personnel that have received (or soon will be receiving) a $10 gift card for being involved with a successful “Save the Sale” for Appliances Connection is near 400 and grows daily!  It's encouraging to have such success with a program like this because “Save the Sale” truly benefits everyone involved!  It may not always seem so when a flawed product is first revealed but the end result can be a fantastic win for all – for the customer, for JB Hunt, and for Appliances Connection.

Some, but not all, of the positive benefits for the customer may include 1) an immediate markdown on a product that can be a significant savings for their purchase, 2) free replacement parts and free repair service for affected areas of the item in question, and 3) extended warranties on the product so that if there are additional issues or issues that cannot be resolved later, the item can be replaced free to the customer.

For JB Hunt, some of the positive benefits of “Save the Sale” include 1) being able to recognize and reward personnel for their involvement and additional effort to save sales on behalf of the customer and our client, 2) not having to handle, move, grade, repackage, prep, and administratively manage return product and reverse logistics and 3) not exposing the LDC to costly damage product claims or loss of revenue due to not attempting to save the sale.

And finally, for our client, Appliances Connection, some of their positive benefits include 1) avoiding the large expense of returning flawed product to their warehouse (and avoiding the additional damage that can occur in that return process), 2) not having to try grade, warehouse, and eventually try to sell flawed product to a second channel sales agent, and 3) not having to create and manage damage claims sent to JB Hunt.

In short, this truly is a very positive program for everyone involved!  Including (and especially) the customer and us!  Once again, thank you to the hundreds who have been involved with a successful “Save the Sale” in the past and thank you to those who work hard to save future sales.  It’s a pleasure to be able to thank and recognize so many people with gift cards on a program that’s a win for everyone involved!