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Get In Touch: 800-672-8498 |
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Get informed on the latest here at Pohl! |
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Driver Appreciation Week! |
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This week the nation celebrated Driver Appreciation Week. From reports on the news, articles online and deals at fuel stops, the nation celebrated our drivers.
I feel like we say it every year, and it rings true every time- drivers need to be celebrated every single day, not just once a week! People outside of trucking often do not realize that pretty much everything in their lives- from the food they eat, to the clothes they wear, to the cars they drive- at least one component was brought to them by a truck. At Pohl we are thankful for all of you daily! Thank you for all that you do, all the sacrifices, time away from family. Life on the road is definitely not easy!
To celebrate DAW here at Pohl Transportation, we held two daily gift card giveaways, snacks for anyone who was in the yard, and handed out tokens of appreciation. Many of you were unable to make it here this week, so be sure to ask us for your gift the next time you are here!
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As mentioned in last month's newsletter,
Pohl is scheduled for 11 new trucks to be built in October and 23 more trucks to be built in November.
This will be a straight addition of 34 truck to the fleet...which means we will be doing a major hiring blitz!
One of our best advertisements for potential driver is our amazing fleet of current drivers. If you see drivers out on the road, be sure to chat with them about Pohl Transportation. If they get hired in and put you down as a referral, you will get a $4,000 referral bonus! Perfect timing with Christmas right around the corner :)
Next time you are in the office, feel free to grab some of the referral cards we keep back in the driver room. And thank you for all that you do!
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A Note From the President
Pohl Transportation President Brian Pohl has posted his latest update on the company. Be sure to visit our website to view and hear a special announcement!
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New Drivers!
August brought in three new drivers here at Pohl Transportation. If you happen to see one of our new drivers out on the road or here at the shop, please be sure to tell them Welcome!
And remember-if YOU refer a driver, that is $4,000 coming your way!
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Have you downloaded the new Pohl App yet?
It is a great source for access to a directory (you will be able to call right from the list!), documents, a blog, the company store and more!
Simply go to the app store on your phone and search for the Pohl Transportation Driver App. You will need to create an account which will be sent to us for approval. This should be approved within 24 hours.
We recently did a contest for those who have signed up for the app. After spinning the wheel of names, we have a winner!
Congratulations to Chris Singleton, you have won a gift card to Pilot and Amazon.
We truly appreciate everyone’s feedback on the app. We will be taking your ideas and making changes to the app for a better convenience for you all. We hope you all enjoy using it, let us know if there is anything else you can think of!
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August 2022
Congratulations to Alex Harrison, truck number 716, for being recognized as our August 2022 Driver of the Month at Pohl Transportation!
Alex has been employed since 1-26-22. His MPG is 7.64 and his mileage variance is 2.6%.
Thank you, Alex for your professionalism and commitment to safe driving!
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Jim Bruner- Million Mile Safe Driver |
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Congratulations to Jim Bruner in 743 for achieving 1 Million Miles of Safe Driving!
We are fortunate to have you on our team and commend you for your excellence in safe driving.
Thank you for being an example to all professional drivers everywhere!
If you see Jim out on the road, please be sure to congratulate him!
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If you are not familiar, Pohl has a drop lot set up with the Hills Pet in Richmond.
It will be referred to as the Sanyo drop lot. If you do not happen to know where that is, here is the info:
Sanyo Drop Lot
1751 Sheridan ST
From Hills Wharehouse: Turn Left onto Salisbury, Turn Left onto Industries, Turn Right onto Union Pike.
It will be on the Left Hand Side.
From Hills Plant: Turn Left onto Industries, Turn Left onto Union Pike.
It will be on the left hand side.
Loaded trailers get dropped on the concrete pad at the North end of the West building, empty trailers get dropped on the gravel lot out of the way.
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We have recently started to get fined by Meijer for not using the kiosk on site to scan paperwork for dropped trailers!
It is imperative that if you are dropping a trailer at the Meijer in Tipp City, you scan the paperwork.
If you are unsure of how to do it, please call dispatch ASAP and we will walk you through it. Thank you!
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Please do not take your break on the sides of interstates or the on/off ramps.
Plan ahead & take breaks within your hours of service. If you do run out of hours and have to PC to a safe haven, make sure you follow regulations and go to the nearest, reasonable, safe place to obtain rest.
Don't forget- Pohl will reimburse parking up to $40 per week so turn in those receipts if you have to pay to secure a spot. Thank you, Angie
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Recently drivers have been hurt while cranking on the landing gear.
If trailer is dropped too high, too low, or too close to other trailers, please ask customer to send yard jockey out to assist in raising, lowering, or moving it out for you.
There is a 4 minute safety video titled Cranking Trailer Landing Gear you can watch on your SENTIX App or online at www.ititrains.com. The short video will give you tips on how to avoid injury.
You can also study the diagram below for great information.
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Am I the only one who blinked and summer was over and all the kiddos were back in school already?!?!? Ummm...hello, time please slow down.
I know you all already know this, just be sure that you are keeping a close eye on the kids, the buses, the moms and dads walking them to school or dropping them off in their cars (I know the pickup/drop off line in Versailles can get pretty darn ridiculous!).
Be ready for buses to stop out in the country...be ready for a kid to run after their ball that rolled into the road... be ready for the kid swerving on his bike while looking at their cell phone.
Expect the Unexpected.
You got this!
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The Art of Mindful Eating |
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Taking time to be mindful of your eating process and not
focusing on restricting calories could enhance your
awareness of the experience, improve your relationship
with food and help you lose weight. Mindful eating can be
an essential practice in today’s multitasking world.
Multitasking while eating can lead to less satisfaction with
your meals, less awareness of the food and, often,
overeating.
Mindful eating makes you fully aware of the eating
experience and your thoughts and feelings about food.
This concept encourages focusing on preparing and
consuming your food in a distraction-free environment. By
thinking about the food, you may become more aware of
the signals your body sends to your brain that indicate
satisfaction and fullness, which can help you improve your
general health and well-being.
Tips for Mindful Eating
Mindful eating may sound simple, but it takes practice.
Consider the following mindful eating tips:
• Evaluate your appetite and continue to assess
while eating.
• Start with small portions to help respect your
hunger and satiety cues.
• Engage your senses while eating, noticing what
you see, smell, feel, taste and hear.
• Eliminate distractions as they can fuel a negative
relationship with food or lead to overeating or
emotional eating.
• Chew your food more, allowing additional time for
digestion and recognizing your body’s cues.
• Don’t skip meals since it can increase your risk of
extreme hunger, often leading to quick and
unhealthy food choices.
You can start small by attempting the practice once a
week—for example, establish a “Mindful Monday.”
Contact a registered dietitian if you need additional help or
guidance with mindful eating or general eating habits.
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Safety Reward Drawing!
Congratulations to Randy Blackburn who won the Safety Reward gift card drawing for August!
September's Safety Video is Driver Distractions and has been assigned to the fleet. Reminder that you must watch 12 videos per year to be eligible for your safety bonus. Safety Videos can be accessed thru the SENTIX APP on your smart device or online at www.ititrains.com, Company ID is 700064.
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Randy Blackburn, August's Winner |
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August Safety Bonus Recipients |
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Drivers With Clean Roadside Inspections for August 2022
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$100 for a clean roadside inspection! Thanks!
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Anniversaries and Birthdays |
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Brad Gay
Mike Allen
JD Lundy
Chris Smith
Cody Garner
Mike Staffan
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Bill DeWitt
Brad Gay
Johnny Joseph
Herbie Midkiff
Kim Minus
Matt Niccum
Charles Ratcliffe
Steve Rigdon
Steve Sharrard
Danny Spradlin
Joe Stith
Steve Tackett
Frank Thacker
Thomas Wallen
Joe Wilson
Dan Borchers
Steve Wilker
Aliya Barga
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Kohls in Winchester, VA and Hills in York, PA are currently infested with Spotted Lanternflies.
Please keep windows up and do thorough inspections of trailers looking for egg masses.
They do not bite or sting, and it is ok to kill them. They are devastating and we do not want to transport them into other locations. For more info please watch ProTread/SENTIX Video on Spotted Lanternflies
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Split Pedal/Idle Shutdown |
As you are all aware, due to rising fuel costs, Pohl Transportation is implementing a split pedal/idle shut down policy.
The split pedal will have a top speed on the pedal at 65 and the top speed of the cruise at 68.
Any driver with a year to date (YTD) MPG 7.5 or greater will NOT have the split pedal applied to their truck. For anyone below 7.5 YTD MPG, a fresh/new MPG calculation started on 07/11/22 . This way everyone can strive to reach a 7.5 MPG average and have the split pedal deactivated.
Due to regulatory and geopolitical pressures, diesel prices will not drop significantly for the next few years. Due to this, an additional program Pohl is starting is an idle shutdown after 3 minutes of idling when the temperature is between 20 degrees and 60 degrees. The Espar heater should be used to heat the truck between the 20 to 60 degree parameters, and outside this parameter the truck will idle so the heater and A/C can be used.
Again- if the outside temperature is above 60, you can idle. If the temperature is below 20, you can idle. If you are cooking something and need longer than three minutes, the timer can be reset by hitting the brake or throttle.
Drivers' MPG's will be posted in the Drivers’ Room and drivers can call the office to inquire about their MPG. A video with further details is posted on the website and on the app. You can also get the guidelines on this either on the website or the app. A copy has also been emailed to you and another put in your mailbox here at the yard.
We cannot thank you enough for your efforts to increase MPG and lower fuel costs. We have been in business 31 years, and try to make the best decisions so we can to be here for another 30. Brian Pohl
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11 Tips to Improve your MPG |
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- Watch your Speed- A simplified rule of thumb is every mile per hour driven over 60mph reduces fuel economy by one-tenth of a mile per gallon.
- Drive at a Constant Speed- When you accelerate, you burn more fuel. Continually slowing down and speeding up is an inefficient way to drive.
- Find the Engine's Sweet Spot- the sweet spot is the most efficient RPM at which to run the engine. Running your engine in its sweet spot requires that you drive at a constant speed that is usually slower.
- Avoid Harsh Braking- Every time you touch the brake pedal, you lose energy. Two of the best ways to reduce braking are to anticipate changes in the traffic and follow at an extended distance.
- Accelerate Smoothly- Fast, hard acceleration wastes fuel and is hard on the engine. Try to anticipate acceleration points so you can use the appropriate amount of acceleration for the situation.
- Check Tire Inflation Pressure- Underinflated tires result in decreased fuel efficiency and increased tire wear. A 0.5-1.0 % increase in fuel consumption is seen in vehicles running with tires underinflated by 10 psi.
- Check Condition of Aerodynamic Devices- Make sure all aerodynamic device are in good condition with no dents, rips, tear or dangling parts. Minimize the tractor-to-trailer gap.
- Use Cruise Control- Cruise control helps maintain a consistent speed and avoid unnecessary accelerations and decelerations. Adaptive cruise is even better.
- Minimize Idling- a 10% reduction in idling is worth about 1% in fuel economy. Drivers are a vital part of successful management of idle times. Use a windshield curtain or solar reflector to keep heat loading out of the cab.
- Watch your Interval- Keep the appropriate amount of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you based on speed and road conditions. This helps eliminate harsh braking.
- Optimize Routing- Take the shortest and quickest reasonable route with the least stops to your destination. Plan to avoid rush hour.
Again- thank you for all that you do!
Provided by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency
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How Much Does the rising fuel costs REALLY affect the company?? |
Lots of information and data can be thrown your way on just how significantly the rising fuel prices has already affected the company.
I think the below information exemplifies it best:
In January, for one week of fuel at Loves, our invoice was around $63,000.
In June, for one week of fuel at Loves, our invoice was around $143,000.
Almost triple the amount.
Yes, we do get a Fuel Surcharge from some of our customers, but that does not cover brokers- out of route miles-deadhead miles- miles to get drivers home on the weekend or through the week for appointments.
Every little bit we can do to save on this greatly benefits the overall picture. Again, we can't thank you enough for your help and support with this.
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Anthem Pharmacy Info
Did you know that Anthem has a Rx Choice Tiered Network? Basically, Anthem has two tiers of pharmacy networks that they prefer you to fill your script at. Filling within these tiers means you will be saving money.
**If you decide to go to a non-preferred pharmacy, you will see an increase, sometimes significant, in the cost you will have to pay out.**
Level One - these are the preferred pharmacies, with more than 25,000 locations across the country:
- CVS
- Target
- Costco
- Giant Eagle
- Kroger
- Meijer
- Walmart
- Sam's Club
Level Two- you will pay a little more at Level 2; there are around 40,000 of these across the country:
If you use these preferred pharmacies and still feel the cost is too high, check out goodRx. GoodRx is a website with coupons for prescriptions, sometimes up to 80% off the price. For more information on that, click here.
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All drivers- we continue to see the PNet malfunctioning with the 70 hour cycle duty clock freezing. To combat this known issue, please SIGN OUT & BACK INTO ELD DAILY -or- GO TO OPTIONS & REQUEST LOGS DAILY.
All drivers also have access to their logs online in the Driver Portal. This is a good resource to double check that your ELD is showing valid HOS and can be found at www.pfmlogin.com - Don't get caught driving in violation. It is very imperative when running on re-caps to sign out and back in daily because that is when major log violations are popping up and are unknown to the driver.
Please call Angie x214 or Cheryl x217 with any log questions or advice.
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Pohl Transportation Driver Group on Facebook! |
Pohl Transportation started a Driver Group on Facebook. Our hope is to bring Pohl drivers together to share thoughts, ideas, pictures, etc. If you haven't already, please be sure to join the group!
Please note that for now, this page will be for current drivers only.
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Now that we have made the switch to Anthem, be sure to delete out any UHC app you might have and download the Anthem App. Oddly enough, their app is called Sydney?
Once you download the app, you will have to have your Member ID handy so that you can register.
Once you have registered and are able to access the app, you will be able to view all of the information that is on the website. You can even pull up your id card!
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Pilot Flying J announced a new enhanced app and loyalty program, myRewards Plus. Available to be used at every stop in the Pilot/Flying J Fuel Network, the new app brings together the features of the Pilot Flying J app and the myRewards card to create an improved digital loyalty program that rewards drivers with more when they join the app.
With the new app, earning up to four points per gallon is here to stay. Drivers simply push "activate" each month to start earning more with the tiered points program. Drivers can also save time using the app with convenient features like mobile fueling, shower and park reservations and receipt sharing.
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Apps that Make your Job Easier! |
APPS To Make Your Job Easier!
Trucker Path
PeopleNet Connected Driver
PrePass Motion
Anthem - Sydney Health
Loves Connect App
Loves Mobile Pay
Pilot/Flying J- myRewards Plus
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Pro Tread Instructional Technologies |
Drivers are required to participate in the computer-based safety training program. This is a requirement regardless of your safety bonus status. Drivers must view 3 modules per quarter (3 within every 3 months) of your yearly bonus period for a total of 12 to earn the Safety Bonus (along with the other required criteria).
Additionally, 1 video is required per month as part of the criteria to be eligible for the Safety Rewards Program. All modules are available on the computers dedicated to Pro-Tread at the office and in the shop break-room or on your mobile device or computer at home.
You can access training modules from the link below! If using your mobile device please consider downloading the Sentix App from either the Apple or Google Play App Store.
-Enter your User ID
-Enter our site ID (700064)
**Reminder- User ID is first 3 letters of last name, first initial, middle initial. Example: Joe B Trainer is TRAJB
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9297 McGreevey Road
P. O. Box 334
Versailles, OH 45380
1-800-672-9317
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