Tank
T aL K
UNITED PETROLEUM TRANSPORTS
2013 3rd QTR
N
Saluting Drivers During NTDAW
ational Truck Driver Appreciation Week
(NTDAW) is when America takes the time
to honor all professional truck drivers for
their hard work and commitment in tackling one of
our economy’s most demanding and important jobs.
Our drivers are among the 3.1 million professional men
and women who not only deliver goods safely, securely
and on time, but also keep our highways safe. A truck
driver plays an integral part of your day. Whether you
are picking up a gallon of milk from the local grocery
store or ordering a pair of shoes online, a truck driver
helped put that item in your hands.
This year’s observation was the week of
September 15th. Drivers received a commemorative
T-shirt and cap, and attended a cookout at their center.
UPT drivers know the number one priority, of course,
has to be safety. Ask any driver and they will confirm,
safety trumps all other concerns. So take a moment
to think about the incredible achievements of our
drivers and how they are keeping the roads safe and
the economy moving. NTDAW is a time to see beyond
the anonymous head in the cab window you spot daily
during your drive to work. It’s a time to appreciate the
great effort and care these warriors put into their jobs
both on and off the road.
Think safety, act safely and be safe!
EL Paso
(l-r) Michael Landry, David Price, Bruce Stein, Charlie Stein,
Curtis Henry , Venus Henry
Beaumont
Abilene
(seated L-R): Lizbeth & Jorge Jimenez, (standing L-R) Daniel
Andrade, Marta Manning, Oscar Lara, Joe Baca, baby Lia
Jimenez, Maria Velazco, Alfredo Alvarez & Armando San Miguel
Mr & Mrs. Dan Sims
These are just a few of the pictures submitted by our Center Managers
Tank Talk is a quarterly publication produced by United Petroleum Transports
Send announcements and articles to Shari Ardies at: Tank Talk 4312 S. Georgia Place Oklahoma City, OK 73129 or [email protected]
Chief Operating Officer
While every year offers opportunities to take on change, UPT took on its fair share in
2013. In addition to the TMW, TMT, and PeopleNet implementations, we also successfully
navigated the revised hours of service changes which began in July and we continued our
CSA focus. In an effort to grow and diversify our service offerings, we entered the DEF
market in several areas and we continued our expansion into the crude market. We also
increased our fleet by nearly 10% to provide our customers capacity in key markets to
support their needs. All of these changes require us to get out of our comfort zones
and learn new and different processes, while maintaining our focus on the day-to-day
basics. One of those daily basics for our professional drivers is performing thorough
cott unt
equipment inspections. I have noticed a reoccurring theme over my travels in the last 2
weeks involving pre-trips on three separate occasions.
First, while in Shreveport last week, I sat in on a safety meeting Joe Hill conducted. Joe did a great job of
addressing the basics of performing a proper pre and post-trip inspection. In addition, he stressed the communication
that must occur between the driver, fleet manager and the maintenance team. Great meeting, but I really enjoyed the
interaction and discussions afterwards between the drivers, technicians, staff and Joe. I believe that the success of a
safety meeting can be judged based on the number of people that continue to discuss the topic after the meeting is
over. The second event occurred yesterday in the Denver airport. During the course of five hours, the flight I was on
experienced 2 mechanicals and 3 plane changes. I have a simple rule about flying, I'm happy if the pilot is happy. The
good news is plane number 3 worked fine, but I was impressed by the pressure the pilot and mechanic must have felt
as they placed the 2nd plane out of service. While definitely the right to do, I was amazed by the negative comments
directed their way from the people standing at the gate. Did they want to fly on a faulty plane? While it is easy to say
"safety first," it is rarely the easy thing to do. The third event occurred today when I attended a carrier conference. I
smiled when the first topic their safety manager addressed in opening the meeting was their focus this year on proper
and effective equipment inspections. When he was through, he introduced two local DPS officers who also discussed
the number of violations and citations that could have been avoided with an effective pre-trip. The basics!
In the end, everyone needs to start every trip with an equipment inspection, and I do not simply mean our
professional drivers. Let's finish out the year by not allowing change to distract us from our focus on the basics.
Thanks for what you do and please make good choices so you can get home safely.
S
H
Maintenance
David Keegan
VP Maintenance
In September of 2013, a major trade magazine reported the use of DEF (Diesel
Exhaust Fluid) has passed the 10% level for on-highway trucks operating in the US and
that percentage is growing daily. DEF is an additive injected into the exhaust system of
most diesel powered trucks made since 2012. The basic concept is to treat the exhaust
system discharge using DEF to “clean” the final discharge from the tailpipe and meet
EPA emission standards. What is finally happening is the volume use of DEF has now
extended to retail “at the pump” sales. Since the volume has increased, UPT has expanded
our ability to deliver large quantities (bulk deliveries) to our customer base.
The past two months we have been building a fleet of trailers designed for dedicated
service to DEF. To date, we have four trailers operating across our system, two single
compartment units and two three compartment units. This allows us to make deliveries
2
Think Safety First
While typically I discuss key safety initiatives in this article each quarter, I thought
it might be a nice change to highlight our recruiting and retention efforts so far in 2013.
As most of you are aware, we hired David Withers as our Director of Recruiting and
Retention in January. Under David’s leadership, we’ve maintained a strong driver count
at or near 650 throughout the busiest time of the year. Although we remained strong in
the 3rd quarter, my hope is that we are able to retain each and every professional driver
currently on staff.
We are all aware of the difficulties in hiring professional drivers, but are you
aware that UPT would rather retain drivers versus hire? The time and effort involved in
selecting, interviewing, and training drivers far exceeds the cost associated with simply
keeping the drivers we currently have on staff. When we lose a driver to a competitor or VP Risk Managment
even another industry, it is imperative that we understand the root cause and work toward better employee stability.
To do this we will be focusing on a few key initiatives as we move into 2014. Some of these are:
- Partnering with the American Trucking Business Service (ATBS). ATBS is a professional tax and accounting consulting firm that helps Owner/Operators with their tax filings, bookkeeping needs, determining their break-even miles, creating fuel strategies and much more. This service is designed solely to help you increase your profitability.
- Exploring additional truck purchasing / leasing programs through a variety of vendors. These programs could provide full-service truck rental and leasing options to maximize ease-of-entry for new Owner/ Operators.
- Introducing a new driver retention survey designed to help UPT determine issues with pay, training, equipment, etc., for all new hires. The survey will tentatively begin in the 1st quarter of 2014.
In addition to the new programs listed above, we will also continue to
evaluate our driver bonus program, $500 recruiting bonus, and training programs
throughout 2014. I’m excited about the recruiting / retention efforts moving
into 2014. Thank you for all that you do on a daily basis and please have a
safe day. As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at
[email protected].
Robert Moore
to customers without having to meter quantities, print
delivery tickets, or make “milk run” style deliveries. Our
focus has been, and continues to be, large deliveries to
travel plazas or large fuel sites. Deliveries of 5,000 –
5,500 gallons are the goal. Operations in Arizona, South
Texas, and Central Texas are being increased to handle
our customer needs. The delivery process is not difficult,
same basic process of hose connection to a drop tank,
similar to the multiple delivers we make every day. The
product is non-hazardous, non-flammable and 69%
water. Drivers only need to confirm the proper delivery
tank prior to unloading. Generally, we see DEF delivery
connections separated by large distances from standard
fuel drops.
To insure a quality delivery to our customers,
we have incorporated specific hose design and specific
equipment on each of the trailers. The hoses are lined
with a material which does not allow the hose material to
transfer its characteristics to the product. The delivery
equipment is basically all stainless steel for the same
reasons. If you have any questions, feel free to contact
me at [email protected]
3
$afety = $uccess
$afety = $uccess Winners Receive $100 Visa Gift Card & 5000 Seamless Reward Points
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4
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5
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Oh baby
Avery
Professional
Driver Dino Yarbrough of
our Tulsa CSC is proud to
announce grand baby #7!
Joseph Cannon weighing
7.15 lbs was born Sept. 17,
2013 to Brand and Changa
Cannon.
Promotions
As crude opportunities have continued to grow in
Oklahoma we have recently made the strategic decision to
create a crude oil division. In July Ken Mantor, previously
the Operations Manager in the OKC CSC, assumed the
responsibilities of Director of Crude Services. BJ Kifer,
most recently the Operations Manager in our Tulsa CSC,
assumed the role of Operations Manager of Crude
Services, providing critical support to Ken and our crude
drivers and customers. Together they oversee this new
division, working closely with the necessary CSC’s to
ensure growth and safe execution.
Alongside these changes in our crude operation,
we are also very pleased to announce Mike Steward
has accepted the responsibility of Oklahoma City CSC
Manager. Mike has more than 30 years of service with
UPT, essentially having performed every role in operations
– from professional driver, to fleet manager, shop
supervisor, traveling operations assistant to Keith Price
and Harold Wall, and much more. Mike’s longstanding
commitment to customer service and loyalty to our
professional drivers will ensure long-term success for our
OKC CSC.
Avery Lee, born
May 16th, is the newest
family member for our
Professional Driver Scott
Lee out of DFW.
Joseph
“You Have To Always Dream”
Strong Christian beliefs instilled into the players of the Bossier City Little League All-Star baseball team are
credited by Coach Josh Howard as the reason for being the Little League Louisiana District 4 champions. “My feet have
never hit the Promised Land, but I got a rock that did, and there are too many things that have come about with this team for it not to be
a team of destiny,” said Howard, received a proclamation from Bossier City Mayor Lorenz Walker. The team chaplain
gave Howard and two of the other coaches the rock from Israel when the journey to the championship started.
The Bossier City Little League All-Stars are made
up of boys 12 and younger from Bossier City schools.
Though Hayden Travinski initially didn’t think his team
would make it to the regional playoffs, he kept his dreams
alive. “You have to always dream and just to go there would be
an experience I’d never forget,” he said. Dickie Travinski,
UPT Fleet Manager in Shreveport, was just one parent
celebrating her son’s accomplishment. She and other
parents stood around taking pictures and watching in
awe as the team was congratulated on its victory as state
champions. “I’m so proud of them,” she said. “They give up
birthday parties, their weekends and other events, so to see their
hard work and accomplishments pay is amazing.”
6
Bossier City mayor Lo Walker shakes hands with Peyton
Lewis and Hayden Travinski (right)
Welcome Aboard!
Joe Hill is the newest member
to join our Risk Management team.
Joe joined us on Monday, July
22nd, and assumed the role of
the Regional Safety Director for
the Central Region. Joe will office
out of the Shreveport CSC and will
be responsible for our Abilene,
Dallas/Ft. Worth, and
Shreveport locations.
Joe comes to us
from C&J Energy
Services where he
held the position
of DOT / Hazardous Materials Manager for the last three
years. In that role, Joe was responsible for all aspects
of driver compliance, training, and hazardous materials
management. Prior to joining C&J, Joe was a 12 year
veteran of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Joe
and his wife Missy have three children. If you haven’t
already, please welcome him to the UPT family!
In December of last year a new tradition was
inaugurated at UPT. At the direction of Greg Price, and
in honor of the charitable work of his father and our
founder, Keith Price, we officially established the UPT
Family Fund. The purpose of the Fund is to make an
impact in the communities in which we work and serve
each day at United Petroleum Transports. Our first
recipient was Prevent Blindness of Oklahoma, a charity
very special to Keith Price.
Each December the Fund will make a donation
on behalf of the entire UPT Family to a charity or
community non-profit organization, chosen amongst
those nominated by UPT associates. Each of you
has the opportunity to nominate an organization you
consider deserving of our appreciation and annual gift.
Please contact Matthew Price for more information on
nominating a non-profit organization. All nominations
are due to Matthew Price by Friday, October 25, 2013 to
be considered for this year’s annual gift.
A committee made up of professional drivers,
staff, and our executive team will assemble each fall and
review the nominations. Once the selection has been
made, we will make an official announcement and begin
to make preparations for a presentation with the chosen
charity or non-profit’s representatives in early December.
The UPT Family Fund is made possible by contributions
from the Price Family, UPT, and donations from UPT
Family members like you. If you desire to participate,
checks can be made out to the UPT Family Fund and
mailed to the attention of Kristi Murphey in our Oklahoma
City Accounts Payable office or you can setup automatic
payroll deductions through our HR department which
will go directly to the Fund and for the chosen charity or
non-profit.
Together we can and will
make a difference in the
lives and communities in
which we live and serve
each day. Giving back
is a legacy established
by Keith Price and
one which we are proud to
continue today and into the
future.
Drivers of the 3rd Quarter 2013
Lance Lynch – Shreveport, LA (Central Region)
John Thurmon – Tulsa, OK (Northern Region)
Peter Saenz – San Antonio, TX (Southern Region)
Bruce Heller – Phoenix, AZ (Western Region)
Happy Anniversary
20 Years
Tommy Johnson
Johhny Hall
Carl Andrew
15 Years
Mike Warburton
Ronald Surber
10 Years
Rod Lightner
Ken Mosely
Bill Davison
5 Years
Kaleb Robinson
Greg Simon
Glenn Goddard
Randall Welch
Jorge Soto
Hernan Osorio
Susan Goins
Juanita Murillo
Richard Levinson
Constantine Proto
Michael Richarson
7
U NS.
I TGeorgia
E D P E TPlace
R O L E Oklahoma
U M T R A NCity,
S P O OK
R T S73129
4312
Please be our Guest
to the
i
r
h
C
y
t
r
a
P
s
a
stm
y
n
mo
e
r
e
C
s
on December 7
d
r
a
w
A
&
Cocktail Reception ~ 5:30
Dinner ~ 6:30
Renaissance
Oklahoma
City
10 N Broadway Avenue
Photo Booth H Door Prizes H Entertainment
Please RSVP by November 22 to Shari Ardies at
[email protected] or call (405) 670-8923
Anyone can use the corporate discount with LaQuinta. Book online at lq.com and use “UPT” corporate code to obtain our discount.