A MESSAGE FROM JOHN CHRISTNER Hard to believe, but the holidays are upon us! We made it through the Thanksgiving holiday very smoothly, despite weather challenges in many parts of the country. We’re thankful for the incredible team of people we have throughout the year, but certainly Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to express it. Over 33 years JCT has grown into one of the most respected temperature controlled trucking companies in the country. The reputation JCT has in the industry is incredibly positive. We are thought of as an absolute leader in our sector. Our drivers, office staff and leadership are routinely
recognized nationally for excellence as is our company as a whole. Integrity, Dependability and Stewardship are not just superlatives here, they are words that describe what drives the effort every day behind the wheel, behind the desk and behind the toolboxes. Dedication, hard work and sacrifice lead to the rewards of being a part of the truly fantastic place we work at every day. Thank you for your dedication, your hard work and your sacrifice!
OUR EMPLOYEES EMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARIES 12/1
Jennifer Heisley, 5 years Tyler Preston, 5 years
12/2
Richard Ates, 6 years Kimberly Williams, 6 years
12/4
Nikki O’Dell, 10 years
12/5
Jesse Proctor, 7 years
12/7
Melody Lee, 1 year
Evanna Stites, 8 years 12/12 Lucy Hobbs, 3 years 12/15 Nick Vandivort, 2 years 12/16 Gina Haubert, 10 years 12/18 Carl Bickham, 4 years Kenneth Crider, 2 years Tracy Ross, 4 years Connie Sperry, 1 year 12/21 Lawrence McClammy, 1 year 12/29 Gunnar Crider, 2 years
EMPLOYEE BIRTHDAYS 12/2 12/3
Janie Loudermilk, CSR Floater Gerald Sunby, Refrigeration Repair Xadier Weeks, Logistics Support
12/4
Micah Harriman, Breakdown Operator
12/7
Darryl Christner, Owner - CFO Adam Peters, Fleet Manager
12/9
Jonathan Kleypas, Capacity Manager Kade Martin, Breakdown Operator
12/10 12/11
WHATEVER IT TAKES Melissa Bryan nominated Kallie Pierce for the December Whatever It Takes award Melissa said, “I want to nominate Kallie Pierce. Kallie is an amazing asset to JCT. She is hard working, bright, and determined. I have seen her persevere despite adversity, all with a smile on her face.” Kallie was presented with a trophy, a “Whatever It Takes” designated parking space in front of the building, and a $50 QuikTrip gas card. Kallie will also have the honor of naming next month’s WIT winner.
Trae Barnes I, Tire Technician Amye Alvarez, CS Night Operations Dustin Byrd, VP Account Management
12/15
James Grant, Director of Trailer Maintenance Michael Moews, Tractor Mechanic
12/16
Bethany Jones, Logistics Support
12/17
Joanne Hensley, Breakdown Operator
12/19
Jim Johnson, Tractor Mechanic
12/20
Jason Hall, Fleet Manager Zachary Norton, Maintenance Clerk
12/22 12/23
Andrew Copeland, Driver Leasing Coordinator Essai Adorno, Logistics Support Jean McGuire, Recruiting Manager Britny Thornbrugh, Recruiter
12/28
Gabriel Almanza, PM Technician
12/30
Sterling Slaven, Customer Service Rep
Yavgeni Ortiz, Logistics Support
Q3 DRIVER MANAGER OF THE QUARTER
OCTOBER DRIVER MANAGER OF THE MONTH
Josh Muskrat said, “Dependability and reliability are two
Tyler Preston said, “As a way to promote team work,
words that go hand in hand when describing the work Brian Stewart does in the driver manager department. Brian gives his best efforts each and every quarter for JCT but for Q3 he was able to separate himself from the rest. Brian had the lowest amount of terms for the quarter along with one of lowest number of service failures. Brian is an excellent advocate for his drivers, ensuring their needs are being met and that they are successful here at JCT! With all of the above stated, I am pleased to announce that Brian Stewart was awarded Driver Manager of the Quarter for Q3. Congratulations, Brian!”
friendly competition, and recognition we have decided to bring back the DM of the Month Award. For October it was a very close race between Tom and Scott Conrad. As a tie breaker, we went with the least amount of service failures and highest HT percentage between the two. Tom is a fine example of someone that puts in hard work daily, shows consistency, and advocates for his drivers to the best of his ability to ensure their profitability and success at JCT! Tom will be awarded with a “Snooze or Cruise Pass”, allowing him to pick a day and either leave out at noon for the day, or sleep in and work the second half. The DM Supervisors will also be taking Tom to lunch at a location of his choice. Congratulations, Tom!”
WELCOME TO JCT
Eliseo Chapa-Sierra
Matthew Young
Miguel Cruz
Mike Moews
Nokia Stith
Shelbe Hollingshad
Tyler Harding
Valentin Andalon
Brent Campbell
Trailer Technician
Tractor Mechanic
Night Dispatch
Rachelle Edgar AR Clerk
Tractor Mechanic
Recruiting
Tractor Mechanic
Tractor Mechanic
Recruiting
CS Operations
TYSON PREMIER CARRIER AWARD
Danny Christner stated, “Jeremy Fields and I had a good showing at the Tyson Carrier Conference in Springdale, AR. We heard from old and new leaders there who laid out the company’s exciting strategies for the next year, which includes NOT re-bidding their network in 2020. So glad to hear that! Instead they will spend that time and energy catching up with growth and level setting committed lanes that may be under-performing. As happens frequently, I got to accept an award for the excellent work that all of you and our drivers do daily for our most valuable accounts. JCT was one of 32 carriers in the >95% OTD Premier class which is always a good spot to be with your 2nd largest customer. However, they claim a 97%+ average, which shows you how competitive it is these days regarding service. We need as many weeks as we can >97% and avoid ones below 95%. It’s kind of crazy to think about what a fine line that is but it’s the world we work in. Thank you for all you do, and if you see anyway to maintain or improve our service results with Tyson, please do it, and pass it on!”
OUR DRIVERS
DRIVER BIRTHDAYS
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Keith Sally submitted a story about one of his drivers saying, “Dennis Didget, a top notch driver, stopped to help this person whose pickup was on fire before the fire department was able to arrive.” Dennis told Keith, “I was driving down AL157, north of Cullman, Alabama when I saw him on the side of road and the fire in the truck. I quickly stopped, took out the fire extinguisher, and put the fire out.”
12/1 12/2
12/3
Christopher Eubank
12/14 William Robles II
Mark Mayfield
Todd Rightley
Angela Shaw
Randy Boots
Reese Terry
Scott Zane
Arthur Cole
Gregory Johnson
Gerald Sunby
12/15 James Grant
Gerald Moore
Edward Belbin III
Jason Bray
Thomas Vance
Marlo Ming
12/16 Michael Stinnett
Marvin Dunn
12/17 Adam Mann
12/4
Kevin Johnson
12/5
Vincent Kellerman, Jr.
12/18 Jesse Smith
Rogelio Peralta
12/19 David Lemay
Kris Hupfer
Robert Kabrel
Pernell Scott
Jason Plyler
Althea Warner
Travis Marshall
Timothy Bell 12/6
12/8
12/9
Randell Owen
12/20 Robert Barish
Feliz Aguilar
Dennis Zorn
Lenard Dockter
Zachary Norton
Patrick Ferrier
Timothy Solsman
Danny Cockerham
12/21 German Guzman
Daniel Ramey
12/22 Johnny Ford
Joseph Hayes
12/23 Delphia Worley
Daniel Bailey
John Witsman
12/10 Deanna Dunn
12/25 Monty Hale
12/11 Shawni Campbell
12/26 Scott Lancaster
Jessica Dillon
12/27 Reynaldo Soto
12/12 Mary Sifuentes Jemal Turner
Daniel Schepis 12/28 Mark Nancarrow
Jeff Ashby Micheal Logwood
Darrel Blackburn 12/29 Charles Hockenberry
12/13 Tanya Ann Elwell
John Glover
Jesus Sanchez
Billy Smith
Brandon Amick Michael Williams
DRIVER ANNIVERSARIES 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARIES German Guzman, 12/3
FREE AND CLEAR
4 YEAR ANNIVERSARIES Wayne Simonson, 12/8
Delsin Hunt, 12/3
Jimmy Cunningham, 12/14
Emidio Brazil, 12/10
David Oliver, 12/28
James Mitchell, Jr., 12/10
Larry Miles, 12/29
Douglas Chen , 12/14 Danny Cockerham, 12/17 Sheldon Johnson, 12/17 Andre Thomas, 12/17 Alexander Zahel, 12/17
5 YEAR ANNIVERSARIES Nigel Marston, 12/4 Rodney Lloyd, 12/23 Kenneth James
Manuel Armenta, 12/31 Elmer Bard, 12/31
6 YEAR ANNIVERSARIES
Christian Carter, 12/31
John Minnie, 12/10
Brian Smith, 12/31
Melvin Phillips, 12/19
Tamara Smith, 12/31
Reynaldo Soto, 12/19
Sierra Stephens, 12/31
David Gipson, 12/27
Rodney Wilkinson, 12/31
George Whitaker, 12/31
2 YEAR ANNIVERSARIES
7 YEAR ANNIVERSARIES
Jamie Fury, 12/4 Joseph Potts,12/4 Bryon Stewart, 12/4
William Robles II, 12/12 Billy Weimer, 12/19
James Tolley, 12/18
9 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Daniel Hopkins, 12/19
Ken Cheung,12/8
Janet Mayfield, 12/27 Mark Mayfield, 12/27
Michael Bevans
10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Terry Center, 12/23
3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Cody Keith, 12/13
12 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Ernest Haefner, 12/14
Paula and Gary Sarchet
AROUND THE OFFICE
Cranberry Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip INGREDIENTS 12 oz fresh, uncooked cranberries 1/4 cup green onion 1-2 fresh jalapeño peppers 2 Tbsp. cilantro (optional) 3/4 to 1 Cup sugar (according to taste) 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1/8 tsp. salt 16 oz. cream cheese (whipped) INSTRUCTIONS 1. Use hand food chopper to chop cranberries. (This process is a bit time consuming, but it is best to not use a food processor to chop these as the cranberries liquefy too much.) 2. Chop green onion, jalapeño peppers and cilantro. 3. In a medium-sized bowl, add chopped cranberries, green onion, cilantro and jalapeños. 4. Add sugar, lemon juice and salt on top of cranberry mixture and stir gently until blended. 5. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. 6. Take cranberry mixture out of the refrigerator and stir all ingredients together. Strain out all liquid using a colander with small holes. 7. Whip softened cream cheese with hand mixer until smooth (about 2 minutes) and spread cream cheese over bottom of a pie plate or 9x9 dish. 8. Pour cranberry mixture atop cream cheese and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
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GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE Speakers generate a great amount of emotion and interest through the use of non-verbal communication, often called gestures or body language. A speaker’s body can be an effective tool for emphasizing and clarifying the words they use, while reinforcing their sincerity and enthusiasm. Here are a few tips on how to use gestures effectively: • Eye contact establishes an immediate bond with an audience, especially when a speaker focuses in on individual listeners rather than just gazing over the audience as a whole. • Control mannerisms. Mannerisms are the nervous expressions a speaker might not be aware of such as putting their hands in their pockets, nodding their head excessively, or using filler words like um and ah too often. • Put verbs in to action when speaking to an audience by physically acting them out with the hands, face or entire body. • Avoid insincere gestures by involving the entire body as much as possible in the movement and matching facial expressions to it. • Move around the stage as topics change and move toward the audience when asking questions, making critical connections, or offering a revelation. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT OUR NEXT MEETING ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6TH AT 2PM. For more info call or email Lucy Hobbs: Ext. 4104 hobl@johnchristner.com
We now have kennels and a fenced off area that drivers can use for their pets while at the yard.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3RD FROM 11AM-4PM CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT
LU N CH W E D N ES DAY D EC E M B ER 18 , 2 019 11:3 0 A M
JCT SAPULPA THANKSGIVING
JCT FORT WORTH THANKSGIVING
SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
Danny Christner (The Motor), John Wayne Christner (The Jet), Joey Ribbens (Jump’n Joey), Chris McClure (Stretch), and Marty Means (MeanStreak) participated in the Williams Route 66 Marathon.
Shay,her brother, and momma circa 1992.
Russell Watson and his wife, Twana.
Brenda Joice’s daughters, Tempest and Brooklyn, reuniting after not seeing each other since August.
Kellyville Ponies 3/4th grade little league football champions, undefeated season. Tj Todd #15 son of Tiffany Todd (driver settlements), Boone McGuire #50 son of Jean McGuire (recruiting manager) Bentlee Page #17 grandson of Betty Smoot (area 4&6 planner), Daniel Talamantes #3 son of Elisha Thornton (recruiting)
C O NTACT I N FORMAT I ON Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1900 Sapulpa, OK 74067 19007 W. Hwy. 33 Sapulpa, OK 74066 BCBSOK BCBSOK 800-672-2567 TrueNorth Driver Insurance 800-877-9637 ATBS/American Truck Business Services 888-640-4829 or www.atbs.com Driver Legal Driver’s Legal Plan 800-417-3552 JCT Wellness Jeff Ravenscroft 918-857-8600 Zurich OCC/ACC 866-280-4390 Reach out to JCT employees on Facebook, Twitter, phone, mail, or fax. Any input for next month’s newsletter is welcomed and appreciated. Please send to strk@johnchristner.com by Friday, December 27th.
STAY S OCI AL