I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you have experienced with the Peterbilt Paccar MX-13 engine, particularly regarding the injector and fuel delivery issues.
We are currently facing some serious mechanical issues with the Peterbilt Paccar MX 13 engines, which have resulted in costly and challenging recalls. Please rest assured that we are working diligently with Peterbilt to address these issues and ensure that these engines are fixed promptly and effectively.
We understand your Truck’s critical role in your daily livelihood and are genuinely sorry for these disruptions. Please rest assured that we are fully committed to resolving these issues as swiftly as possible.
Your patience and understanding during this time mean a great deal to us. We are here to support you and will keep you updated on our progress every step of the way. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me, Jeff Turner X.1277, or Howard Brown X.1263.
Thank you for your continued trust in Kennesaw. We are determined to stand strong and resolve these issues to your satisfaction.
All my Best,
Kelly Patrick President/CEO
COMPANY CULTURE
PHOTOS SENT IN BY YOU!
Training Program
Exciting Announcement: Our training program is expanding! We all began our journeys at some point, so we encourage you to share your experience and knowledge with the future of our industry. For more information on how to become a certified trainer, please call Tommy Thomas in Safety at Extension 1207.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving doesn’t just include texting or reading something on your phone. It includes anything that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, or your mind off of driving.
Here are a few tips to help avoid distraction:
Turn off all unnecessary devices - Put any personal smartphones or electronics away. Turn them off or set them to silent or do not disturb mode while driving. Plan ahead - Always conduct a proper pre-trip and post-trip prior to heading out and know your route.
Keep your eyes on the road - Don’t let eye-catching billboards, buildings, landscapes, or others steal your attention away from the road. Driver defensively - Look out for other drivers, know your surroundings, and always keep yourself out!
Get your head in the game- Always stay mentally focused on driving!
Moving Violations
Per FMCSA regulations, drivers must report ALL moving violations to their employer, whether it be in a CMV or your personal vehicle. Please ensure violations are turned in to Safety within 24-48 hours of the violation.
There are several ways to send in a copy of your violation: In-person to the Safety Department
Email a CLEAR photo to safety@kennesawtrans.com Thisincludesmovingviolationsinanymotorvehicle,CMV,andpersonalvehicles.
May 13-15, 2025
The importance of proper tire maintenance cannot be overstated. Tire failure while in transit is a hazard to all motorists. It causes significant delays and is far more expensive for motor carriers to repair.
During the tire inspection of a commercial motor vehicle, the inspector will look for:
Low tread depth
Audible air leaks
Flat tires
Belt material or casing ply exposed in the tread or sidewall
Tread or sidewall separation
Bulges in the sidewall
Improper repairs, such as rubber-coated plugs in the sidewall
Items lodged between dual tires
Hours-of-service regulations are in place to limit driving hours and mandate rest breaks to prevent commercial motor vehicle drivers from operating vehicles while fatigued. However, those regulations are only useful when drivers accurately reflect their times and duty statuses in their RODS.
While checking a driver’s RODS for hours-ofservice compliance, inspectors will also check for:
Electronic logging device tampering, including driving while not logged in, disconnected devices and improper edits
Ghost drivers (claiming a co-driver when there is no co-driver present)
Improper use of the personal conveyance special driving category
Improper use of other exceptions, including adverse driving conditions
Recording off-duty time while performing work for a motor carrier or non-motor carrier
Inspectors are available to answer questions about tire maintenance and violations, and to help drivers and motor carriers navigate the hours-of-serviceregulationsintheirjurisdictions.
International Roadcheck will focus on tires and false records of duty status (RODS).
OPERATIONS
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR OPERATIONS TEAM
Produce Pickup Transition
We are nearing transition season out west for produce. Each year, the locations of our pickups move between CA and AZ. Beginning in the next few weeks, fewer loads will be picked up out of Yuma. Our pickup locations will start to move back into CA, starting with Huron and then up into the Salinas region by mid-April. Please be sure to watch your dispatches carefully as our customers make some of these changes at the very last minute, depending on harvest. We may also experience longer wait times for loading during this transition.
Communication
We are here to serve you. To take the best care of you, we ask that you help us handle the bulk of your needs by phone or messaging directly with your fleet manager between 8 am and 5 pm EST. Overall, the fleet managers are in the office during this time. The total number of personnel in the office becomes very limited after 5 pm EST. This does NOT mean that you should not call in after hours if you have an emergency or breakdown-related issue. Please continue to reach out ASAP with those matters.
Transit & Repower
If you are having any challenges with your HOS, not feeling well, running into weather, etc., that will impact your transit, please communicate that info quickly to dispatch. In most cases, we can repower your load to meet our customer needs and provide you with a better solution until you are able to move again.
Cardinal Form Renewals
Cardinal form renewals are starting up monthly for 2025. Please watch for an updated email from Tenstreet so you can sign your form digitally. We will give you a heads-up as those come up monthly for renewal.
RECRUITING
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR RECRUITING TEAM
Take Our Survey
We would like to remind all our dedicated drivers at Kennesaw Transportation about the importance of participating in our recent survey. This is a valuable opportunity for you to share your thoughts, address any concerns, and help us improve our operations.
If you have not yet received the survey link, please contact our recruiting department, and we will be happy to send it to you via email or text. Additionally, if you need assistance or access to a computer, feel free to visit the recruiting department, where you can use one of our computers or receive help from our team in completing the survey.
Your feedback is crucial, and we greatly appreciate your time and input!
MAINTENANCE
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR MAINTENANCE TEAM
Violations
We are seeing an increase in inspections of vehicle maintenance-related violations that include but are not limited to tires with low tread or air pressure, brake-related violations, and lights. Each of these is directly connected to performing a proper pre- and post-trip inspection and doing a walk around any time you stop within your trip.
Please make sure you are performing a thorough Pre and Post trip. Please be mindful and pay attention to anything that could potentially be a violation during an inspection. Are all of your lights working? Are the tires inflated? How do the brakes look? If you find anything that needs immediate attention call breakdown ASAP! Do not rely on someone seeing the DVIR immediately. Remember, we cannot fix it if we do not know about it!
Shop Documentation & Truck Maintenance
It’s extremely important that you fill out a shop document for any work that needs to be done on your truck when it comes into the yard. This is the only way our technicians know what issues need attention.
The shop foreman reviews the yard every morning, prioritizing the day’s work based on what you’ve reported. If you don’t document the issues, it delays repairs and affects the efficiency of our entire operation.
Please make it a habit to note any necessary repairs or maintenance clearly on a shop document before leaving the truck in the yard. Your cooperation helps us keep everything running smoothly and ensures your truck is ready for the next trip. Thank you for your attention and understanding.
Team, as the industry changes and Emission requirements are getting more strict we are required to summit emission based testing on every truck in ourfleet.
What does this mean for the company and you as a driver?
Each truck is required to be tested 2 times a year currently and 4 times a year in 2027
Trucks must go through what is called a warm-up cycle continuously (see below for description)
You will be required to shut the truck off when reasonable, e.g., when getting unloaded, when taking a break at a truck stop, during a reset here on the yard, or on the road, etc...
You will be required to bring the truck to the yard for testing.
What is a Warm Up Cycle?
By CARB’s definition, a warm-up cycle is an increase in coolant temperature of 40 deg with a minimum temperature of 140 deg.
As a driver, your truck will most likely be at a standard operating temperature of 190 deg to 210 deg, depending on the ambient temperature outside. With the truck at standard operating temp, you would need to shut the truck off until the temperature drops to 145 deg. Then, you can start the truck back up.
What do you need to do as a driver?
As a driver, you will be asked/required to shut the truck off and let the coolant temp drop to the required temp (145 deg if the truck is at 190 deg+) to qualify as a “Warmup Cycle.” There is no set amount of times this will have to be done. This is a new industry standard for companies running into California and will have to be done from this day forward.
Your Fleet Manager and Maintenance department will monitor this and reachouttoyouasadriverregardingyourrequirementsandcompliance.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. We greatly appreciate your understanding and help!
AROUND THE OFFICE
UPCOMING EVENTS, SPOTLIGHTS, & MORE!
Employee Benefits *Open Enrollment*
We are excited to announce that Open Enrollment for our employee benefits program will take place in May 2025. All changes will be effective 6/1/2025. This is your opportunity to review and make important decisions about your benefits for the upcoming year. Actual dates will be forthcoming. In the meantime, please consider reviewing your current benefit elections. Consider your health, financial goals, and family situation for the upcoming year. Our HR team will be available to answer your questions and guide you through the process. Stay tuned for detailed information.
Reminder: Open enrollment is your time to make benefit changes, such as adding or dropping dependents. You will not be able to do so unless you have a qualifying event throughout the year.
What Drives You
Welcome to the world, little Maebel Lynn Straughn! Please help us congratulate Savannah on the arrival of her daughter now that she has returned to the office. Maebel was born on December 12, 2024, weighing 7 lbs 15 oz.
Do Not Disturb
We respect your privacy and understand the importance of getting a good night’s sleep! Therefore, we encourage you to useournew“DoNotDisturb”signswhile you are resting on the yard. Our maintenance department will be hard at work servicing all trucks, and we want to ensurethatwedonotdisturbyouduring your much-needed rest. Thank you for yourunderstanding! Signsavailableindispatch.
Google Reviews
We greatly appreciate you, your hard work, and your feedback! We kindly ask that you take a moment to share a positive Google review; these help us tremendouslyasacompany.
Leave us a positive review! Scan the QR below!
FEBRUARY 2025
We want to acknowledge our top Team and Solo Drivers each month. These Professional Drivers go above and beyond, ranking as our top performers in the company. We are truly grateful for your hard work, dedication, and perseverance, which serve as an inspiration to us all. Keep on trucking!
