driver newsletter

DRIVER NEWSLETTER
Winter/Spring 2013
Driver Loan Program
Table of Contents
From the Desk of Pat Gallagher…. Pg. 2
Weight Loss Contest Results…..…..Pg. 3
Driver Referral Program …………….Pg. 4
The driver loan program is designed to give drivers
peace of mind while on the road. PGT stands behind
its drivers and supports them financially when
unexpected financial issues hit their families.
PGT Health News …. ..…………….…..Pg. 5
Zero Speeding Club ..………………….Pg. 6
Drivers of the Quarter ……………....Pg. 7
Christmas Party ………...……………..Pg. 8
PGT Awards ………………………. ……..Pg. 9
New Faces at PGT ……………………...Pg. 10
To date, we have helped pay for surgeries, dental
work, weddings, bill consolidation, college payments,
eviction notices, and vehicle down payments. PGT is happy to support our
drivers as they are the ones delivering our customers' freight in a safe and
professional manner.
Employee Profile ……………………….Pg. 11
Send us your stories
Since this newsletter is for you, we are
encouraging you to e-mail stories and
news about anything you would like
considered to be included in this
newsletter publication to Scott Monit,
Director Community Relations and
Government Affairs at
[email protected].
To date we have made 67 loans for a total of $200,000. The program thus
far has been a huge success.
If you are interested in finding out more about the PGT Driver Loan
Program, please contact your terminal or fleet manager for more details.
Driver Tyrell Rogers Writes A Children’s Book
Owner Operator, Tyrell Rogers, who has been with PGT since June 2007
based in Baltimore, MD, has written a children’s book about bullying. The
book is entitled “Hey Bully”, and can currently be purchased through his
website (http://trogers.tateauthor.com) as well as on Amazon.com and
Barnes and Noble. E-books are also available.
Tyrell resides in Maryland with his wife, Victoria,
and sons, Juanez, Naseem, and Jarell. “Hey, Bully”
was inspired by his own childhood experiences of
being bullied.
He is the founder of God’s Children Inc., a ministry
to the homeless and needed. He also runs Jesus
First Transportation, a trucking business.
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PGT TRUCKING
An interesting year so far
From the Desk of
Pat Gallagher,
CEO
As we end our first quarter of 2013, I want to thank you for being part of the PGT
family. Without you, there simply is no PGT Trucking. With a new year also comes
new goals. Our main focus this year will be on Safety, Profitability, and Retention. As
you all are aware, safety is and always will be our number one priority. Our reputation
is based upon safety and we will continue to operate in the safest environment
possible. 2012 was a good year for PGT and we look for 2013 to be even better. In
order to be successful, a company must be profitable. Driver retention is our final goal.
We have the luxury to have a lot of seasoned drivers and employees at PGT. Some of
you have been with us almost 30 years. We will continue to focus on our drivers and
work with you all to ensure that we are giving you everything you need to be a success
at PGT.
In Memory of Richard “Richie” Powers
On March 4th, 2013, Richard “Richie” Powers passed away suddenly.
Richie was born on October 30, 1952 in Frankfurt, Germany and was the
son of Maria Reinehardt Powers and the late George Washington Powers.
Richie was a former resident of Kentucky, Pennsylvania and most recently,
Ohio.
Richie was the most tenured driver at PGT Trucking. He began driving a
truck for Pat Gallagher in 1976 and was officially with PGT Trucking for
over thirty years. Richie was a winner of the Harry “Buster” Barnes Award,
which annually acknowledges an employee or independent contractor
whose performance and attitude reflect the highest loyalty, dedication and
commitment to PGT. This award was named after Harry Barnes, who was killed in a traffic accident in 1988.
Richie’s father George also won this award in 1989.
Richie is survived by his wife Cynthia of 42 years,
as well as his two sons Richard and Roger, and
daughter Anna. He also had seven grandchildren,
Tyler, Celeste, Caden, Landon, Madison, Levi and
Owen.
Please keep Richie’s family in your thoughts and
prayers as they work through their loss. Richie
will be missed by everyone here at PGT. People
like him do not come around very often.
2
PGT TRUCKING
Rhonda Yost Wins Second Annual TCA Trucking
Weight Loss Showdown
Congratulations to Rhonda Yost, Executive Director for Lease Purchase, for
winning the 2012 TCA Weight Loss Challenge. Rhonda beat out 71 other
competitors from five other teams to claim the title and win the
$2,500. Rhonda lost 22.8% of her body weight over a 10 week period. PGT
Trucking finished second as a team. There were a total of six teams from
across the United States and Canada who participated. Each team was
comprised of six drivers and six office staff.
In addition to the TCA Weight Loss Contest, PGT also held an internal weight
loss contest. The winner of that contest was Linda Lomagro, who lost 18.6% of
her body weight over a 10 week period.
As a whole, our weight loss participants lost a total of 1,002 pounds, which is
equal to a half a ton. The teams also lost a combined 8.7% of their body
weight. Congratulations to all participants on taking charge of their health.
Below are all of the weight loss participants.
External contest

Dixie Kennedy

Robert Granack

Ed Lenz

Kenya Cook

Mark Labrenz

Roberto Frausto

Rhonda Yost

Rachel Stewart

David Henry

Joe St. George

Lamont Liggett

Bob Cook
Internal contest

Angie Barckhoff

Linda Lomagro

Lois Rodgers

Dave Wojtkowski

Lorie Brooking

Van Cantito

Craig Caro

Ed Patterson

Valerie Jones

Bill Tuscano

Sharon Martinko

Tonya Hicks

Holly Humphries

Randy Dickey

Lauren Blevens

Gale Switzer

Janet Rice

Craig Marple

Jim Grimm

Steve Cibula

Jim Halloran

Grace Pizer

David Morrow
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PGT TRUCKING
Driver Recruiting Bonus….
You can earn up to $1,000
for recruiting a qualified driver!
Just furnish the Recruiting Department with the name and phone number of the potential
recruit or have the new recruit put your name on the application.
If your recruit signs on with the company, you will receive:
$500 after your recruit has been seated for 30 days
$500 after your recruit has been seated for 90 days
A total of
$1,000 just for referring.
All current drivers are eligible for payment. Potential candidates must meet company hiring
requirements, including a minimum of 1 year OTR driving experience. No payments
will be made for IC Drivers that fill a truck that has an existing lease.
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PGT TRUCKING
Lighten Up
Low Calorie Options on the Road
Getting healthy is a top concern among truckers
these days, and many have made a point of
changing their eating habits so they can shed some
extra pounds. Being on the road once meant facing
limited dining choices, especially when pressed for
time. But these days fast food establishments are
meeting the public’s call for healthier, more
nutritious and lower-calorie menu items. They offer
light menus, make calorie counts available and
most include some type of salad as a meal choice.
Automatically going for the supersized meal or
getting extra mayo is one habit that has to change
to dine fast and healthy. The double bacon
cheeseburger or chili cheese fries may be calling
your name, but you can ignore that voice.
“Just because certain types of food are offered
doesn’t mean we have to gravitate toward the less
healthy choice,” says Lisa Johansen, MS, RD, in her
book Fast Food Vindication. She suggests stepping
back and following a set of guidelines when
ordering at a fast food eatery to ensure you’re
making the healthiest choices.
2 Grilled chicken is always a healthier option than
beef. Fill up the sandwich with veggies like lettuce,
tomato, onions and even pickles. Salads, yogurt parfaits
and apple slices are better for you than fries. It’s OK to
eat fries on occasion, but ask for the smallest size.
3 Pay attention to the number of calories you eat. If
the restaurant doesn’t have them posted next to each
of its menu items, ask for a nutrition brochure. If you
like to plan ahead, visit the food establishment’s
website to find calorie counts and walk in knowing
exactly what you will order. To monitor calories
throughout the day and week, record your meals and
snacks in a food journal.
4 Johansen says it’s easy to ingest a lot of calories
drinking regular soda. Some of the larger ones contain
as many as 500 calories. Don’t drink your calories.
Fancy coffee drinks can have 900 or more calories in
them. Water is the gold standard and by far the best
choice, but diet soda is OK, too. Fast food has always
been convenient. Now it can also fit into a healthier
meal plan.
1 Avoid the words, “double,” “triple,” “extra large”
and “supersize.” Don’t add cheese or mayo if you
want to lighten up a dish, says Johansen who works
as a registered dietician at Kaiser Permanente in
Los Angeles.
Order in the Food Court
Meal choices under 600 calories
Burger King:
Pizza Hut:
Arby’s:
Tender grilled chicken sandwich
without mayo, side salad with fat-free
honey mustard dressing, light
lemonade or unsweetened iced tea
(or add artificial sweetener if you like)
Two slices veggie lover’s pizza (from a 12”
medium pan pizza), diet soda
Roast beef classic sandwich, chopped
farmhouse salad with turkey (no
dressing), iced tea
McDonald’s:
Taco Bell:
Regular hamburger, side salad with
light or fat-free dressing, vanilla ice
cream cone, diet soda or iced tea
Fresco chicken soft taco, fresco bean
burrito, diet soda or water (skip the rice
and beans)
Popeyes:
Naked chicken wrap, regular green beans,
applesauce and unsweetened tea
Subway:
Any six-inch sandwich with 6 grams or
less of fat, apple slices or yogurt or
baked chips, diet soda or water
This article is reprinted courtesy of RoadKing magazine and it’s publisher Parthenon Publishing.
5
PGT TRUCKING
Zero Speeding Club
In 2012, PGT made sizeable investments in new tractors, trailers, and technology. One of those investments is called
“Speed Gauge”. We purchased Speed Gauge to help us improve our overall fleet safety, and improve our scores in the
CSA Unsafe category. Speed Gauge works with our Qualcomm satellite units to let us know when (and where) a truck
has been observed running faster than the posted speed limit. We then track speeding performance by driver, fleet
manager, and terminal in terms of “speed sightings per 1000 miles driven”.
Thank you to the drivers below who have not had any speeding occurrences during the following months.
January
Gary Hoyer
James Head
Virgil Hart
Randy Carroll
Michael Burns
Corey Brooks
Gerald Lange
Dathan Schnably
Charles Raso
Jeremy Smith
Scott Chamberlain
9,654 miles driven
9,412 miles driven
6,158 miles driven
5,894 miles driven
5,538 miles driven
4,642 miles driven
4,582 miles driven
3,468 miles driven
2,832 miles driven
2,148 miles driven
1,276 miles driven
Champaign, IL
Champaign, IL
Champaign, IL
Champaign, IL
Monaca, PA
Monaca, PA
Gary, IN
Specialized
Gary, IN
Monaca, PA
Champaign, IL
11,761 miles driven
11,666 miles driven
11,389 miles driven
10,929 miles driven
9,965 miles driven
9,417 miles driven
8,720 miles driven
8,698 Miles Driven
8,597 Miles Driven
7,948 miles driven
7,816 Miles Driven
6,421 Miles Driven
6,318 Miles Driven
5,702 Miles Driven
5,284 Miles Driven
5,258 Miles Driven
4,785 Miles Driven
3,494 Miles Driven
3,351 Miles Driven
2,376 Miles Driven
2,372 Miles Driven
2,099 Miles Driven
2,098 Miles Driven
1,970 Miles Driven
1,948 Miles Driven
1,270 Miles Driven
1,125 Miles Driven
Champaign, IL
Champaign, IL
Champaign, IL
Champaign, IL
Champaign, IL
Monaca, PA
Shippingport, PA
Canton, OH
Shippingport, PA
Champaign, IL
Monaca, PA
Monaca, PA
Champaign, IL
Monaca, PA
Monaca, PA
Monroe, OH
Monaca, PA
Rockport, IN
Monaca, PA
Monaca, PA
Specialized
Monroe, OH
Detroit, MI
Shippingport, PA
Shippingport, PA
Rockport, IN
Champaign, IL
February
James Head
Elmer Owens
Jacky Lowe
Gary Rosenbeck
Lyle Trotter
Patrick Foley
Matthew McCoy
Clifford Mertz
Donald Cunningham
Herman Blacker
Paul Sylvester
Corey Brooks
Mark Hodson
Joseph Wonsowicz
Justin Truex
Jarrod Waugh
Virgil Hart
Cedric McRae
Jeremy Smith
Scott Schroads
Ronald Mears
Kenneth Wilcox
Russell Boggs
Antonio Powell
Shawn Knight
Michael Osborn
Christopher Hethcox
“Speed Gauge” system data
6
PGT TRUCKING
Drivers of the Quarter
Independent Contractor Driver
Sudbury Driver of the
of the Third Quarter 2012
Third Quarter 2012
Richard Steers, Independent Contractor Driver of the
Quarter for Q3. Richard always has his logs and any
compliance items taken care of before they are due.
Richard has moved several critical shipments that
required 7:00am deliveries and he always arrives early
at the customer in case they need their shipment early.
Richard is always professional, courteous, on time and
a pleasure to communicate with whether that be on
the phone or face to face. PGT Trucking is pleased to
recognize Richard Steers as the Independent
Contractor Driver of the Quarter for the Fourth
Quarter of 2012.
Ken Eck, Sudbury Driver of the
Quarter for Q3. Ken’s
professionalism is always evident.
Having been assigned a new
13000 series unit, Ken had the
truck approximately three weeks
when it had to go into a shop for work under warranty.
The dealer shop had the truck for over two weeks and
on consecutive weekends. Ken hopped a Greyhound
bus to and from Monaca to use a loaner unit while his
unit was being repaired. He did this without hesitation,
as he was only concerned about continuing to work.
Additionally he utilizes his full complement of daily
hours to complete his duties. PGT Trucking is pleased
to recognize Ken Eck as the Sudbury Driver of the
Quarter for Q3 of 2012.
Independent Contractor driver
Sudbury Driver of the
of the fourth Quarter 2012
Fourth Quarter 2012
Pavel Grigorashenko,
Independent Contractor Driver
of the Quarter for Q4, 2012.
Pavel lives in Cleveland, OH. He
is the father of 13 children. He
spends his weekends out
camping with family. Pavel is a
very courteous man. He returns calls promptly, is a
problem solver, and always comes to work with a great
attitude. In September, Pavel dedicated two weeks in
NJ for "Sandy" storm support. Pavel is willing to go the
extra mile to help out on a load out of his way so that
no loads are missed. PGT Trucking is pleased to
recognize Pavel Grigorashenko as the Independent
Contractor Driver of the Quarter for Q4 of 2012.
Marvin (Chip) Ford, Sudbury Driver of the Quarter for Q4. Chip’s
hometown is Conshohocken, PA.
He has a 12 year old son named
Devon. Chip served in the US Navy
for 5 ½ years. Outside of driving a
truck, Chip is an avid baseball and NASCAR fan. Chip
never complains, and just focuses on what he does
best: drive. Even when faced with truck issues, he never lets it bother him or stop him from being professional at all times. Chip takes pride in every load that
he puts onto his truck. Chip will take any load you give
to him, and move that load with 100% effort and care.
PGT Trucking is pleased to recognize Chip Ford as the
Sudbury Driver of the Quarter for the Q4 of 2012.
7
PGT TRUCKING
PGT Christmas Party
8
PGT TRUCKING
PGT Awards
Bob Cook—Terminal Manager of the Year 2012
Congratulations to Bob Cook, who won the Terminal Manager of the
Year. Every year our leadership chooses a terminal manager of the year
award. This person exemplifies hard work, leadership, management and
personal skills. Terminal managers are responsible for keeping
everything moving at their location. This year’s winner is no exception.
Bob Cook runs the Gary, Indiana terminal.
Tim Cubbon—independent contractor driver of the
Year 2012 (Harry “Buster” Barnes Award)
Congratulations to Tim Cubbon, who won the Independent Contractor
Driver of the Year. This award is chosen by several members of the
executive team. Tim started with PGT in 2008 and bought his own truck
in 2011. He is a member of our advisory board who represents the ICs
and the company well. Additionally, Tim did not accumulate any CSA
points in 2012.
Mark Labrenz—Sudbury driver of the Year 2012
(David Levin Award)
Congratulations to Mark Labrenz, who won the Sudbury Driver of the
Year. This award is chosen by several members of the executive team.
Mark started with PGT in 2008. Mark takes pride in what he does and
believes there is one way to do things--the right way. Mark is also a
trainer for PGT and he produces quality trainees who are not
accumulating CSA points and are not leaving the company. He also is one
of the top revenue producers and is certified to travel into Canada. Mark
did not accumulate any CSA points in 2012.
9
PGT TRUCKING
New Faces at PGT
Barry Willingham—Regional Vice President of Operations
Barry Willingham joined PGT as the new Regional Vice President of Operations in
February of 2013. Barry will oversee the operations of PGT Trucking in the Southern
Region of the United States. He will be based in Birmingham, AL. Barry will report
directly to Gregg Troian, President of PGT.
Prior to joining PGT, Barry has spent the past 18 years at Builder’s Transportation
Company, Inc., located in Memphis, TN. Builders Transport Company, Inc. is a flatbed company with
operations in 48 states. Barry holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management from the
University of Alabama. He currently resides in Birmingham with his family.
Russ Peters—Executive Director of Driver Resources
Russ Peters joined PGT as the Executive Director of Driver Resources in January of
2013. Russ will oversee the driver training, maintain accurate and current instruction
and ensure on-going training for all driver functions and roles. Russ will report directly
to Gregg Troian, President of PGT.
Russ has over 30 years of experience in the transportation industry leading and
managing people. He excels at reducing costs, increasing productivity, improving service, and most important
at PGT Trucking, focusing on safety. Prior to joining PGT, Russ was the Vice President of Operations - Eastern
& Southeastern Regions at Vitran Express, located in Gibsonia, PA.
Russ is a graduate from the University of Pittsburgh and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Russ
and his family reside in Franklin Park, north of Pittsburgh.
Alejandro (Alex) Carrasquel—Sales Representative in Mexico
Alex joined PGT in January of 2013 and has 30 years of transportation sales experience
in the Mexican Transportation Industry. Alex has worked in the Truck Load, LTL and
Mexican Railroad industry in both national and international freight services.
Alex is based out of Monterrey, Mexico, which is strategically located in the heart of
Mexico’s major industrial region. He has extensive experience in the following cities:
Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe, Guadalajara, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro and Mexico City. Alex’s
knowledge of Mexico’s major industrial sectors will provide a great benefit for PGT as they continue to
expand in Mexico.
10
PGT TRUCKING
Employee Profile:
Chaplain Mike Stout
Mike Stout is the PGT Corporate Chaplain. He is a wonderful, Godly man who is
available to all of us, and in particular our drivers. His work is completely nondenominational, and non-sectarian.
Our desire is to reach out and minister and care for the needs that arise in our PGT
community. Mike visits our Monaca terminal ever week on Thursdays and is a
phone call away, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any of our drivers, nondrivers and families. As a member of Corporate Chaplains of America, Mike is
connected to a network of chaplains across the country so all of PGT has access to
a local chaplain.
Mike was born in Fort Wayne, IN and lived on a dairy farm until he was 10 years old and was the middle of
five children. At ten years old his family moved to Winston-Salem, NC, where most of them still reside. He
went to college at Toccoa Falls College in northeast Georgia, where he acquired a ministry/counseling
degree. He has worked in full-time ministry (primarily in churches as a youth pastor) for 16 years in various
locations (Indianapolis, Dayton area, Orlando, Cleveland, and Hendersonville, NC).
Mike has been married for 18 years and has three kids, Zachary, 14; Ashleigh,12; and Paige,6. Mike and his
family currently reside on the north side of New Castle, PA.
In his spare time, Mike love to play and watch sports (primarily basketball) and spending time with his family.
Corporate Chaplains of America is located in Wake Forest, NC. They place a high value on confidentiality in in
their organization. All conversations with employees are kept in strict confidence with the exception of
circumstances where someone's personal safety is at risk.
Some common areas that he can offer care to employees include (but are not limited to): hospital visitation,
stress management, problems with wayward children, conflict resolution, marriage and remarriage, divorce,
serious illness, AIDS and HIV-related illnesses, death and dying, spousal and child abuse, drug and alcohol
dependency, psychiatric problems, smooth transition of laid off or terminated employees, financial &
budgeting matters, pre-marital counseling and ceremony officiating, courtroom testimony and emotional
support, planning and performing funeral services, long-term grief support, dispute resolution among
employees, fears of national, state and local terrorist activities.
Mike’s contact information is:
Phone: 877.322.CHAP (2427) extension 4264
E-mail: [email protected]
11