2013 1st QTR Newsletter - Otl-upt.com

Think Safety FirstRisk Management is beginning our annual “Safety:Back to Basics” courses this quarter. Currently, we havecompleted courses at our DFW, Houston, OklahomaCity, Tulsa and Phoenix locations. Much like last year,the courses are designed to provide our team with crucialsafety information. So far, the feedback we’ve receivedhas been positive. I’m excited to once again have theopportunity to discuss these important topics with eachof you in the coming weeks.We will begin rolling out several new programs thisyear during our safety basics courses. First, our ServiceImprovement Team has developed a 24-hour hotline fordrivers to call in the event that you have questions abouta particular loading procedure or location. The team ismade up of Risk Management team members, Driverrepresentatives, and other corporate support personnel.Calling the Service Improvement Hotline will likely helpyou avoid costly spills or contaminations. The number tocall is 877-908-9732. We will soon begin outfitting yourtrailers with decals that include the hotline. Secondly,we have revised the Professional Driver Bonus Programto provide you with a greater earnings potential. Theprogram will be discussed in more detail at our safetybasics courses; however, the amount available for safedrivers has more than doubled over previous bonusplans.Finally, UPT’srecruiting efforts remainstrong. We’ve welcomedapproximately 20 new driversin the first quarter. I’d liketo personally thank ourRecruiting Department fortheir efforts, our OperationsGroup for their commitmentto ensuring we have safedriver capacity, and finallyall of you that have referreda driver. As we move intothe busiest time of yearhere at UPT, my hope is wecontinue to focus on safety ineverything we do; whether atwork, at home or in between.Thank you for all that you doon a daily basis and pleasehave a safe day. As always,if you have any questions, donot hesitate to contact me atrmoore@otl-upt.com.Robert MooreVP Risk Managmentcontinued from page 2... Maintenanceto impact decreases, the tones get louder and lights brighter to warn the driver traffic is closing quicker than expected.The warning system is just that, a simple warning system, unless the truck is fully engaged in cruise control. While incruise control, the system would be interactive, which means the truck would apply brakes, reduce engine speed, andactivate engine brakes as needed.The 2014 models now have a newer version called “integrated.” Simply, the truck no longer has to have thecruise-control engaged for the system to activate truck components. These integrated systems, still uses the 1, 2, 3second rules as in the past. However, systems now are integrated so that the truck will apply brakes, reduce enginespeed and activate engine retarders as required to keep the collision spacing, in seconds, consistent. This does nottake away the ability of the driver to make decisions, they still have operational control. The collision detection systemis just an added feature, “another set of eyes” when the traffic becomes intense. Many automobiles produced todayhave similar systems. Seeing this information on commercials showing how brakes are activated when backup camerasees an object, just tells me this technology is here to stay. If you have any questions feel free to contact me atdkeegan@otl-upt.com.3

LMTA Truck Driving ChampionshipThe 2013 Louisiana Motor Transport Association(LMTA) Truck Driving Championships (TDC) were heldin Baton Rouge, LA on March 22-23. One hundredsix(106) drivers totaling 171 million accident-freemiles participated in this year’s event. Truck DrivingChampionships are designed to test a driver’s knowledgeand skill in a three-part challenge consisting of a writtenexamination, pre-trip inspection and field test.Ron Holte, Shreveport Center Manager, wasselected to participate as a judge working side by sidewith the DPS. The written test comprised of 50 questionsand the pre-trip had 14 defects in which the driver had 8minutes to find. Two that stood out most to Ron Holtewas simulated drugs in the overhead cab compartmentand an I.E.D planted under the front bottom of trailer.Yes a bomb! All these are planted to simulate real lifescenarios. “Working side by side with the DPS officer inthe judging event changed my perspective 100 %.,” saidHolte.Our Shreveport CSC was represented by GrandMaster Mickey St. Andrie and Grand Master PaulStarnes. Mickey placed 2nd in the tanker divisionand Paul received honorable mention. Shreveportalso received an award for outstanding achievement inhighway safety in the 3 to 6 million miles category. Holtesaid three things stood out for our team and was veryapparent throughout the whole event; Safety, Family andSeamless. “We all do this unconsciously, as it is part ofthe heritage the Price family instills in us all. I am verythankful I had the opportunity to represent UPT andcertainly encourage all fellow team members to take thetime to go to their own state sponsored event.”Safety Basics 2013Arizona Trooper Jim Armstrong joined RobertMoore, VP Risk Management, and Safety DirectorsJeff Norling and Alfredo Alvarez speaking about CSAas a part of the Safety Basics 2013. CSA (Compliance,Safety, Accountability) is a major safety measurement andreporting initiative of the Federal Motor Carrier SafetyAdministration (FMCSA). The overall goal of collectingthis safety performance and equipment maintenancedata is to reduce accidents by pinpointing and addressingareas of concern. The desired result is safer highways foreveryone.Congratulations(L-R) St. Andrie, Holte, Starnes8Misaki and Willie Gunter V, son of OKC TechnicianWillie Gunter IV, were married on December20, 2012 in Dallas, TX. Willie is an E4 in the USNavy commissioned on the USS John McCain andstationed in Onasaka Japan.

Oh babyLeadingMadeline Price is a big sister! Romi and Kirby Price, sonof VP Kevin Price, welcomed their second daughter. IslaPrice was born January 14 weighing 7.5lbs.Charlie Stein, BDM, andBruce Stein, RM, welcomedtheir first grandchild!Their daughter Sara Steinwelcomed Lane EverettSchuler into the world onJanuary 2, weighing only 5.4pounds.AustinRonnie Coronado,Professional Driver fromour Abilene center is theproud "PaPa" of his firstgrandbaby, Kaislee Grace.She was born on January 9,2013 weighing 6.7 lbs and20” long. Ronnie works inthe Waco area.IslaLaneWichita Professional DriverTony Chanthalangsy andwife Tiffany welcomeda baby boy last month.Austin Chanthalangsy wasborn on February 3rd,2013.Kaislee9NO GOAL!the country ingoals against averageand securing nineshutouts in a row,USAO sophomoreBryan Byars was namedSooner Athletic ConferenceDefensive player of theweek last fall. In October,Byars posted his eighth andninth shutouts in a row whilecollecting three saves a pieceagainst conference opponents.Byars lead the country in goalsagainst average (0.18), giving up just twogoals in the 11 games of the season.With 19 shutouts in a season and a half,Byars was only two games away fromtying Assistant Coach Alexis Vizarelis’ career shutoutsrecord. This was the second time during the season Byarsreceived the SAC Player of the Week honor. Bryan is theson of Grand Master Danny and Pauline Byars.SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONSApplications for the 2013 scholarships are now availablethrough many of our industry partners. Moredetailed information can be found on their websites.TMTA Web site is www.tmta.com. Applicantsmust be high school seniors or graduates, an employeeof or a dependent of an employee whose company has aTMTA membership in good standing, to which UPT has.The Oklahoma Trucking Association has the WilburnWilliamson Memorial Scholarship. Qualifications can befound at www.oktrucking.org.EXERCISE...EX...ER...CISE...EX...ER...CISE...EGGS...AR...SIDES...FOR BACON...BACON!Are you making good EXERCISE choices?

4312 S. Georgia Place Oklahoma City, OK 73129Many don’t know this, but Oklahoma City is theofficial training city for several classes of US Olympicrow teams, and has also played host to internationalcompetition trials. Every day in the spring and summeryou will find teams practicing up and down the OklahomaRiver just south of downtown. I can’t help but drive byand think how effortless it looks from my point of view.It looks effortless because these are the world’s best rowteams and they have put in countless hours of practiceand building trust.Each position on a row team is strategic and playsa critical role in the success or failure of the team. Wheneach member performs their specific tasks the overallresult is a harmonious team working together towards acommon goal. Even one member of the team divertingfrom their tasks will cause the entire team to get offcourse. I wonder if the same can’t be said for trucking.Our team is larger, but each of you has specific, criticalparts to play to ensure our overall success. From theshop technician, to the accountant, to the manager, to theprofessional driver and every position in between – we allhave vital roles to play. Any one of us getting off courseimpacts the entire team. Our goal should be harmony.Our goal should be positive team work. Our goal shouldbe for the casual onlooker to see UPT and think what wedo is effortless, or as we say around here… Seamless.We have recently rolled out a new program,Seamless Rewards, to better recognize and celebrate theUPT family and our successful teamwork. In particularI want to focus our attention on Team Blue recognitionopportunities. Replacing the outdated ‘Gotcha DoingSomething Good’ program, Team Blue is intended tobe used day in and day out as a way for each of us torecognize the best qualities in each other – those qualities,goals, and character traits found in our Company Visionand Mission statement. Take the time to learn more aboutTeam Blue and how you can recognize and be recognizedfor living and cultivating the UPT way of doing business.Like the mighty Olympic rowing teams, with each of uscontributing in our own unique, yet critical ways, we willcontinue to enjoy and celebrate success for many years tocome!Matthew PriceVP Culture & MarketingDriver of the Quarter2012 4th QuarterCentral Region: James Michot (SHR)Northern Region: Charles Bryant (AMA)Southern Region: Bruce Abbott (HOU)Western Region: Steve Balmer (ABQ)2013 1st QuarterCentral Region: Lance Anderson (DFW)Northern Region: Daniel Dartez (OKC)Southern Region: Joseph Ford (HOU)Western Region: Antonio Castellanos (PHO)