|
Our Oakley family is helping spread holiday cheer this year by donating toys to the Lake Wales Care Center. The spirit of the season is truly exemplified through the kindness and willingness to give out of the goodness of our hearts. The Oakley team showed up and showed out this year by collecting over 300 individual gifts for local families in need. Our driving professional, Kelli Ragnarsson donated $1,800 worth of presents this year and all of his Love’s Travel Stop points towards the cause. This year has taken a toll on a lot of people, but when we are able to come together and embrace such a worth cause it puts 2020 into perspective. The world is a better place because of the people we call family; the Oakley Transport family. 
0 Comments
Eating healthy while on the road can be difficult. There’s so many snacks and goodies you can munch on and fast food is so quick and easy. Eating this food often can lead to health risks for drivers. The OTR truck driver lifestyle doesn’t always promote regular fitness and the junk food havens and quick eateries seem to be everywhere. Staying healthy on the road is a difficult task, but we want to make it a little easier for you. We’ve put together some tips that make eating healthy on the road easy!
The Most Import Meal of the Day Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so make it count! A greasy breakfast sandwich or bagel is a quick and easy option but there’s some healthier breakfast foods that are equally as easy to find in common stops. Next time try to pick up a banana or some fruit. Peanut butter on toast is a great option and also something you can make in your truck. Instant oatmeal is easy to make and quick! All it requires is some water! On-the-Go Lunch! A greasy cheeseburger and fries can be a tempting option for lunch but there are plenty of healthy alternatives to have instead. You can make a jar salad! Just pack some jars with your favorite veggies and store them in your refrigerator. Make yourself a sandwich. They are easy to make on the road so you can keep on truckin’. If you’re at the truck stop you can pick up a protein box. They come with nuts, cheese meat and a little sweet treat that will satisfy all your mid-day cravings. Dinner Time! After a long day on the road it is nice to take a break for some dinner. How about making it healthy? A healthy dinner does not mean it will not taste good. We’ll give you some ideas for healthy, flavorful dinner meals. Chicken salad sandwiches are yummy and nutritious and can be eaten on the road. Quesadillas are also a good option as long as you add protein to them. They’re great when you want some cheesy goodness and the tortilla is a good low-calorie alternative to other kinds of breads. Turkey wraps and pita bread sandwiches are great for dinner and lunch! Snacking Eating healthy snacks is just as important as eating healthy meals. It’s easy to reach for a sugary candy bar or bag of potato chips when you’re starting to feel hungry. Why not grab a handful of trail mix. This will have you feeling full longer. Baked beans are a good snack, they are loaded with protein and nutrients. Hard-boiled eggs are affordable and packed with protein, many truck stops sell them. Instead of eating potato chips, try having some popcorn. Get the low salt and low butter varieties to make it a healthy option. We know staying organized can be tough, and we also know how helpful being organized can be. When it comes to keeping your cab clean and organized, it isn’t always an easy task. With busy schedules, small cabin space, and all the equipment a truck has, your truck can go from squeaky clean to a scattered mess in 0-60. We have some simple tips to help you keep your rig organized while you’re on the road.
Toolbox Organization Nothing is more frustrating when you can’t find the tool you need. Don’t leave your tools scattered around your cab, keep your toolbox fully stocked and put all tools back in their correct place. This will save you time and frustration when you need something. Use a Binder Keep a well-organized binder or folder in your truck to keep all your documents in order. This can be helpful during roadside inspections to have everything in one place to get you back on the road smoother and faster. You can also use the binder to organize invoices, receipts, and other important documents. Mini Crates Mini crates are great to keep items from being shuffled around during a drive and will help you keep everything organized. Use crates that are less than a square foot and stackable. This will create a vertical storage option for your cab. You can store food, CDs, DVDs, clothing, books and anything else that needs a home inside your cab. No Trash Left Behind Don’t wait for every few days to clean out your trash, take a few minutes when you stop for fuel to collect and get rid of any trash. Make emptying your wastebasket a priority. You’ll never have to worry about your trash bin getting full or a stale cab from trash buildup. Wipe Everything Down Keep wet wipes handy so you can get rid of any germs in your truck. Now more than ever it's important to wipe down everything inside your truck to keep it clean. We recommend shaking out your floor mats to get rid of any dirt tracked in. Seat-Back Organizers Need a place to store your cleaning supplies? A seat-back organizer is your answer. They hang from the back of your seat and do a great job of organizing items such as cleaning supplies, flashlights, gloves and some tools. They also take up very little space in your cab. CD Holders We know it is 2020 and fewer people are listening to CDs, but if you are a driving professional that enjoys music and audio discs, we recommend a visor CD holder. This will give you easy access to all of your favorites and keep them organized. At Oakley we are all about safety and making sure our drivers are happy. As a result, we are very excited about the new Hours of Service beginning September 29th. This is going to give our drivers more flexibility on the road and is going to expand the available options for drivers to split their off-duty 10-hour break. There will also be a 7-hour and 3-hour split option in addition to the 8- and 2-hour split option currently available. Director of Safety, Kelly McDowell said, “Safe and efficient productivity is the name of the game in trucking. With the updated HOS, comes an ability for motor carriers a greater degree of flexibility that will in turn, give driving professionals the opportunity to be safer at what they do in keeping America moving”.
Make sure and check out CCJ’s article for more, official information!  While the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance may have postponed the International Roadcheck this year due to COVID-19, it is still very important to make sure you are staying safe on the roads and that your rig is always ready to pass inspection. An inspection may seem like a nuisance, but they are crucial for your overall well-being as a truck driver as well as those around you. With new technology, inspections can happen practically anywhere, so make sure you are always prepared with these tips:
Make sure documents are up-to-date Keep your documents together in a way that is easy to inspect. A “typical” Level I inspection takes about 30 minutes to an hour to complete. You will be expected to have your driver’s license, medical examiner’s certificate, driver’s record of duty status (log), documentation of annual inspection, hazardous materials paperwork and permit credentials. Some truckers like to keep everything in a binder or folder so the inspector can quickly go through everything at once. This will make you look organized and might help your inspection go by faster, which means you’ll be back on the road sooner. Be professional and kind Your attitude is important. You’re at the discretion of the inspector and they choose who they inspect. If you are being rude, you will probably increase your chances of being chosen for an inspection. Inspectors don’t have quotas for handing out citations but they need to inspect a certain number of vehicles a day. Smile and be polite. No one wants to be around a grump. Keep a clean and organized truck Cleanliness counts. We’re not saying your cab needs to be immaculate, but it should be clean. Make sure there is no loose debris on the floor. Also, keep the outside of your truck looking good, too. Inspectors look at things such as brakes, tires, windshield wipers and more. Out-of-service violations Out-of-service violations are serious and must be addressed immediately. Do not leave before an out-of-service situation has been resolved because you could face disqualification and large fines. Know and understand out-of-service criteria and be checking for those before you leave for your trip. This includes things such as brake system, coupling devices, frame, fuel system, tires and other items. For more information, please visit the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's website  We are truckin’ on through a hot summer and just like you would be prepared for harsh weather in the winter, it’s good to be prepared for the heat. Days out on the road can be long and hot during the summer. Check out these tips and tricks we’ve put together to help keep you and your rig cool.
 As many of our Oakley family starts the transition back to the office, our goal is to make the process as smooth as possible. When you return, you’ll notice your work environment will feel a little different than before. That’s because we’ve taken extra measures to make sure our workplace is clean and safe.
An example of one of the changes we’ve made are plastic extensions that we’ve installed into cubicles to enhance distancing and protection. Along with that, we’ve also stocked up on PPE Equipment such as gloves, masks and hand sanitizer for employee use. While prioritizing safety and health for our return to the office is necessary, let’s make sure to also remember to be kind, courteous and patient with one another during a time where stress and worry can be elevated. To make things easy, we put together a list of helpful tips to remember when you make it back to the office. See you soon!
If you have a concern about the company policies and procedures relating to the company’s transition plan and implementation, please submit those concerns in writing to the Human Resources Department. Your concern will be addressed and a response will be communicated in writing back to you.  There’s no doubt that things aren’t the way they used to be. We are living in unprecedented times and are especially feeling the effects its had on the job-force. Whatever the status of your career (on hold or on the hunt), we are here to help.
Maybe you’re a college graduate who had hopes of securing a corporate job that is now no longer hiring. Or maybe you worked a comfortable career that was suddenly dismissed because of the economic effects of the pandemic. If you are looking for a job, whatever your circumstances may be, there are opportunities in places you may not have thought to look. If it’s not already obvious, trucking is one of the nation’s most valuable industries, not just during this pandemic, but always. And it’s ripe with opportunity. Why should you consider such a detour in your career route? If you have an itch to travel, a career behind the wheel could be the perfect avenue to kick-start (or re kick-start) your professional life. Becoming a truck driver allows you to see the country’s marvels and get paid while doing it! Plus, by being a warrior behind the wheel, you become part of a cause greater than your own — helping keep America running. As a driver, you are at the helm of our country’s support system. From food to pharmaceuticals and every transported good in-between, our nation heavily relies on the shipment of these goods to keep families fed and healthy, both during a pandemic and normal times. Hello job security! Earning your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is relatively simple, too. There are multiple driver training schools available, and some offer programs that can be completed in as little as four weeks, but the average time is about seven weeks. During training, you will undergo a combination of classroom testing and hands on practice to ensure safety and competency on the road. Within a short period of time, you will be headed down a path toward your new career. What better place to start that than with Oakley Transport? Pave a new way towards your career. We’d love to talk to you about our opportunities. Give our recruiters a call at 888-813-1799 and be sure to check out our website for more information about the Oakley family.
Since the very beginning, Oakley Transport has been pursuing the highest safety standard in the trucking industry one mile at a time. Hundreds of thousands of miles later, we’re adding the National Tank Truck Carriers’ highly-esteemed “2019 North American Safety Contest Grand Award Winner” to our list of accolades. This award recognizes tank truck operations in North America with the best safety program and safety record for the year.
We entered NTTC’s 2019 North American Safety Contest and won for the respective Accidents per Million Mile (APPM) frequency class 40-90 million - that’s a ton of miles staying safe! What’s next? We’ll move on to the next round of the contest and one step closer to the North American Champion title. “Our driving professionals are the ones that have won this award,” said Oakley Transport Director of Safety Kelly McDowell. “We are not only proud of what they do day in and day out, but also of the standard of safety they take with them on the road daily." The winners of the North American Safety Contest's Sutherland and Harvison Divisions will be announced during NTTC’s 75th Anniversary Annual Conference on May 3-5, 2020 at the The Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C. Division winners will claim the prestigious North American Safety Champion Trophy, sponsored by Heil Trailer International. Stay safe out there, Oakley family!  During such a time as this, our drives are more important than ever. At Oakley Transport, we are proud to have a family of professionals who know how to come together in a time of need so that America's families can get fed.
One such dedicated driving hero is Gary Marr. Gary isn’t new to the transportation sector and has been with the Oakley family for more than four years. Let’s get to know local driver Gary Marr with a Q&A: Q: How and when did your trucking career begin? A: I started driving trucks while in the Michigan Army National Guard. I started out driving a dump truck and finally moved up to semi-hauling heavy equipment. Q: What drew you to this industry? A: I got into this career because I was looking for work, and my older brother recommended I try it. Q: What is your favorite part about being a truck driver? A: My favorite part of this career is the daily challenges - you never know what is coming next - and the freedom of not being stuck in an office. Q: Why did you choose Oakley Transport as your home? A: I used to go to Miami and would drive past them. I thought, “if I ever moved to Florida, I would want to work there.” Plus, I noticed the shiny equipment. Q: What advice would you give to someone who is interested, but unsure, about joining the trucking industry? A: This isn’t a job. It’s a life style. If you’re willing to put in the effort, the rewards can be very gratifying. Do you want to start a rewarding career with the Oakley family? Check out our job listings and find right fit for you: https://oakleytransport.plansource.com/jobsearch/. |
OAKLEY CARESOur employees are our most valuable assest. Archives
December 2020
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
|
Oakley Transport Headquarters
101 ABC Road Lake Wales, FL 33859 Toll Free 1(800) 969-8265 Local 1(863) 638-1435 |
Website by Black Oak Creative