War Room: Part 2

So we are back to the War Room!  Now it is time to get to know the other 3 Warriors in the back room.  These 3 are not very good at answering my emails because they have never answered when I asked for facts about them.  I assume they thought if they just put me off I wouldn’t write about them or just forget.  NO SIR!  Side Note: I am a day late and keep finding other things to do besides write this blog.

So let’s start off with Bob, mainly because at the moment I went back to drag facts out of them and he was the only one not on the phone at the time. So here are 5 Facts you probably don’t know about him.

1.      The man is a Master Technician! ASE Certified!  (never bring up shade trees around him)

2.      He has an Identical Twin Brother.

3.      LOVES! Diet Mt. Dew or Dew Shine.  Might even mix it with a Monster.

4.      Apparently he likes to Drag Race and there might be incident with a Police Officer

5.      He is into Motor Cross.

Just some basic information about Bob, he is married to his wife, Amber and they have one son who is 12 and into Motor Cross also. 

If you ever stop by the office, Bob seems to be the glue to a lot of plans or the go to guy to test out a question that you are not really ready to take to Sheldon.  I hear, “Bob is the Man!” a lot.  What a lot of people probably don’t know is how far Bob drives to get to work.  He lives in Prague, OK that is close to 150 miles one way.  So never say he isn’t dedicated.  The sad thing is when the Oklahoma City yard opens; Bob will be headed that way.

Next we have our newbie, Rusty; he has been with us a couple months.  So let’s start out with 5 facts about him.

1.      He was a roper in High School.

2.      He has been bail bondmen’s for 3 years.

3.      Need a used car, Rusty has a car lot.

4.      He loves to travel on the weekend.

5.      Has been a Broker for 13 years.

It is short and sweet with Rusty, he has no wife or kids and from Siloam Springs, AR.  If you are wondering who Rusty might be, just call the office.  Rusty answering the phone is like a fly on $#@#.  That man can answer the phone like nobody’s business.  So remember be good to the person that answers the phone they might be booking your load.

So the last person we have to discuss is Brandon.  Today I learned Brandon doesn’t want to talk about himself until you start making stuff up about him.  Then he can all of sudden remember stuff but just enough to try to throw you off, talk circles till you are like never mind.  So here are 5 facts about Brandon.

1.      He likes to fish.

2.      He does Crossfit

3.      His Mom’s side of the family is from Alexandria, LA.

4.      He has a bachelor’s degree from University of Arkansas.

5.      Sheldon knows more about Brandon, than Brandon knows about himself.

Brandon has been with Hurricane since he was 17 years old.  He grew up in Fayetteville, Ar.  Kaedon started him out in the shop for his first 5 years before he allowed him inside.

I was supposed to get this awesome picture of him from a Halloween party from what looked to be his college years to post, but he vetoed that.  Every time someone told me a cool story about him, he vetoed it.  So I am just going to leave it at that, Brandon wants you to think he is extremely boring with no life.  He is like the old man screaming at the kids to get off his lawn.

Dispatch-The War Room!

Have you ever wondered about the secret mystery of the back room at Hurricane Express?  I mean what do they do back there?  I am pretty sure it’s a secret society. So what is this secret back room at Hurricane Express?  Well it’s the place where all the magic happens.  Welcome to dispatch!  Dispatch reminds me of war room, phones ringing, cell phones beeping, keyboards clacking, a little screaming and I am almost positive I saw a carrier pigeon sent out the window.

From what I understand about what goes on back there it is like a 12 hour game of Let’s Make a Deal, five days a week.  Brokers like to call in and say, ”Hey do you have any trucks in Arkansas?”   Then the process begins of wheeling and dealing.

We have 5 dispatchers that sit around the mighty war desk; I am going to break this into 2 weeks to cover everyone. Let’s start with Stephan.  I see him as the right hand man at the war table, even though he sits on the left side of the head seat.  Here are 5 things you probably don’t know about Stephan.

1.     Training for his first Ironman Triathlon.

2.      Have run 3 marathons.

3.      Have won 3 World and 3 Grand National Turkey calling titles.

4.      Avid bow hunter.

5.      Like to go fishing.

So here is some basic info about him.  He is married to Tricia (16yrs in May).  He has 5 wonderful children and 2 grandchildren.  He is live in Springdale, AR which I am pretty sure he runs bikes or swims in a creek to get to work.  Just kidding, maybe.

Stephan always seems to be the first person here in the morning and very few times have I seen him leave early.  He is the guy in the back that is booking loads like a mad man and takes the time to train our baby dispatcher that is learning the ways of the company.

So speaking of our baby dispatcher, next we have Jake.  Jake is a man of few words.  Very few!  I had to drag this whole conversation out of him.  At the war table he would be the errand runner, the one they send out in the middle of battle.  So here are 5 facts that he acted like I was pulling all his teeth out to get.

1.      Mr. Ed is buried very close to his house. (I mean like really close)

2.      Loves LUNCH A LOT! (this kid can eat)

3.      Hates Dr. Pepper.

4.      Graduated from University of Arkansas

5.      Played Tennis in high School.

Just some basic info about Jake, he has no kids, one girlfriend and went to Tahlequah High School. Like I said it wasn’t easy getting this information from him.  I did get an awesome story about Mr. Ed, tourist and being naked.  I will let you ask him about that story, because I know it caught your interest. 

Most drivers never just ask for just Jake in the morning when doing check calls.  I always here Jake from State Farm or Jake the Snake, sometimes I call him baby Bob, because in the beginning he sat right next to Bob.

So next week we will learn all about everyone else that sits around the war table.

      

Captain Safety is Here for You!

Welcome to the Land of Safety!

Do you know all the rules?!  Can you recite Part 382.101 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration?  Ha!  Me either, but I know some ladies that probably can.  Welcome to the land of Safety, where no driver really wants to go unless Deborah has $200 check with their name on it. 

Now don’t get me wrong these Ladies are a ball of funny but no one loves log corrections or going over permits.  But here is the deal; someone has to do this thankless job, these Ladies are the ones that keep all you Hurricane Drivers driving safe!

So how about we meet the team.

Hurricane Express’s Safety Director is Deborah Vanstory.  So just like when you met the recruiters I asked her 5 things that most people don’t know about her.  You know what?!? She tried to break the rules and only give me 4!  I was like NO mam, if you make me follow rules all the time, you are following mine.

1.      LOVES to fish and I heard she likes to hunt but hasn’t in a few years.

2.      She really wants a solid black German Shepard.

3.      She enjoys gardening.

4.      Her dream car is a 1973 Corvette Stingray and it must be red, not just red but Factory RED!

5.      She has not 1 but 2 Criminal Justice degrees.

 

Just a little basic info about Deborah.  She has 3 kids, 1 daughter and then twins, a boy and girl.  She has 9 grandkids (by the way 2 sets of twins in those grandkids).  She is from Wynne, AR which is west of Memphis, TN.

Deborah is our safety guru.  She is the person you want on your side when it comes to DOT.  Her brain is like a Rolodex for all regulations.  Speeding ticket, call Deborah.  Overweight, call Deborah. Clean DOT inspection, call Deborah.  Elephant in your Truck, call Deborah.  To be honest not really sure about that elephant thing but wouldn’t hurt to check.  So when it comes down to it, Deborah would be Captain Safety for Hurricane Express. 

So now on to our next safety hero.  I would call this lady the face of Hurricane, good ole country gal, Sondra.  When drivers walk in, she is normally the first to hug them or scream at them (in a proper workplace volume).  So let’s get to her Top 5 things that people might not know about her.

1.      She volunteers for an Animal Shelter

2.      She use to rodeo.  She was a barrel rider.

3.      She even worked for a rodeo company timing events.

4.      She loves to Tan! She even has schedule she follows.

5.      NO KIDS!

Sondra grew up in Springdale, Ar.  Most of her high school career was spent barrel racing.  Someone in the office described her as the crazy girl that loves to gamble.  As far as a special someone, is there one? Well you will just have to ask her for that juicy fact.

Sondra is pretty good at holding down that fort over here at Hurricane so much that she will be moving to Rolla, MO when our 2^nd yard opens later this year.  So get ready Missouri!  You are getting one fun loving, animal caring about and truly genuine person.  We do have a couple of people in the office that will need counseling when Sondra moves but I heard we will have grief counselors on site the day she moves.    

So what many of you don’t know is there is one more safety chick back there in the office.  She would be the quiet one that we keep chained to her desk over in the corner.  Just kidding!  Jamie is our data entry person that takes all your hours, bills and other stuff and enters them into the computer.  So here are 5 facts that you might not know about her.

1.      She has a handbag obsession.

2.      She just inherited a house and is remodeling it.

3.      She was a Cheerleader! I suspected this she seems super cheery.

4.      She teaches Sunday School

5.      Advocate against violence and domestic abuse of women and children.

Jamie is married to Jeff and they have 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls.  She is a local girl from Colcord, OK.  So next time you stop in the safety office and you are feeling a little gloomy, I bet if Jamie flashed her million dollar smile, your frown would turn upside down.

C&A! The Super Recuiting Duo!

Who are your recruiters?

When you call the recruiting line at Hurricane and you are like, WOW!  Who are these awesome women that dazzle me with all this information?  Well I have two letters for you C&A.  That’s right folks the famous duo up front is Christie and Amber. 

Christie has been swirling around the Hurricane office like a blaze of glory for around 2 years.  To keep it simple I asked Christie, her Top 5 facts that someone might not know about her.

1.      She was a school teacher.

2.      She LOVES to fish. (If you know her for more than 30 seconds you find this out fast)

3.      She is a terrible driver, she asked that to be stricken from the record. 

4.      She lived in New Jersey for 5 years.

5.      She attended OSU, NSU and U of A, but she only wants you to know about University of Arkansas.

Just a little more about her basic background.  She is from Colcord, OK and has 3 daughter and 2 grandchildren.  She also has a big burly boyfriend, Walt of 10 years.

 

As you come to know the recruiters you will always find Christie at the center of it all.  She puts her heart in soul into her job and wants make sure that every driver is happy.  She always puts the extra effort by meeting drivers on Saturday or Sundays and staying late during the work week.

We always refer to her as the Good Cop in the C&A duo.  Her famous words to most drivers, “What’s your problem and how can I help?”  Hurricane drivers always seem to call her when they need to vent and need that shoulder to lean on.  So how could you not LOOOOVE her?

So now are you ready for the second letter in C&A?  That’s right folks, its Amber.  She has been with Hurricane for almost a year.  (Some of you are like really? That long) Yes, time flies when we are having so much fun.  So here are Amber’s Top 5 Facts that some might not know about her.

1.      She was a director of a YMCA for 5 years and ran a HUGE swimming pool.

2.      She is from no where around Colcord and is from Western Oklahoma.  (El Reno)

3.      In case Christie hasn’t brought it up, yes she drives 90 miles to work every day.

4.      She has 5 dogs, 2 guinea pigs, 1 ferret, 2 rats and a stupid cat.

5.      If not careful, will cry when a sad commercial about animals comes on.

Just a little more about her basic background.  She lives in Tulsa/Sand Springs, OK and has 1 daughter that is 14 years old.  She is married as of today to Aaron who is a mechanic.  She said as of today because it will depend on if he makes supper tonight before she gets home.

Amber being the newer recruiter with more of a background in marketing and advertising, you will find her writing this blog, getting to the point with drivers faster, the one who does the paper work with new recruits and basically gets turned into the Bad Cop of the C&A duo. Amber is also the gal that will pick you up at airport hotel if you fly into Tulsa.  She also speaks fluent sarcasm.   Amber also finds it harder to write super awesome things about herself.

Welcome to Hurricane Express

We are starting our very own blog to let drivers have a better look at what it is like to work for Hurricane Express.  Each week we will try to bring you different drivers, dispatchers, Safety Directors, Operations Managers and recruiters experiences here at Hurricane Express.  We want new drivers to understand what it will be like when they make the change to our company.

Here are different areas that we might cover each week:

1.  What is like to be a Driver for Hurricane Express?
2.  Meet your Recruiters.
3.  The day in a life of a Hurricane Express dispatcher.
4.  What safety expects from you.
5.  Taking care of your Truck, what you need to do.
6.  What can drivers do to make the most of their career?

We hope by starting this blog it will answer questions that might be out there. We want to help drivers make the right decision about coming to our company.

If you ever have questions please call us at 1-877-379-7383!  

Plus you can always go to www.hurricaneexpressinc.com