Our Own Lone Wolf!

A rumbling is happening at Hurricane Express lately and I am going to tell you all about it.  The rumbling you are hearing is our new HR manager, Jack riding up on his Harley Davidson.  Jack is here to be the leading ear to all the employees and drivers of Hurricane Express.  When you feel like a problem isn’t being resolved in a timely matter, Jack will be your man.  So let’s find out a little bit about this loner of the great highways.

1.       He is a runner! (Stephan may have a running buddy) His longest run to date is 51 miles!  5-1 people!  I just want to repeat this again.  The man puts on sneakers and ran 51 miles.

2.      He is also a cyclist.  He rides a bike so he can do duathlons.  So apparently running 51 miles wasn’t enough so he jumps on a bike to put in another 20 miles on a bike.

3.      Harley Davidson, loves them, rides them.  Has a 2012 and already put 99k miles on it.

4.      He cut all his fingers off with a skill saw.  They reattached 4 and he has part of a pinky.  (Don’t worry when he was telling me I was trying to sneak a peek and then he finally showed me, just part of a pinky is missing.)

5.      OCD!  To the point that he never moves anything at his house and everything is black and white.  The man likes order in his life. 

Jack lives in Spavinaw, OK and he has two grown daughters.  One he adopted from the Philippines and has given him two grandkids.  His other daughter is working on her master’s degree at OU.  He has been working in HR for 16 years, and even spent time in transportation working scheduling and logistics. So he is no stranger to our area.

Jack will spend most of his time here at Hurricane putting on new driver orientation on Monday and Tuesday, working with all the drivers to find out what can help them out on the road and he will be on call some weekends but will not be dispatching.  So just remember if you need help, have an idea or just need to get something off your chest give Jack a call.

Truck Driver Appreciation Week!

Today is about our drivers!  The backbone of any trucking company is the drivers.  Without you nothing would go anywhere, like really, not go anywhere because you drive it there.

I have been in the transportation for a little over a year.  I have learned a lot about what a driver brings to Hurricane Express.  So here are some thoughts of gratitude from an outsider.

1.       I think it is amazing that OTR driver can pack 90% of their life into a very small area, then hit the road for weeks on end without seeing their family.  It takes a special person to give their commitment to a job and know it might be 6 weeks before they see their wife.

2.      You work 24/7.  I mean just, WOW!  If I was a driver I wouldn’t even, make it out of the yard because there is a bed behind my driver’s seat.  You guys commit to driving 11 hours a day, get 10-hour break, then right back at it.  There is no go home and watch TV, make some dinner, curl up in bed.

3.      You put up with every type of driver out on the road, in multiple cities in the same day.  You deserve a medal for that alone.

4.      You are very good at hurry up and waiting process.  Ok, let’s be honest, no you are not.  You guys have the itch to get on the road and move, but most of you are good sports and know that’s name of the game.  It’s part of the job.

5.      You can find a friend anywhere.  Truck stop check-out line for 5 minutes and you have found a lifelong friend.

6.      You have each other’s backs.  I see our Hurricane drivers always supporting each other.  A new driver needs a little help on how things work and by the time he leaves he has 3 phone numbers for any issues.

7.      Your job is hard!  Most people think come on they get to drive all day and see the country.  I drive 180 miles every day and it drags on.  I can’t imagine getting up at 2 AM in any type of weather to do a Pre-Check then drive 650 miles with a 30 min break. Then do it all over again. 

     So to all the drivers out there, THANK YOU!  Just remember the next time you go the grocery store little elves didn’t magically transport those items from where they are made.  So everyone out there take time to tell a Trucker, Thank You!

To all my Hurricane Express Drivers, THANK YOU for everything you do for this company!  I am glad to be on this team with you!

Dennis Lewis...Highway to Heaven

We at Hurricane Express really take pride in ourselves that we try to listen and hear our drivers.  Most of us know about each other’s families whether it be the ups or downs.  So nothing hurts us more than to lose a close member of our Hurricane Express family.

On Thursday, August 25, 2016, we lost a very special driver, Dennis Lewis.  Dennis had been with us for 9 months and really made an impact on our hearts.  Dennis loved the road, it was what he loved doing.  Dennis had made truck 99 his bright lime green home.  What is funny is that bright truck showcased his loud never outspoken personality.

Dennis started his career with Hurricane by contacting me though Facebook.  Now if you know Dennis that might make you laugh.  Dennis just doesn’t fit the Facebooking type, but oh man he loved him some Facebook.  I don’t remember Dennis being a hard to hire guy, his work history was good, just hadn’t found his home.  He came to orientation and he fit the trucker fashion, giant cup of coffee, T-shirt with front pocket and jeans.  I had no idea when we sent him out if he would be a good fit for our company but he would soon prove that there was no mistake on why we hired him.
 
Dennis was rough around the edges but had a heart of gold.  I can’t remember many times that he didn’t walk in this office without a gift for Safety.  He told me it was to keep on Deborah’s good side.  (Dennis wasn’t the greatest logger and was moved to elogs.)  If we didn’t have coffee at the office he would go buy some.  He loved doing for people and never worried about money.  Always told me can’t take it with you might as well enjoy it.

The week before Dennis passed, he was in the office. This time he brought giant Reese’s Peanut Butter footballs for 5 of us in the office.  He also left $25 with the safety department to make sure Deborah got a birthday cake.  We also ordered 6 or 7 t-shirts with pockets in them.  That was always his biggest complaint, why didn’t our T-shirts have pockets in them.

I also know Dennis had some nieces and nephews that he loved to babysit.  He talked about them many times and how much fun they were to play with.  He loved to meet his family at the casino to take them out to eat and I know he had taken them all out to eat about 3 weeks ago.

Dennis was proud to work for Hurricane Express and we are proud to have him as a driver.  I had been talking to the other recruiter and said I would take 15 or 20 more Dennis Lewis’s.  He was a bit of pain sometimes but wouldn’t trade him for the world.  Dennis truly touched my heart and I find peace in knowing that he was doing what he loved when he passed.

Dennis Lewis, I know you have taken your final road trip.  We will miss you!

Rest In Peace, Dennis Lewis