Archive 12/2006

Issue Number 12/2006

Holiday Party Review

We celebrated the holiday season on Saturday, December 9 at Treasure Island. We enjoyed the evening with great food, refreshments and holiday cheer. The party provided on opportunity for staff and family members to talk and have fun together. We played a few games including a Holiday Quiz and a Carol Riddler. The winners got rewarded with $25 gift certificate of their choice.

After dinner Tracey Ashley stand-up comedian made us laugh with her stories of growing up in the South to the weird happenings of her life. Tracey Ashley is a Southerner who has no accent, does not live in the South and does not practice her family's Southern ways. Actually, the only reason she believes she's a Southerner is because her family says so.

At the end Larry and Gale opened their presents from the employees and thanked everyone for the unique gifts. Larry walked around to show the present to everyone. Steve and Melissa did a fabulous job planning and arranging the evening. Special thanks for Melissa who put all games together.

Ray Leibold 2006 Driver of the 2. Quarter

Ray is a new LTL driver with great attitude, willing to do whatever needs to be done. He has excellent delivery standards and has been on time every where. He is a hard worker, cooperative and willing to help out where needed. He has been fast and courteous in performing his job. Ray has been an excellent addition to Wilson Lines.

Ray started driving professionally with MCT on Christmas Eve in 1988. He likes the independence and being on his own with no one looking over his shoulder.

Ray just got married and likes being home weekly. Ray and his wife Sandy live in Maple Grove, Minnesota. At home he enjoys spending time with his family and going hunting. Ray is a proud father of five, stepfather of two, grandfather of seven, and step grandfather of two.

Ray’s goal is to save enough money to move back to Oklahoma and buy a ranch again where he is going to raise cattle

Elmer Schuette 2006 Driver of the 3. Quarter

Elmer is a very pleasant person to work with. He is always friendly and personable. His paperwork is always neat and turned in on time. He will try to help out where he can. For a part-time employee, he works like a full-timer. He is also a person that can be counted on.

Elmer started out driving a truck at sixteen years old and has been driving professionally ever since. He loves being on the road and he also likes the independence of being a truck driver. He has been with Wilson Lines as part time driver since November, 2003.

Elmer and his wife, Carol, reside in Howard Lake, Minnesota. They enjoy spending time with their 4 children and 9 grandchildren. They all live close and come often to see their dad. When not on the road Elmer takes pleasure in polka dancing with Carol and in snowmobiling. They spend their yearly vacation at Branson Missouri and enjoy the first class entertainment and scenic beauty.

Elmer’s safety tip: do not get in a hurry.

Congratulations Ray and Elmer. Keep up the great work!

Impacts of Idling

Long-duration truck engine idling has a significant impact on our environment and economy. For the states, reducing idling translates into substantial reductions of air pollutants. As fuel cost go up, trucking companies continually look for savings, and eliminating idling is an obvious tactic. Drivers are encouraged reducing idle time.

Reducing idle time can:

• Reduce air pollution
• Reduce fuel consumption
• Reduce engine wear and maintenance cost

Driver Information

For the 3rd quarter of 2006 the recorded Idle Time% is between 5.41% and 59.89%. The weighted average is 33.96%. Tom Rolfes had the lowest idle time= 5.41%! Followed by Ray Ronningen at 10.74% as we would expect from the turn drivers and Larry Wokson at 13.69%. Fantastic job Tom, Ray and Larry!

For the 3rd quarter of 2006 the recorded Trip Miles per Gallon is between 7.20 and 5.16. The weighted average is 6.33. Ray Ronningen recorded the best 7.20 m/g. Elmer Schuette at 7.10 and Larry Wokson at 7.0 also topped out. Great job Ray, Elmer and Larry!