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 the
ceo's corner
The first quarter of the new
millennium produced very strong results for our company as
both gross revenues and net income increased significantly.
Obviously, we are quite excited about the excellent quarter
and we are optimistic that calendar two thousand will turn
out to be a banner year for Stevens Transport.
There are many good and exciting
events happening within the company. The new document imaging
system is fully operational and we are currently adding significant
capacity and speed to our computer systems. All of our management
and administrative staff are operating harmoniously and are
providing the catalyst that is pushing our operation to peak
efficiency.
Our driver force continues to
represent the company well in the field and our miles per
unit have increased over calendar 1999 offering a better opportunity
for our drivers to be fairly compensated for the difficult
task they must perform.
As I reflect back over the
past twenty years (company founded in 1980), it is very gratifying
to see the progress our company has made toward becoming an
industry leader.
No one man or woman can achieve
the level of success that we currently enjoy, it is strictly
a "teamÓ effort. My compliments and sincerest thanks
go out to the entire Stevens Transport family for the vital
role you have played making our company the "Best of
the Best"
With warm and personal regards,
Sincerely,
Steven L. Aaron
Chairman
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Smokey Adams
Receives
Ten Year Ring Award
from Steve Aaron
Smokey Adams, Vice President of Operations,
received his ten-year ring award from Steve Aaron in April 2000.
Smokey began his career with Stevens Transport on March 21, 1990,
as the southeast dispatcher and within three months was promoted
to Meat Coordinator. During his tenure as Meat Coordinator, Stevens
was awarded the 1992 IBP "Carrier of the Year Award" for
on-time performance of 99.43%. Other positions Smokey has held include
Customer Service Manager, Assistant Operations Manager, and Director
of Operations until October 1, 1997 when Mr. Adams became the Vice
President of Operations.
Adams was also recognized as the "Employee of the Year"
in 1992 as well as received the "Chairman's Awar" in 1996.
Adams and wife Maggie have been married
for nearly 19 years and have two daughters, Christi and Stephanie.
Aside from being a devoted father and husband, Smokey enjoys fishing
and the outdoors. Congratulations to Smokey Adams for his continued
hard work and dedication.
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Claims, Overage,
Shortage and Damaged, Helpful Hints
Most of the claims that Stevens
Transport receives could be avoided if you take the time to
apply seals and have the receiver sign for these seals that
they are intact at delivery.
Many loads that you will
pickup will be preloaded and a seal secured on the trailer.
Be sure you write that seal number on your bills and write
seal intact next to it. When you arrive at the receiver make
sure they confirm by their signature that the seal was intact.
Remember that signing for the cases is not confirming the
seal was intact. The seal needs to be signed separately.
If you have a live load, it
is important to count the cases as they are loaded on the
trailer. If this is impossible because the pallets are shrink-wrapped
at least count the pallets. If the shipper does not apply
a seal, you need to and in both cases have the shipper verify
that the load was sealed before you left.
On multiple stop loads we
have to pay for shipper errors when we do not keep a continuous
seal record. Since most of these shipments are multiple stops,
each stop has to have the seal number and the reseal number
written on the bills. The reseal is then carried over to your
next stop as your seal number. If you break this cycle once
and there is a shortage on the load, Stevens Transport pays.
If you do not understand a continuous seal record, please
call OS&D at (800) 552-1684. Examples of a continuous seal
record are available in Driver Services.
Always stay on the dock during
unloading so if the receiver says you are short you can verify
this shortage.
Finally, we can avoid claims
for damages by spotting cases that are crushed at the time
of loading and asking the shipper to replace those cases.
Also, make sure the product is distributed properly so damages
will not occur in transit. Obviously if you pickup a preloaded
trailer you cannot control this.
In all instances you need to
use your load locks to avoid shifting of your load in transit.
A substantial amount of damages would have been avoided if
load locks were used.
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In
short, keep your eyes open to protect the integrity
of your load.
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Inbound Laredo Traffic
The future for our Mexico business
is bright. For the most part, this business is also very attractive
for our drivers. By its' nature, it is typically long haul
and easy to handle. However, like any business venture, it
has to be properly managed to be successful. That's where
we need everyone's help in understanding how the business
works and where you can make Stevens Transport more efficient
and your job easier.
When you are assigned a load
going into Mexico from a U.S. origin via Laredo, which is
the most heavily used gateway, the processes are simple. The
first step is to take the trailer to J.O. Alvarez for an inspection.
This can be done 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This protects
us from unreported trailer damage while in the interior. Once
that inspection is complete, you should take the trailer to
the forwarder specified. You will have a copy of your trailer
interchange performed at Alvarez and your bill of lading.
You should get the bills signed for as you would for any delivery
and send them in. At that point, you will drop your trailer
where the forwarder specifies and contact dispatch for instructions.
When you are assigned a load
that unloads in Laredo, in other words, where we are not providing
through service to Mexico, on a Stevens' trailer, you will
proceed to the consignee and unload like you would any delivery.
Never drop the trailer for the forwarder to unload. Always
request that they live unload. If there are questions or problems,
contact your dispatcher or fleet manager who will coordinate
with Mexico operations. When you are trip planning for your
inbound Laredo load, you should always plan to deliver your
own trailer to the forwarder. There are many cases where we
can deliver to the forwarder a day or so early. However, this
must be coordinated with dispatch in advance. If you will
arrive over the weekend, always coordinate with dispatch in
advance. If you will arrive over the weekend, always coordinate
with your fleet manager as to whether there is freight available
to drop and hook; or whether you should drop in transit in
Dallas, rather than wait in Laredo.
In whatever instance, always
plan to deliver your inbound Laredo load. If doing this hurts
your utilization, then contact your fleet manager who will
coordinate your activity with Mexico operations.
If you are instructed to drop
your load at J.O. Alvarez, a couple of simple procedures will
help us all. Always leave your bills at the guard shack, never
in the back vent. Always top off your reefer fuel before dropping.
And always, remember that we are guests at J.O. Alvarez.
Thank you all for your efforts
at making our Mexico operation a success and a viable business
avenue for all of us.
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Mr. Aaron congratulates Smokey Adams on his ten-year anniversary
with Stevens. |
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2000 -
Ten Year 2000
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Ten Year Recipients
January - May
John Powers
2/20/90
Wilburn Ray 3/2/90
Tracy Frederick
4/2/90
Stephen Campbell 5/4/90
Frank Neal 5/15/90
Rebecca Wall 5/21/90
Theresa Stokes 5/23/90
Jay Glover
5/30/90
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