Paper Transport, Inc.

What Drives You?

PTI Employee Spotlight: John McLaughlin

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Installment #2 of the PTI Employee Spotlight Series

PTI employee John McLaughlin and his family.
PTI team member John McLaughlin and his family.

The featured team member of the second installment of the Paper Transport, Inc. Employee Spotlight Series is John McLaughlin.

Thank you John for sharing information about yourself and also for everything that you do for our company!

Name? John McLaughlin

Position at PTI?  National Account Executive

Primary location you work out of? Olney, IL

How long have you been with PTI? I’ve been with PTI for 3 years and 3 months.

What did you do before working at PTI? I worked for a transportation broker.

How long have you worked in the transportation industry? 11 years.

What advice would you give someone who is working in the transportation industry in regards to how they can be successful? Take one day at a time and don’t stress about the things that are beyond your control.

Explain what you do in your position at PTI? I’m responsible for talking to new customers/shippers and seeing if PTI would be a good fit to help solve their transportation needs.

Why do you like working at PTI? I enjoy the people at PTI and that it has a family atmosphere.

What do you like about your position? I like that I get to meet and talk to different people from all over the country. I enjoy getting to see what different companies make and what we can ship for them.

What do you do in your free time outside of work? I’m very involved in my community in things like serving on my local city council, Chamber of Commerce board, and Rotary. I also coach youth soccer and softball and I am involved with my church’s youth and men’s ministries.

What’s your favorite food? Pizza.

Tell us a little bit about your family. I’ve been married to my wife Angie for 14 years and we have 3 kids: Ethan, Addison, and Olivia.

List one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I love playing Disc Golf.

If you would like to become part of the PTI team, please visit our Office Career Page to see what positions are available or email humanresources@papertransport.com with any questions.

14 Useful Trucking Tools, Equipment & Gear

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Some Helpful Gear to Keep in Your Truck

Carabiner - PTI Equipment
An example of the gear to keep in your truck.

As a Class A CDL truck driver, you need to be prepared for any situation – you never know what’s going to happen on the road! That light bulb that needs changing on a trailer in the middle of the night? You’ll need a flashlight. Can’t get traction in a parking lot in the middle of winter? You’ll need salt to throw down and get going again.

When you’re trucking, there’s basically no way to predict what’s to come. To get you started, here’s a list 14 useful trucking tools, equipment and gear to have around:

  1. Flat jaw vise grips – If there’s a need to fix something, then you’re set. If you blow a brake line, you can clamp the line and back off the brake so you can drive somewhere to get it fixed.
  2. Flashlight – A good flashlight is a definite must for not only using at night, but for when the light is dim and you’re having trouble seeing what you’re working on.
  3. Aluminum Tape – Helpful for making a quick patch when necessary.
  4. Hammer, a few wrenches, and screw drivers – You never know what you might need to fix.
  5. Basic ratchet and socket set – For tightening bolts, screws, and other nuts and bolts that could be loose.
  6. Black electrical tape and a sharp knife – It doesn’t make sense to have one without the other.
  7. Air gage – You’ll need one to track the air pressure in your tires.
  8. Air hose – Can connect it to a glad hand to pump up a tire that’s low.
  9. Broom and dustpan – Cleaning out a trailer is tough without both. To take things a step further, get a whisk broom to make cleaning even easier (or a leaf blower!).
  10. Work Gloves – You need to keep your hands protected. Make sure to buy a good pair.
  11. Coveralls – Perfect for when you need to crawl under a truck or trailer and don’t want to get dirty.
  12. Cleaning Supplies – They come in handy when you’re not near a truck stop and need to clean your windshield.
  13. Zip Ties and Carabiners – Useful for bunching air hoses together and securing trailer doors.
  14. Extra water, oil, and windshield washer fluid – It never hurts to have these items on hand for a quick top-off. 

Most of the items on this list of useful trucking tools, equipment and gear were shared by our class a truck drivers at Paper Transport, Inc. They’re very supportive of one another and most will do whatever they can to help their teammates be successful. Don’t believe it? Well, hear it first from one of our drivers:

PT Driver Terrie U
PTI Driver Terrie Ursey.

“What I like about working for PTI is they just don’t look at you as a truck number. When I call in, they call me by my name … And, my coworkers really keep me at the company too. There hasn’t been a time I couldn’t walk up to a PTI driver and ask for help. It means a lot to me that they don’t mind taking the time out of their schedule to help me.” – Terrie Ursey, home weekly Jacksonville dedicated Class A CDL Truck Driver.

If you want to be a member of a supportive team, please call our recruiting team at 1-855-784-5627 or email them at jobs@papertransport.com. Visit our job portal to apply for a driving position with PTI today.

Paper Transport, Inc. Employee Spotlight – Kelly Hansen

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Introducing the PTI Employee Spotlight Blog Series

PTI Safety Coordinator Kelly Hansen with her family.
PTI Safety Coordinator Kelly Hansen with her family.

Welcome to our new blog series: The Paper Transport, Inc. Employee Spotlight! In this series, we’ll be focusing on an employee who supports our truck driving fleet that has now grown to over 900 Class A CDL Truck Drivers!

In this week’s post, Kelly Hansen is featured. Thank you Kelly for sharing information about you and for everything you do at PTI to keep our drivers safe.

Name? Kelly Hansen

Position at PTI? Safety Coordinator

Primary location you work out of? De Pere, WI

How long have you been with PTI? I’ve worked at PTI for a year and a half.

What did you do before working at PTI? I started as a shipping/receiving dock clerk and then spent several years dispatching for the fuel hauling business.

How long have you worked in the transportation industry? 10 years

What advice would you give someone who is working in the transportation industry in regards to how they can be successful? Transportation is always evolving and adjusting, my advice is to be adaptable to the changing industry with laws and regulations 

Explain what you do in your position at PTI? I am accountable for assuring drivers’ profiles are up to date with their medical card and driver license, regulatory files, and I also help with several other tasks in the safety department so things flow smoothly each day.

Why do you like working at PTI? I enjoy working here because of the family friendly working environment, which gives me the flexibility of having a nice a work/life balance.

What do you like about your position? Each day is different. This allows me to multi-task and complete projects as I see fit.

Tell us a little bit about your family. I have been married to my husband, Adam, for 5 years. We have two children, Logan and Lacey.

What do you do in your free time outside of work? ATV Riding, Kayaking, and downhill skiing.

What’s your favorite food? Baby back ribs.

List one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I once kayaked in the Bermuda Triangle!

If you would like to become part of the PTI team, please visit our Office Career Page to see what positions are available or email humanresources@papertransport.com with any questions.

9 Tips for New Professional Class A CDL Truck Drivers

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Some Advice from PTI to Help Drivers in Their New Career

A group photo taken after orientation of Class A CDL Truck Drivers new to the PTI team!

Starting a new career can be tough, especially if you’re entering into an industry that’s completely new to you. Case in point: starting a new career as a professional Class A CDL Truck Driver. Courtesy of the drivers from the Paper Transport, Inc. fleet, here are 9 tips for new drivers:

1. Ask Questions – When you’re starting out, it’s important to ask questions if you don’t understand something or are unsure about what you might need to do next. As Florida driver Roger Herrington puts it: “The only question that is wrong is the one you did not ask.”

2. Slow Down – It doesn’t pay to run around trying to get tasks done as fast as you possibly can and then having to go back and redo all of your work. Wisconsin driver Joseph Vander Loop Jr. explains “it’s not about how fast you work – it’s how smart you work.” Work smarter, not harder.

3. Be Respectful – In any industry, whether in trucking and transportation or hospitality and beyond, the words “please” and “thank you” go a long, long way. Like the Golden Rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In your career, and life, it will help you go a long way.

4. Plan Ahead – This relates to almost everything a driver does each and every day. Not only should you plan the route you’re going to drive, but where you’re going to take a break, what you’re going to eat, how you’re going to handle any kind of delays, where you might want to stop to use the restroom, and so on and so forth. Wisconsin owner operator Bud Weber shares a line from a friend who said it best: “Expect the unexpected and you will not be surprised.”

5. Stay Positive – We all have our moments where we get down, yet what defines us is how we get through those moments and the best way to do it is to stay positive. Missouri driver Kelly Middleton explains it perfectly: “Always look for the good even in a bad situation.”

6. Put Safety First – If you don’t put safety first, you could run into a lot of problems or worse yet, hurt someone else. Do the job the right way. Wisconsin driver Frank Metzenbauer: “Don’t take shortcuts … on the route or with procedures.”

7. Get Your Rest – When it’s time to take a break, listen to your body and take a break. Getting enough rest is key in doing well and it also applies to your mental state. Florida driver George Dean talks about why this is so important: “Reboot your brain every day. Get a good night’s sleep (as many hours as you possible can) and start over.”

8. Be Open to Learning – In trucking, things change almost daily. For that reason, you have to be open to learning new processes, technology, and change. Perfectly put by Wisconsin driver Stephen Runke: “In this industry, about the only thing you can count on is things will change … Adapt and move forward.”

9. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help – The biggest mistake that anyone tends to make in a new job is not asking for help. Swallow your pride and reach out if you need it. Missouri driver Kevin Skylar Lewis made very, very clear with this advice: “Never let your pride keep you from asking for help. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been driving.”

These 9 tips from PTI drivers definitely offer some valuable insight on what it takes to be successful as a new Class A driver in the industry.  In fact, it’s good advice for any driver with any amount of experience because there’s always room for improvement in everything we do. 

If you’re interested in joining a team that cares about what it takes to succeed, as shown by the knowledge offered here, please call our recruiting team at 1-855-784-5627 or email them at jobs@papertransport.com. Visit our job portal to apply for a driving position with PTI today.

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