KKW Staff Changes

Welcome Aboard!

There are new staff changes within the KKW/FTS corporate office and we'd like to tell you more about those individuals that have joined us or have made position changes.

Please welcome our new hire Doug "Mac" MacFarlane. This gentleman will be taking over Susan Zellmann's position as Safety Manager and begins his new adventure with us on Monday, July 19th. Mac, which he prefers to be called, is a 30 year infantry veteran of the US Army, 1971- 2003. His background is physical security and environmental health and safety. Upon retirement Mac contracted out to a local airfreight LTL to develop a safety program then moved to an oil and gas valve global heavy manufacturing company as an EHS Specialist.

Susan Zellmann, previous Safety Manager, has accepted a new position as Market Analyst. She's been training for the last several weeks (covering both desks) learning and helping implement our new Netwise Frontline software. Netwise provides the frontline employees with the business intelligence and tools to continuously improve profits. Susan and KKW are very excited to get started.

Please welcome our new hire Mark Knickerbocker. Mark is our new KKW Logistics Manager. This young gent will be managing our new logistics division which will be located in the office space in our warehouse condo in Pomona. Mark begins his journey with us on Monday, July 19th and will have a lot on his plate while he helps us establish and launch our new division. Mark is married with two children. He started dispatching for a trucking company which has since evolved into a 30 year career in the transportation and logistics business. Mark is a sports fanatic and enjoys playing golf in his spare time.

Please welcome back Chanel Ortega. She has rejoined the linehaul Customer Service team serving the Pacific Northwest areas. Chanel left the organization in 2008 to start a family. She gave birth to a baby girl, Madison, and has enjoyed being home to watch her grow. Chanel is looking forward to getting back into the swing of things - WORK and joining KKW once again. She hopes to bring stability and innovation to the customer service team.

Last but not least, we have a new full-time receptionist at the front desk in the corporate office. Please welcome Vanessa Coryell. She's a local gal, originally from Bellflower, California. She states she's a very down to earth person and enjoys camping, hanging out with friends and traveling. So when you call into our offices, she'll be the individual on the line greeting you with a warm smile and friendly voice.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself and welcome them!

2010 Employee Anniversary Banquet

The time is near. Once again, K.K.W. Trucking, Inc. is excited to announce that we will be celebrating our annual Employee Anniversary Banquet. This event honors those employees who have surpassed the 5 year point and beyond (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc.). We have many employees celebrating this year as well as special retired honorees!!
Coming in July, an evening of excitement and exhilaration awaits as we roll the dice and triple our chips Vegas style. We will enjoy an evening of live music, DJ entertainment, fine food, dancing and great prizes. Not to mention the special awards that will be presented by Mr. Dennis Firestone. Everyone would enjoy an evening of fabulous food and fantastic fun. Throughout the event, we would also be raffling off prizes of all sorts.

Date: Saturday, July 24th
Time: 6:00pm - 11:00pm
Place: The Avalon Pavilion, Pomona Fairplex
1101 McKinley Drive
Pomona, California
(Guests to enter at Gate 1; follow signs to event)

Please be sure to respond by July 9, 2010 to Brandi Krueger at (909) 282-1300 or via email at blkrueger@kkwtrucks.com.

If you are interested, we are asking employees if they would like to donate any prizes such as gift certificates, a bottle of wine or premium liqueur, tickets, or similar items. This would add to the prizes already reserved for the special evening, allowing everyone a chance at the raffle. We will be holding a Chinese raffle near the end of the evening. Don’t miss out on the fun! You may also contact Brandi Krueger if you're interested in donating.

A charge of $20.00 for each additional (non-employee) guest will apply. Cash, checks and charge backs are accepted.

Hope to see you there!

2010 Truck Driving Championships

It's that time of year once again! Don't miss out on this special event. The California Truck Driving Championships is a skills competition that builds confidence and pride among competitors and fosters a commitment to safe driving – an integral part of any successful trucking company. The contest also offers companies an opportunity to build camaraderie and friendships in the family friendly environment.


KKW Trucking, Inc. will be participating in this year's event and is looking for participation from all individuals (drivers, employees for set up and clean up and volunteer judges).


The date and location of this year's contest is as follows:


Southern Regional: Saturday, June 5, 2010
Santa Anita Park (Southwest Parking Lot)
285 W Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91007

Directions: I-5 South; Left on I-210 E toward Pasadena; Exit Santa Anita Ave turning right on N Santa Anita Ave; Turn right on Santa Clara Street; 2nd right onto W Huntington Drive.


If you are interested in participating as a driver please contact Gina Fulcher in Recruiting at (909) 869-1295 or (800) 955-4559 x 1295. Applications are due by Monday, May 24th. If you are interested in volunteering for set up or competition judging you may also contact Gina to sign up. For more information regarding the competition you can visit www.caltrux.org/CTDC/.



Good luck to all of our drivers...go get 'em! Let's see if we can make it to State Finals!

Sam's Club Coming to KKW

Sam's Club is coming to Pomona

Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm
Place: KKW Atrium

Sign up for a New Membership or Renew your Sam’s Club Membership (Business memberships is $35.00 and Advantage (non-business) membership is $40.00) and receive a $10.00 gift card.
Promotion is offered for a short time; cash or check only .

When you become a Member of SAMS CLUB, you get great values on everything from fresh meat, produce and bakery to electronics, computer, apparel and home furniture – as well as Member benefits and Services to save you time and money. Many Clubs also have these Specialty Departments and Professional Services: Optical, Pharmacy, 1-Hour Photo, Fine Jewelry, Tire and Battery, Gas, Floral and Café.

If you're on the road and cannot make it to this event, please contact Brandi Krueger at (800) 955-4559 x 1300 to enroll.

KKW Mourns Loss of Fallen Driver

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. ~William Penn

KKW driver, Robert "Bob" Friday, passed away at a rest area near Yreka, California Wednesday, September 16, 2009. Bob's death comes as a shock to all of us that knew him and he leaves behind many friends here at KKW. Bob had just celebrated 3 years with KKW (hire date 9/13/06). He was born on July 22, 1956 in Southern California and grew up in Anaheim. He was an inventor for the last 18 years and also worked a variety of other jobs from truck driving to sales to product development. Robert was a veteran of the Air Force and served during the Vietnam Era. He enjoyed flying, dog training andworking with stained glass. Robert is survived by his wife of 20 years, Joann Friday, his sons, Brandon (18) and Taylor (15), his parents Marva Harris, and Robert & Gilly Kuehn, sister Amy Klem and brother Greg Kuehn. Memorial services were held on Sunday September 20, 2009 at 3PM at Graystone Chapel in Alta Loma.

Some of his team members here at KKW remember Bob as a hard working and kind soul. He participated in several KKW Truck Driving Championships, he was a driver mentor and he was always there when dispatchers needed him.

When the call was received on September 16th, KKW worked closely with the Sheriff’s department to assist. They were able to use our trailer tracking (Skybitz) device to immediately locate the tractor and trailer. KKW was then able to utilize the Xata GPS mobile-comm tool to pinpoint the closest driver to go help and secure the equipment. KKW was also able to email a photograph of Bob to the Sheriff so they knew what he looked like. If we hadn’t been able to send them the location of the truck, they would have been looking up and down I-5 (like a needle in a haystack) instead, this information was able to get the police their quickly. Drivers are out, alone on the road delivering loads and hopefully they can feel safe knowing that this technology that KKW provides can help them as well and that we are always looking out for them. If you are interested and would like to make a contribution, the family has set up a benefactor account at Chase Bank for Bob's children Brandon and Taylor. Please use account #9284410994.
RIP Bob...you'll be missed!!!

Please feel free to blog about your stories, memories or feelings about Bob. We look forward to reading them.Add It Up by Dan Baker

The day will come

When you will lie

Upon the bed in which you'll die.

The grief-filled eyes, of those who care

Will vanish soon, as if in air.

For all that counts upon that day

Will be the price you dared to pay.

The love you had, the love you gave

Is all that counts when in your grave.

The things that ate up all your time,

They matter not now in your mind.

And as the light and darkness meet,

Life hands to you your balance sheet.

And by yourself you read the score,

It's all of love, and nothing more!

The money, time, and wasted days

Are not allowed to have their say.

Alone you see with tearful eye,

That values on the years gone by,

Were not of things you held so dear

But only of the people here.

And as your spirit starts to soar,

Twas love and nothing, nothing more

KKW Celebrates

Each year, KKW Trucking, Inc. comes together and commemorates employees that have reached their 5, 10, 15, 20 (or beyond) years of service milestone. This year, we celebrated luau style. The evening was full of excitement and amusement. The celebration was held Saturday, August 29th at the Ontario Airport Marriott Hotel in Ontario, California. The poolside pavilion set the stage for merriment and camaraderie. Despite the extremely warm weather everyone seemed to enjoy the evening.

Those that were honored this year were:

Jim Kraft (25 yrs), Andre Rensonnet (20 yrs), Roberto Barba (10 yrs), Bill Cox (10 yrs), Kevin Marrett (10 years), Richard Barrass (5 yrs), Christopher Beardemphis (5 yrs), Erik Blomquist (5 yrs), Jim Brown (5 yrs), Harold Esh (5 yrs), Francisco Gallardo (5 yrs), Heather Hess (5 yrs), Abran Lopez (5 yrs), Nikolay Ogorodnikov (5 yrs), Joann Oliver (5 yrs), Jose Ramirez (5 yrs), Gerardo Robles (5 yrs), Jamie Serna (5 yrs), Sherry Vaughn (5 yrs) and Dennis Wright (5 yrs).

The event included music, entertainment, prize raffle drawings, dancing, eating and drinking! A special thank you to Mr. Dennis Firestone for empowering his employees to coordinate such an event. It truly builds company compassion, closeness and team work. And other thanks to those who helped coordinate, decorate and donate! We look forward to another pleasurable event next year! Thank you!

KKW Trucking, Inc. Joins U.S. EPA SmartWay TransportⓇ Partnership

KKW Trucking, Inc. joined the elite group of SmartWay partners (approximately 1,700 partners) that measured superior in environmental performance. KKW recently received the highest rating of 1.25. This rating illustrates that KKW is already utilizing most of the commercially available fuel savings strategies and actively evaluating the latest emerging technologies. The SmartWay Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the freight industry, is designed to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. Launched by the EPA in 2004, SmartWay is a ground breaking brand that represents environmentally cleaner, more fuel efficient transportation options. By joining the SmartWay Partnership, KKW Trucking, Inc. demonstrates that it has strong environmental leadership and corporate responsibility. For more information regarding SmartWay and the EPA please visit their website at www.epa.gov/smartway.