Employee appreciation
Decker names Grand Champion Driver of the Year
Decker Truck Line Inc., has a new way of showing appreciation to its drivers.
The organization held a companywide celebration Friday, awarding a brand-new Harley-Davidson motorcycle to its Grand Champion Driver of the Year.
Arthur Clubb, of Missoula, Montana, was selected for the honor. It’s the first time the Fort Dodge company has awarded this title.
The program is one of the ways Decker emphasizes the importance of the driver, according to Chief Operating Officer Todd Smith.
And according to Clubb, the company is doing a good job of that.
“I love working here,” Clubb said. “The difference between a good company and a below average company is monstrous.”
Clubb has been with Decker for four years, and has been trucking for 27 years. It’s easy for him to name what makes a company above-average.
“Respect,” he said. “Good communication. It’s tough because there are so many carriers out there that just flat don’t care about their drivers.”
Shortly after Smith became COO in January 2016, Decker initiated a driver scorecard system, Smith said.
This tracks drivers on their idle time, the miles per gallon they achieve, miles per week, preventable accidents and other metrics.
Clubb won the top score over the year, making 972 points out of 1,000 on the scorecard.
Clubb was one of four drivers of the year who were eligible to be named grand champion, winning that distinction in the West refrigerated trailers, or “reefer”, division.
Other top drivers were Sheldon McAfee, of Olathe, Kansas, Midwest reefer division; John Hodges of Warrenville, South Carolina, flatbed; and Jerry Schad of Ocala, Florida, owner/operator.
Usually the four top drivers would be given a 1 cent per mile bonus, said Don Decker, president and chairman of the board of Decker Truck Line Inc.
Each driver made between 126,000 and 156,000 miles this year.
Decker announced they would each get $5,000.
Taking good care of the drivers also gives the company good spokespeople, Decker said.
“It allows us to do a bit of recruiting and communication,” he said. “Just get the drivers and the professionals out there to give the word about the profession, and about Decker Truck Line.”
It’s better when the drivers are out there speaking for themselves, he said.
Smith said he came on board as part of the management secession plan.
“One of the things I’ve really emphasized was the driver,” Smith said. ”Doing something like this for them, making sure we have a good driver scorecard system in place so we can provide them with good feedback on how they’re doing. Areas they need to improve on, areas they’re doing really good.
“It’s gone over really well, and ultimately that’s what today was about.”
Decker said next year he hopes to offer either a new motorcycle or a new car to the grand champion, in case that person isn’t a rider.
That’s not a problem for Clubb, who has never owned a Harley before but did drive a couple of Hondas more than 20 years ago.
“I had a little Nighthawk, and then I had a V65 Magnum. It was too fast for me,” Clubb said.
And after 27 years in the cab, Clubb has finally reached a milestone — he recently told a DOT officer “I’ve been driving longer than you’ve been alive.”
“I’ve been waiting so long to say that,” Clubb said.