Lou Earls of Cleveland, TN was recently recognized for 3 million safe miles driven. Mr. Earls delivers groceries out of our Cleveland, TN facility and has been with FirstFleet since 1987. Lou and his wife Alice have been married for 40 years, have one daughter, three granddaughters and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new grandson. Lou says that he has achieved this safe driving milestone by always being aware of what is around his vehicle, understanding others will make mistakes, being prepared to give the right of way rather than t...

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April 15-19, is work zone safety awareness week, everyone's opportunity to renew their attention to highway construction projects that are starting up on our nation's highways. Please slow down, don't pass, watch out for pedestrians, check your speedometer that you have slowed enough, watch out for construction equipment, and heed highway information signs. We're all in this together, highway safety, hang it up and just drive!  

The FMCSA initiative CSA - (Compliance, Safety, and Accountability) is now two years old. In this program a professional driver's record is maintained for 36 months from date of a violation. In addition to personal infraction points these points stay with their employer for 24 months from the date of violation.  The 7 BASIC areas monitored are: Unsafe Driving Hours of Service Driver Fitness Drug & Alcohol Maintenance Hazmat Compliance ...

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  Recent days have reminded all of us that the winter season is well under way. Please remind yourself that winter driving requires additional space around your vehicle at all times. Bridges and crossings will freeze and become slippery before the normal road surface will. The use of your brakes in this situation could put your vehicle into a skid and out of your control. Slow down, winter driving conditions require 100% of your attention on staying in control of your vehicle. ...

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Deer strikes are up over 8% in the past twelve months!    November is the peak month for deer strikes. There is an estimated 20 million animals in deer herds currently. To help avoid a dangerous an costly situation please consider these tips:   Take note of deer crossing areas, and slow down  Expect more than one animal to cross the road  Use your high beam headlights when possible  Understand dawn and dusk are peak times for deer movement ...

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Did you know September and October are national preparedness months for an emergency situation? Three essential elements for being prepared include: Be informed: stay aware of what emergencies could happen in your area, floods, wildfires, tornados, etc.  Make a plan: make sure your family knows how to protect themselves, who to contact, where to meet, and how to get there. Build a kit: plan ahead what items you may need to survive an emergency - first aid, food, water, shelter, and communication. ...

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Since 1998 the trucking industry has set aside the third week in September to recognize, and thank the 3.1 million professional truck drivers in this country. America’s truck drivers log 398 billion miles each year, and deliver 67% of the total us freight tonnage. This amounts to 9.2 billion tons of freight. Professional truck drivers keep America moving! At FirstFleet we want to recognize our professional drivers that contribute daily to FirstFleet's reputation as a safe and dependable carrier for our customers. We genuinely appreciate each and every one of you...

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Summer is over, and school is back in session! Did you know that an average of 139 deaths occur each year in school bus related accidents and school zone accidents? This statistic is one that needs serious attention from everyone who is in control of a motor vehicle. Please make sure you are on full alert when entering a school zone or meet a school bus while driving. REMEMBER: Young children are small and a driver's view maybe blocked by the bus or other vehicle Ch...

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The world of cargo theft is big business. To be specific, in 2011 cargo theft was a $35 billion business. Of the reported thefts the most common states were California, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, and Georgia. The most common targets of thieves were food and drink products, base metals, electronics, apparel, and building materials. Most thefts occurred on Friday with the weekend a close second. Truck stops and unsecured parking lots were where most thefts happened. As a carrier we are not immune to this reality. To stay in front of this c...

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FirstFleet is proud to announce that Rick Atkins of Cleveland,TN was honored on April, 28 2012 by the Tennessee Trucking Association as the Tennessee truck driver of the year. Rick has been with FirstFleet since 1988, is a two million mile safe driver, a member of the Tennessee Highway Road Team, a FirstFleet Driver Trainer, and pastor of New Providence Baptist Church. In accepting the award Rick thanked FirstFleet for the opportunity to work here, he thanks the ownership and his management team, fellow drivers in his profession, and...

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FirstFleet’s 2012 driver trainer meeting, was held in Murfreesboro, Tn. on April 13-14. Driver trainers from FirstFleet locations around the country were welcomed by FirstFleet President Gary Wilson, and Vice Presidents David Beeny and Daniel Piper .  This year marked FirstFleet’s 16th annual trainer meeting. In depth discussions were held on the federal governments CSA program, and where FirstFleet stands in comparison to other carriers with 500 or more trucks. Fuel buying habits and MPG were discussed in detail from industry and company representatives with re...

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FirstFleet is proud to announce, the Three Million Mile safe driving accomplishment of Ronnie May. Mr. May drives out of Cleveland, TN delivering multi-stop grocery deliveries and has been with us since 1987. Thadd Wells, Ronnie’s Terminal Manager, says Ronnie is a model employee, professional, courteous, and now a 24 year, three million mile safe driver Mr. May says staying alert all the time, and expecting the unexpected are keys to his success, along with caring about the others he shares the road with. Everyone wants to return home safely, and professional ...

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  A few quick updates for you with regard to changing DOT rules and regulations. Under the new hours of service rules effective Feb. 27 2012, a driver parked in a commercial vehicle can be considered off duty, even in a day cab. However, if not parked for 10 consecutive hours, the time would count towards the drivers 14 hour on duty time. For team operations, two hours following or proceeding 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper can be logged as off duty, and the team driver can be in the passenger seat. One additi...

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As a professional driver there are certain requirements one must be able to produce in the event of a traffic or DOT stop. If the necessary items cannot be produced the driver will be found in violation and issued a citation for this offense. This citation will carry driver and company CSA points that can easily be avoided by ensuring you have the proper documentation on your person at all times. Valid CDL  Valid Medical Card  Valid Vehicle Registration  Current Insurance Card  ...

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  A few quick updates for you with regard to changing DOT rules and regulations. Schedule one prescription drugs, even when prescribed by a doctor, that are in violation of federal prohibited substances will not be acceptable for a commercial driver to have in his or her system, and will result in enforcement action taken. A conviction for violation of the hands-free cell phone law is considered a serious violation, just as following too close or 15 or more miles per hour over the speed limit, and will be subject to the dot penalty where t...

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