Drivers of the Year 2004 John Christner Trucking
“Boxes of meat are immune to pot holes, but strawberries are very sensitive!”
A quote from Robert and Judith Kirk
Sapulpa, OK – Even though Judith and Robert Kirk, the John Christner Drivers of the Year for 2004, were surprised by their award, no one else was. “When we heard the news over the Qualcomm, we looked at each other and our mouths hung open,” Mrs. Kirk remembers. Robert Kirk adds, “We weren’t doing anything special. We are just doing our job right as we see it.”
Danny Christner, Chief Operation Officer for John Christner Trucking knows exactly why the Kirks deserve this special recognition. “The Kirks have an excellent safety record, close to 2 million accident free miles and an outstanding attitude towards the company, their fellow drivers and this industry in general.”
Now this is really going to blow your mind – the Kirks stood out and made their mark, but had never actually spoken to John Christner himself. And this fact doesn’t bother them a bit. “We figure the less we have to see management, the better we are doing our job.” That’s exactly what Danny means when he talks about a great attitude. When the Kirks talk about their 2000 Freightliner classic, they just happen to mention that it’s white -the same color as John’s truck.
“Right now I’m wearing a JCT pullover shirt,” Robert Kirk says. “I normally am not the kind of man who buys a company’s logo clothing. This is how much I think of the company. This whole thing {the Driver of the Year award} has been unexpected and beyond what we normally experience. We’re low profile and kind of quiet. Winning has been different, but not all together bad.”
The Kirks became Owner Operators by accident. “We bought our truck so we could bring along our dog.” At the time, JCT didn’t have a pet policy and the Kirks couldn’t bear leaving their special needs pet, Georgia, an Australian Shepherd, at home. Georgia is described by her family as “having a personality that’s above and beyond.”
In the truck, the Kirk’s working style is completely 50/50. They each drive 10 hours, and then rotate. “You guys get along so great,” is something they hear from everybody. And they eat it up, because it’s true. “We’ve run into couples who fight like cats and dogs,” the Kirk’s explain, “but it’s not our way. We work through difficulties and share the load. It’s that way at home too.”
JCT has made some changes that make the company an even better place to be a team. The new team program places all teams with one of two dispatchers. In the Kirk’s case, that is Keith Sally, one of JCT’s most experienced Group Managers. Keith Sally sees to it that the Kirks keep close to their average of 20,000 miles a month. JCT doesn’t have all that many teams, so it can focus on and take care of them with dedicated dispatch and lots of miles.
Driving reefer is easy for Judith who was a bus driver for 20 years. She’s already been responsible for the most precious cargo in the world so keeping produce safe is easy. Judith wishes someone would make a sticker that reads, “If you’ve got it, a truck brought it.”
As far as the Kirks are concerned, safety means doing the job in a correct and professional manner. Robert Kirk believes, “If you are doing it right, you are doing it safe. We take this job extremely seriously, Mr. Kirk explains. It’s a pride thing with us. I want it to go on in good condition and come off in just as good a condition as it went on. I would be ashamed to deliver produce that’s below par.”
When the Kirks were looking for the right company, they turned to other drivers for advice. Now they have some to offer back. “If you are looking for a good place to work, good people to work with and can put 110% into your job, this is your place. These people are fantastic!”
John Christner Trucking was founded in 1986 and currently operates 650 plus company and owner operator units transporting temperature-controlled products. To learn more about JCT, please call 800-528-3675
