DATE OF BIRTH: Jan. 1, 1958 - I missed being a tax deduction by a day. My mom says I have been late ever since.
AT-A-GLANCE
HOMETOWN: Duluth, Minn. SPOUSE: Jayne McDuffie, since 1980 CHILDREN: Daughter, Alex, my best friend HOW LONG WITH TYSON: 22 years HOW LONG IN TRUCKING: I have worked in transportation-related positions since 1978. IF YOU HADN’T GONE INTO TRUCKING, YOU WOULD HAVE DONE... some type of operations work. FAVORITE TYSON PRODUCT: Wright Brand bacon FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: On the water. God made more water than land for a reason. FAVORITE FISHING SPOT: Lake Superior MOST RECENT BOOK READ: Andy Stanley’s Making Vision Stick - if Andy writes it, I read it. LATEST SERIES TO BINGE WATCH: Outlander on Starz BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED: Never pay interest...if you can’t pay for it, don’t buy it. PEOPLE WOULD NEVER GUESS... I learned to read when I was an adult. NO WEEKEND IS COMPLETE WITHOUT... cooking a Food Channel style meal for my family.
So in 2008, Tyson devised a way to
track the performance of its contracted carriers. They established benchmarks, and in 2012 began honoring a handful with the “Premier Carrier of the Year” distinction. The trucking companies are evalu-
ated in 11 areas including commitment to customer service, communication, safety, innovation and environmental- ism, and the standards are constantly being tweaked. “Lately, we’ve taken a deeper look
at safety technology: who’s using elec- tronic logging devices and do they have them on all of their trucks or just some; are they doing sleep testing; are they training drivers on simulators?” Until recently, he admits, “We
didn’t always do that ourselves. You have to understand where you are, and you have to be honest about it. We want to share ideas, to learn from each other—to treat business partners as we want to be treated.” Two of the key areas in which Tyson
is hoping to gain from the experiences of its peers: safety and sustainability.
CARBON FOOTPRINT “Tyson’s fleet is hitting the reset
button on how we look at our envi- ronmental footprint,” McDuffie says. “We’ve spent a lot of time with the larg-
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er carriers that spec their equipment. We’ve gone out and met with all the engine manufacturers, the transmission people—everybody’s who’s connected to drivetrains in trucks.” It can be tedious, he admits.
“There’s so much out there; it’s a puzzle to put together. If you bought every- thing that everybody was selling, and if what they say about their products is true, I think we’d be making fuel instead of consuming it.” That’s why McDuffie is a firm pro-
ponent of Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program. Launched in 2004, Tyson was quick
to join this public-private initiative between EPA, large and small truck- ing companies, rail carriers, logistics companies, commercial manufacturers, retailers and other federal and state agencies. SmartWay’s mission is to accelerate the availability, adoption and market penetration of advanced fuel efficient technologies and operational practices in order to improve fuel effi- ciency and reduce greenhouse gas emis- sions and air pollution. Remember McDuffie’s bucket list?
“Number 8 on my bucket list is to win the SmartWay Shippers Excellence Award,” he smiles. “We’ve been really close—we’ve been nominated the last three years running. We haven’t won
yet, but we are going to win.” Having checked a couple items
off his bucket list, McDuffie has added SmartWay’s Refrigerated Carrier Excellence Award, too. The winners of this year’s award
will be announced in the next couple weeks. “I’m excited to be nominated again. I’m more religious than supersti- tious so that’s on my prayer list every morning,” he smiles. “It just fits so well with everything
we try to do at Tyson, with everything we try to do in transportation, with me and my personal lifestyle,” he says. “And then there’s just the whole social responsibility of leaving the world a bet- ter place for our children.” While Tyson’s commitment to
sustainability isn’t new, many carri- ers began to ramp up their own efforts following President Obama’s declara- tion in May 2010 which called for the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to take additional steps to produce a new generation of clean vehicles. Following that announce- ment, EPA and the Department of Transportation announced they would work together to develop a program to improve fuel efficiency and reduce GHG emissions for commercial trucks, and adopt a second-phase of GHG and
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 3 2015
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