Over a decade ago, John H. Tyson,


“[BRYAN] HAS A BIG, BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF TRANSPORTATION AND A GREAT NETWORK OF


CONTRACT CARRIERS WHO HE CAN LEAN ON TO ASK ‘HEY, CAN WE DO THIS? CAN WE DO THAT? ’”


—BLUE KEENE, VICE PRESIDENT OF WAREHOUSING AND FORMER DIRECTOR OF PRIVATE FLEET, TYSON FOODS, INC.


grandson of founder John W. Tyson, helped create the company’s Core Values and Cultural Tenets; something McDuffie believes has influenced the attitudes of his team members. “Last week we celebrated a co-


worker’s 45th anniversary at Tyson,” he says. “When you work with people for that long they become family.”


A NEW FAMILY When Tyson’s three transportation


“They’re sitting down with the


drivers to help them learn what can really squeeze out the best MPG, and to a great extent, we’re able to hit another core value: safety,” McDuffie says. “A lot of times, things that are really help- ing our carbon footprint are helping us be safer on the road at the same time.”


The fuel coaching program not only


allows Tyson to improve its efficiency, but it’s a way for management to stay connected with the drivers—something McDuffie stresses as vital.


THE FAMILY DYNAMIC Tyson boasts one of the lowest driv-


er turnover rates, but McDuffie says, “there’s nothing really magical about it—no secret sauce. We call them ‘team members’ rather than ‘employees.’ We offer a great benefits package and make them feel like part of the company. For some people, it’s hard to know how to treat a driver they hardly ever see.” It was actually McDuffie’s mother


who first taught him about the sacri- fices professional drivers make to deliver the freight we need. “If my mother were here, she would


tell you I started in transportation when I was about 10,” McDuffie says. “She owned a hardware store and had quite a passion for the drivers who delivered to her store. On Thursdays, she would treat the drivers to coffee while I would unload the trucks. “She pointed out to me that their entire house for the week or however


32


long they were on the road was about 40-square-feet—about the size of my mattress. So I grew up with an apprecia- tion for what drivers do.” McDuffie grew up in Duluth,


Minn. where he lived with his mother and two sisters. It was there he met the love of his life, Jayne; his wife of 35 years.


With their roots deeply embed-


ded in the small city nestled on Lake Superior, relocating to northwest Arkansas wasn’t the easiest transition to make. “It was a little bit of a struggle to relocate,” McDuffie admits, “but this is home now.” They made the move 22 years ago


when the seafood business he worked for was acquired by Tyson Foods, Inc. “I got my job the way most people get a job at Tyson—they bought my company,” he jokes. “At the time, I was a materials


manager so I did inventory control, transportation and warehousing. I’ve really worked in transportation my entire adult career.” Although his only daughter, Alex, is


now grown up—a senior at John Brown University—McDuffie still has an appre- ciation for the family-friendly atmo- sphere Tyson provides. “A lot of us work a lot of hours, and


I don’t say that in a way that I’m com- plaining. We like what we do,” he says. “I don’t have to be here. If my daughter had an important basketball game, I got up and left my desk and I went to the game.”


divisions were combined into a single department last year, the same was done in warehousing. Blue Keene, who had been responsible for Tyson’s pri- vate fleet, took the position as director of warehousing as McDuffie assumed the role of director of transportation. And in doing so, McDuffie inherited Keene’s seat on the Arkansas Trucking Association’s Board of Directors. “For us, Bryan was a natural selec-


tion to head transportation,” Keene says. “He is very knowledgeable and brings value to us as a company. And he’s a good addition to ATA’s board because he has a large network of carri- ers and not just in Arkansas.” “It’s a great group,” McDuffie says.


“Shannon and the whole team are great. Arkansas is blessed with a lot of really big truckers and a lot of really smart folks.” Having only been involved with


ATA for a few months, he is still learn- ing the ins and outs of association life. “It’s interesting learning about the political side of the game,” he says. “I have been familiar with the issues, but didn’t have a seat at the table.” Keene is confident the appoint-


ment will garner benefits for both the association and Tyson. “I told him ATA would be another group he could leverage with to better understand the regulatory environment, legislation and technological advancements—more than what’s happening on the business side of operations.” Both Keene and McDuffie recog-


 ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 3 2015


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