Lola Thomas-Albright
I met Lola during my second week at Nussbaum. Immediately, she took me under her wing. Not only does she call to check on me, but she always offers training, support, helpful tips, and advice.
Many times Lola knows the customer I’m going to, what their docks are like, how tight the turns are, the best routes, and how to avoid the pitfalls. She provides helpful “set-up’ tips for those tight docks. By following her advice, I can attribute the docking success I’m having to being under her tutelage.
On one of my deliveries to Deere, Lola spotted me with specific landmarks to get close to, how far to move up before beginning to back to dock seamlessly, and tandem position. I didn’t have success on this one docking and ended up stuck in some really oversized, chunky gravel, nearly needing towing.
Jonathan Hethmon
Jonathan Hethmon just happened to be delivering at Deere, too. When I saw his truck, I approached him and told him I was stuck. He took the time to try and assist me in maneuvering out of the rocky pit, but one of the tractor tires was hanging over in the air and wasn’t touching anything to give me any traction to move me forward. He kept an eye on my clearance under the trailer, directing my turns, double-checking that I didn’t damage the “dolly legs.” It was not budging. Our efforts ground to a halt.
I finally went to the “yard jockey” and asked if there was anything he could do to help me so I could avoid having to be towed. He went and got a mini tractor bulldozer, hooked to my tractor, and lifted it back onto the pavement.
Jonathan hung in there with me, showing true driver support and camaraderie. He was the one who showed the yard jockey where the tow hooks were under my hood so the bulldozer could tow me.
Assets to the Nussbaum Family
Weeks later, I ran into Jonathan at Nussbaum; it was nice recognizing his face and recalling his efforts and concern for me. When I spoke to Lola later that day, I mentioned my dilemma…She patiently went over the setup again and asked specifically how I had executed it; then she asked if I had gone all the way up to the curve that bears left. I thought I had gone to the right curve, but there was a bigger curve ahead. THAT was where I went wrong, and without seeing the scene, she knew where my docking foible took place. She provided further invaluable training on that dock set-up.
I’m not rushing to get back to that customer. But if I do, I am better equipped because of her specificity and efforts to see that I succeed. Recently, she created a video to show me how to change the batteries in my Elite Pass to ensure they are always working and checked annually. Especially since while on the run, it didn’t beep while scaling from the road. She’s taken it upon herself to send training tools, videos, and pictures that support her guidance. Then she follows up, taking such care and being thorough with the lessons she shares with me. She’s exceptional!
I am grateful to these Professional Drivers. They are tremendous assets to the Nussbaum family.
-In His service, Shannon Wright
Want to nominate someone at Nussbaum for an “Own It” Moment? Send your story to esop@nussbaum.com.
