Truck Topics
An oasis down the road: Tri-State's new Drivers Lounge
Mark Crawford, COO said during the Tri-State Contractors and Employees Picnic, "I hope the drivers will take the time to go through our building here as well as visit the new Drivers Lounge."
"We've really been gearing up to get the lounge open by Monday, the 20th, and it's up and running now. We think this will help demonstrate how much we appreciate our drivers and their value to us."
On August 1, Tri-State leased two buildings on a property situated on Route 795, 2.2 miles west of Tri-State's Headquarters. One building is scheduled to become a shop area which will be used for Qualcomm satellite installations and other shop work.
The other building has been the main focus of activity over the last seven weeks, the home of Tri-State's new Drivers Lounge.
Butch Huff, Tri-State's Shop Manager has been spearheading the construction of this new complex and he says that there have been many man hours and lots of hard work that have gone into the construction of the lounge.
We had the opportunity to get a look at this facility on the day before it's official opening on Monday, September 20, and the hard work and care in putting this together is very evident - the lounge looks great!
This multi-room facility features a laundry room with washer/dryer setup as well as a spacious kitchen area complete with sink and large countertop, convection oven, microwave oven, refrigerator (coming soon) along with soft drink and snack vending machines.
The large bathroom area is complete with a single shower stall at this time, but Butch tells us that expanded shower facilities are on the way.
The very large "living room" area features a 54" Direct TV system, comfortable couches and a dining table. Coming soon are high-speed Internet connections.
Butch says that the construction is only partially complete and that he is working on a lobby area, orientation room and offices that will be a part of this building.
"The driver orientation classes will be moved down to this location in just a few weeks," says Butch. "We'll also have plenty of office space as well for any future needs."
The Drivers Lounge will be open on a 24/7 basis with security provided by a visiting security person. The gravel parking area that serves both buildings is large enough for tractor-trailer parking and turn-around so space will not be a problem.
The second building mentioned earlier will not only be used for Qualcomm installs, but as Butch says, "A lot of new contractors don't have the freight securement equipment like "e-track" installed yet, so we will be able to do those installations for them during orientation, and at a better price than they can get anywhere else."
"We'll be operating three shifts in the shop area."