Inside The Triangle

Join us for a powerful conversation on this episode of Inside the Triangle! Dale Decker, CEO, and Bob Elkins, COO, sit down to discuss Decker Truck Line’s roadmap for growth and stability in 2025 and beyond. Tune in as they explore:✅ Strategic plans for company expansion✅ Enhancing operational efficiency & Driver experience✅ Innovations shaping the future of transportation✅ How Decker remains “Driven to Be the Best” This is a must-listen for Professional Drivers, Logistics Professionals, and our entire Decker Team who want a behind-the-scenes look at how Decker is shaping the future of trucking.

In our latest episode of Inside the Triangle, Darin talks to Vice President of Fleet Operations Steven Hatten. Steven gives us the inside scoop of what's happening inside the trucking industry and how Decker Truck Line is prepared to handle the ups and downs of it all. Listen as Steven and Darin provide great tips to our Professional Drivers on how to navigate the business and keep on truckin'! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, email them to podcast@deckermail.com or call Kati Frahm at ext. 2206. We look forward to hearing from you!

In our latest episode of Inside the Triangle, learn what Driver Training looks like from all angles – the trainer, the trainee, and the “behind the scenes”. Elaine Schlick from our Training Department, along with Professional Drivers David Naster and Todd Ouverson, join host Darin Ladlie to talk about our Training Program. Elaine gives a behind the scenes look at the program as she explains how she pairs trainers with trainees and discusses the requirements of becoming a Driver Trainer. David talks about his experience going through the Training Program as someone who was fresh out of driving school and is now a successful Professional Driver. Todd gives excellent advice on how to achieve your career goals (Scorecards, Diver of the Month, Driver of the Year, and Grand Champion Driver of the year – just to name a few) while being a Driver Trainer and teaching the next generation of Professional Drivers. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, email them to podcast@deckermail.com or call Kati Frahm at ext. 2206. We look forward to hearing from you!

In our newest episode of Inside the Triangle, learn what Dispatching and Operations looks like from all angles. Our host Darin Ladlie sits down with members from our Night Operations team as well as three of our Fleet Managers from three different Terminals.  Director of Night Operations WIllie Edgerton, along with Night Operations staff Devante Shivers and Kala Lampe, join Darin to talk about what Operations looks like after hours and what the day (night) in the life looks like.  Then, Fleet Managers Alexa Anderson (Fort Dodge), Jimmy Mitchell (Bessemer), and Drew Cardy (Missoula) join Darin to chat about what Operations looks like from three of our Decker Terminals. Listen as Alexa, Jimmy, and Drew compare dispatching techniques give advice to our Professional Drivers o how they can be successful. Lastly, Darin announces the June Drivers of the Month and talks about the Scorecard and Safety bonuses. With a refreshing new format, our podcast is now monthly and will feature multiple segments per episode. Don’t worry – even with the new format, it will still sound familiar as we have brought back our host, Darin Ladlie! As many of you know, Darin is now over the road full-time; and the schedule of a full time Professional Driver can sometimes be unpredictable. This gives the podcast a great opportunity to bring in guest hosts! We have already had offers from Drivers and members of our staff and we can’t wait to hear what they have to say in future episodes. If stepping in as a guest host interests you, please reach out to Kati Frahm at ext. 2206 or email podcast@deckermail.com. If hosting isn’t your thing and you’d rather be a guest on an upcoming episode, please let us know – we want to hear from everyone! We are also accepting topic suggestions and questions you would like answered on the podcast! Again, please send these to podcast@deckermail.com or call Kati at ext. 2206. Stay tuned. We’re excited for you to hear what's happenin' Inside the Triangle. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, email them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and email it to podcast@deckermail.com.

A brand new episode of the Decker podcast is now available. Patrice Fourtina (Director of Driver Development) and Rick George (Vice President of Safety) join host Darin Ladlie to talk about the Truck Driving Championships, the Roadcheck Inspection Blitz, and the new Lytx system we are installing in our trucks. Decker Truck Line competed in the Iowa and the Montana TDC. The following Professional Drivers competed in Montana: Roy Middlestead Art Clubb Lyle Turville Donny Nealey Ron Buck The following Professional Drivers competed in Iowa: Todd Ouverson Tom Melton Mike Graf Mike Mertz Felix Perez Professional Drivers Lyle Turville and Dean Filmer are going to the National Truck Driving Championship in Indianapolis after placing 1st in their respective categories during their state Truck Driving Championships. Lyle Turville earned 1st place in Sleeper Berth at the Montana TDC. Dean Filmer earned 1st place in 5-Axle at the Iowa TDC. Then, Lindy Batcheller (Driver Coach) joins Tammy O’Tool (Vice President of Administration) to go over a brand new Lytx FAQ page that was created to help drivers as we transition from SmartDrive to Lytx. Lastly, Darin announces the May Drivers of the Month and talks about the Scorecard and Safety bonuses. With a refreshing new format, our podcast is now monthly and will feature multiple segments per episode. Don’t worry – even with the new format, it will still sound familiar as we have brought back our host, Darin Ladlie! As many of you know, Darin is now over the road full-time; and the schedule of a full time Professional Driver can sometimes be unpredictable. This gives the podcast a great opportunity to bring in guest hosts! We have already had offers from Drivers and members of our staff and we can’t wait to hear what they have to say in future episodes. If stepping in as a guest host interests you, please reach out to Kati Frahm at ext. 2206 or email podcast@deckermail.com. If hosting isn’t your thing and you’d rather be a guest on an upcoming episode, please let us know – we want to hear from everyone! We are also accepting topic suggestions and questions you would like answered on the podcast! Again, please send these to podcast@deckermail.com or call Kati at ext. 2206. Stay tuned. We’re excited for you to hear what's happenin' Inside the Triangle. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, email them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and email it to podcast@deckermail.com.

Back by popular demand! A brand new episode of the Decker podcast is now available. With a refreshing new format, our podcast is now monthly and will feature multiple segments per episode. Don’t worry – even with the new format, it will still sound familiar as we have brought back our host, Darin Ladlie! As many of you know, Darin is now over the road full-time; and the schedule of a full time Professional Driver can sometimes be unpredictable. This gives the podcast a great opportunity to bring in guest hosts! We have already had offers from Drivers and members of our staff and we can’t wait to hear what they have to say in future episodes. If stepping in as a guest host interests you, please reach out to Kati Frahm at ext. 2206 or email podcast@deckermail.com. If hosting isn’t your thing and you’d rather be a guest on an upcoming episode, please let us know – we want to hear from everyone! We are also accepting topic suggestions and questions you would like answered on the podcast! Again, please send these to podcast@deckermail.com or call Kati at ext. 2206. In our first episode back – Darin talks to Ken Cromwell, COO of Decker Truck Line. Ken shares with us the responsibilities of his position and where he believes the industry is headed within the next year or so. Then the roles reverse as Ken interviews Darin about what it's been like being back on the road. Darin talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the industry and how it’s changed since the last time he was over the road full time…17 years ago! And if you know Darin, you know he will tell it like it is! Then, Darin brings in a special guest to announce the Drivers of the Month, Scorecard bonus, and Safety (SmartDrive & Lytx) bonus! Spoiler alert – the special guest is one of our Drivers of the Month! Stay tuned. We’re excited for you to hear what's happenin' Inside the Triangle. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, email them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and email it to podcast@deckermail.com.

Professional Driver Todd Ouverson joins host Darin Ladlie over the phone in this Decker Driver Spotlight episode! In this episode, Todd talks about being a “Rookie” and his first year’s experience at the Iowa Truck Driving Championships (TDC).  The Decker Team, which consisted of Tom Melton, Dean Filmer and Todd Ouverson, took 3rd Place in Team Overall Points!  Congratulations to the Decker Team, you did a great job representing Decker Truck Line! Todd and Darin also talk about the Driver of the Month and Driver of the Year program and give advice to those whose goal is to earn the title of Driver of the Year. Stick around to hear Darin announce the July Drivers of the Month and he also shares the payout of the July Scorecard and SmartDrive bonuses! Listen closely to hear Todd’s fun trivia question. The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com

Professional Driver Lisa Ohrmundt joins host Darin Ladlie this week on our Inside the Triangle Decker Podcast.  Listen in because they go over the Decker Scorecard in detail and Lisa shares some great advice on how you can be successful and earn a great bonus each month! In this episode, Lisa gives tips from a Driver’s perspective on how to excel at each of the seven categories of the Scorecard:  Fuel Compliance, Idle, Miles, Claims, Service Failures, Preventable Accidents and CSA Violations.  Lisa also gives advice on keeping a low SmartDrive score too. Listen closely to hear Lisa’s fun trivia question.  The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com

In today’s episode, Stephanie Hade, Front Desk Receptionist & Administrative Assistant, joins host Darin Ladlie to talk about our Decker logo items and our Decker Company Store! Stephanie tells us everything we need to know about the Decker Store:  the great variety of items that you can find there, where it is located and what forms of payment she is able to accept.  She also explains how Drivers, and anyone for that matter, can purchase things in person, can order online, over the phone and how she is able to meet the many special requests of our diverse Driver Team! Listen closely to hear Steph’s fun trivia question. The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com DECKER TCA RETENTION COMMUNICATIONS ACTION TEAM

 

In today’s episode, Alexa Anderson, Allie Leedom, and Juan Rodriguez (Willie’s Angels 😃) from our fantastic Night Ops team join Darin to talk all about what goes on after hours at Decker Truck Line. Darin starts with a “congratulations” to Alexa for being promoted to Fleet Manager! Congratulations Alexa, you earned it! Listen as the group talk about how they got into working at Decker in the Night Ops department, and chat about their most memorable “after hours” moments! They also talk about the different shifts they work as the Night Ops team, and how they get prepared to work after hours without the rest of the departments in the office. Last but not least, Darin announces our June Drivers of the Month and the June Scorecard and SmartDrive bonuses. We have a goal for next month…let’s reach $90k in bonuses!! You can do it! Listen closely to hear Darin’s fun trivia question. The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com

In this highly anticipated episode, Fuel Manager Janelle Sorenson and Fleet Manager Andrew Mlodzik join Darin to talk all about Decker’s Fuel Program, with special guest Professional Driver Dale Leman! This is a great opportunity to learn about our Fuel Program from the perspectives of a Fleet Manager, a Driver, and the Fuel Manager herself. Janelle explains why the fuel solutions are important and how she decides where fuel stops are routed. Andrew tells us what to do if you can’t make it to your fuel stop or if you have any questions regarding your solution. Dale gives great advice to Drivers on how to attain all 50 Fuel Compliance points in your scorecard. Janelle, Andrew, and Dale also give their words of wisdom to all Professional Drivers out there! But first, Professional Driver Tim Olden stops in to tell us about the latest truck show he participated in – the Walcott Truckers Jamboree. Tim brought DTL two trophies, including Third Place in Working Truck Combination for his tractor and our IMTA trailer! Congrats, Tim! Listen closely to hear Darin’s fun trivia question. The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com

Decker Driver Spotlight: Angela Crager

In this episode of Inside the Triangle, Kati Frahm takes over as host to interview Darin Ladlie for our 52nd episode! Darin takes a deep dive into the Lease Purchase (LP) and Owner Operator (OO) Program offered here at Decker Truck Line. He talks about what a Professional Driver should expect as a LP/OO Driver when it comes to pay, fees, taxes, benefits, and more. He also gives great advice to Drivers who are thinking about joining the program and how to be successful! Darin also updates our listeners with a WorkHound Win! Decker Truck Line is excited to announce that we are increasing our employer match on your 401(k)! And lastly, Darin announces our May Drivers of the Month and gives details on our May Scorecard and SmartDrive bonus payout. Listen closely to hear Darin’s fun trivia question. The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com

Decker Driver Recruiters, Anna Randazzo, Clarisa Bernard and Mitch Dooley join host Darin Ladlie in this week’s episode of Inside the Triangle! Last week, the entire Recruiting Department was finally able to get together again!  Anna, Clarisa and Mitch took time out of their busy, busy week to do a podcast with Darin about the Recruiting Department at DTL.  They talk about how every Professional Driver has a different personality and communication style, and how here at Decker, our Driver Recruiters are able to use their own approach to recruit Drivers.  Some Drivers are into email, others prefer phone calls, and some love social media!  And at DTL, we truly have a Recruiter fit for any kind of Professional Driver! Listen closely to hear Clarisa’s fun trivia question at the end.  The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card!

In this episode of Inside the Triangle, Jesse Butler (Recruiter), Kati Frahm (Communications Coordinator), and Tammy O’Tool (Vice President of Administration) join host Darin Ladlie to talk about our Maintenance Department Appreciation Week, and also to talk about all the different channels of communication that we have to offer for our Professional Drivers! As you know, this week is our Maintenance Department Appreciation Week where we give our thanks to this fantastic team. They work endlessly to make sure our Professional Drivers are safe and on the road. We hope you’ve had a chance to shop at one of our 6 shops to grab some lunch and take the time to say thanks to all of the very hard workers in the Maintenance Department. Jesse, Kati, and Tammy also discuss our various means of communication where we release any news, announcements, updates, and other items that you may need to know about! We also have lots of different social media channels where we post photos, videos, safety messages, and more! Stick around as Darin goes head-to-head with the Communications Gals in a fun trivia game! Listen closely to hear Darin’s fun trivia question. The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com Sponsorships: off for this episode

Please join us as Laura Biberdorf, Detention & Appointments Coordinator and Megan Laughlin, Customer Service Assistant, join host Darin Ladlie in this week’s episode of Inside the Triangle. In this highly requested episode, Megan, Laura, and Darin talk about Detention Pay and everything that goes on behind the scenes to make sure our Drivers are being compensated correctly.  Plus, Laura and Megan give Drivers some great tips that can help the process be as efficient as possible. Darin also reports that we have another WorkHound Win!  DTL’s tarping pay has been raised to $25.00!  Thank you Drivers for all your suggestions you’ve been sending in through WorkHound.  Keep them coming! Listen closely to the end of the podcast to hear Megan’s fun trivia question.  The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com

Decker Driver Spotlight! Professional Driver Patrick Barb joins host Darin Ladlie over the phone in this episode of Inside the Triangle. Patrick is a new Decker Driver who joined the DTL family back in March. In this episode, he and Darin discuss Driver Orientation and what the onboarding process was like. Patrick also talks about the ART Program and why he thinks it's such a great tool for Drivers joining Decker. Patrick's advice is to not be afraid to reach out and talk to someone. Whether you have a suggestion, have a frustration, or just need someone to talk to, the staff at Decker are a listening ear!  Listen closely to hear Darin's fun trivia question! The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com

Nick Hillesheim, Chief Sales Officer of TVC, joins host Darin Ladlie over the phone in this special episode of Inside the Triangle! Listen closely to hear Darin’s fun trivia question! The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card from Darin! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com

Professional Driver Tim Olden joins host Darin Ladlie to talk about the East Coast Truckers Jamboree Tim attended last week! The East Coast Truckers Jamboree was May 6-9 in Kenly, North Carolina and Tim was proud to present his 2012 Peterbilt 386. Although the weather wasn’t the greatest, and even damaged his truck signage, Tim had a great time showing off his exceptional truck and promoting Decker Truck Line! He even brought home a trophy that DTL will proudly display in our trophy case! Tim’s next truck show is the Walcott Truckers Jamboree, July 8-10 in Walcott, Iowa. Darin also takes time to congratulate Tim on earning his Million Mile and 2020 Owner Operator of the Year. Congratulations, Tim! This week, our guest Tim has a trivia question! The first person to answer correctly wins a Pilot Flying J gift card from Darin! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!  If you have any topic suggestions or questions you want answered or discussed on an upcoming podcast, e-mail them to podcast@deckermail.com.  Or, you can create a voice memo on your smart phone and e-mail it to podcast@deckermail.com