Man’s best friend has become man’s best co-worker. Pet-friendly offices are seen as a huge benefit to the many people who consider their dogs family. According to a 2016 report from the Society of Human Resources Management, only 7 percent of offices in the United States allow pets in the workplace.

Locally here in Central Texas, the Austin Business Journal and the Austin American-Statesman have both covered the phenomenon. This week’s ABJ cover story (requires subscription) examines how dogs in the workplace help employees psychologically and emotionally beyond the cuteness and cuddles.

My dog, Mr. President loves coming to uShip. It’s his favorite place to be. His friends are here, human and dog alike. He’s one of 15 to 20 dogs that come into the office each day with their owners.

There’s a backyard and tons of hallways to run through, just like John Mayer. People toss him treats, give him pats, and hold him. Attention and treats: the way to a dog’s heart.

He’s a small boy so he’s able to have a bed right on my desk, overseeing all my projects. Sometimes he even climbs on the keyboard to help me write, say, a blog post. His daily activities at uShip go from naps to chasing dogs in the backyard to going to meetings.

Mr. President coming to work doesn’t just benefit him. He’s a goofy little guy who prances everywhere and up to everyone. His name is Mr. President because he likes to shake hands and lick babies. When he’s in the office, everyone gets some time with him, brightening everyone’s day — except Gary, he’s more of a cat person.

International ‘Bring Your Dog to Work Day’ is June 21, but here at uShip, every day is bring-your-dog-to-work day. More than an employee perk, having pets in the office has shown to be a stress relief, an ice breaker, and a means for socializing with your co-workers. Pet-friendly workplaces a great way to increase retention, and recruit other dog owners.

Now I’m not one to brag, but I would guess Mr. President has helped increase uShip’s employee retention rate, single-pawedly, and I know he’s gotten some people in the door. He’s a very good boy.

uShip also offers some amazing dog perks. We have had trainers on-site to help the dogs get used to each other, help puppies with some basic training, and bring together co-workers through one of the best joys in life: their dogs. Every Thursday, there’s a bus from Remington Pet Ranch that comes and scoops up some of the dogs of uShip to go play all day. HR doesn’t just provide human insurance, but pet insurance as well! uShip’s pet-friendly policies make work fun for both humans and dogs.

The post uShip’s Pet-Friendly Workplace: Some Jobs Are So Ruff appeared first on The uShip Blog.

Direct From the ‘Ship

The Long Haul brings you behind-the-scenes interviews with folks on the inside, executives like CEO Mike Williams. Hear directly from the people bringing you the best solutions for filling your truck, like EVP of Operations, Heather Hoover’s rare, but classic Roy Garber moment.

uShip Product Updates

uShip is constantly doing their best to make it easier for you to get work. With The Long Haul, you can find out everything there is to know about uShip’s newest products, and how they work for you.

Trends in Trucking

We know the logistics world is constantly changing. Keep up with the newest trends in trucking with The Long Haul. We’ll bring you new information from the logistics industry directly to your vehicle.

The Long Haul Hosts

Joe, Carrier Success Manager & Lisa, Marketing Manager. Joe works directly with carriers to make sure you find success with the uShip platform. Lisa has 7 years history in logistics and knows the industry.

Give The Long Haul a listen today. Rate and subscribe. Let us know more about what you want from the uShip podcast by tweeting at us @uShip.

Here’s what our customers are saying about uShip:

The post The Long Haul: uShip News and Updates Like You’ve Never Heard Before appeared first on The uShip Blog.

Woman of Trucking Jacinda Duran

Behind the wheel, we have Jacinda Duran of Peoria, Ariz., a driver for Plycar Automotive Logistics. You might also know her as ‘Jacinda Lady Truck’n’ on Facebook.

Jacinda’s love for trucking is ingrained through her family. She is a third generation lady trucker, following in the footsteps of her mother, who drove for 23 years, and her grandmother, who drove for over 50 years. On top of that, her second cousin is Marc Springer, who starred in A&E reality series Shipping Wars (100 episodes from 2012-2015).

Life & Carrer | Woman of Trucking

Starting off as a local FedEx driver over four years ago, Jacinda moved to a longer, consistent, dedicated route, delivering oxygen tanks. Today, she’s behind the wheel of a 53′ enclosed high-end car hauler, driving for Plycar Automotive Logistics. On any given day, her 42,000 Instagram followers will see her at a frozen truckstop in Wisconsin, performing in-cab karaoke, or dealing with a blown tire outside of Salt Lake City.

To Jacinda, trucking represents freedom. She loves that it’s just her and the open road, and she has the opportunity to make every day an adventure.

With trucking, she has found more than a dream job, she has found her passion.

“It’s amazing that it’s inspiring people just by sharing my passion,” Jacinda says.

In a predominantly male industry, when Jacinda sees other women out on the road, she has the utmost respect for their boldness. Inspiring other women to get into trucking is Jacinda’s favorite way to celebrate women in trucking, and many of the women of trucking already know Jacinda.

She’s honored that other women in the trucking industry come to her regularly to seek advice on trucking when they want to know how to get into the business, and how they can benefit the most from it. She’s a wealth of knowledge about the industry, and the actual job of transporting anything from small packages to high-end vehicles.

As uShip sought fitting stories of women in the trucking industry, we were inspired by Jacinda’s strength and tenacity. TO us, she represents a powerful woman in trucking. We invite you to join us in celebrating Jacinda, the women of trucking, and all women as we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 this year.

Watch Jacinda’s story here:

Update (9/21/2020): Did you see a familiar Lady Trucker on the 2020 Emmy Awards? The Emmy’s asked essential workers around the country to present awards in 2020, and of course, they asked Jacinda to present the award for outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or movie. We’re so happy to see the entertainment industry celebrate essential workers like Jacinda in such a unique way!

 

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A post shared by JacindaLadyTruckn (@jacindaladytruckn) on Sep 20, 2020 at 10:57pm PDT

Read about four other outstanding women of trucking here.

The post Third-Generation Lady Trucker Finds Dream Job in Long Haul appeared first on The uShip Blog.

uShip Gives is teaming up with other Austin-based companies, like HomeAway, Spiceworks and Vista Equity Partners, to support the Andy Roddick Foundation with a $5,000 match to encourage giving. We’re working with the Andy Roddick Foundation to enrich the lives of children when they’re not in school, offering opportunities for children to grow in literacy, STEM, art, and sports.

“What impresses me about the Andy Roddick Foundation is that it’s opening the eyes of kids and their families as to what is possible—helping kids to find, unlock and pursue their dreams.”
Mike Williams, CEO, uShip

Last year, the Foundation raised $45,000 during Amplify Austin and have a goal of raising $50,000 this year in order to give even more children new chances to grow in self-worth and confidence.

So How Does uShip Come Into Play?

Our CEO, Mike Williams is the Andy Roddick Foundation’s first ever Amplify Austin Chair. Mike not only helms our ship, but he also leads uShip’s dedication to helping give Austin kids opportunities and experiences through the Andy Roddick Foundation.

“With [Mike] at the helm of the campaign this year, we are very confident we will meet, and even exceed, our target!”
Richard Tagle, CEO, Andy Roddick Foundation

“At uShip, we’re working hard to foster a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. And for us to continue recruiting teams that represent all genders, ethnicities and life experience, we need kids of today to be pursuing their full potential—whether that’s computer science and software development or music and the performing arts.”
Mike Williams, CEO, uShip

uShip Gives & Amplify Austin

So Austin, we’re teaming up with three other local companies and matching your donations up to $5,000. If the fundraisers can get $20,000, the Andy Roddick Foundation will be well on their way to achieving their goal. Find out more about becoming a fundraiser on behalf of the Andy Roddick Foundation.

The post uShip CEO Chairs Amplify Austin Campaign appeared first on The uShip Blog.

So in December 2017, we launched uShip University, a new program for our developers and engineers. It’s an in-house continuing education program run by employees for employees.

No mascots. No expensive textbooks. No tailgating (unless on their own time, of course).

uShip University’s first turnout was amazing. Feedback from developers is that they left excited about learning as a group, gained both personal and technical confidence, and were impressed with the preparation and approach of the course. Course homework naturally resurrected college flashbacks for many.

Courses are prepared and delivered by uShip’s technical mentors from uShip’s long-time in-house mentorship program. Going forward, uShip University will be held semi-monthly with staggered courses so participants can join multiple tracks.

If you’re considering one of the many developer roles open at uShip, there’s no limit to learning.  Come join us!

The post uShip University: Continuing Education for Developers, by Developers appeared first on The uShip Blog.