Our dispatchers take the cake! Join us in sharing our appreciation for the dispatch team!
Thanks to Jody Stinson for sharing this photo and taking pride in his ride!
Steven Lopez has been working for Coastal Plains in Charlotte for the last nine and a half years. He spent the first 35 years of his career working on automatic transmissions in the automotive industry. Shaun also served 10 years in the military and is a proud Army Veteran.
He started work for our Charlotte yard before we opened the shop. When he first joined the team, Steven didn’t know how to start the trucks, but it wasn’t long before he ran the shop. He’s now one of the top mechanics for this company. Steven loves his job, and it shows through the pride he takes in making the Charlotte yard productive. Thanks for all your hard work, Steven!
Shout Outs
Congratulations to the following drivers who earned the highest-ranking category rating, “Great,” from a client.
We appreciate Odette, Izzy, and Rick for coming in and working on their day off to help get drivers ready to roll for a client.
Thank you to professional driver Roy Parker for going well out of his way to deliver a nitrogen load to a customer. Roy has also demonstrated unlimited flexibility in training and operations. He has done everything asked of him without complaint or pushback. He has gone beyond just doing what was asked, he has provided critical operational knowledge and ideas to the Baytown Management Team which has made it possible to accomplish jobs and equipment moves.
Chuck Marton, you are an incredible asset to our team. Even during adverse weather and difficult conditions, you are still a delight to visit with and always have a positive attitude. You are a staple of this yard and a great employee that we have come to count on and rely on. You are a tremendous driver and an equally tremendous person.
Our compliments to Geneva Riley for her committed efforts helping the Baytown team get the PM list under control.
Thanks for your hard work and dedication to Coastal Plains Trucking over the years, Barbara Reed! You have excelled at every task you’ve been given. Your work to improve our PO receiving process and genuine concern for improving the work product for yourself and others is appreciated more than you know.
Shout out to Keith Doak for his clean level 2 inspection! His work ethic and knowledge of the job is outstanding. He is also a great trainer for CPT. Thank you for everything you do.
Great teamwork by Jody Stinson and Larry Batice for working together to find a solution to a mechanical problem that was preventing Jody from unloading. Thanks to the quick thinking of these two, Jody was able to deliver the load to the customer on time.
Rick Boese has been working in the Cryo Division of Coastal Plains Trucking for 5 years. He has more than 20 years of experience in the cryogenics field where he started out driving and working on nitrogen trailers. Rick is no stranger to growth. The previous company Rick worked for started with one trailer and grew to more than 30 nitrogen units. In his time maintaining and repairing the cryo trailers, Rick has become a specialist on the workings and rigging of them. Since coming to CPT, he has helped grow the Cryo Division into one of the leaders in the market. Rick’s understanding of cryo systems has helped in the purchase of a lighter, more powerful trailer that allows our company to deliver more product per load, placing us far ahead of our competition. (We tried to wrangle Rick for a photo to accompany this spotlight, but he proved to be much more spry than we expected.)
Baytown Terminal Manager Izzy Rodriguez is a utility player we depend on. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience, is a team player, and will be involved in the development and implementation of our driver training program. Izzy looks for opportunities every day to improve processes and provide support for our drivers.
Professional Driver Dina Brown has shown great flexibility, always accepting whatever dispatch is needed of her. She has worked industrial jobs in Utah and contributes on West Texas work. Dina delivers with cheerfulness, has a safe driving record, and is pleasant to work with in all situations. She is a great example for others to follow!
Fleet Manager Odette Granville has consistently and relentlessly pursued excellence in all processes. She is developing relationships with our professional drivers, customers, and administrators. Odette is a great asset to our team!
Wyoming Supervisor Shawn Webster joined Coastal Plains Trucking in December of 2019. His drive is to be a helpful and dependable team member, contributing to his team, and helping them achieve goals. Shawn is a flexible member of our team, and he is willing to work in different areas to help where needed.
Shawn appreciates working for a company that takes pride in their employees and has a positive work-life balance. He enjoys spending his time off with his wife and daughter. They love to travel and take trips to the lake and mountains.
New Hires
We look forward to creating opportunities for you to grow through a rewarding career that offers support, stability and financial security for years to come!
William Barner
Juan Martinez Garcia
Corleano Gatson
Samuel Hernandez
Deon Hillman
Steven Johnson
Khori Jones
Jamie Miller
Madalena Rosa Ortegon
Roberto Pantaleon III
Pedro Ramirez Jr.
Dispatcher Scott Polasek has been with Coastal Plains Trucking for 5 years. As part of the night shift dispatch team, Scott is responsible for dispatching South Texas crude, West Texas crude, Wyoming crude, potable water, and jet fuel. Scott enjoys the challenges of the job and is happy to work with a variety of people who share different skills and talents to make a good working environment. Scott has a passion for problem solving. He takes pride in building trust with drivers, helping them be more efficient, and meeting customers’ needs.
In his free time, Scott loves to spend time with family and friends, and relaxing by playing games of all types – from tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons to videogames like Minecraft. Solving a puzzle or a problem is what he enjoys most.
Director of Training and Development Oscar Salazar brings 15 years of transportation experience to his current position as Director of Training and Development. His skillset includes more than a decade of hazmat and tanker work. Oscar started as a driver and advanced to supervise orientation for new drivers. He calls implementing the Smith System his "bread and butter." Oscar enjoys spending days off with his wife and two boys, and saltwater fishing is one of his favorite ways to unwind.
Shout Outs
Megan Puente, thanks for your continued effort to improve our processes. You are an excellent example of how to really embrace the relentless pursuit of continuous process improvement. You are doing an amazing job and we are all so thankful that you are a part of the team!
Marty Young, Bobby Wear, Luis Villareal, and Hector Pena, thank you for the hard work and attention to our equipment. Keep up the good work and continued effort!
Joseph Noel and Ruben Franco, our customers know you by name and request you directly! This is a huge win for us and a real testament to your professionalism and the quality of work you perform!
Sean Muuss, we're getting great compliments about you from our clients. They really appreciate your communication and willingness to work hard. Thank you for everything you do!
The leadership team at Coastal Plains Trucking would like to thank Jeff Swafford for his focus and dedication to ensure CPT meets the noble cause to our customers and our people!
New Hires
We look forward to creating opportunities for you to grow through a rewarding career that offers support, stability and financial security for years to come!
Stacy Alridge
Larry Batice
Brandon Bell
Yves Davilmar, Jr.
Juan Delgado
Clavonna Glover
Odette James-Granville
Vladislav Kirillin
Sean Muuss
Adam Newcomer
Oscar Salazar
Christopher Smith
Demetrius Tarbor
Roberto Villa
Moving Up
It is with great excitement we are announcing Jorge Gomez has been promoted to West Texas Regional Manager. Jorge has been with us since 2015 and has seen the company grow to what it is today. He will be responsible for Crude Operations as well as the water division in West Texas.
Congratulations to our entire water hauling division on setting an incredible record of over 600 loads hauled in a month! Way to go, everyone! – Stephen Greak
Assets Assistant Geneva Riley came to Coastal Plains Trucking in November 2021 and serves as an Assets Assistant. She takes pride in her work and does whatever it takes to get the job completed at task. In her spare time, Geneva likes to barrel race and watch her husband rope.
Dispatcher Dawn Bailey joined Coastal Plains Trucking more than eight years ago. She dispatches night shift across the company’s regions. Dawn takes pride in building trust with drivers, helping them be more efficient, and meeting customers’ needs. Dawn is responsible for dispatching South Texas crude, West Texas crude, Wyoming crude, local/OTR LNG, and jet fuel. When not working hard in Dispatch, Dawn supports the team by babysitting for several company employees. In her downtime, Dawn loves to go to the lake and ride her jet ski. She also likes to spend time with her husband when he’s home, enjoys time with her dogs, and relaxes by drawing diamond paintings.
Shout Outs
I would like to recognize Ismael Rodriguez for all his hard work at the Baytown yard. Ismael handles all the new hire training along with setting up truck and trailer repairs with the local mechanic. He has been a vital part of the success of the Baytown yard. - Richard Jimenez
I would like to shout out Richard Howard for the work he's doing on automating our ticketing processes. Eliminating hand-keying, duplicate work, and also helping move us paperless which is good for the environment! - Emily Smith
HR Manager Cheryl Ducharme has been with Coastal Plains Trucking for nine years. Originally hired as Payroll Admin Assistant, she was recently promoted to Human Resources Manager. When not working, Cheryl enjoys spending time with her daughter and family, and hanging out at the coast.
Dispatcher Sharon Martinez's greatest accomplishment with Coastal Plains Trucking is her longevity; she has been with our company for more than eight years! She also prides herself with getting to know her drivers, building trust with them, and helping them be more efficient. Sharon dispatches for south and west Texas crude, Wyoming crude, local & OTR LNG, and jet fuel. She also works part time for Oak Hills Animal Hospital in Floresville. Sharon has four children and four grandchildren. One of her favorite pastimes is listening to Texas country music!
Vernon Taylor was our first hire for an OTR tanker position who didn’t have any tanker experience. When he joined Coastal Plains Trucking, Vernon was sent to Monahans to train on hauling water, then brought back to Baytown to train on hauling nitrogen. Within six months of his start date, he was successfully hauling carbon dioxide on his own. Vernon does an excellent job and is held in high regard by his supervisors and managers. Thanks to Vernon’s success, we now consider drivers for OTR tanker work without prior experience. Vernon has opened the door for an entirely new group of drivers to be considered for employment. We’re grateful to have Vernon as part of the CPT Team. Great work, Vernon!
Shout out to Michael Knauf for receiving excellent feedback from our biggest cryo customer, Airgas! They reported that Michael was “steady and communicates well“. They were very pleased with his work and we’re proud to have him as part of the team! Keep up the good work, Michael!
Megan Puente On January 1, Megan Puente took over as the Controller for Coastal Plains Trucking from Wes Taylor, who moved into a new role as Process Analyst. Megan works as part of the Support Team in Lufkin. She began her career with CPT as an Accounting Clerk in January 2020. Megan oversees the financials and prepares weekly and monthly reports. She graduated with a degree in accounting from Texas Tech University. When not at work, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and her pets.
Stacy Risner is the new Driver Liaison for Coastal Plains Trucking. She began her career with CPT in the Accounts Receivable department in September 2017. Stacy coordinates driver satisfaction surveys and collects feedback. She also assists with marketing functions like managing our social media and overseeing the production of The Dispatch. Stacy graduated with a degree in business from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. When not at work, Stacy enjoys reading and traveling.
