Carrier Logistics Inc. Newsletter

Trucking with CLI

June 2014

In This Issue
CLI User Group & Forum
5 Reasons to Outsource
Case Study
Help Desk Tip
Quick Links

Featured Employee:

Ben Wiesen


Ben Wiesen is vice president of products and support at Carrier Logistics Inc., a position he has held since 2008.  He has been with CLI for almost twenty years, joining the organization in 1995.   Ben leads the implementation and support team and his responsibilities include managing the FACTS product line and managing systems installation.  He is specifically responsible for the direction of the operations modules with FACTS, including ROUTRONICS, FACTSweb (Internet customer service module), and FACTSMobile.

 

Prior to his current position, Ben was a senior transportation consultant at CLI.  His efforts and skills helped evolve the FACTS product into the world's premiere transportation management system for the logistics industry, and he has managed the installation of FACTS at clients across North America.

 

Before joining CLI in 1995, Ben was an operations engineer for Roadway Express, responsible for re-engineering of satellite facilities.  He started his career working for the Department of Defense as an industrial engineer monitoring defense contracts and holds a degree in industrial engineering from U-Mass at Amherst.

 

He resides in Yorktown Heights, NY with his wife and two children.  When not on the road visiting CLI's customers (and sometimes even when he is), Ben enjoys early morning workouts, and as an avid home brewer, Ben is always seeking that perfect glass of ale to end the day.

 

New Client Spotlight:

Benton Global

 

 

 

CLI welcomes new client Benton Global.    Established in 1934, this Atlanta-based company carries eight decades of experience providing customized, quality transportation services across the southeast United States. A company that cares about its employees and community as much as it does its business, Benton Global is truly a people-driven company that aims to set the standards of excellence for transportation.

 

With more than 20 terminals and 550 employees, Benton Global specializes in Less-than-Truckload, Full Truckload, Customized Distribution, Consolidation Solutions, Warehousing, Port Transloading and Guaranteed Service.

 

 

We thank Benton Global for its commitment to CLI and offer a hearty welcome!

 

To learn more about 

Benton Global, click here.

 

  

Just for Laughs

by

T. McCracken

Used with permission. 
All rights reserved. 
 
 
Welcome to the June issue of Trucking with CLI.  In this edition, we are pleased to reprint a story on the 2014 CLI User Group and Executive Forum Meeting.  The program, which was once again a popular and highly rated event, featured several senior-level industry experts who shared their wisdom and insight with the attendees.
 
This edition also features an article from CLI partner, DDC FPO on Outsourcing, and an excerpt of a recent case study on Land Air Express that was produced in partnership with Progress Software. 
 
Finally, we have our employee spotlight, an article on new client Benton Global and an ever-practical help desk tip.  

 

We hope you enjoy the newsletter.  As always, we welcome your feedback and input.

FedEx and Pitt Ohio Executives Make Connections at CLI User Group Meeting

by David Closs, Zlokower Company 

 

A packed room listened intently as the CIO of FedEx Freight and the President of Pitt Ohio shared their visions and secrets to success at the recent CLI User Group and Executive Forum in White Plains, N.Y.  Kenneth J. Spangler, senior vice president and CIO for information technology with FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight, started off the program on a high note with his keynote on, "The Expanding Role of Technology and Automation in LTL."

 

Executives from carriers all over the U.S. and Canada heard Spangler's view of a 

Ken Spangler

future in which "more change will happen in the next five years than we have had in the last twenty."  As an example, he showed attendees how the latest technology deployed by FedEx can take pictures of all six sides of a box moving along a conveyor belt. To illustrate how far technology has gone, Spangler unveiled the latest forklift truck design complete with onboard computer.

 

Executives and computer users from LTLs, couriers, transportation brokers, 3PL's, freight forwarders and multi-stop delivery companies throughout North America attended CLI presentations on reports, billing, social media, accounting, security, web use, tariffs, dispatch, and dock management. 

 

"As we emerge from tough economic times, it is important transportation companies obtain and take advantage of all the benefits cutting-edge systems like ours offer," said Ken Weinberg, CLI's vice president, who acted as moderator and introduced the speakers.  "Our expert trainers educated operators and managers here on how best practices maximize systems, increase cost savings and reliability and streamline business practices.  The theme of the program this year is Making Connections and we covered that, whether discussing connecting through your staff, to your customers or by your technology."

 

Chuck Hammel, president of Pitt Ohio Express, a respected multi-stop and LTL carrier, explained how rebranding and aggressive marketing tactics like expansion of next-day lanes have helped keep Pitt-Ohio on top and in the forefront of transportation technology.  Hammel discussed the importance of paying full health care for drivers and other employees, diversifying offerings, and other tactics to stay competitive. 

 

Following Hammel's remarks, Satish Jindel, a noted transportation industry expert and principal of SJ Consulting Group, helped to assure a lively Q&A through his incisive questions.

 

On the meeting's second day, attendees received the economic forecast in a presentation by Ken Hoexter, senior airfreight & surface transportation analyst at BofA Merrill Lynch.  Hoexter, whose presentation is a staple at CLI conferences since 2004, is a respected expert on transportation trends.

 

Sessions included a supplier showcase by CLI's technology partners including Accordex, Apacheta, Barcoding, Cheetah, Corvedia, Cyberscience, DDC FPO, EBE, Fresh Start Logistics, Progress, ProMiles, Royal 4 Systems, SMC3, TCG, Transportation Profitability Group, and Webtech.

 Top 5 Reasons to Outsource

 

The practice of outsourcing for most of Corporate America is nothing new. In fact, your company is most likely already outsourcing and you don't even realize it.

 

Outsourcing is the separation of any function critical to your business operations and the delegation of it to a more qualified, experienced and specialized third party. Outsourcing does not have to be offshore, out of the country or even out of the state.

 

As with anything else, there are several different layers to the outsourcing onion. As you peel deeper, you will find more complex solutions that may be better for you, such as insourcing or shared services. On the other hand, after speaking with an outsourcing expert, you may realize that follow-the-sun processing is all you need, and therefore you should choose a basic labor arbitrage program.

 

Regardless of which solution is a best fit for your business, there are many reasons to outsource to consider. Here are the top five reasons most transportation companies outsource:

 

5) A need to improve operational efficiency

The inefficient workflow process in your back office has a domino effect of too much downtime between tasks, too much overtime to complete daily tasks, and outdated systems and/or processes. With the outsourced solution, your team will benefit from higher productivity and quicker turnaround time, significantly cutting down on extra time and labor costs that continue to add up. Also, you'll have access to not only the latest technologies, but the best technologies for your business, such as unique SaaS models, cloud computing capabilities and automation. Outsourcing experts are very good at staying abreast of all tools on the market and figuring out which ones are best for their different clients.

 

4) Exhausted resources

The time you spend focusing on your core business is decreasing every day. Your growing, or shrinking, pains increase your employee overload and cause higher stress, lower productivity, and higher turnover in your workplace. The costs to hire and train more staff only continues to rise.

 

Outsourcing will give you a break from the stress and will allow you to re-sharpen your focus on what you love about the transportation industry. The labor elasticity benefits of delegating these critical but time-consuming tasks are endless. If you find the right partner, your outsourced team will be flexible and scalable to meet your demands, regardless of whether the volumes were previously scheduled or not. If you want to get a leg up on the competition, an offshore solution will equip you with around the clock processing, meaning that the outsourced function won't just be done well, it will also be done before you get to the office in the morning.

 

3) A need to streamline and/or standardize processes

Your back-office functions that are hosted on different servers, operate on different systems and/or are held up to different sets of standards are causing your head to spin. How do you keep up? A simple task master spreadsheet in Excel will not prevent data discrepancies, duplications or oversights that could be detrimental to your business, such as date and volume inaccuracies. To avoid these serious problems, you need to standardize your processes. Get all of your back-office functions onto the same system and streamline your entire operation.

This will:

  • Reduce or eliminate redundancies
  • Allow you to utilize metrics to measure and improve processes across the board
  • Allow you to integrate and update technologies for each function all-at-once, bringing everything up to speed and standards seamlessly
  • Lockdown everything under the same security protocol, so there's no room for loopholes

 2) Ownership, Accountability & Operational Control

Although we like to think of the transportation sector as one that always has its i's dotted and t's crossed, there are some organizations who live to the beat of a different drum. Decentralized management often creates more freedom in the workplace, allowing employees to thrive in their occupations. However, if appropriate checks and balances are not installed in the corporate structure, a team might find itself pointing at one another when a transaction or shipment takes a wrong turn.

 

The critical nature of many back-office functions should not be overlooked. When these processes are outsourced, the right vendor will take full ownership and will hold itself accountable if any errors occur. It will have an entire team dedicated to, and an organizational structure established for, your outsourcing program alone, to exercise fully functional operational control and ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.

 

1) Cost containment

For the next several years, the freight industry will continue to face new legislation, expanding regulations and market fluctuations that will fundamentally affect the way companies operate:

  • According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, health premiums have increased more than 80% over the last decade.
  • Towers Watson reports that healthcare costs will continue to rise at a minimum rate of 5-7% annually.
  • As labor wages increase, employers are forced to either pass costs onto customers in the form of higher prices or cut costs elsewhere, leading to weak customer service.
  • Compliance with standards such as required paperwork, route restrictions and hours of labor set by government agencies will become more time consuming.

 

These elements combined with the Affordable Care Act make this one of the most expensive times to be an employer in America. Outsourcing programs offer protection with outsourced labor, technology substitutions and efficiency consultations. By eliminating waste costs, time and stress, you will be able to weather the storm. In addition, most outsourcing deals guarantee a price cap on your contract. You'll be able to plan your company financials long-term with a much larger 'safety' pile of cash.

 

To learn more about outsourcing, or to see what outsourcing program would be a best fit for your company, call DDC FPO today: 303-674-0681. Use extension 103 to reach DDC's VP of Sales, Chad Crotty, or email him directly at ccrotty@datacapture.com. Visit DDC FPO online at ddcfpo.com, and follow them on Twitter @DDC_FPO.

 

Case Study:  Land Air Express of New England

The following is an excerpt of a recent case study centering on long-time CLI client Land Air Express of New England.  To read the complete case study, please click the link below.

  

When Land Air Express of New England first implemented the Carrier Logistics FACTStransportation & logistics solution back in 2001, the company was bracing for the inevitable trucking recession. Believing survival and success would hinge on running the most efficient

Case Study

and strategic business possible, the company chose to invest in technology. The decision paid off almost immediately. By replacing its outdated manual system with FACTS, Land Air automated its entire operation, eliminating upwards of 10 full-time positions off the bat. The organization was able to easily absorb the surge of business from other carriers that were not able to weather the storm while regaining profitability.

 

Fast forward twelve years and Land Air Express of New England has done far more than just survive; it has grown to become one of the premier carriers in the Northeast. Where the company managed eight terminals in 2001, today it has 14 terminals strategically located throughout New England, New York and New Jersey. The company has more than tripled its revenue from $25 million in 2001 to an estimated $80 million by the end of 2013. Employee count has more than doubled from 350 employees to 765. And through its association with the Reliance Network, Land Air has extended its virtual footprint to cover all of North America.

 

One thing hasn't changed, however; the company still relies on the FACTS system to manage its state-of-the-art business. Based on the ProgressOpenEdge� application development platform, FACTS is a completely integrated billing, accounting, and operations management system designed specifically for the contemporary multi-mode freight organization that services several modes of transportation. The application drives every key process of a transportation company from dispatching to accounting. (Continued )

 

To read the entire case study, please click here. 

Help Desk Tip:  Logging Off


CLI strongly recommends that FACTS users log off at the end of each workday. That way, when they log back on at the beginning of their next shift, they'll receive the most recent software upgrades and enhancements, thereby ensuring that they're enjoying everything that FACTS has to offer. 

  

 

 Questions? 

Please contact CLI's Help Desk at helpdesk@carrierlogistics.com

Thank you for sharing some time with us. As always we would appreciate your feedback and content ideas so that we can tailor the newsletter to better meet your needs and interests.  Click to send us your FEEDBACK  

 

Regards,

 


Ken Weinberg
Carrier Logistics Inc.

About Us: Carrier Logistics Inc. (CLI) is the leading provider of integrated freight management software solutions that help supply-chain companies manage change and improve their profitability. For 40 years, CLI's comprehensive freight management solutions have driven every key element in trucking companies from dispatching to freight bill entry to mobile data communications. From call logging to General Ledger to EDI transactions and Internet track and trace, CLI's systems encompass every aspect of a trucking company's needs.