Carrier Logistics Inc. Newsletter

Trucking with CLI

October 2013

In This Issue
CLI User Group & Forum
Acordex Mobile Dispatch
FACTS Version 11.0
Help Desk Tip
No Time for Downtime
Quick Links

Featured Employee:

Craig Lis


Craig Lis is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Carrier Logistics, a role he has had since he began with the company in 2004.  In addition to being responsible for all marketing collateral, pr, advertising and communications, Craig runs the Annual User group meeting.  He also is part of the sales team assisting in the sales effort in North America and across the globe.

 

Prior to joining CLI, Craig was the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at the Promotion Marketing Association in NYC.  He has also held marketing leadership positions at the Direct Marketing Association and Inc. magazine.

 

A graduate of Brandeis University, Craig resides in Sleepy Hollow (yes, the place on which Washington Irving based his famous story) with his wife and 3 children.  In his spare time, he enjoys playing piano, rooting for the Yankees and the NY Football Giants and vacationing on Cape Cod.

 

New Client Spotlight:

Clear Lane Freight Systems

 

 

CLI would like to welcome Clear Lane Freight Systems to its list of clients.  Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Clear Lane provides dedicated long-haul LTL services for the 3rd Party logistics (3PL) industry.  Fast-growing Clear Lane Freight Systems has developed a comprehensive long-haul LTL network which provides reliable economical pick up and delivery service along with competitive transit times in the long-haul LTL market.

 

Clear Lane Freight Systems considers its 3PL customers as partners and provides them and their customers with a superior cost-effective alternative to traditional long-haul LTL shipping in return for slightly longer transit times. Among their customers are many of the leading 3PL providers in the United States.

 

Clear Lane Freight Systems' core values are teamwork, excellence, commitment and customer service.  The FACTS system will augment these values, benefiting the organization and further strengthening its business model.

 

We thank Clear Lane Freight for their commitment to CLI and offer a hearty welcome!

 

To learn more about 

Clear Lane Freight, click here.

 

  

Just for Laughs

by

T. McCracken

Used with permission. 
All rights reserved. 
Greetings! 
 
Welcome to the October issue of Trucking with CLI.  In this edition, we are pleased to announce the dates for the 2014 CLI User Group and Executive Forum Meeting.  The program, which is always a popular and highly rated event, will be held on April 10 and 11.  Please see the article for more details. 
 
This edition also features an article about the release of FACTS�  version 11.0, an excerpt of an article I penned for Transport Topics on downtime, and news from our partner, Acordex, on their new Mobile Dispatch. 
 
Finally, we have our employee spotlight, an article on new client Clear Lane Freight Systems and an ever-practical help desk tip.  

 

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

Save the Date:  CLI User Group/Executive Forum April 10 & 11

 

Mark your calendars today for CLI's Annual User Group and Executive Forum meeting to be held April 10 and 11, 2014 at the newly renovated Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, NY just 20 minutes from NYC.   This year the theme of the program is "Making Connections: With Your Customers, Your Team, Your Technology."

 

This event has grown in attendance every year and once again there is a good chance it will be over-subscribed. During the program, CLI clients have the opportunity to learn about the latest developments to the system, share ideas and tips with other users, meet one-on-one with CLI subject experts and talk to other solution providers who work side-by-side with CLI. We will also schedule business-focused sessions designed to help senior managers improve their organizations by making smart choices in these challenging times.  

 

Program includes:

    • Sessions Devoted to FACTS Functionality
    • A Focus on Both Administration & Operations
    • Engaging Tips and How-Tos
    • Hands-on Computer Labs
    • Introduction to New Modules
    • Supplier Showcase
    • Expert-led Industry Seminars for Executives
    • Networking Receptions and Meals
    • Engaging General Sessions
    • One-on-One Consultations
    • Interactive Roundtables

Please mark your calendars and save these dates. And remember, as always, this program is free to attend for CLI customers.    Plan now to make the connection!

Acordex Announces New Mobile Dispatch 

 

Software developer Acordex has announced a new approach to driver communications: standards based software running on industry-standard hardware.  Promising Smarter Deliveries, their Mobile Dispatch puts the knowledge of your office in the hands of your drivers. The result? Increased efficiency, outstanding customer service, better regulatory compliance and improved job satisfaction.

 

This new Mobile Dispatch, which integrates with CLI MOBILEware and the FACTS system, will increase efficiency.  Since optimal routes use fewer miles, this dispatch system will reduce labor, fuel and operating costs.  Sophisticated routing software and skilled dispatchers can optimize routes, but they are effective only if their route decisions get to the drivers promptly and flawlessly.

 

Mobile Dispatch extracts data from FACTS and places up- to-the-minute data about every stop literally in the hands of your drivers. This accelerates the exchange of data which enhances planning and boosts efficiency, while eliminating misunderstandings about routing and scheduling.  In a business where margins are razor thin, reducing costs by even a few percentage points can make a huge difference in profits at the end of the day.

 

Key Features:

* Pickup and Delivery Management

* Tap to Text Messaging

* Geolocation, real-time location and stop records

* Stop location maps for drivers

* Many options, such as damaged freight or accident photos, Bill of Lading display, signature capture

 

While Mobile Dispatch operates on many carriers in the US and Canada, there is currently a promotion in place from Sprint offering the Android, 7" Galaxy Tab3 for $49.99 plus 2GB of data for $15.  

For more information on this promotion, Mobile Dispatch and FACTS contact Craig Lis at CLI.

FACTS Version 11.0 Now Available

  

CLI is pleased to announce the release of FACTS™ 11.0, which continues the tradition of providing valuable improvements to its Enterprise Software application. In this release, improvements have made the system more user-friendly and feature rich.  The latest version also runs faster with even better performance.

 

Some of the more notable advances are in the areas of Operations and Dispatch, with easier navigation; Billing and Rating, where dozens of new features have been added;  on the the new Logistics Management Board which combines the Brokerage Dispatch Board, Multimodal Status Board, and TL Dispatch; and the release of another great reporting tool, SALESDetails™, an online sales analytics tool designed for company managers and sales personnel to view details pertaining to their particular accounts.

 

On the support side, hundreds of documents have been added or updated in the online Help Library to further facilitate access to information and use of the system.  Last but not least, the breadth of interfaces to data communication providers has been expanded with additional native interfaces.

 

CLI customers can access a document detailing the hundreds of enhancements available in this release as well as other recent versions, sorted by version or functional area. Click here to access the upgrade document.

 

We hope you find these enhancements of value. Once you have identified areas of particular interest, please contact CLI to set up a low-cost, online training session to review the specifics. CLI will also be holding informational webinars in November to review some of the more exciting enhancements.  Watch for an email with details.

 

If you have any questions regarding this latest release, please contact our helpdesk. 


Help Desk Tip:  Resetting Passwords


 CLI's FACTS Version 11.0 includes a handy new feature that allows users to reset their own passwords.  To use this feature, each user's e-mail address must be entered in User Maintenance [user.maint]. If they are not, you can prepare for the upgrade by updating User Maintenance now. 

 
  

 

 

 

  

   

  

 
 
 
 
 
 
All you have to do is add the e-mail address, then click Save for each user.
  
Questions? Please contact CLI's Help Desk at

helpdesk@carrierlogistics.com

  

  

No Time for Downtime 

by Ken Weinberg
This article excerpt originally appeared in Transport Topics

We've all suffered through computer downtime, usually at the worst possible moment. KEN

That was certainly the case with a number of freight carriers that experienced it during the hurricane that intensified to become Superstorm Sandy. Others were affected as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. For many, the culprit has been a less traumatic, but still disruptive event such as an unexpected disk failure or file system corruption.

 

Whatever the cause of computer downtime, the result is costly. Here is a simple technique for understanding the real cost of computer downtime.

 

To truly understand system outages, you must examine their costs, so I invite you to do the math. The calculations are so simple they are almost intuitive. First, estimate the revenue dollars that come in each hour and multiply by the hours of the outage. Then, enumerate all the employees the outage affected. Multiply their hourly pay and benefits cost by the hours of outage. The resulting number will be formidable.

 

When computers go downtime-free, we call it "high availability" and it operates by redundancy. All your data and communications links are duplicated in a remote location or in the cloud. You may choose to back up everything or just the portion of your data identified as critical. If your computer goes down, you can switch over to access all of this data, and all the networking for communications, in the redundant location - immediately and seamlessly.

 

You wouldn't drive your car without having automobile insurance. High availability courtesy of cloud computing is, in effect, a necessary insurance policy for your business, and its cost is much lower than the cost of not having high availability.

 

If you aren't sure, just do the math. 

 

Click here for the complete article.
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.