Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/493405
56 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | APRIL 2015 C O V E R S T O R Y : 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 5 I N I N I N I N I N I N N O N O N O N O N O N O V A V A V A V A V A V A T O T O T O T O T O T O R O F O F O F O F O F O F T H E H E H E H E H E H E Y E A E A E A E A E A E A R existing customers in need of extra attention. The Customer Experi- ence team bridges the gap between multiple aspects of Celadon's business. The sales and pricing depart- ments interact with this group to onboard new customers. The group then will transition customer accounts to CRAs and oth- er analysts in a commodity sector. In November 2013, Ce- ladon implemented a new software system that gave analysts visibility to all freight in its entire network up to eight days in advance. The software gives recommendations for what customers and loads to so- licit in order to move trucks into areas where they are needed to satisfy customer lane commitments. The tool shows CRAs and other users the operating ratios of loads along with profitability and service metrics to prioritize their calls. Everyone in customer service, no matter their title, is expected to solicit five loads each day and 25 a week, Howard says. Celadon also created a dedicated team of Freight Ana- lysts called Market Makers whose primary responsibility is to solicit loads three or four days out. With the help of this advance planning group, Celadon has been able to reduce layovers – defined by the number of drivers who have hours to run prior to 8 p.m. but are not assigned loads. Two years ago, Celadon had 300 layovers per day on aver- age. Today it has three, Howard says. Other results from us- ing the new software, measured from January 2014 to 2015, include: s ! PERCENT DECREASE IN BROKER LOADS BY REPLACING THEM with direct customer loads; and s MILLION MILES AND LOADS WON THROUGH SOLICITA- tion. In the next few months, Celadon plans to create income statements for groups at the commodity level, Meek says. "We've always done a great job getting focused on profitabil- ity," he says. "This is one more tool to get them excited." Career ladder The innovations in customer service benefit Celadon financially, but they also have given the company an edge in recruiting and retaining a younger generation of workers. With the logistics industry growing at 22 percent annually, attracting top talent from within and beyond the supply chain can be a chal- lenge for trucking, which often lacks the sizzle of other careers. Celadon has not hired an outsider to fill a management position since 2012, when How- ard joined. Since then, all managers have grown from within. Celadon trains its future leaders on the floor every day. Senior-level analysts help mentor and train associates during daily "checkout" meet- ings. Celadon's directors of customer service are in charge of multiple groups. Celadon has formal two-week training for new hires. The company is in the process of creating an on-demand training program called CELAcademy for people in customer service and other departments to sharpen their skills and accelerate advancement opportunities. &ROM *ANUARY TO #ELADON HAS PROMOTED people on its career ladder, retained 75 percent of its interns with full-time or part-time positions and had a 30 percent improvement in staff with more than one year of experience within the department. "You have to reflect back and be really proud of what has been accomplished," Will says. ABOUT THE AWARD Commercial Carrier Journal's editors recognize innovators throughout the year and select one for special recognition as CCJ's Innovator of the Year. Innovators considered for the cur- rent award were those recognized in the magazine in 2014. Innovation in any aspect of the operation is eligible for rec- ognition. To qualify, the carrier must operate at least 10 power units in Classes 3-8 and maintain a satisfactory safety rating, if rated. Selection of innovators for recognition is at the sole discretion of CCJ's editors. This year's award was announced and presented at the CCJ Innovators Summit, a networking event for current and prior- year innovators held Feb. 4-6 at the Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys. Representatives of innovative trucking operations updated one another on their initiatives. The CCJ Innovators program is sponsored by Freightliner Trucks, PeopleNet and Shell Lubricants. For more information on the program and links to previously recognized innovators or to fill out the online nomination form, go to www.ccjinnova - tors.com or contact Jeff Crissey, CCJ editor, at 800-633-5953. Each customer service team has specialists in customer relationships, freight analysis, service, utilization and more who frequently engage in team discussions on the floor.