Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/759228
50 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2016 e major focus for the E ciency Au- ger is to solve the problem of ine cien- cies. e data tool automatically breaks down thousands of completed loads into segments that help CalArk easily identify wasted time down to the minute, allow- ing the company to attack ine ciency with surgical precision. "We can identify individual loads, lanes or customers as a whole," Still said. Data can be viewed from several angles by comparing customer, load planner and driver data to each other in a ranking-style process. "We use the data to communicate with customers in an e ort to keep the supply chain as e ective as possible," Still said. CalArk is able to use the infor- mation gleaned from its Efficiency Auger to solve predicted capac- ity issues, which in turn helps the company circumnavigate any real or perceived driver shortage, including that caused down the road by the December 2017 electronic logging device mandate. e tool helps CalArk view the way it generates revenue di erently, Still said. Using this newfound data, the company is able to drill down to rate per hour rather than just rate per mile. " is innovation allows us to do more with less," she said. Finding a balance CalArk also uses a "Balance Map" dia- gram to explain the concept to customers on a basic level. "We take truck and load data and visually represent it on web- based map so ware," Still said. e map is broken down into the company's custom three-digit ZIP codes, rather than at the state level, to match its planning regions. e map also is interactive: Users have the abil- ity to click on di erent areas to see the local ratio of loads vs. trucks, as well as several other pieces of information. e map is displayed on a large moni- tor in CalArk's operations oor, and it also is accessible easily by cell phone or personal computer to provide the com- pany's traveling team members the same up-to-date information and advantages as workers in the o ce. e data is refreshed every 15 min- utes to give CalArk's operations group near real-time data. e map updates every time that a load is booked, a driver becomes available or an ap- pointment is set. is process increases operational e ciency partly by eliminating the need to manually count loads vs. trucks, thereby allowing coordina- tors to spend more time on decision- making. is accurate and timely knowledge helps operations make decisions on freight demands quickly and e ectively, Still said. Customer service data e same data-mined information also allows CalArk to keep a real-time watch on its service levels. e com- pany takes all service-related data and places it into an internally developed and interactive "Customer Service Scorecard" to track late pickups, late deliveries and resets. e company can view these on a lane, customer or company level. "We address and document all late deliver- ies and code them according to what the root cause is," Still said. " is tells us not only that we were late, but why we are late." CalArk counts anything past appoint- ment time as late. e company is able to use this information to spot negative trends and address potential customer service issues before they happen. Still said CalArk takes a proactive approach to customer service and that the company's service levels have im- proved signi cantly over the past year based on real service progress and data integrity improvements. "We don't want to wait for a customer to send us a scorecard to tell us how we did," she said. "We want to be able to approach the customer with progress reports that show them how important servicing them is to our business." Digging deeper To further increase e ciencies across its operational model, CalArk also implemented a product from one of its longtime vendor suppliers. e tool further assists the organiza- tion in enhancing and maximizing its customer service levels. It is designed to provide a seamless work ow and ad- ditional exibility to analyze and attack the entire operations network from any angle, Still said. e program allows each user to see and understand the perspective of their teammates, allowing them to better unite and work together toward common goals. "We believe in being harder on our- selves than the customer might be in an e ort to provide exceptional customer service," Still said. CC J I N N O VATO R S pro les carriers and eets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking's challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact Je Crissey at jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com or 800-633-5953. An internally developed and complex algorithm breaks every order down into sections. CalArk's E ciency Auger assigns an expectation of each time and compares the results, allowing the eet to easily determine wasted time in those orders. The results can be viewed individually or grouped by customer, lane, driver, eet manager or planner.