From Freight to Firearms

Mattel presented YRC Glen Moore, a division of Yellow trucking,  with its 2010 Truckload Carrier of the Year award, ranking it highest among all Mattel providers.

Mattel also recognized them with 2 “Mattel Team 100″ service awards. Team 100 awards honor on-time delivery excellence and were given for exemplary performance in transporting Mattel products to two leading nationwide retailers.

In a separate presentation, Mattel extended YRC Glen Moore Customer Service Representative Michelle Kistler with a Certificate of Excellence award, as part of its carrier performance recognition program. In presenting the award, Mattel noted that Kistler’s performance represented Mattel values, “Play with Passion” and “Play Together.”

When you combine operational excellence and great customer service you get a winning combination, as Walmart, Mattel and Echo Global Logistics confirmed with their “carrier of the year” recognitions in April.

Walmart Transportation named YRC, Yellow Transportation,  its National LTL Carrier of the Year. Walmart awarded national carriers “Best of” designations in ten categories for partners who go above and beyond in servicing Walmart customers and exceeding Walmart service expectations. This year’s award marks the fifth time in the past nine years that Walmart chose YRC for the recognition.

Mattel honored YRC Glen Moore with its Truckload Carrier of the Year award.  Mattel acknowledged superior on-time performance to two of the toy maker’s largest retail customers, as well as outstanding customer service. Mattel stated exemplary delivery performance was the basis for awarding the highest ranking among all Mattel transportation providers.

Echo Global Logistics presented Holland with its Regional Carrier of the Year award for 2010. In the selection process, Echo rated its transportation providers on 10 criteria they deem essential for meeting their customer service objectives. This marks the 2nd consecutive year Echo has recognized Holland with a Carrier of the Year award.

R+L Carriers was presented with the 2010 Logistics Management Quest for Quality award in the Multiregional LTL Carriers category.

This award stems from surveys conducted specifically in the logistics industry evaluating and measuring Transportation Service providers and examines overall performance. Key elements of this survey focus on the following attributes:

• Performance – On-time pick up & delivery.
• Value – Pricing, based on services made available.
• Information Technology – Tracing and tracking availability, EDI and electronic commerce capabilities.
• Customer Service – Problem solving and claims resolution.
• Equipment and Operations – Availability and condition, safety record, percentage of low incidence of loss and damaged claims.

R+L Carriers provides expedited service to Anchorage, Alaska and surrounding areas.  Their expedited service is second to none. You can ship your LTL and truckload freight to Alaska with the confidence and peace of mind that only a transportation company known for reliability and exception-free delivery can provide.

Governor Bob McDonnell has appointed Curtis Carr of Estes Express Lines to Virginia’s Board of Transportation Safety. His term will expire June 30, 2014.

Curtis has served as VP of safety and risk management for Estes Express Lines in Richmond since 1998. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Carr is active in state and national trucking associations and currently serves on the American Trucking Association Safety Management Council.

RICHMOND, Va. —Estes Forwarding Worldwide has named Scott Fisher as president and CEO.

Fisher, along with Estes Express Lines, founded Estes Air Transportation Services, now known as Estes Forwarding Worldwide, in 2003. He previously held the positions of executive VP and COO. In his new role, Fisher is responsible for the day-to-day management of the company and serves on the board of directors.

Prior to founding Estes Forwarding Worldwide, Fisher served as vice president of sales and marketing with Lakeville Motor Express. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point.

“Scott helped guide Estes Forwarding Worldwide from a fledgling start-up to the well-respected freight forwarding company it is today,” said Rob Estes, president and CEO of Estes Express Lines. “Under his leadership as president and CEO of Estes Forwarding Worldwide, we look forward to the opportunity of serving more customers and destinations as the company continues to grow.”

Needing to get your freight to your customer second day air.  There are many carriers and brokers that can do it for you. Cost are all over the place so do some research as it can save you hundreds of dollars. Air services range from next day air to 2nd day air to 3rd day air to deferred air which is the cheapest. Remember air freight is dimensional so rates are no only computed by weight but also by size.

Morgan Stanley’s revised its estimates on Echo Global Logistics, Inc 11% below consensus for 2010 and 21% for 2011, the company reports this morning.

“Consensus expects a rapid acceleration in ‘core’ op margins – a scenario more like our bull case – despite a number of near-term headwinds,” Morgan Stanley writes. “If the story will take longer to play out, the stock does not warrant a best-in-breed CHRW-like multiple, in our view.”

Echo Global Logistics closed Friday at $11.90.

Con-way Inc is a $4.3 billion freight transportation and logistics services company headquartered in San Mateo, California.  Con-way is a leader in the transportation and logistics industry and delivers industry leading services through its primary operating companies of Con-way Freight, Con-way Truckload and Menlo Worldwide Logistics. These freight companies provide less-than-truckload (LTL), full truckload and intermodal freight transportation; logistics, warehousing and supply chain management services. Con-way Inc and its subsidiaries operate from more than 440 operating locations across North America and in 18 countries.

In 1934, Lex and B.D. Benton pooled their savings together to open a filling station off of Highway 78 in Atlanta, GA. The two brothers would sleep above the shop at night while pumping gas and serving barbecue during the day. Over the next few months they learned about the movie film distribution through an acquaintance that stopped at the station weekly. With a desire to make a better living, they investigated the idea further. The Benton boys then decided to buy a used Ford Panel Truck and started to sell the idea of delivering movie film reels from Atlanta to South Georgia by truck.

In those days, no film was transported by truck, only by rail. The theatre managers had to go to the rail depot to pick up their new film and return their old film. Benton’s service was new -”give us a key to your theatre and when you come to work tomorrow, your new film will be there and the old film returned.” Because of the new convenience created by Benton, the service quickly grew. But the Benton Brother’s real success came in 1948 when the union struck against the rail. Because of the strike, the theaters not using Benton by this point could not get their new movies.

Upon temporary request to the Interstate Commerce Commission, the film companies asked for Benton to begin covering the entire state of Florida and Georgia during the strike. After the strike was over, the film customers did not want to lose the new increased service levels gained by using Benton, so they convinced the government to grant the Benton Brothers permanent authority to transport film throughout both Georgia and Florida. This type of service and freight kept Benton Brothers Film Express going strong down the same road until 1980.
The Motor Carriers Act of 1980 essentially deregulated interstate freight making it easier for trucking companies. This ruling placed Benton Express in an excellent position to take advantage and move into the general commodities business. The leaders of Benton at this time said that if they could deliver film and newsprint in an expedited manner on time, then the service levels should be no different for general commodities.