Estes | Estes Reduces LTL Transit Time

Jeff

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Estes, Richmond, Va., has reduced standard transit times in its less-than-truckload network by a full day from 15 terminals in the Upper Midwest to 47,491 destinations in the U.S.
Estes has re-engineered its freight routing network, including the conversion of its Des Moines, Iowa, terminal into a hub, to improve operational efficiencies and reduce transit times.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=69984
 
[quote author=JPS link=topic=79173.msg821260#msg821260 date=1271114219]
By using more purchased transportation that can run faster
[/quote]

You are correct on us using purchased transportation..But the bypass,believe it or not,is working..And we are rehiring,so that is a plus..
 
Does this new transit time include freight that doesn't get picked up?

Got some pissed customers out there telling me we aren't doing a very good job picking up the
freight to begin with....
 
[quote author=Starkravinloon link=topic=79173.msg821396#msg821396 date=1271165484]
[quote author=JPS link=topic=79173.msg821260#msg821260 date=1271114219]
By using more purchased transportation that can run faster
[/quote]

You are correct on us using purchased transportation..But the bypass,believe it or not,is working..And we are rehiring,so that is a plus..
[/quote]

Well it is'nt working in Chicago, was in there last week, and waited on a empty for 2 hours, messed up in there. This company still does not know handle freight, we are getting our ass kicked by other Ltl companies right now.
 
[quote author=INTOTHENOW link=topic=79173.msg821661#msg821661 date=1271264797]
[quote author=Starkravinloon link=topic=79173.msg821396#msg821396 date=1271165484]
[quote author=JPS link=topic=79173.msg821260#msg821260 date=1271114219]
By using more purchased transportation that can run faster
[/quote]

You are correct on us using purchased transportation..But the bypass,believe it or not,is working..And we are rehiring,so that is a plus..
[/quote]

Well it is'nt working in Chicago, was in there last week, and waited on a empty for 2 hours, messed up in there. This company still does not know handle freight, we are getting our ass kicked by other Ltl companies right now.
[/quote]

A diamond in the rough..
 
IMO. Because of very high freight levels running now, Chicago seems to have become a choke point in spite of their 24/7 schedule. I'm sure the big guys are getting a handle on this. And wouldn't no empty trailers be sort of a good thing? That must mean they're all full of freight.
 
They have many scheduled outside haulers and added many day runs out of hotlanta and they've been full and heavy. I watch the news and things don't look to be getting better but the freight is increasing.
 
I don't think anyone say something is working or not based on chicago. I haven't been to every terminal but I do know that chicago is the most unorganized terminal I have ever seen. "Where will these trailers be?" "I don't know, could be in the yard, could be at the door, could be hooked to another trailer. I'm sure you'll find it."

But that being said, I sure this company runs as efficient as it did in 1975. But it is 2010. There are 20 things I personally see that fould be done more efficiently (let alone what you experts see), but the suggestion box falls on deaf ears. So.... it is what it is. If technology ever collapses and everything is like it was in 1965, then at least we'll be ahead the game.
 
I think they have to take what they can get in the Chicago area. The few times I was there it didn't seem like they were very picky on the hiring process.
 
Re: Estes Reduces LTL Transit Time

Hey, us guys from Indiana are doin the best we can to raise the Chicago driving standards. All kidding aside tho, not much can be done for our yard. Keep searching for your trailers guys.
 
Any xtra time at a terminal is deffinately a drag,but remember 6 months ago when we spent 24-30 xtra hours at Chicago and Wes Sex and Harrisburg, to name a few ?
 
[quote author=FrkyBgStok link=topic=79173.msg821832#msg821832 date=1271331935]
I don't think anyone say something is working or not based on chicago. I haven't been to every terminal but I do know that chicago is the most unorganized terminal I have ever seen. "Where will these trailers be?" "I don't know, could be in the yard, could be at the door, could be hooked to another trailer. I'm sure you'll find it."

But that being said, I sure this company runs as efficient as it did in 1975. But it is 2010. There are 20 things I personally see that fould be done more efficiently (let alone what you experts see), but the suggestion box falls on deaf ears. So.... it is what it is. If technology ever collapses and everything is like it was in 1965, then at least we'll be ahead the game.
[/quote]

A suggestion: Why not list the 20 you see and let the other posters here mull them over. Might get some
shared interest and movement on them. Just saying....
 
Ok.

- what is with the 58 miles an hour rule? Wouldn't it be much more efficient to govern at 1 speed and let people log how they run it? This would allow dispatch to maximize the legal driving limit to push freight as far as it will go?

- pay pd drivers on incentive. Give them a reason to want to get more pickups done as well as stops. Reward the ones that work hard.

- dock workers are still loading freight and writing it down. Computerize everything. When the pd driver picks it up it is assigned a bar code. When the dock worker unloads he scans and it tells him exactly where its going. He drives it to the trailer and scans it in the trailer or a location on the dock and now every minute of every day we know where the freight is.

- run a dock incentive program based on the process above. Again, reward the hard workers.

- you could also run a dock standard program based on speed, errors, etc so you can ultimately get rid of the employees costing the company money.

- put your sales people strictly on commission and go ahead hire 300 of them per terminal. If they don't sell, you don't pay them. If everyone of them makes $300k/year then there is more freight than you can imagine.

- force a terminal yard layout that needs to be maintained, and then try to make it universal. Way too much time is spent at certain places looking for trailers.

Also add a large list of small changes in specific terminals. Would this cost money initially? Yep. But the long term benefits would be much cheaper. So go ahead and pick them apart. Tell me how these would be bad for the company. Not certain drivers, the company. Maybe I am way out of my league here, but like I said, this is 2010. Utilize the technology we have. It is there for a reason.
 
[quote author=FrkyBgStok link=topic=79173.msg821870#msg821870 date=1271344064]
Ok.



- force a terminal yard layout that needs to be maintained, and then try to make it universal. Way too much time is spent at certain places looking for trailers.


[/quote]


Good idea,but...yard layout is only gonna be as good as the visiting drivers make it. Seems to be a sence of where can I drop this set as fast as I can and haul -ss. Makes for some pretty messed up yards, come Sat. night or Sun. morn. See alot of hooked sets spewed throughout the yard at terminals where it says right in directions, ALL PUPS MUST BE BROKE
 
Unfortunately you are right about that. And no matter what rules there are, sat and sun come around and none apply. Even the best lots look like crap then.
 
[quote author=BuzzBeez link=topic=79173.msg821747#msg821747 date=1271290941]
IMO. Because of very high freight levels running now, Chicago seems to have become a choke point in spite of their 24/7 schedule. I'm sure the big guys are getting a handle on this. And wouldn't no empty trailers be sort of a good thing? That must mean they're all full of freight.
[/quote]

YES, good thing to have trailers full of freight, but if the freight is not being moved, not a good thing. They need to take some stress off of places like Chicago and move freight out to surrounding terminals.
I mean hell it is one of dumping points, they get about everything from everywhere. Spread the freight better would help I would think.
 
[quote author=FrkyBgStok link=topic=79173.msg821885#msg821885 date=1271350731]
Unfortunately you are right about that. And no matter what rules there are, sat and sun come around and none apply. Even the best lots look like crap then.


Even 1-3 am on weekdays are bad in places like Indy and Chicago. Main problem, bottom line..... to much metal and not enough concrete to park it on !
 
As far as the log thing LOG WHAT YOU RUN. Not the company speed what you ran. Its the DOT rules that trump company rules. If you log 59 or 60 then really you are Falsifying your logs in the DOT eyes. That's who I care about the most makin happy.
 
[quote author=thebeerboy link=topic=79173.msg822827#msg822827 date=1271645666]
As far as the log thing LOG WHAT YOU RUN. Not the company speed what you ran. Its the DOT rules that trump company rules. If you log 59 or 60 then really you are Falsifying your logs in the DOT eyes. That's who I care about the most makin happy.
[/quote]

I guess the companies figure,if they lower the average speed,it will leave room for error on those that don't..Figure again..Doesn't work that way..Do what the DOT tells you to do and you'll be fine..Estes and the rest,don't make or enforce the laws,the DOT does..Log what you run..
 
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