Schneider Logistics Inc., a logistics provider and part of the Schneider National enterprise, has introduced a new service offering for shippers with reoccurring less-than-truckload (LTL) moves. Integrated Delivery Services (IDS) utilizes Schneider’s supply chain management technology, cross-docking abilities and dedicated trucking experience to provide a supply chain solution for shippers willing to share the ride.
“We saw an opportunity to provide a smarter solution for shippers moving LTL freight in the same geographic markets,” explains Todd Jadin, vice president of IDS for Schneider Logistics. IDS is aimed at shippers in the automotive aftermarket, heavy truck and equipment manufacturers, and specialty retailers, he notes, because companies within each of these industries run common routes and have similar distribution locations and dispatch schedules. By pooling their deliveries, Jadin says, it’s possible to gain efficiencies and cost savings.
Schneider piloted Integrated Delivery Services in Denver with shippers of competing brands who had similar delivery windows, routes, shuttles and cross-dock locations. Utilizing a shared-channel approach, Schneider merged freight and created customized routes based on multiple shippers’ cross-docking, dedicated delivery, pool distribution, reverse logistics and LTL consolidation needs. Nearly 20 customers are already using Schneider’s Integrated Delivery Services.
While Jadin acknowledges that the thought of competitors sharing supply chains is foreign at first, the ongoing sluggish state of the economy, erratic cost of fuel and increasing cost of finding drivers require creative thinking to keep today’s manufacturers and retailers competitive and in business. “Shippers are telling us that supply chain costs are now their number one cost of doing business,” says Jadin. “That reality brings with it the need to be strategic and creative in how we help our customers succeed.”
Schneider’s Integrated Delivery Service currently operates in eight networks across the United States: Portland, Ore.; Sacramento, Calif.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; Houston, Texas; Lenexa, Kan.; Jackson, Miss.; Winchester, Va., and Memphis, Tenn. Markets targeted for expansion include the Midwest and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
