Just because a company utilizes green initiatives doesn’t only mean that it cares about the planet, it now effects the bottom line. Today more and more industries are thinking green because waste costs money and efficiency produces more profitability.
Let’s talk about the cost of not thinking green first. Petroleum producing companies have had record profit earnings in the 200% to 400% range since the 1990’s. This does not trickle down to the long haul trucker on the road. Those record profits only mean that fuel indexes are through the roof and the driver and the consumer are paying for it. How do you combat that? Think Green. If a long haul trucker can utilize more Green efficient means of fuel consumption the costs for the trip to your business and your grocery store will be more profitable to them. In turn the operating costs will be lower and the charges to the commodity purchased by the consumer will be lower.
How about negotiating green. Purchasing managers and Suppliers have been fighting the commodity cost vs. the transportation costs for years each utilizing their strengths. “If I buy a bulk order of this product will you give me a break on transportation?” Now imagine being Supplier at the negotiating table and knowing that you hire trucking companies who utilize green transportation models and your transportation costs are lower than your competitors. Now you can forecast based on production schedules instead of fuel indexes.
Now let’s talk about growing green. The EPA started a program called the EPA Smartway Partnership Program in 2004. T he SmartWay brand identifies products and services that reduce transportation-related emissions. However, the impact of the brand is much greater as the SmartWay brand signifies a partnership among government, business and consumers to protect our environment, and reduce fuel consumption. To be a part of this initiative a corporation must also hire green. If you are a trucking company who has invested in the reduction of fuel emissions and fuel consumptions then Corporate America wants you. Fortune 500 companies are having symposiums all over the world to try and green their supply chain.
Access America Transport is an EPA Smartway Partnership partner. We arrange transportation services for several fortune 500 companies and we strive to hire trucking companies who think as green as we do. You can lose profits by not thinking green or you can negotiate better, increase profitability and grow your business simply by thinking and hiring green.
One of the United States top export commodity is Bulk agricultural products. Sales for the U.S. in 2008 were estimated at $73 billion and corn and wheat would be on the top side of this figure. Another top bulk export was Coking Coal, Thermal Coal and Iron ore. With the majority going to developing nations Like China, Brazil and India as well as the Europe Union and Japan. The most efficient and cost effective way to transport these products, from the fields of Middle America and the coal plants of Virginia directly to the Ports for export is via rail.
The US is also a top consumer of bulk commodities coal represents 54% of our electrical demands. The most efficient way to get the bulk commodities from the Mines to the Plants is via rail. Shipping bulk commodities has come a long way from the open car unit trains that to this day still dominate the bulk business.
Rail Shippers have the choice to also ship with super sacks. The airtight system is vented to an integral dust collector that vacuums displaced air and dust, and collapses empty bags dust-free. The bulk filled bags can be handled with the use of Loops and the shipper can ship large quantities without the need for any palletizing. Bulk commodities can be loaded onto box cars quickly, and more efficiently than before.
Clinker cars are a very efficient way to Trans load; Gypsum, Cement, Ash and other granulated or pulverized bulk commodities from the mines to distribution sites everywhere.
Access America Transport is uniquely positioned to assist in the transfer of Bulk Commodities via Rail. Our current relationships with all major US railroads enables us to use our volume purchasing strength. We can provide the bulk commodity shipper better than average rail pricing as well the advantage of capacity. Our coast to coast trans load partners enable us to efficiently transport your shipments where they are needed most.
As a third party logistics provider, Access America Transport has taken a new approach to increasing supply chain efficiencies by providing sustainable solutions. It is a common misconception that today’s economic climate is slowing the momentum of companies considering implementation of green processes. Access America Transport continues to look for synergies that are lean, sustainable, and environmentally conscious.
As a company, we take a holistic approach to doing business with our customers and carrier partners. We have implemented processes that benefit our company, customers, and carriers. Access America, like many third-party logistics providers, continues to embrace initiatives such as load optimization and rail-to-truck conversions. These practices take into consideration efficiency and cost, while delivering value-added green services to our customers. However, our most far-reaching green concept has been the conversion of private non-for-hire fleets into for-hire carriers.
Private fleet assets make up roughly 50% of the trucks on US highways. Two years ago, Access America started a program to encourage our customers who operate private fleets to obtain for-hire authority for their equipment. We noticed that many of these fleets operated at much lower asset utilization levels than similarly sized common and contract carriers. According to the National Private Truck Council, the average deadhead percentage for private fleets is 28%. This is substantially higher than typical deadhead for-hire carriers. Private fleets often look at their assets as a fixed cost that is necessary to effectively service their customers or to address complexities in their own supply chain model.
Access America began marketing this additional capacity to its customers and worked closely with these private fleets in understanding their dedicated freight lanes. We have been successful in locating backhaul revenue sources that align with these dedicated freight lanes. In many instances, we have been able to increase asset utilization by over 20%. This increase in asset utilization has resulted in small increases in fuel expenditures and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these fleets, but has been more than off-set because these lanes were previously hauled by for-hire carriers. This increase in private fleet utilization decreases the number of for-hire carriers on the highways, which leads to an overall reduction in the industry’s carbon footprint. In addition to our success here, we also noticed many intangible benefits for our customers due to the regularity of utilizing the same trucks and the very low rate of driver turnover.
It is our belief that private fleets are an emerging market and present a tremendous opportunity to reduce the number of trucks on the road. This practice has enabled Access America to provide its customers with an opportunity to reduce their net environmental impact. According to the American Transportation Research Institute, there were over ten billion loads of freight hauled by for-hire trucking companies in 2007. If we assume that 95% of these loads were hauled by common or contract carriers, it is feasible that a 1% shift in volume to private fleets could reduce common and contract volume by 95 million loads per year. This type of reduction in volume has the potential to remove over 200,000 trucks from US roadways each year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 25 million metric tons of GHG emissions.
We believe the practice of utilizing private fleets is here to stay. Access America is continuing to search for new avenues to take more trucks off the road. These steps have helped us solidify our customer partnerships and created sustainable relationships that are mutually beneficial to each party. We continue to put resources into developing our intermodal and load optimization programs. We feel these initiatives and many more will allow Access America to contribute to the overall greening of the supply chain while helping our customers maintain a lean and efficient transportation model.
Bibliography:
American Transportation Research Institute
American Trucking Association
Environmental Defense Fund and NAFA Fleet Management Association
National Private Truck Council
Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) / U.S. Department of Transportation
Access America Transport continues to differentiate itself from other transportation management companies. Today’s economic climate is encouraging shippers to look for cost savings in all areas within their supply chain. Access America Transport continues to demonstrate why 3PL’s can be effective partners in streamlining processes and reducing costs.
Many large shippers have begun to transition more or all of their business to a single-source provider. The reasoning behind this makes sense when you begin to take into consideration what a single source provider is able to bring to the table.
Companies are more motivated than ever to reduce their transactional and contractual freight spend. A small reduction in transportation costs can result in a huge increase in savings and efficiency. These savings can be realized by implementing continuous improvement processes and effectively leveraging transportation spend. Third-party logistics providers are able to provide customized solutions for every supply chain.
Many shippers have failed to take advantage of the synergies that exist within their company. Often times this can be as simple as combining inbound and outbound freight to create continuous moves that drive down transportation costs. In addition, we have been successful in leveraging our other freight lanes to assist customers in developing these types of moves.
Access America is able to conduct an RFP with your current incumbent carriers in addition to our large base of qualified carriers. We then develop an idea of the optimum number of carriers to service your business. Many customers fail to recognize that having too many carriers can be detrimental. We believe that having too many carriers can negatively impact the pricing you are able to obtain by leveraging your current freight volume and potential for continuous moves. We have found that the most successful relationships are sustainable in the long term, so we approach each analysis in order to provide a sustainable solution for every freight lane.
Customers are running at a much higher efficiency level if they are not continually trying to replace carriers that disappeared because volumes or freight lanes changed unrelated to your business. We work to identify carrier partners that can service your business year-round and have freight lanes that are not tied to one or two core accounts. These types of carriers may include new carriers such as private fleets that you may have never considered before. In addition, Access America has thousands of qualified and vetted carrier partners all the way down to owner operators. These owner operators and private fleets may have been companies that were overlooked in the past. We take into consideration the best long term solution for your company and identify the types of partners that will provide the value-added type of service that makes your company more successful in the end.
Access America Transport does more than just negotiate rates on your behalf. We are able to offer comprehensive solution that allows for greater visibility within your supply chain. Access America is able to streamline processes where carriers are tendered freight electronically in the order of best value. This takes into consideration service, price, and lane optimization. Our transportation management system (TMS) allows our customers to identify the metrics that are most important to them and build the program to match your most important needs. Our TMS improves load visibility, communication, and billing by providing one platform for our carriers and customers to utilize. We are also able to provide customized reporting that enables you to make better decisions related to other areas of your business.
Access America Transport goes a step beyond just managing your transportation. We also provide an added layer of protection to your transportation department. Access America has an extensive carrier vetting and quality assurance program. Our program identifies the best partners that help to mitigate risk and insure that your freight is being transported by safe, dependable partners.
These are a few of the reasons will feel Access America can more effectively provides solutions to your transportation program. We believe that looking to outsource your transportation can provide tangible and intangible benefits that are outside of just reduced costs and improved service. There are a number of benefits to working with a 3PL such as Access America Transport. Whether you are looking for one partner or a small number of partners, we believe you will be impressed by our capabilities and our commitment to making your company better. For more information about our Supply Chain Management Services, please fill out the form below.
Here are some safety tips about trucking for car drivers:
Be extra alert as you approach a large truck. They behave very differently from cars.
Avoid blind spots around trucks. If you can’t see a truck’s side mirrors, the truck driver can’t see you. One-third of all crashes between large trucks and cars take place in the blind spots around a truck.
Do not pass a truck on the right while the truck is turning right. Trucks must swing wide to the left to negotiate right turns safely, as the rear wheels follow a shorter path than the front wheels.
Do not cut in front of any large vehicle, including a truck or a bus. Since they require much more distance to stop in comparison to cars, forcing a large vehicle to stop quickly can result in a fatal accident.
Use the proper procedure to pass a large truck or bus on the highway. Accelerate slightly and maintain a consistent speed while passing. Wait until you can see the entire cab in your rear-view mirror before signaling and pulling in front of it.
Observe a truck’s turn signals before trying to pass it. If the truck appears to be starting a left turn, check which way the driver is signaling before passing the truck on the right.
Give trucks at least four to six seconds of space in wet conditions and at highway speeds. Call authorities if you see unsafe driving.
Do not cut off a truck in traffic or on the highway to reach your exit or turn.
Truckers: Consider these safety practices when you’re out on the road.
PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Get plenty of rest before driving. Eat well and stay fit.Driver fatigue and lack of attention can significantly increase your risk of a crash. Hours of service violations are serious and can threaten your livelihood or even your life. Stay healthy and well rested, or don’t drive!
PLEASE SLOW DOWN IN WORK ZONES
Watch out for highway construction. Stay alert. Almost one-third of work zone fatal crashes involved large trucks. Most of these crashes occurred during the day. Take your time going through work zones. Give yourself plenty of room, and expect the unexpected.
BE AWARE OF YOUR “NO-ZONE”
Other drivers may not be aware of the size of your blind spots. One-third of all crashes between large trucks and cars take place in the No-Zone areas around a truck. Adjust your mirrors and be vigilant in watching out for vehicles in the No-Zone.
ALWAYS KEEP YOUR DISTANCE
Always leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front of you. In rear-end collisions, regardless of the situation, if you hit someone from behind, you are considered “at fault.” Large trucks, given their mass, have much greater stopping distances than 4-wheelers. Take advantage of your driving height, and anticipate hard braking situations.
ALWAYS MAINTAIN YOUR VEHICLE
It can save your life. Inspect your vehicle before each trip, and check your brakes regularly. Brake defects are the most frequently cited out-of-service inspection violation. Learn how to inspect your brakes, identify safety defects, and get them repaired before risking your life, and others, on the highway.
ALWAYS DRIVE DEFENSIVELY
Avoid aggressive drivers and maintain a safe speed. Two-thirds of all traffic fatalities may be caused by aggressive driving behaviors. Keep your distance and maintain a safe speed. The only thing excessive speed increases is your chance for a crash.
PLEASE FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT
Buckle up for safety and vehicle control. If you are in a crash, a seat belt will save your life and that of others. It will keep you in your seat and allow for you to maintain control of your truck. Increasing seat belt use is still the single most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on our roadways.
ALWAYS WORK TO IMPROVE HIGHWAY SAFETY
On the highway, and through safety promotional events, be the professional! Help stranded motorists. Notify traffic safety agencies of crashes, unsafe drivers, unsafe roadway conditions, and other situations that can lead to crashes. Join a “Highway Watch” program, if available in your state. Your participation in public safety events and your performance on the highway can change public perception.
Copyright 2005 - 2008 Road Safe America. Contact Road Safe America at 866 721-7623.
Access America Transport develops a war room mentality and segregates the disaster operations center apart from our daily operations.We develop contingency plans specific to the customers we service. These plans allow us to coordinate response efforts needed for FEMA, State/Federal agencies, and government contractors.
Below are bullet points to a successful emergency program.
Asset Allocation:
Access America develops relationships with Regional and Long haul trucking companies that will be able to pool trucks to specific regional locations on our command.
Separate contractual agreements are needed to ensure our forecasted capacity is there when and where we anticipate it to be needed.
Response:
Access America responds quickly and effectively to all types of emergencies. We operate from a response center at our corporate office in addition to remote locations across the United States. We are able to staff personnel on site as needed by our customers.
This structure allows us to respond to any disaster and allows Access America the ability to coordinate relief efforts with multiple agencies and jurisdictions.
Communications:
We have a Special 800# set up for emergency operations, an emergency email address that goes to the entire team so that shift workers and everyone involved are all on the same page. Cell phones are on 24/7. We have real time information from radio and TV news sources in our operation center for additional updates.
Poor communication in a disaster environment will quickly deteriorate your operational effectiveness.
Program Director:
An individual per shift is designated as the program director. There is an increase in activity and demand. A team leader is needed to bring everyone together and manage the process so that every task order is completed correctly and efficiently.
The worst thing that can happen in a disaster environment is that everyone is focused on everyone else’s job and not focused on the job they are assigned to do.
Practice in the offseason:
We don’t expect that everything will be up and running as soon as we turn on our PCs on in an emergency. Access America Transport coordinates force tests for emergency plans, procedures, and skills in response to an actual emergency. We call on our trucking companies to get a snapshot of where all their assets are in the country. This proactive approach allows us to see where our strengths and weaknesses are before they happen.
This effort is coordinated not only internally but also with external service providers.
You never know what major disaster maybe threatening the country. It’s best to have a range of different skills and assets to cover your needs. While the key to a successful emergency program is preparedness, you must also have a staff that can empathize with the people they are helping.
While our competitors may create risks by the carriers they use to load a shipper’s cargo on, we manage the risk before the load even happens.
By addressing the issue of carrier compliance you are mitigating against the risk of prosecution, a fatal blow to your organization’s public image, and not to mention possible litigation. This applies to both Shippers and Brokers.
Implementation of a successful compliance program gives you control over your company’s future as well as your customers. Some of our competitors seek short term rewards as opposed to strategic long term gains by having lapsed or loosely controlled management of their carrier “vetting” process and continued monitoring. Access America believes in always going for the quality in the partners we use because customer satisfaction will always be a by-product.
The cornerstone to our successful risk management mandate requires our carriers to be successful in 6 core competencies.
Safety, Solvency, Ethics, Regulatory Requirements, Capacity and Performance
Safety: Access America Transport’s contracted carriers at all times must have an FMCSA Safety Rating of (Satisfactory) or they will not be allowed to be placed on any of our customers loads. This rating is measured by DOT audits and history of accidents.
Our carriers also must have a maximum of a (75) FMCSA SafeStat value or lower to be placed on any of our customers loads. This rating measures a carrier’s maintenance and violations history for their vehicles & drivers. (The lower the number the better rating)
Both ratings are federally regulated and monitored. Access America monitors this daily on all carriers for every shipment. A carrier in violation will be deactivated from use.
Solvency: Access America will not load a carrier that has a history of filing for bankruptcy and just re-opening under another motor carrier number. We run history credit worthiness reports from their Duns, Tax ID numbers and motor carrier numbers. An un-solvent carrier will not be activated for use.
Ethics: Access America Transport will not load a customer’s cargo on a carrier we researched to have a history of holding loads hostage for more payment or we have an industry peer’s knowledge of poor customer service. Carriers with poor business ethics will be de-activated from use. This is constantly monitored.
Regulatory Requirements: Access America Transport at all times will monitor contracted carriers and for new carriers their DOT Operating Authority & Insurance requirements mandated by law. We receive daily reports on changes from the government.
Capacity: This is a very big issue as we look to carriers from large to small to fill the niche our customers require. Whether its 4 flatbed loads a week for dedicated short runs in Alabama to Pool Distribution centers requiring multiple drop trailers for nationwide traffic. We hire carriers that accommodate our customer’s needs.
Performance: Our carriers know that every shipment is monitored from pick up to delivery. They are graded on capacity, on- time pickup and delivery, customer service of the driver, professional manner in the event of a service failure and recovery.
Access America Transport is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company. Our carrier performance measures are ISO Certified. In order for us to maintain this certification our performance measures will never be compromised. A carrier must have the ability to maintain at all times the six core competencies.
As our company continues to grow Access America Transport realized that its growth would be best managed through quality.
Access America Transport began a pursuit of a better way to measure; Our impact in the industry, Our level of customer service and Our overall operational excellence.
Access America Transport is a Third Party Logistics Provider, and in early 2009 we accomplished this goal and became an ISO 9001:2000 certified company. We have now an internationally recognized Quality Management System (QMS) to serve as both a standard and a measure of activities to be accomplished as well as being able to make continuous improvements to our processes.
ISO 9001:2000 certification also serves as a foundation for our corporate growth, without a corporate quality process, we would not know if all of our procedures would be followed as planned and it would be too difficult to ensure distinction and success.”
“Developing the QMS early, as a rapidly growing 3PL, has been helpful in identifying key management indicators and in reducing risk as the company takes on more multi-year and complex tasks.
One of our biggest Key Success Identifiers has been in the Carrier “Vetting” (Investigate to Discover) Process. We have an ISO 9001:2000 certified processes for making sure we are using not only the best carriers in the industry but also a concurrent investigation of their solvency, performance, regulatory requirements, industry related & customer performance feedback.
With very few companies in our industry with this level of a Quality Mandate, Access America Transport has surpassed many of our competitors in service. Access America Transport is now recognized as a principal participant in its commitment to World Class Customer Service and Global Quality Initiatives.
ISO 9001:2000 has also impacted Access America Transport’s strategy toward revenue growth. The standard helps our company to better define the corporate vision, and manage the QMS so its processes would be proportionate to our company’s size. We use the QMS in daily operations, and hold valuable monthly meetings to evaluate quality performance. This alone assists our company to demonstrate its value to our customers.
In conclusion; when we discuss quality with our customers, they know by us being ISO Certified that we have the key elements for success addressed, for us and for them.
It’s almost Spring and that means Frost Restrictions in the Heavy Haul world. During the months of March through May of each year, many northern states and Canadian provinces restrict the axle weights allowable on public roads. Legal limits usually remain the same, but the routine permitted limits are restricted during this time. If you are moving or shipping heavy loads through northern regions, you must take these restrictions and the resulting added costs into consideration. You will need more axles to move these loads than you would at other times during the year, and that will always cost more. The worst case scenario is that the individual states may not grant a permit at all until the weather warms up. It is especially a good idea to consult an experienced heavy haul professional during this time of year to help you prepare for spring time shipping of heavy oversized loads.
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