Driving for excellence

TMC TransportationTMC TransportationÔÇÖs trucks are emblazoned with the slogan ÔÇ£Destination: Excellence.ÔÇØ Keith Regan reports on how the company is using technology and training to stay on that trajectory. The 50-acre headquarters of TMC Transportation in Des Moines, Iowa, demonstrates the companyÔÇÖs belief in the importance of training and technology as it seeks to establish itself as the leader in customer service in the open-freight hauling business.  There, newly hired driversÔÇöthose fresh from driving schools and those with years of experienceÔÇöare put through an extensive company-specific training program, utilizing state-of-the-art simulators to improve defensive driving, backing skills, and shifting skills for better fuel efficiency. The company has various loads on training trailers to ensure proper load securement training. Joe Brannen, director of national accounts and vice president of the Midwest operations, says the fact that TMCÔÇÖs fleet is largely company owned and driven by employees helps it stand out among other flatbed hauling companies. ÔÇ£You get a very consistent product from us, and we pride ourselves on going above and beyond to meet customer expectations,ÔÇØ he says, noting that TMC has conducted industry benchmarking against top carriers in the van niche, which has much more consistent payloads. By contrast, TMC is as likely to be hauling unique products such as iron and steel, machinery, building products such as plastic and steel pipe, and rolled and coiled wire. TMC also operates a specialized division that offers 53-foot-long step-deck and removable gooseneck (RGN) trailers in addition to its regional and long-haul divisions, handling large agricultural machinery. TMC employees are trained from their first encounters with the company to make excellence their goal, Brannen says. It was one of the first flatbed companies to put a driver finishing program in place, and even its most experienced drivers get continuous training through its Road Scholar program, which includes elements of total quality management in its safety and efficiency curriculum. The company invests heavily to give its drivers the tools to make it possible, with modern Peterbilt and Kenworth tractors and air-ride, spread-axle aluminum and steel trailers loaded with the latest technology, including the VORAD detection and collision avoidance system, Iteris lane-control system, and satellite-based GPS tracking tools that can pinpoint a driverÔÇÖs location, status, and even the best option for refueling based on the volume discounts the fleet receives. Saving on fuel is a daily quest for all trucking companies these days. With diesel fuel pushing $5 per gallon and many contracts written before the recent surge in prices lacking escalation clauses to enable pass-along, those savings are essential. ÔÇ£Fuel is huge right now,ÔÇØ Brannen says. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre always looking for technology to help us there. The reality is, from the perspective of the health of our business, itÔÇÖs the single most important thing weÔÇÖre doing right now.ÔÇØTMC ÔÇ£is a very forward-thinking company,ÔÇØ says Steve Linder, the companyÔÇÖs executive vice president of information systems, who notes that the company has been using GPS to track its fleet since the early 1990s. With improved technology today and a Web interface, customers can see their freight in shipment, enabling them to plan for arrivals, which can be critical since some of the items TMC hauls may require a crane to be on site for offloading. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre not afraid of change and not afraid to implement new technology.ÔÇØ The technological tools also help with regulatory compliance, including recently updated Department of Transportation rules on how long drivers can be on the road. ÔÇ£With the data we collect, we can do a lot of modeling that looks forward to what we think is going to happen and looks ahead to how things might change in our industry,ÔÇØ Linder says. By tracking trends, TMC may be able to recognize the emergence of a trend, such as a certain type of freight being moved more frequently. ÔÇ£Moving freight is a tricky business, and technology can help keep it all in perspective.ÔÇØAn in-house development group works with customers to enable smooth interface with electronic data interchange (EDI) systems to enable information to be seamlessly shared in both directions. With continuous improvement a focus throughout the company, paper is eliminated wherever possible. ÔÇ£When you cut out paper you also reduce the potential for human entry error,ÔÇØ Brannen notes. ÔÇ£The more paperless we can go, the better.ÔÇØ Drivers are introduced to the companyÔÇÖs technological approach early on, and most take to it readily. Even before they begin training, for instance, newly hired drivers now enter their personal information directly into the companyÔÇÖs system. ÔÇ£We went from a process that involved having them fill out 35 sheets of paper during their classroom period to one thatÔÇÖs completely paperless.ÔÇØThe technology also integrates with the companyÔÇÖs driver training programs, with systems able to monitor safe driving and offer insight into how well drivers are hitting targets for minimizing idling time and maximizing miles per gallon. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs amazing what you can save financially just by shaving a couple of miles off every trip by following the best route and sticking to the right procedures,ÔÇØ Linder adds. ÔÇ£We all know fuel is up, and itÔÇÖs there to stay. We have to live with it and deal with it, and information technology can help us do that.ÔÇØTMC also offers value-added services to its hauling clients, using its experience and its depth of technology to help customers focus on the true costs of its shipping programs. Because it believes in continuous improvementÔÇöand the tenet that it can only improve what it can measureÔÇöTMC is constantly measuring, capturing data in the process that can yield insights into business processes. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve gotten pretty good at using that data to improve what we do and how we do it, and we can also leverage that information for our customers,ÔÇØ Brannen says.