CCJ Innovators profiles carriers and fleets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking’s challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact CCJ Chief Editor Jason Cannon at [email protected] or 800-633-5953.
Operating errors can be quite costly for motor carriers, like when a driver misreads a trailer number and hooks up to the wrong asset. By the time someone notices the exception, a chunk of fuel, labor and revenue has been wasted and a customer service failure has, or is about to, occur.
As a refrigerated transporter, Trailiner has a lot of coast-to-coast business as well as traffic lanes from California to the Midwest. It frequently relays or splits long-distance loads. Drivers coming from one side of the country drop loaded trailers at its yard in Springfield, Mo., for a different set of drivers to pick up and deliver.
A time-sensitive load of fresh produce that was supposed to go to New Jersey but, due to a hookup error, is on its way to California might take a day or more to rescue and could result in a cargo claim. This type of mistake used to happen every once in a while, but “it doesn’t happen anymore,” said Amber Edmondson, president and chief executive of Trailiner, which operates 100 power units.
Trailiner CEO Amber Edmondson (left), set a goal in 2018 for the fleet to have 25% turnover or less by 2023. Anthony Meloy, orientation and onboarding manager (middle) and Jaclyn Labby, office manager (right) are playing important roles in this effort.
The company’s name carried over from a fleet whose operating authority Whitener purchased in the days of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Whitener incorporated Trailiner in 1982. Edmondson is Whitener’s granddaughter and has been working at the company since 1999 when she was in college earning a business degree.
As one of the owners, Edmondson said the main goal for 2019 onward has been improving the work experience for drivers to reduce turnover.
