Schneider National announced Wednesday, Nov. 1, that it will close its operating center in Evergreen, Ala., effective Dec. 31. The company is closing the facility, which opened in 1998, to streamline operations, manage costs and optimize its field support network nationwide.
According to company officials, drivers based out of the Evergreen operating center will be reassigned to one of 17 Schneider operating centers located across the country based on business need or proximity to their hometowns. While 52 office and maintenance positions will be impacted, driver positions will not, Schneider says, and every office and maintenance employee in good standing will be offered a job within the company if they are willing to relocate.
“We regularly assess our operating center locations to ensure that we have a cost-effective and business-efficient network of facilities that meet the needs of our customers and drivers,” says Todd Jadin, senior vice president of operations for Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider National. “Freight flows, driver domiciles, customer locations and the maintenance and fueling requirements of our fleet are all taken into consideration when making a decision to open or close one of our operating centers.”
Jadin noted that the same criteria were used recently when the company decided to add two new operating centers to its nationwide network, in Edwardsville, Ill., and Portland, Ore. “It is critical that our employees understand their talent is not in question,” Jadin says. “Tough decisions like this are sometimes necessary in an industry as competitive and ever-changing as transportation.”
Company support for nonredeployed employees includes salary continuation packages, career transition services and an extended employee assistance program. Schneider also will host a job fair in Evergreen to introduce those employees to area employers. “This was a difficult decision, and we want to ensure that this group of talented individuals has access to the support and resources necessary to find alternate employment as quickly as possible,” Jadin says.
