Ryder System Inc. announced that its oldest customer — The Miami Herald Media Co., an internationally recognized Pulitzer Prize-winning publication serving the nation’s ninth-largest market — has renewed a three-year Dedicated Contract Carriage transportation contract.
Under the DCC contract, Ryder manages delivery of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald from its printing plant in Miami to 18 distribution centers throughout South Florida. The turnkey transportation service includes 70 drivers, 23 straight trucks and eight dock employees, as well as order management, fleet management and preventive maintenance services. The Miami Herald Media Co. is Ryder’s longest-standing customer, with the business relationship dating back to 1945.
“When we combine high-speed press production with complex distribution requirements, we need a reliable and trustworthy partner like Ryder to work with us around the clock, seven days a week, and to tackle challenges as they arise and provide meaningful solutions,” says Craig Woischwill, vice president of operations for The Miami Herald. “Ryder has developed flexible distribution models that change as our business changes, from a generic distribution system to the highly evolved advertising sub-ZIP code based models that we use today.”
A cart-based system that the companies co-developed allows the efficient management and transportation of zoned products from loading and dispatching to final destination, Woischwill says. “Efficiency, accuracy and innovation are required in today’s ever-changing environment,” he says. “Ryder has come through for us at every turn. Their strong commitment to the goals of our transportation operations and 63 years of support have enabled us to operate a very reliable and cost-effective distribution system.”
Ryder says its DCC service is a customized suite of transportation management services for the delivery of a customer’s products that optimizes its fleet operations and allows its management to be more focused on core business issues.
“Ryder is delighted to continue its long-standing partnership with a quality newspaper such as The Miami Herald Media Company and support its key business objectives and operating models for delivering increased efficiencies,” says Rosario Rizzo, senior vice president and general manager for Dedicated Contract Carriage operations for Miami-based Ryder. “We are proud of the operational excellence we have achieved in partnership with The Miami Herald over six decades, and the renewal of our DCC contract is a strong validation of Ryder’s capabilities and presence as a major logistics provider to the newspaper industry.”
Ryder has business relationships with more than 70 newspapers nationally, including The Chicago Tribune, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Dallas Morning News.
