Pitt Ohio’s growing network leverages Dohrn’s technology stack to enhance customer service

At the beginning of this year, when Pittsburgh-based Pitt Ohio Transportation Group acquired Sutton Transport, it was hailed as being aligned with the company’s ongoing effort to enhance customer service by increasing shipment density across its operating footprint.

At the same time, the eventual integration of Sutton and Dohrn Transfer Company, a Pitt Ohio operation, into a single operating company called Dohrn offered the ability to extend Dohrn’s successful use of advanced management technology.

“Our primary focus has been on enabling a seamless customer integration process, and that is driven in large part by the ability to apply the existing Dohrn technology stack across the Sutton operation,” Alex Gustafson, VP of information systems at Dohrn, said. “While we’re effectively doubling each company’s size, we need to ensure that customers do not lose visibility and that we have uniform pricing, tendering, and billing processes.”

Dohrn leverages technology to streamline LTL operations and boost customer visibility

Since 2002, Dohrn has relied on FACTS freight management software from Carrier Logistics (CLI), Gustafson said. Designed for less-than-truckload (LTL) fleets, FACTS is credited with helping the company implement process improvements.

“By using automated and integrated solutions for freight management, we’re reducing administrative time and costs internally and for our customers,” Gustafson explained. “Technology and process improvements drive our success, including bringing on-time service into the upper 90th percentile.”

Through the use of electronic BOL capabilities, billing personnel at Dohrn can process an average of 2.7 more bills per hour by eliminating the need to enter data manually. The average billing time across the company is 2,517 hours per month, so an increase in productivity of 2.7 bills per hour means that nearly 6,800 additional bills can be completed in the same timeframe with the existing staff.

Dohrn Transfer has also added an electronic proof of delivery (POD) capability to an integrated driver P&D mobile solution from Acordex. The system allows drivers to capture signatures on mobile devices and send delivery receipt images to customers, offering both a paper-free solution as well as faster POD visibility to the shipper.

As an example, Gustafson pointed out that electronic POD processing saves an estimated 30 minutes per day of management time at each terminal by eliminating the need to scan and index delivery receipts. For drivers, the technology eliminates about 15 minutes daily in time that was spent sorting and organizing paperwork during check-in.

Now in place at the carrier are Dohrn Departure Reports, an automated CLI capability that provides shippers and consignees with system-generated notifications about freight status. The reports are transmitted by email or text and include a live link for continued real-time tracking as soon as the delivery driver leaves a terminal to inform the customer that their freight is on the truck. An accompanying Excel file allows users to see revised ETAs and a live map showing the driver’s current location.

At Dohrn, the CLI Dock Management System is in place, which graphically displays the loaded, unloaded, and in-progress status of trailers on a customized overlay of each facility that visually shows dock-door locations.

The cross-dock savings were estimated at 16.67% based on early results. And beyond improving freight visibility for customers, Gustafson noted, the solution allows trailers to be reloaded sooner while also decreasing service failures by eliminating loading errors.

Beyond management technology, Dohrn invests heavily in safety. Dash cameras, predictive analysis software, and coaching programs have led to an 88% reduction in harsh events and a 35% reduction in speeding.

Safety investments and modern equipment strengthen Pitt Ohio’s growing LTL network

Equipment investments are made regularly by the carrier as well. The average age of power equipment is now 4.5 years, down from 16 years in 2014 when Dohrn became part of Pitt Ohio. For customer service, 35% of trailers are liftgate-equipped, and all trailers are fitted with tracking systems. In addition, fuel efficiency improvements were realized with single-axle tractors and automatic tire inflation systems.

Following the Sutton acquisition, the Pitt Ohio Transportation Group, including Pitt Ohio, Dohrn, Ross Express, and US Cargo, is projected to become the 12th largest LTL carrier in the U.S. 

“With a growing footprint and increased density, management systems and processes driven by an operations plan are essential,” Gustafson emphasized. “Utilizing advanced tools and being a technology leader is how we can improve customer experience by enhancing visibility, efficiency, and reliability throughout their supply chains.”