Finding Distribution Carriers on the Web
Let's set some definitions. Two kinds of carriers handle less than full truckload freight. LTL carriers provide a to-from service, picking up small lots of freight from the shipper and routing it through a freight-handling network for delivery to the appropriate consignee. Distribution carriers provide an analogous service in that they deliver small consignments. The difference between distribution carriers and LTL carriers is found in how freight gets to them. In general, freight is delivered to distribution carriers; they don't go get it.
Unlike modern truckload carriage, the ideas surrounding distribution carriers and LTL carriers are left over from the days when all trucking except produce and poultry was regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission and by state agencies. Distribution carriers receive freight in large quantities, usually full truckloads. This freight is segregated into smaller shipments for delivery to individual receivers; hence, the term breakbulk, because the carrier would break bulk loads into separate shipments. These bulk loads arrive at the distribution carrier's dock as truckload freight along with instructions from the shipper for final disposition. The distribution carrier may warehouse the bulk freight for future order selection, or the freight may move directly from the receiving dock into waiting delivery trucks. In either case, the distribution carrier is responsible for dividing large loads into separate orders for separate receivers.
The shippers using these two types of carriers differ as well. A typical shipper doing business with a distribution carrier is more likely to be a large manufacturer that produces high volume goods. However, this high volume divides into relatively small lots for retail sale. In contrast, a shipper using an LTL carrier usually produces in small lots for delivery to individual small wholesalers. Concrete examples of these types of shippers could be large candy manufacturers and small sausage makers. The large confectionery manufacturers need their broad product mix delivered to a wide range of small receivers. The small custom sausage maker produces in small volume and needs targeted delivery to a few customers, none of which ever need or are willing to purchase an entire truckload.
Finding distribution carriers on the Internet presents its own set of problems, because most of them are relatively small so they are not linked to sites such the American Trucking Associations. Finding distribution carriers by typing specific names into a search engine yielded no matches for the five sites we finally located. In fact, the best way to find distribution carriers on the Internet seems to be the one we used. We looked up the name and telephone number of known and suspected distribution carriers in the Refrigerated Transporter LTL Guide. We then called them for a site address if they maintained one.
The sites we found ranged from the extremely simple for Refrigerated Delivery Service in Tulsa to the relatively complex for the Lanter Company in Madison, Illinois. Between those two poles, we found sites for the Tyson Companies in Mounds View, Minnesota; Howell's Motor Freight in Cloverdale, Virginia; and Hudson Co in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.
Refrigerated Delivery Service maintains a four-page site that opens with a description of the company. Clicking on the Currently Serving link leads to a detailed list of points served in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. This page allows visitors to request delivery information and provides a response form if contact from the company is desired. The page for Expanded Services is linked to the same points list as Currently Serving. In addition, Refrigerated Delivery has a page for recruiting independent contractors for truckload service in midwestern states.
The web site for Howell's Motor Freight is almost as complex as that for Lanter Company. Howell's site has five main pages in addition to the opening home page. The Company page links to four additional pages with information about operations, including a clickable trade area map for distribution and truckload services. The People page provides an extensive array of photos of personnel at Howell's terminals. Visitors to the Company page can also link to a company profile and a list of awards won by Howell's Motor Freight and its individual employees. Another of the main pages is Services, which provides a list of Howell's distribution locations and delivery destinations. The Employment page provides a list of job openings and the requirements for applicants. A Links page is linked only to the American Trucking Associations web site. The Contact page provides an e-mail form.
Hudson Co in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, operates a straightforward site with photos of company operations and three links buttons on the opening page. The buttons are trucks with flashing headlamps. Clicking About leads to a company profile. Services leads to a description of Hudson Co's short- and long-term storage, crossdock, and cold cab expedited services. The Mileage button leads to a clickable map with mileage from the company hub in the Minneapolis metro area.
The Tyson Companies are another distribution carrier with extensive warehousing capability in the Minneapolis area. Tyson's simple web site provides a description of Tyson Trucking that offers distribution throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. It also describes Trailwood Transportation, Tyson's refrigerated truckload carrier. The Coverage page provides a color-coded map of Tyson's service area. The site also provides a form for contacting Tyson, and a job application form.
Lanter Company in Madison, Illinois, is the most complex of the companies whose web sites are profiled here. It also has the most complex web site. Information can be reached from a number of links on the Home page. Descriptions of Lanter service such as Distribution, Warehousing, Dedicated Services, Truckload, and C & M LTL can be accessed with buttons under the Services heading. Clicking on C & M LTL links to a separate web site for that company. In addition, the Home page has a What's New section that links to Job Opportunities, Case Studies of Lanter Partners, New Locations, and recent Press Releases. Other links located across the bottom of the Home page lead to a company profile at About Us, a list of service areas under Locations, a form for requesting price quotations at Rates, a list of clients linked to Partners, and an e-mail form at Contact. In addition to a company history, About Us provides a list of equipment specifications, information useful to both prospective customers and driver applicants.
BP has launched a new commercial sales web site aimed at large volume commercial diesel and gasoline fuels buyers.
The new site, www.bpdirect.com, allows users to review the latest product price quotes, place orders, and check the status of existing orders from acceptance to scheduled delivery to invoice at their multiple locations. Users can create and maintain their own company profiles.
During a six-month pilot run of the web site, two large-volume fuel users purchased more than 40 million gallons of gasoline and distillates. Both companies reported high levels of satisfaction with the BP web site.
ArvinMeritor will be launching an enhanced aftermarket global e-commerce web site for distributors and OEM dealers in late 2000. The site is an enhancement of Xpressway CD, an electronic catalog featuring details and photos of more than 100,000 ArvinMeritor commercial vehicle aftermarket products.
Initial services on the site will include stock/emergency orders for Meritor or Euclid brand parts. During the first phase of the program, all users can browse the online version of the parts catalog. Order placement will be limited to authorized parts outlets with valid ID, password, and customer profile on record. Subsequent stages of the system, which will integrate ArvinMeritor light vehicle aftermarket products, will offer more ordering options for OEM customers and access for Canadian customers.
The Peterbilt Truck Accessories Catalog is now available online.
By logging onto the Peterbilt web site, www.peterbilt.com, users can search among more than 30 product lines for a selection of accessories ranging from chrome exhausts, mirrors, and quarter fenders to floor mats, steering wheel covers, and safety equipment. Many featured products will fit most leading makes of trucks.
The online catalog also allows users to view product photos, and a dealer locator helps identify the nearest Peterbilt where accessories can be purchased and in many cases installed.
