JB Hunt Transport Services, one of the largest supply chain solutions providers in North America, recently added a new trailer pool and drop-and-hook service, JB Hunt 360box, which the company says will improve the efficiency of freight operations for businesses and carriers.
Launching this summer, 360box will introduce a pool of 500 additional 53-foot trailers businesses can reserve for drop trailer purposes, with plans to accelerate the available units as market demand grows, JB Hunt said. Carriers will make offers to transport the trailers using Carrier 360 by JB Hunt, the company’s digital freight matching platform designed to help carriers save money, spend more time driving and have an overall better experience. The new service is a part of JB Hunt’s continued effort to create the most efficient transportation network in North America.
“360box adds capacity to a customer’s supply chain while moving more freight in a way that’s efficient for both the customer and the carrier,” said John Roberts, president and CEO of JB Hunt. “Usually only large carriers with available resources can provide this type of drop-trailer service. By using our trailers, however, shippers with consistent freight can now connect with the power of small carriers and owner operators, which together represent 83% of all drivers.”
By eliminating the immediate need to load and unload trailers, 360box will prevent the loss in productivity that can occur during a live delivery such as dock door wait and detention. Drivers simply drop the trailer in a designated area and go on to their next load. The service offers shippers flexibility with their freight management, adds capacity to their supply chain, and provides access to one of the industry’s largest power-only carrier bases. For carriers, 360box eliminates the operational cost of maintaining trailers and increases driver productivity.
“As much as one-third of a driver’s day includes idle time and empty miles,” said Shelley Simpson, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of JB Hunt. “When considering there are 3.5 million drivers, that’s a lot of waste. 360box is designed to transform that inefficiency into productivity, keeping drivers on the move with full trailers.”
360box trailers will be equipped with technology that provides end-to-end load tracking and monitoring. The company completed installation of tracking technology on all 100,000-plus company trailers and containers in 2018.
JB Hunt says it has a continued commitment to developing innovative solutions that address the supply chain’s evolving digital needs. In 2017, the company announced a five-year, $500 million investment dedicated to creating disruptive technology and enhancing operating systems and infrastructure. The investment is advancing JB Hunt’s ability to see deeper within the supply chain, add new automation capabilities, and draw top talent in technology, engineering, data science and logistics.
