Dohrn Transfer Company achieves success with the latest solutions from Carrier Logistics Inc.
“By using integrated solutions for freight management from CLI we’re reducing administrative time and costs. CLI’s ability to automate manual processes is providing benefits internally and for our customers. Now, our pick-up and delivery, cross-dock and back office operations are more accurate, efficient and productive.”
– Alex Gustafson, Director of Information Systems, Dohrn Transfer Company
Dohrn Challenges: To lower costs, increase freight visibility and become a “greener” organization.
Dohrn Transfer Company was looking to reduce costs and save data entry time for processing Bills of Lading. In some cases, waiting for manual BOL entry was inhibiting the efficient movement of freight.
With limited visibility into its cross-dock operations, Dohrn Transfer was unable to track freight throughout the process, couldn’t detect loading errors in real time, and had a gap in their ability to provide end to end shipment status information to shippers.
In an effort to become a more environmentally friendly company, Dohrn Transfer was motivated to reduce or eliminate the use of paper across their operations.
The Solution: Dohrn Transfer Company has relied on FACTS transportation and freight management software from Carrier Logistics, Inc. (CLI) for 20 years. Today, the CLI software benefits its LTL operation by managing dispatching and drivers, billing and rating, dock activities, and financial and other business processes.
At Dohrn Transfer, electronic BOL processes are in place with deep customer integrations. The system uploads information to the software and the FACTS database almost instantly, reducing clerical data entry time and associated errors.
Currently, Dohrn Transfer is in the process of implementing CLI’s enhanced Dock Management Board, 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 CLI technology also provides detailed load and shipment information.
Dohrn Transfer has added electronic Proof of Delivery (POD) capability to an integrated driver P&D mobile solution from CLI. The system allows drivers to capture signatures on mobile devices and send delivery receipt images to customers, offering both a paperfree solution as well as faster POD visibility to the shipper.
The Result: Dohrn Transfer Company is cutting administrative and operations time and costs, improving visibility into shipments and reducing paper use.
Electronic BOL processing enabled by CLI at Dohrn Transfer is saving an estimated 30 minutes per day of management time at each of its 21 terminals by not having to scan and index delivery receipts. For each of the carrier’s 550 drivers, the technology is eliminating about 15 minutes daily in time that was spent sorting and organizing paperwork during check-in when returning to a terminal.
The electronic BOL capabilities are enabling billing personnel at Dohrn Transfer to complete an average of 2.7 more bills per hour by not needing to key in data. With billing time company-wide averaging 2,517 hours per month, an increase in productivity of 2.7 bills per hour means that nearly 6,800 additional bills can be completed with the existing staff in the same timeframe.
Based on early results, cross-dock savings of 16.67% are anticipated at Dohrn Transfer when full use of CLI’s enhanced Dock Management Board is in place.
With cross-dock technology from CLI, Dohrn Transfer is meeting new and existing customer requirements for additional freight visibility. The solution is also improving freight flow by allowing trailers to be reloaded sooner while also decreasing service failures by eliminating loading errors. Dock supervisors are freed from clerical and paperwork tasks, allowing them to spend more time on the dock managing terminal operations.
Across the company at Dohrn Transfer, automated paperless processes enabled by CLI are estimated to be saving 240,000 pieces of paper per month.
“CLI is driving what we’re doing to be greener. Paperless BOL capabilities are saving an estimated 30 minutes per day of management time at each of our 21 terminals and 15 minutes each day for our 550 drivers and enabling an average of 2.7 more bills per hour to be completed. Across the company, CLI technology is estimated to be saving 240,000 pieces of paper per month.”