Erban Report - Erb Transport

From The General Manager’s Desk...
During the summer of 2002, many people were surprised to
hear how busy we were. The common response was “That’s
great.” I would respond with, “Yes, for a week or two, but
not eight weeks straight.” I am proud of the dedication and
loyalty shown by each of our employees working through
the huge volume increases of this summer. I cannot say I am
proud of our service levels of this summer and, believe me, it
was not as a result of lack of effort from our people. We have
many understanding customers whose patience was tried by
our late deliveries.
What went wrong? Firstly, we did not anticipate the
volume surge and did not react swiftly enough to get
adequate driver and dock resources to move the freight.
Secondly, several of our large volume shippers were shipping
later and later which held up all of the early freight. Lastly,
we are not the primary carrier for many companies. When
their 1st choice or their own truck is full, the overflow is
shipped via Erb. When overflow is LTL, we really don’t know
what volume is being shipped until it hits our docks. The
trend to ship overflow freight with Erb is very common
preceding holidays. I believe that our commitment to
offering all services to all people combined with accepting
difficult scheduling was a major contributor to our summer
challenges.
What have we learned and what are we going to do?
While we have a reputation as a very good carrier, we need
to improve and be near perfect. Our customers are
demanding 100% on time delivery and zero claim services.
Being good isn’t good enough. Our service and schedules
need to be consistent so we can be counted on to do the job
right 100% of the time. We need to be able to trace and
audit every shipment and ensure we have met all HACCP
requirements while goods are in our possession.
How are we going to achieve these goals? Technology
will play a major part. Today our customers can track their
shipment via the Internet and find out the status of the
delivery, and, if the unit is satellite equipped, find out where
the shipment is. You can also get a scanned image of the Bill
of Lading via the Internet. Many of our customers are using
the system and many enhancements are planned for the
future. Information and the intelligent use of information is
the solution to remaining the leader in temperature
controlled distribution and LTL. We need to know what is
being shipped, to where, quantity, etc. 24 hours before
shipment. We need to know the temperatures required, and,
after delivery, have an audit trail that confirms temperatures
were met during the entire trip. Technology will do much of
this for us. We, however, need to develop the systems to
accomplish the goals. This will mean change for everyone.
What can we do in the meantime? Continue to do the
best you can do despite the challenges. Don’t assume
someone else will fix your problem or mistake. Take the
initiative to do the job correctly and completely. Take pride in
your work and work together as a team. Remember we have
nothing to sell but service and we are only as good as the
last load we hauled.
Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a
happy Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year in 2003!
Wendell Erb
General Manager
The Erb Group of Companies
Vernon and Wendell Erb
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