Cheetah Speed - Vol 1.5

Logistics, Logistics, Logistics

Editor's Notes: In this issue

They say there “ain’t no cure for the summertime blues,” but I am not so sure. I love feeling the pull of the tarmac as my wheels hit the road to places unknown. I love the smell of the asphalt in the summer heat. So I think I am more of a “Hot Town Summer in the City” kind of guy. But most of all I like how I can stay in communication with everyone no matter where I am. What a glorious age we live in to be able to always be in touch. I was just in Europe for over a month and most folks had no idea that I was even out of the country thanks to email, cell phones and Skype. And so we bring you the August issue of Cheetah Speed – the only place where communication meets the road.

We’ve got a great interview this month with Chris Withers of Southwest Transport in San Antonio, Texas. They have 31 terminals that link up with some 450 drivers.

You are vital to our company. Please let us know how we can better serve you and by all means we look forward to your feedback and suggestions. Write to the

info@cheetah.com

Best,

Larry Jaffe
Editor, Cheetah Speed

Scope: Logistics, Logistics, Logistics

In the world of retail the most favored expression is location, location, location. But when it comes to the transportation industry it is logistics, logistics, logistics. When we talk logistics, we are discussing the activity of the overall management of the movement of people or resources to where they need to go, i.e., where they are needed. The concept originates from the military with reference to the acquisition and distribution of personnel, supplies and equipment. In the business parlance it has come to refer to the supply chain. Logistics is the business of acquisition, distribution and storage. Excellent logistics increases efficiency and thereby cuts costs.

And cutting costs is vital to the transportation industry as fuel costs continuously increase as well as manpower. You can realistically and affordably help your company improve profitability and effectiveness by connecting up with Cheetah.

Cheetah can immediately help streamline your company and increase efficiency, save money and maximize resources. A recent study by Logistics Management found that both software buying and usage levels continue to increase. www.logisticsmgmt.com.

Word: Regional News from Cheetah

Tom Sisson in the West

Whether you have 25 trucks or 2,500 trucks we are a good fit!!!!! Real time, Route Optimization, Dispatch & Customer Service with GPS tracking. Our customers are consistently driving fewer miles and are making more stops per day. That goes right to the bottom line.

Product Lines: Cheetah & Sprint Nextel Phones

Sprint phones are a vital and intrinsic part of the Cheetah system and network. These phones must be Java and GPS enabled. This is imperative and like I said part of the overall network. While Cheetah is not active if the phone is turned off, it is operational all the time when it is on. This is so even if the driver goes outside the coverage area, Cheetah is continuously collecting information. One thing you might not know is that drivers can still use their phones to receive calls or messages while Cheetah is running, they simply answer the call and Cheetah will automaticaly resume within five minutes.

A major side-benefit is that Nextel direct connect also helps you save money on your cell phone bills! Amazing how installing Cheetah into your operation (including Sprint) rapidly ends up paying for itself many times over.

Onboard: The Cheetah Speed Interview with Chris Withers of Southwest Transport in San Antonio, Texas

Southwest Transport completely covers the great state of Texas, and to put it in their own words: “Nobody covers Texas and the Surrounding States like SMT.” They are located in San Antonio, TX area and have 31 terminals, 730 staff plus 300 contractors, have 300 company trucks plus 150 owner/operator trucks and do approximately $120 million per year. We spoke to Chris Withers and got his lowdown on Cheetah.

CS: What was the major logistics problem you discovered that pointed you to Cheetah to solve?

CW: Very simply it was the ability to get timely information on when shipments could be delivered – the bottom-line of our business. We not only wanted this information for ourselves but we wanted to provide timely ETAs through a web portal thereby sharply reducing customer service calls. This is a huge benefit for us.

CS: Which elements of Cheetah were you specifically looking at and will eventually implement?

CW: What we wanted more than anything and that is what we got – dispatch and route optimization!

CS: And now for the million dollar question, what were results? How has the experience benefited Southwest?

CW: It’s been excellent and pretty much IMMEDIATE. On the route optimization end, we have been able to get a reduction in miles per stops and it is saving us just about 6%. We are still computing the exact costs, but a 6% figure is pretty accurate.

The dispatch software side performs as it should, we were able to easily optimize picks ups and update the routes as they come in. What more could we want?

CS: Tell me how the rollout and the implementation process went?

CW: It went very well! We run a fairly unique yet sizeable operation and Cheetah has been extremely supportive and understanding of our uniqueness and very obliging when it came to our specific requirements.

CS: How would you describe the level of service Cheetah provided?

CW: In one word – excellent. Anytime we have a problem, we get a solution or a resolution within 24 hours.

CS: Were there any other long-term or immediate benefits that you experienced once the installation was accomplished?

CW: There was one unexpected benefit. I expected efficiencies in the area of dispatch and customer service even reducing personnel needs. But most gratifying is that Cheetah software runs a much lighter burden on my IT staff. Normally I would expect to have to devote some 50-60% of my IT staff to do something like this, but thanks to Cheetah, I only need one person.