Waterloo, Ontario September 25, 2002 Old Dominion Freight Lines is set to use routing and scheduling applications from Descartes Systems Group in a bid to strengthen its customer responsiveness, support growth and bolster the company's bottom line.
Thomasville, N.C.-based Old Dominion, a dominant carrier in the less-than-truckload (LTL) market with a fleet of more than 2,600 trucks, will use Descartes' Fleetwise Dispatch and Fleetwise Route Planner solutions to gain in-the-moment visibility of shipment status, enabling the company to quickly respond to customer inquiries and such potential delays in deliveries as inclement weather or traffic congestion.
"Technology at Old Dominion has a direct impact on both customer satisfaction and the bottom-line," said David Congdon, president and chief operating officer at 68-year old Old Dominion. "By leveraging Descartes' Fleetwise in our operations we anticipate a 10 percent efficiency gain while continuing to improve our on-time delivery performance."
The solution provider asserted that while some routing applications are point solutions that coordinate dispatch and driver communications for single users, Fleetwise enables the collaboration of multiple customer service representatives, drivers and dispatchers to synchronize information about delivery status for real-time customer responsiveness.
Congdon pointed to Descartes' understanding of the challenges an LTL carrier faces such as consolidating shipments from a number of customers and ensuring efficient asset utilization as reasons for his company's selection of the solution provider.
This latest announcement expands Old Dominion's relationship with Descartes. In October 2001, the LTL carrier tapped Descartes' technology to improve operational efficiency through dynamic routing and scheduling and to strengthen customer service through rapid order response. Old Dominion is using the Descartes technology to ensure that its business network of more than 2,000 power units and 118 terminals is continuously optimized through improved routing, scheduling and dispatch capabilities.
