Daylight sees transportation network investment, LTL technology as keys to 2019 success

For more than 40 years, Daylight Transport has worked to fill a unique space in the domestic less than truckload landscape. According to Bill Christensen, vice president of sales and marketing for the LTL carrier, Daylight’s average haul length (2,000 miles) and transit time (three days) “allows for businesses to compete in markets they may not otherwise be able to and allows goods to get to end users faster.”

Christensen recently spoke with SMC³ about how Daylight leadership sees the 2019 supply chain and logistics arena and how the company uses logistics transportation technology products to create value for customers.

What are the biggest challenges you see in 2019 for a carrier like Daylight?

The increasing need for efficient supply chains means every minute counts. What may have been acceptable from a speed and reliability perspective in the past is not what is required today. We must continue to invest in our network and ensure we have the appropriate capacity to meet the market’s needs. This means making decisions in the short and long term to protect capacity and our commitment to providing a unique and valuable service. Ensuring we continue to adapt to the market’s needs will remain a challenge for us today and into the future.

How does Daylight view evolving supply chain technology?

Information and automation is a requirement in today’s business environment. We are always looking for ways to integrate with our customers through technology, making information pass more seamlessly and in real time. Because business is moving at an increasingly fast rate, we have to make sure we do more than keep up.

We believe machine learning has an important place within our industry, allowing our people to provide the solutions and support our customers need and want. We are focused on listening to, and, more important, anticipating the needs of the market. By doing this and being committed to continuous improvement, we expect to move with or ahead of the market as opposed to taking a wait and see approach.

How does Daylight use SMC³ in its day-to-day operations, and how have the company’s solutions optimized your business?

Daylight Transport partners with SMC³ in a number of ways. We rely on SMC³ for rate base development, something we have collaborated on for years. With our speed and unique business model, CarrierConnect XL has been a big win as well. It allows us to communicate one of our main differentiators to a wide range of partners.

Last, but certainly not least, is our utilization of SMC³’s Cost Intelligence System. This technology allows us to be in better alignment with our overall cost of doing business. Through this automation, we are able to work through vast data sets, ensuring faster and more accurate information, and ultimately getting answers to our customers faster.

All of the SMC³ related tools we use have helped to make us more efficient while allowing us to provide better information and service to our customers.

Is it necessary for carriers to partner with technology providers like SMC³ in the current climate?

Technology in the logistics and transportation space is moving quickly. Collaboration with talented partners like SMC³ is a must for businesses that want to do more than keep pace. Leveraging SMC³’s areas of expertise allow us to focus efforts on other items that are important to the market, allowing us to provide a more robust service/information offering.

To learn more about the SMC³ products Daylight Transport uses to optimize its business, download the data sheet for CarrierConnect XL, visit SMC³’s Cost Intelligence System solutions page or contact sales@smc3.com to talk to a sales representative about SMC³ products.