Schreiber Foods makes a point of educating its employees about the needs of truck drivers who haul the Wisconsin dairy giant’s products, particularly hours of service rules.
“A driver might say he’s running tight on hours, and our team actually understands what that means,” said Peter Andrews, Schreiber’s supply chain manager for transportation.
Schreiber placed sixth among 25 companies in FreightWaves Shipper of Choice Awards, conducted in partnership with freight brokerage Convoy. The awards were based on the votes of carrier-members of the Truckload Carriers Association and the Blockchain in Transport Alliance, or BiTA.
Schreiber produces cheese, yogurt and other dairy products. The employee-owned company has more than 30 facilities globally, including 14 locations in the United States.
Minimizing driver detention is among qualities recognized in the award.
“It’s getting more difficult to drive,” Andrews said. “Getting drivers in and out of our facilities as quickly as possible is paramount for us.”
Andrews noted that if a driver ends up exceeding his or her hours of service, it means additional delays for shipments. That’s something that Schreiber can’t afford in an area when customer expectations are exceedingly high.
“Once the products leave the facility, it’s not as though we’re done with them.” Andrews said.
Apart from educating employees, Schreiber has added more drop trailer slots.
Schreiber has pared down its stable of carriers, which currently sits at around 80. At the same time, the company has redoubled its emphasis on fostering long-term relationships with those carriers.
“We’ve always been a shipper that has focused on incumbency,” Andrews said. “We understand what it takes for carriers to perform at a high level, and we want to reward them through the retention of that business.”