Truck Topics
Bolt Express Announces Reorganization is Complete:The Bolt Express "New Look"
The folks at Bolt Express have been very busy in 2004.
The Toledo, OH-based expedited carrier has completed its restructuring plan and the company's managers say that these changes have resulted in a more streamlined operation while attaining an even higher level of customer service and professionalism, both within the company and the fleet.
"What we are finding is that most of the companies are priced competitively, so service is the main difference. In March we started turning our organization towards servicing our customers on a different level that will enable us to stand out from our competitors."
So says Stacie Moss, Business Development Manager for Bolt Express. She comes to the world of expediting from the financial services industry. "I bring a different perspective to the company; I'm very familiar in dealing with high-worth customers and national organizations."
"What we're trying to do is take the look and experience of our company to another level. We're expanding Bolt Express to include some of the larger national companies and provide them with the exceptional level of service they expect."
"We are changing the whole focus of Bolt Express; we are evolving into a more service-oriented company than ever before."
Bauman adds that his company is moving into new coverage areas and industries: "In 2004-2005, we're trying to add non-automotive industries to our customer base. Of course, we will continue to service the automotive customers, but we also want to diversify our base as well. To achieve that, we've hired some people to help us accomplish this change and we have launched a new company called Bolt Logistics to further expand our customer service and capabilities."
"We've added more sales personnel - one will cover Indiana, and the other will cover eastern Ohio/western Pennsylvania. This brings our outside sales force up to four representatives."
He adds, "We've also added a new Operations Manager, Ms. Carrie Alvarado, who comes to Bolt Express with many years experience in the expediting market."
Bolt Logistics has integrated its operations with Bolt Express and has made it possible to offer customers a One-Call System with our Logistics "Partner Carrier Program". Logistics is also responsible for the monitoring and loading of Express trucks that are in outlying areas. This change has helped Bolt Express reduce its deadhead to under 15% company wide.
"Through the Logistics Partner Carrier Program, we have access to more than 6,000 trucks," states Ms. Moss, "allowing our customers to make one call to cover their critical shipment anywhere in the 48 States and Ontario Canada."
"All of our customers who are set up with our "track and trace" feature can access our system online via user ID and password. They can then search not only our fleet's availability but also that of the Partner Carrier truck database. Our customers can also track their shipments or receive automatic email notification at each event throughout a shipment."
Quick Customer Service
Bolt Express has a high dispatcher-to-driver and dispatcher-to- customer ratio. This translates into more rapid service for customers with critical freight. Ms. Moss states, "We expect all phone calls to be answered in three rings and we keep our customers' "hold" time to a minimum. We try to complete the customers' call within five minutes."
Veteran personnel
Ms. Moss says that key to the company's success is the many years of experience its personnel brings to the table. Ben Bauman, Recruiting Director Mark Heiges and Controller Jeff Weis each have over twenty years in the trucking/expediting field and Scott Holcomb has been in the business for fifteen years.
The Customer Service team has a combined background of more than thirty years in expediting, headed by Ms. Carrie Alvarado, a veteran of one of the largest time-sensitive companies in the industry.
The owner-operator fleet
"We are a one-hundred per cent owner-operator company and we believe that our drivers are our customers as well," says Ms. Moss. "They are business owners who are interested in profitability and they are concerned about their operations. We try to develop a partnership with our drivers and help them understand that the ultimate customer is OUR customer."
Bolt Express is also focused on its drivers' profitability:
"We are implementing some incentive programs for our owner-operators based on performance and safety. Obviously, in the expediting industry, we are focused on on-time delivery; our customers typically give us a protect time and that's how we evaluate our performance."
"We guarantee 100 percent, on-time delivery and we will offer incentives to our drivers to show them how our delivery performance standard is so critical."
General Manager Bauman explains: "We're trying to help the drivers perform better. One of the things we're doing is providing a monthly report for the drivers. That report covers delivery performance, quality of operations, log book accuracy, logistics, availability, on-time deliveries and other data."
"What we're trying to do is help our drivers evaluate their performance and to discover areas that can be improved. We also have a program in which we monitor our drivers' finances and attempt to keep everyone above a certain levels."
Stacie Moss explains, "We have a relationship with a third party finance company to assist in obtaining vehicle loans. We've solicited outside companies that provide those services and we make the information available to our drivers."
"There are trucking organizations that offer buying power through numbers and we can direct our owner-operators to those organizations. We do not offer financing packages for our Owner Operators, but we can put them in contact with the people who can."
Bauman states, "To sum it all up, Bolt Express recognizes that the future of the Expedite industry is going to be driven by excellence in customer service, communications, technology, owner operator and carrier partnerships and an intense effort by our company and its contractor's to take our service beyond current industry standards".
Bolt Express is now recruiting straight trucks and tractor-trailer owner-operators. For more information, contact Recruiting Director Mark Heiges.
Owner-Operators leased with Bolt Express enjoy:
No up front sign-on costs Centralized dispatch 24 hours a day, 365 days a year Low dead head miles 99% no touch freight Major medical and disability insurance Get home weeklyBolt Express
P.O. Box 759
Toledo, Ohio 43697-0759
Toll Free 866 873-2658