A Day With Frank Hurst & Jeff Neely of Roadrunner

By Brian Sepe, Director, LTL

At Loadsmart, one of our core values is clarity. That means we leave nothing to assumption and strive to leave every interaction with a clear sense of understanding and the path forward. Last week served as a good example of our team exhibiting this value as we were fortunate to host Roadrunner’s President Frank Hurst in our corporate office.  

Frank was joined by Director of Enterprise Accounts, Jeff Neely, and they shared some exciting updates they’ve implemented in the past few years. In short, the transformation the company has undergone in such a short period of time is quite remarkable and was achieved by acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses, listening to customers and employees, and obsessing over customer service.  

Those who had the privilege to listen in found the story to be authentic and engaging, and most importantly, walked away with clarity on what Roadrunner does well, and how we can position them to be a solution to our LTL shippers in the right spots. Given the ever-changing landscape of the LTL landscape over the past few years, possessing key insights to a carrier’s needs strengthens the partnership for the long haul. 

Here are some of the key takeaways that I walked away from the session with: 

• Roadrunner secured $50M in 2021 and have deployed that capital to re-invest in network optimization and technology that drives efficiency
• Restructured their network, created static load plans to improve consistency and “on-time performance,” and implemented daily cut times with freight moving on a scheduled basis, not on volume
• Created Customer Point of View Tracking (CPOV) in Q2. While many LTL carriers exclude certain exception categories from OTD %, CPOV solely measures true performance 
• Launched a wholesale rebrand in January 2021 and reduced transit in 120 lanes 
• Made a significant investment in hiring and retaining drivers. In a year’s time they nearly eradicated use of rail (99% of miles run by drivers)
• Host weekly “Orientations” at their corporate office in Downers Grove, IL to welcome new drivers where Frank and the leadership team personally welcome them to the organization.
  

To learn more about Loadsmart’s LTL solution for shippers that relies on exceptional partners like Roadrunner – click here.