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Dear Jim,
Thanks for all the great feedback on our first edition
of Dove
Dispatch. You've given us some good ideas we are
incorporating now, and more are on the way.
Don't be shy
- keep those comments coming!
Please feel
free to send this to a friend by clicking on the "Forward
email" link at the bottom, below Mike's signature.
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A Customer Perspective -"Planning is
Everything"
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 Dove Dispatch recently called on a senior
manager of one of the company's top clients to get a customer
perspective. This person agreed to talk on condition of complete anonymity.
We agreed
because we aren't crazy about advertising our client list in this
hyper-competitive industry. Here are the highlights, our questions in
bold.
Is Dove your only logistics provider? No, we use a variety of providers,
mostly asset-based.
Does this approach cause you any problems? Overall, it works well because we
know what we're doing. Companies looking for my business have to
remember who the customer is. Accommodate us, make our data forms fit
into your system instead of asking us to adapt.
What sizes of loads to you routinely ship? 100 pounds to 15,000 pounds;
sometimes full loads.
Are there any industry statistics or trends you watch
particularly closely? I keep a close eye on fuel prices, since they
have a big impact on shipping costs.
Why do
you use Dove Logistics? When I have
something that needs to get someplace in a hurry and in great shape, I
know I can count on Dove. I typically use them for loads less than
1,000 pounds, but they have handled larger loads and special projects,
as well. They're our ambulance service. (Editor's note: Dove handles
shipments 100 - 40,000 pounds.)
You have a wealth of experience in the industry. What
advice would you give to those newer to the business? Planning is everything, ship early.
How about advice for carriers and 3PL companies? You all ought to have the same
mission statement and service guarantee:
· Pick it up on time
· Deliver it on time
· Don't break it
· Unless there have been significant changes,
charge what you said you would
What do you think of the Dove Dispatch newsletter? I don't need tips, I need service.
Tell me about new services, new ways I can use your company.
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Meet Bobby Cassara - Dove Logistics
Operations Manager
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 Bobby Cassara earned his customer service
stripes while still a schoolboy working in his family's heating oil
business in the Queens borough of New
York City.
It's a highly competitive business. "A lot
of companies were selling the same thing we were, so we had to do it
better," Bobby explains.
His father sold the business some time ago, but
lessons learned there serve Bobby well in the 3PL business. "Dove
has a lot of competitors in the DFW area, so we have to do things
better, too. In that regard, nothing's changed," he adds.
Bobby received his formal education at the State
University of New York at New Paltz, recently named the top small state
university in America
by the Kaplan/Newsweek College Guide.
His degree in organizational communication, with
an emphasis in mediation, added to the customer mentality that guides
his thinking today.
The capstone to his preparation for Dove came
from owning and operating Swift E Courier in Dallas, which schooled him in the
vital "last mile" role of agents in the 3PL industry.
"Dove treats our agents as part of our
staff, not contractors," Cassara says, "Having been an agent,
I know that's an important distinction."
Cassara is quick to credit teamwork inside the
company for Dove's strong growth, too. "Our staff gets twice as
much done as any other one I've seen," he says.
"Nobody thinks of this as a nine-to-five
job; they do whatever it takes, as long as required. Each project that
comes through the Dove system is met with the same response:
· What's the situation?
· How can I help?
· Let's get it done."
Looking back, Bobby sees that every step in his
career led him to Dove, where he is in charge of day-to-day operations.
He's just as excited about the Dove Logistics
softball team's 9-0 record this summer: "Dove is always about
teamwork.
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Boeing 787: Cargo-Friendly
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 Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner will have up to 60
percent more cargo capacity than current aircraft of comparable size,
according to the August edition of Air Cargo World.
Lightweight composite materials comprise about half of
the aircraft's weight, compared to about 20 percent for the Boeing 777.
The 787's lighter weight will allow it to carry more cargo and burn 20
percent less fuel than aircraft of comparable size.
Also, designers had freight in mind in the design phase,
allowing for five full-sized pallets in the forward cargo area and
space for 12 LD-3 containers in the rear.
Engineers also designed in the ability to make a
cargo-only version with a cargo door on the main deck.
First flight of the 787 is expected later this month.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin next year.
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 It is hard to believe we have almost
made it through another Texas
summer. If you have older children you can appreciate my feeling of a
summer going too fast, while preparing to move two of your three sons
off to college. Although I know this is good, it is also difficult
knowing the house will be much quieter.
Thank goodness Dove Logistics has a lot going on
this fall! We will be telling you more in future issues of Dove
Dispatch, but highlights include:
· opening our new Los Angeles office,
· a move into much larger facilities at the DFW airport, and
· celebrating our company's 6th anniversary (hard to
believe).
All these things would not be possible without
you, our valued customers, and our incredible team at Dove. I am often
asked - by nearly everyone I know - what makes Dove Logistics
different?
My response is always the same: it's the people
who work at Dove and the customers we work with. I have said time and
again the people at Dove Logistics constitute the most unique group I
have ever worked with. Our staff members care as much about our
customers as they do about their own jobs.
A skeptic might say, "Well, they get paid
to care." That's not quite true. They are paid for performance;
they care because that's how they're wired. They know personal success
comes only from our customers' success.
I am extremely proud to be associated with our
clients and with the Dove Logistics team. Thanks for your continuing to
support of and confidence in Dove. Watch for some exciting
announcements in near future.
Meanwhile, I truly hope that "Our Service
Gives You Peace of Mind."
To your shipping success,
Mike Thomas
Dove
Logistics & Transportation, LLC
Call Toll
Free 866-937-DOVE
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Diesel Fuel
(Cents per Gallon)
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09/10/07
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Change from
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Price
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Week Ago
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Year Ago
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U.S.
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292.4
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+3.1
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+6.7
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East Coast
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291.2
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+4.5
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+8.6
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Midwest
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294.2
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+3.2
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+15.5
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GulfCoast
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286.5
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+2.9
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+9.5
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Rocky Mountain
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295.5
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+1.6
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-28.1
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West Coast
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298.2
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+1.0
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-15.5
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Source: www.energy.gov
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People Are Talking
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"Nothing happens until something
moves." Albert Einstein
Einstein
was talking about physics. Now, business guru Robert Ringer has
authored a book with that phrase as the title.
What
a great description of the logistics industry! We're
not rocket scientists or gurus, but it's nice to find a common
thread.
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