Lydall Transport
Lydall Transport Streamlines and Secures Fleet with SkyBitz Tracking Technology.
For more than 50 Years, Lydall Transport Ltd. has provided fast, efficient, trusted transportation services to producers of specialized products that need expert care and handling. Based in Glen Allen, Va., Lydall operates primarily in the Eastern U.S. and maintains an on-time record of 99 percent or better. The company’s experienced customer service teams monitor freight from pickup through delivery with "hands-on" control – ensuring service, safety and quality.
Situation
Although theft had never been a serious problem for Lydall, the carrier’s leadership made the decision to purchase a trailer-tracking system as yet another safeguard for securing equipment – and its customers’ cargo. Lydall also felt it was important to add trailer-tracking capabilities to the entire fleet as the company branches out to transport high-value commodities.
Solution
Lydall chose to install the SkyBitz Global Locating System (GLS) tracking technology based on its simplicity, ease of use, battery life and cost-effective price point.
“SkyBitz allows us to provide a higher comfort level for our customers because we can pinpoint the location of their shipments,” said Lydall Transport Operations Manager Gary Moler.
He added that the SkyBitz Customer Service team is always ready and willing to help Lydall with any requests – even when they’re out of the ordinary.
Results
Since installing SkyBitz Mobile Terminals throughout its trailer fleet in early 2007, Lydall has already relied on the technology to track a trailer that was feared stolen. Turns out that it was just unhooked from the tractor.
While securing equipment and cargo may have been the catalyst for installing tracking technology, the SkyBitz solution has paid even bigger dividends for Lydall in terms of operational efficiencies.
For instance, the first thing that Moler does each morning is to check the location of every trailer in the fleet using the SkyBitz InSight Web application. Then, he performs “spot checks” about 5-6 times a day. If there is a potential issue, his team can immediately take action to correct the situation before it escalates.
Lydall uses SkyFencing to ensure an accurate trailer count for each customer, which has helped the carrier to minimize the number of trailers dropped at each location – and get trailers rolling again faster.
“Because we’ve been able to turn our trailers more quickly with the help of SkyBitz, we haven’t had to replace about 25 trailers that we retired from the fleet,” remarked Moler,noting that the Lydall trailer fleet has been streamlined from about 180 to 155 in the past six months.