Case Study

4 State Trucks

Headquartered in Joplin, Missouri, 4 State Trucks is America’s largest aftermarket semi truck parts store, serving truck drivers, parts installers and dealerships.

But 4 State Trucks had outgrown their TMS, which was preventing the company from being able to scale efficiently while also meeting customer expectations. So they started working with Flat World.

The Challenge

Every supply chain and shipping structure is unique—which is why we start our projects with an in-depth analysis of our customers’ current setup to uncover opportunities to improve.

With a growing e-commerce platform, 4 State Trucks had outgrown its transportation management system. The company needed a solution that would seamlessly integrate with its website to provide shoppers with shipping options and rates and the ability to track packages. The company’s shipping team also needed to process parcel and LTL shipments faster. We knew our technology and services could lead to substantial operational cost savings and added efficiencies to help 4 State Trucks continue their fast-paced growth.

4 State Trucks logo

Together with their team, we walked through 4 State Trucks’ warehouse and discussed their goals.

  • Faster shipping times. 4 State Trucks wanted to ensure that all orders due to ship out same-day were fulfilled, without having to immediately hire additional staff. This increased efficiency would allow the company to scale faster and easier.
  • Free shipping options. Keeping up with customer demand, the company also wanted to implement a free shipping program for its customers. To do so, they needed to be able to find the best carrier options as efficiently as possible, processing all shipments (parcel and LTL, domestic and international) on one platform.
  • Two-day shipping. Finally, the company wanted any customer—no matter where they are in the country—to have two-day shipping as an option. With a centrally located headquarters, they had already been able to meet that goal for much of the country. But they needed additional shipping origins to make it possible everywhere.

The Solution

The Shipping Solutions

First, we integrated our TMS and dock technology, Pipeline and Pangea, with 4 State Trucks’ ERP (or enterprise resource planning) and e-commerce platform on their website. Pangea allows dock workers to process and ship packages faster, and gives the sales team and customer service reps real-time visibility on orders and rate options.

We also set up warehousing and distribution centers in strategic locations across the country and did an analysis of 4 State Trucks’ claims reports and packaging. The study uncovered opportunities to improve packaging sizes, increase shipment density and decrease damage claims.

The Results

Using Pipeline and Pangea in their shipping processes led to immediate success:

With more efficient order processing, 4 State Trucks was able to ship orders out 3x-6x faster with the same amount of labor: parcel shipments decreased from 45 seconds to 15 seconds, and LTL shipments dropped from 3-4 minutes to 15-20 seconds each.

Pangea also allows their warehouse team to quickly shop various carrier rates and transit times to find the option that’s most cost-effective and offers the best customer service.

With strategically placed distribution centers set up across the country, and utilizing Flat World’s carrier partnerships, 4 State Trucks is now able to offer 2-day shipping to customers throughout most of the country. The company even saw a 30% decrease in shipping costs on orders shipped from the distribution facilities.

Stats

3x faster parcel shipment processing with Pangea and Pipeline

6x faster LTL shipment processing with the same amount of labor

30% decrease in shipping costs from distribution facilities compared to shipping straight from the Missouri headquarters

“This was the easiest implementation our company has ever had.”

Zack Taylor
4 State Trucks

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