Alone On The Web
Marten Transport makes its own way ... almost.
Truckload carrier Marten Transport is making its own way on the Internet, creating its own applications and meeting its own goals — with just a little help from the outside.
"One thing Marten sees as a competitive edge, we do almost all of our programming internally. We don't use a lot of packaged software," said Sue Baier, Marten's vp information services.
"We feel it's given us a lot more flexibility being able to accommodate what customers need as well as being able to accommodate what drivers want, the things that will help make their life easier."
For example?
"On the web page our drivers can go up and view their settlements each week. That way they don't have to call in to our payroll department. They don't have to wait until they receive the settlement page when they get home. They have it all online. They can check it off and verify that same week they were paid correctly," Baier said.
"The drivers love it. It did save us some time as far as the phone calls coming in to our payroll department, but it was more just a driver benefit and the drivers really appreciate it. We got a lot of compliments and a lot of thank you's."
Marten, based in Mondovi, Wis., operates approximately 1,800 power units and 2,600 trailers. "We're a refrigerated truckload carrier. We go all over the U.S. and Canada. We do not go into Mexico. We also concentrate on time sensitive and sometimes valuable shipments. We have pharmaceuticals that are time-sensitive. You have to put a team on it. Pick it up in the morning and get it there the very next day. That's one example," Baier said.
Marten didn't always create its IT solutions.
"We started out with some packaged software 15 years ago. But for the last 11 years everything has been homegrown. We keep developing and expanding it to meet our changing needs," she said.
While Marten charts its own course, it has made use of outside IT providers such as Edgewater Technology Inc. of Wakefield, Mass.
"We didn't buy a package from them. They helped us develop software internally. We came to them with an idea and they helped us go with it. We jointly wrote it. They did all the programming for the web-based side. The interfaces to grab the data from our system we wrote on our side.''
Internet security played an important role in Marten's decision to seek outside help.
"We're not experts when it comes to putting things out on a public web site. That's why we wanted to use Edgewater's expertise," Baier explained.
Jointly developed web applications began to debut on the Marten site toward the end of 2000. The first involved online driver applications, Baier said.
"The driver can go onto our web page, fill out an application, which is automatically saved to a database. It is also emailed to alert someone that we have a new potential applicant," she said.
Have online applications helped?
"It made a big difference," said Baier.
"Once we had that online we would get about 50 applications a week from the web. Before, we would fax applications. But now we literally get them right away."
Baier noted that online applications declined after the summer of 2001. "And 50 applications don't translate into 50 good hires a week," she cautioned.
Customers comprise the next important group of Marten web site users. For them, Marten provides the ability to track shipments and view documents.
"Before they would have to call a customer service rep or we would send them an email. This way, the customers have the flexibility to go online. They can put in a tracking number if they know it.''
Customers can also find shipments on the site using a trailer number or even by entering a city and a state, Baier explained.
"We show them all their shipments, where the trucks are right now. We get locations on our trucks every hour," said Baier.
Marten uses Qualcomm's OmniTRACS for tracking and mobile communications, but its own software internally. The company also does its own document scanning, she said.
"Once the shipment is delivered and the paperwork is in-house, we scan everything in and the customer can go (to the web site) and view bills of lading, for example."
This part of the Marten web site launched only three months ago and is still limited to customers who have received a login and information on how to use the system. So far, according to Baier, the response has been positive.
For her next web project, Baier turns her attention to drivers again. "One of the things we would like to make available for our drivers on the web is access to benefit information — what benefits have they signed up for, what it's costing them. If they want to make changes to their life insurance, health, any of that, they could do it over the web instead of filling out paper and mailing it to us," said Baier.
Related Article
Customers Make Web Demands Of Their Own
