Reliable, on-time service sews up business
in Canada.

Situation

Dyno Merchandise is a leading provider of sewing notions, craft tools, fashion art and rain gear products sold through mass merchants, drug stores, supermarkets and craft stores. Its Canada revenue was down because of the poor performance of its LTL carrier. Dyno Merchandise knew they needed to switch providers and looked for one that was well connected with the retail industry and could deliver seamless service into Canada. They turned to YRC Freight.

Challenge

• Dyno Merchandise needed to reduce the chargebacks caused by late deliveries in Canada, which cut into their profitability.
• They wanted to improve customer relations and scorecard performance with key big-box customers.
• Time and administrative costs associated with tracking and retrieval of lost shipments were a mounting problem.
• The customer was looking for ways to streamline replenishment activities for greater efficiencies and more consistent and timely deliveries.

Solution

YRC Freight understands the effect of on-time service to a customer's retail scorecard, product placement in a store and profitability. Our reliable service and long-term relationships with leading retailers provided the performance Dyno Merchandise needed.

• Multiday Window™ service gives the customer control over when products are delivered to meet retailer requirements.
• Our border ambassadors and our pre-clearance process eliminate delays at the border.
• Our experience and insights from working with the customer's largest retail accounts in Canada led to improved customer relations and better scorecard results.
• Web tools on my.yrcfreight.com enable the customer to determine pickup schedules for meeting must-arrive-by delivery (MABD) dates and track shipments real time.
• Our consultative approach to their business uncovered ways to streamline their shipping activities.

Results

• YRC Freight virtually eliminated chargebacks on shipments moving to big-box retailers in Canada.
• Dyno Merchandise uses its relationship with YRC Freight as a selling point with key customers in Canada and has expanded its business there.
• The customer confirms a noticeable reduction in the time spent by administrative personnel tracking shipments and by the sales team managing inventory replenishment activities.
• Pleased with our cross-border Canada service, the customer awarded YRC Freight additional business in the United States.

Three weeks. More than 230 cross-border
shipments each day. Zero delays.

Situation

Our customer is a global leader in fragrance and cosmetic products. They turned to YRC Freight when faced with moving 3,511 shipments in a three-week window from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, directly to retail locations throughout the United States. With space limitations at our customer's facility, this cross-border move required attentive project management, fast and reliable service, scale and specialized capabilities.

Challenge

• The customer's Canada operations needed to deliver 3,511 shipments in a three-week window to a chain of 3,511 retail stores in the United States.
• Shipments must consistently clear customs quickly to meet the delivery schedule.
• The customer had limited dock doors and staging capacity for handling a project of this magnitude.
• The customer wanted a single provider with the talent, resources and network coverage to manage the entire project.

Solution

YRC Freight provided our customer with the expertise, scale and capabilities to successfully move all 3,511 shipments on time in the three-week window.

• The YRC Freight Custom Projects team developed a proposal and assigned dedicated personnel to support the customer's needs.
• The project team consolidated shipments into 67 trailers and coordinated their move through our various gateway crossings based on the final destination.
• Border ambassadors electronically filed and monitored customs documentation by trailer load, gaining pre-clearance for the shipments for zero delays at the border.
• Once in the United States, deliveries continued on the trailers to their destination cities for local delivery.

Results

• YRC Freight delivered all 3,511 shipments on time, damage free and with zero delays at the border.
• Our customer successfully met its commitment to one of its important customers.
• Our customer continues to trust YRC Freight with new projects, making it our largest cross-border customer in 2011.

Cooking surfaces to cash registers,
spotted for success.

Situation

Our customer, N. Wasserstrom, near Phoenix, Ariz., is a leading manufacturer of high-quality standard and custom equipment for food service. To support one of its customer's rapid expansion in Canada, Wasserstrom outfits an entire store to franchise specifications and ships it all in one 28-foot trailer. This "store-in-a-box" trailer remains on site, allowing the franchisee to remove contents as needed during the construction process. After the store is open, the franchisee may order additional supplies from our customer, which Wasserstrom ships LTL direct to the store.

Challenge

• Wasserstrom requires access to trailer equipment for product delivery and spotting on location at construction sites in Canada.
• Shipments need to cross the border quickly to meet construction deadlines.
• With new stores opening throughout Canada, the customer wants one provider which offers direct coverage throughout the country.
• The customer also wants to remain responsive to continuing franchisee needs.

Solution

YRC Freight provides Wasserstrom with cross-border expertise and specialized transportation solutions to meet the needs of its food service customers.

• YRC Freight has the flexible solutions to meet the specific equipment and timing needs of Wasserstrom.
• Customs documentation is loaded electronically into the YRC Freight system on the day of pickup, gaining the immediate attention of our border ambassadors.
• Border ambassadors work with the customer's broker to ensure the shipment is processed by the time the freight reaches customs for a rapid border crossing.
• YRC Freight has a comprehensive North American network for direct service across Canada.
• Time-Critical expedited services are available if the customer needs faster delivery options in Canada.

Results

• Wasserstrom can replicate its "store-in-a-box" process, used effectively within the United States, for new food service outlets in Canada.
• Construction delays are avoided with the timely customs clearance of shipments.
• Our customer stays responsive to its food service customers' continuing needs.

Converting missed shot to winning rally.

Situation

Our customer, CRS Products, is the leader in squash-racquetball-handball court glass-wall construction systems throughout the United States, Canada and international markets. CRS Products feared installation delays and serious cost overruns when they discovered a product shortage in a custom-fabricated wall system moving from Canada to Hawaii.

Challenge

• Customer had small window of time to correct the problem.
• The missing product needed to leave Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on a Friday and move cross-border to the Gardena, Calif., port to make a Wednesday sailing.
• The customer's customized tempered glass panels are large and heavy, making airfreight cost prohibitive.
• Customer faced $3,000 in unused labor costs for each day the product was late reaching the installation site.

Solution

For consistently fast border crossings and responsiveness to time-sensitive conditions, CRS Products turned to YRC Freight and our Time-Critical guaranteed solutions.

• Shipments cross the border quickly with YRC Freight electronic filing procedures and border ambassadors proactively monitoring the move.
• Comprehensive network provides direct North American coverage.
• Time-Critical Weekend Advantage would deliver the Friday pickup on Monday, without the expense of airfreight.

Results

• Shipment cleared customs within 12 hours of the pickup, allowing it to reach the shipyard on Monday with time to spare before the Wednesday sailing.
• CRS Products avoided thousands of dollars in labor charges with the complete order delivered on time and without incurring the costs of airfreight.
• Remodeling project proceeded on schedule to the satisfaction of CRS Products' customer.

300 southbound successes +
870 northbound successes =
One happy customer

Situation

Shipping damages caused by a prior carrier were hurting business for our customer, a global manufacturer of quality personal protective equipment (i.e., respiratory, hearing and eye/face safety products). Our customer needed a quality carrier to move shipments from a plant in Canada to locations in the U.S.

Challenge

• Overcome our customer’s skepticism caused by service failures from their prior carrier.
• Move safety products cross border from the Canada plant to locations in the United States without damage.

Solution

YRC Freight sales and operations personnel met with the customer to discuss the customer’s past shipping problems and ways YRC Freight could improve service for them.

• Direct service from Canada to U.S. locations minimizes handling and the corresponding potential for damage.
• Border ambassadors work behind the scenes with customs to proactively identify and resolve issues that could cause delays at the border.
• Integrated IT systems provide online visibility from pickup to delivery.

Results

• Our customer experienced an immediate improvement in the quality of service with virtually no damage to shipments entrusted to YRC Freight.
• YRC Freight remains our customer’s primary carrier for southbound shipments.
• Our consistent levels of quality service were recognized and rewarded with an expansion of business; YRC Freight is now the customer’s primary carrier for northbound shipments, too.

Decorating Canada, from the Yukon to Nova Scotia

Situation

Our customer is a leading online retailer of more than 5,000 brands of products for the home. For their Canadian shoppers, many online orders are drop shipped directly from U.S. vendors. Our customer concluded their prior carrier could not adequately support their Canadian business objectives. For market growth to take place, they needed to switch freight companies.

Challenge

• Support customer’s goals for improved sales cycles, reduced transit times, and broader penetration into the Canada market.
• Minimize shipment clearance delays at the border.
• Provide coverage throughout the U.S. and Canada.
• Ensure a seamless transition to a new transportation provider.

Solution

YRC sales professionals from Canada and the U.S. met with the customer to understand their transportation needs in the context of their overall Canada business strategy and objectives.

• Streamline and standardize the cross-border documentation process among our customer and its vendors and brokers, leveraging the cross-border expertise of YRC Freight.
• Establish YRC Freight Border Ambassadors as the customer’s go-to resource for cross-border questions and problems.
• Provide fast, reliable, seamless transportation from vendors located throughout the U.S. to end users living throughout Canada.

Results

• Smoothly transitioned the freight business; YRC Freight now is the primary service provider for the customer’s Canada cross-border shipments.
• Reduced the time from pickup to border-clearance by 50 percent; it currently runs three to five days, depending on origin location.
• Continue to serve customer as a valued resource for resolving issues related to cross-border shipping.

How Do We Do It?

• Dedicated border ambassadors proactively identify and resolve issues which can cause delays.
• Electronic submissions ensure complete documentation is at the border, typically already processed, when your shipment arrives.
• Certifications and compliance with all security initiatives, including C-TPAT, keep delays to a minimum and ensure a secure supply chain.
• Broker-inclusive services are available to solidify your supply chain and give you one convenient invoice for freight, brokerage fees, duties, & taxes.
• Ten strategically located gateway crossings and direct coverage to all major North American cities can shave days off your transit schedule.
• Integrated IT systems deliver online shipment visibility, 24/7.
• A range of specialized services (including expedited, exhibit, & shipment protection/security) enhance supply chain flexibility and responsiveness.