By, Jeff Swenson Founder & CEO of LineHaul Station
Recently, I was talking with my good friend, Rich Karlgaard, who is a fantastic author and was Chief Publisher of Forbes Magazine through 2018. I love Rich because he is so well-traveled, extremely intelligent, and thoughtful on all things business. As we jumped into an update on my progress of rolling out LineHaul Station as a new, national, shared-use freight relay network – he quickly drew an interesting analogy of our plan to that of Malcom McLean.
For those that don’t know the story, Malcom owned a trucking company, and, in 1956, developed the idea of shipping containerization. The concept was SO BIG… that it ultimately reduced the cost shipping products by sea from $5.86 per ton to only $.16 – a 36-fold savings! It also dramatically sped up delivery of products because they didn’t have to be unloaded & reloaded on trucks by hand at the ports. Rich also mentioned that renowned management expert, Peter Drucker, mentioned to him years earlier – that the 3 most prominent advancements in American industrialization since WWII were:
1) Jet Engines
2) The Silicon Computer Microchip
3) Shipping Containerization
Rich’s analogy hit me square between the eyes… the comparison of how containerization affected international shipping and the potential impact that LineHaul Station might have on truckload transportation – was noteworthy to say the least. While I’d never expect the prospect of 36-fold savings, I do anticipate that freight relay could possibly reduce the operating costs of private fleets and for-hire carriers by double-digit percentages. It will also dramatically increase speed of delivery and the quality of life for truck drivers. In the end, EVERYTHING related to trucking will be Faster, Better & Cheaper!
McLean famously quipped “a ship earns money, only when she’s at sea”. Similarly, we totally embrace the philosophy that “trucks are only making money when the wheels are rolling”.
If you’re willing to spend a few minutes to watch our video on how LineHaul Station is on point to deliver the network efficiency the industry is seeking, please click here to watch the 7-minute video that illustrates how transportation can be far more effective with the right mix of resources.
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Jeff Swenson is the Founder & CEO of LineHaul Station, America's First Shared-Space Terminal Network for Truckload Freight. He can be reached for comment at js@linehaulstation.com