If you're into final mile logistics, LTL freight, or operations management, listen to this episode with Andrew Rodriguez of Harvey to hear his practical insights and strategies!
Andrew highlights managing high-volume freight and maintaining top-tier customer service with a small team, his journey from freight brokerage into manufacturing operations, and Harvey’s structured approach to daily shipping cutoffs, rural delivery coordination, vendor management, and real-time metrics to monitor booking speed, damage rates, and customer satisfaction!
About Andrew Rodriguez
Andrew is the Operations Manager at Harvey Industries International, where he oversees key aspects of supply chain operations and organizational efficiency.
Before joining Harvey Industries, Andrew held a territory management role at a freight brokerage firm, where he supported clients with their freight and transportation operations. This position gave him hands-on exposure to the complexities of freight logistics, allowing him to work with a diverse range of clients and freight modes. His experience provided him with a broad understanding of how transportation integrates with various business functions, including IT, accounting, customer service, and sales.
Prior to his work in freight logistics, Andrew held several operations management positions across industries such as commercial property management, real estate development, marketing, sales, and startups. In these roles, he developed a strong passion for process improvement and operational efficiency, grounded in a customer-centric and results-driven mindset.
Andrew joined Harvey Industries with the goal of merging his background in operations management with his experience in freight and transportation, ultimately contributing to the broader scope of supply chain operations.
📊📉 Don’t miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎
🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!
🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇
- Denim | https://info.denim.com/chrisjolly
- SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
- Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
- NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
🚚 Ditch your carrier packet, drive more carrier sales, and get better load coverage with seamless digital onboarding, TMS integration, and smart load coverage by visiting https://brokercarrier.com/.
To donate and contribute to the Have a Heart’s purpose, visit https://www.haveaheartinc.org/donate.
🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw
📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Came back with a bank window down yelling now money anything hey oh Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when I'm getting to the back hey Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them hate to make a bigger ball hey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What is up, ladies and gentlemen?
We are back.
We are live.
It is the Freight Coach podcast, the top podcast in transportation, coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30am Pacific, 10:30 Central, to break down some industry headlines.
But most importantly, you guys provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information.
If this is your first time tuning in, welcome.
This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen.
(00:47):
And I do say that before every single show.
And what I mean by that is I only speak with transportation professionals.
Professionals, because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve.
So you can take that information, apply it, utilize it, and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life.
Happy Friday, everybody.
I got a very special guest for you guys here today.
(01:09):
I'm really looking forward to learning more about, you know, kind of the final mile, the distribution side of things and what goes on behind the scenes.
I feel like as a broker, as a transportation provider, we're just sent pos, right?
We're sent this information, hey, come pick this load up.
But like, what does it all take to kind of get it up and get it ready?
So I have Mr. Andrew Rodriguez, the operations manager over at Harvey, on the show today.
(01:29):
So, Andrew, thank you so much for taking the time to join me.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Of course, Chris, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So, Andrew, I always like to start the show like this, man, how'd you get your start in freight?
Like, what brought you into the transportation industry?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Yeah, yeah.
So.
So once upon a time ago, I was originally wanting to be a lawyer on a pre law route.
Ended up working in different, like property management positions, managing vendors, things like that.
And then I applied for a freight, a sales position, a territory manager role, the freight broker.
That worked out.
(02:00):
I think I just had a natural inclination and curiosity about business and just the supply chain as a whole.
And then being with a, you know, a large 3 PL allowed me to really learn a lot about a ton of different modes.
You know, whether it's reefer, ltl expedited, knowing how different seasons play into like produce season things like that.
(02:22):
And that's really where I got my start.
And from there, you know, I kind of just would nerd out about a lot of the different things.
I would try to learn as much as possible.
I'd meet with the, like, mode heads, so like the head of flatbed, things like that, and just pick their brain.
And then even building relationships with my customers and picking their brain and kind of just talking about not even just freight, but like business, the operations as a whole, and kind of understanding more of their mindset.
(02:45):
But that's kind of where I started to get my feet wet.
And what started me with transportation.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
No, you know, I think as I had no idea where this show was going to kind of go when I first started.
Right.
Like, I just as a. I first started as a way just to kind of like market my services out there, and it's grown into kind of building a really solid support system kind of behind the scenes from people from all walks of the industry to.
(03:10):
To your point there, Andrew, about bringing a.
Just a better understanding of the industry.
And, you know, I've.
I've befriended some transportation managers for some very large brands out there who've been on the show who offer that guidance and support and really kind of open up your eyes to what goes on behind the scenes because I feel like a lot of us are siloed in our roles inside of this vast industry that we're operating in.
(03:33):
And, you know, we don't necessarily have an understanding about kind of like what goes on behind the scenes.
And, you know, when you transition into your current role now, kind of like, what was it where you were like, hey, I want to get on this side of the fence now.
I want to leave the brokerage space and I want to go on to, like, the manufacturing side.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yeah, yeah, that's.
That's a very good point.
So I think just having worked in managing operations before in large roles, I kind of knew I liked operations.
Maybe not kind of where it was before applying, working in freight.
You know, I love the industry, but I'm just.
I'm not a sales personality.
You know, I like consulting.
I like meeting with people.
(04:10):
I like learning with them, learning about them and helping them.
And then I.
It kind of just dawned on me, well, if I know I like, you know, operations, I know I like transportation, supply chain, why not do operations in that role?
And so I just started applying around.
I was like, I know my eventual goal is to be some type of, you know, supply chain VP or just work something in supply chain operations.
(04:32):
And Just started applying out, and then I saw that Harvey was hiring.
I had remembered them, and then kind of just worked out that way.
But that's where it was, is me kind of wanting to combine, like, the type of job I like and mixing it with the actual industry.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
No.
So, you know, speaking of Harvey, I mean, you guys are known for your products out there, precision engineering tools and everything, but you guys kind of run a lean operation as a whole.
Right.
Like, when you look at that volume.
So how does a team of your size, I believe it was, like, five, six individuals, manage such an immense logistics operation?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, yeah.
So right now, as a whole, so including customer service, finance, warehousing, inbound, outbound, it's about 15 of us as far as shipping.
Yeah, everything there.
There's about five of us.
And so I think one thing that helps is we communicate with each other a lot.
We're used to working with each other because we can just.
We're around each other all the time, essentially.
(05:33):
We have our systems down, and we're always willing to change.
We print out our orders for the day.
We know, okay, hey, Today we got 50 to 100 LTL orders that we need to get out, build, and book before one.
And so we get that.
We have a system.
We know where to physically grab everything, how we coordinate the warehouse, as far as our inventory and things like that.
(05:54):
And then we kind of know, around, like, all right, around 10 or around here, let's start booking.
Let's get this for pickup today.
And then we'll have someone else usually working on the parcel side.
So we pull everything.
A lot of our home base is on shopify.
So for things I didn't understand when I worked in freight, Right.
Like how that is, the order comes in, they pull it.
(06:17):
Customer has a certain expectation.
We know, okay, this is parcel or freight.
And the moment it goes to freight, we know, okay, it needs to get out today, or it's okay if there's another day here or there.
And then also, just looking at the region, a lot of our people live in remote areas or cabins or things like that.
So having to coordinate a truck that can get up there with a lift gate, and then from there, we work hand in hand a lot with our customer service team, who lets us know, hey, these are the human sides of this shipment that you need to look out for.
(06:46):
They're really good at flogging things to our attention.
And we, in turn, kind of flag it and say, okay, here you go.
You can communicate with the customer.
And then I think another Thing is, just the partners we work with, we're pretty proactive in managing those relationships and our service expectations.
But we're pretty.
We thrive, I think, on change, and we're all pretty passionate.
(07:08):
I think that's a big thing here.
A lot of people have an interest in what we do.
A lot of people like showing up, and then we know kind of when to jump in and help out as needed to make sure the operation's running smoothly.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
So, I mean, with that, there's a certain skill set, I feel like, that comes along with that when you're managing multiple modes of transportation, multiple order size, going to different parts of the country.
Like, you brought up rural areas and stuff.
So, like, what are some skill sets that are crucial to keeping you guys running at a high level?
Right?
Because I feel like one thing that people on my side of the fence, you know, as a broker, like, when we're out there soliciting business, we think, oh, Andrew, he's the only one out there.
(07:49):
You guys have your own set of competitors on your side of the fence, right?
So it's like you guys are being judged by your customers the way that certain things are handled out there.
So kind of like, how do you.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
What.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Like, what are those skill sets that are crucial to remaining at a high level to keep your customers coming back to you as opposed to your competitors?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, I think one thing definitely is the quality of the product we make.
You know, we sell on quality.
We really care.
We work really hard.
You know, the owner, I was with him this past Saturday, is very passionate about what we do and tools, woodworking.
The other thing, too, is, you know, we set daily minimums.
Right?
Like, we know the work and output we need to do to not fall behind.
(08:28):
You know, we understand not everything's gonna come out that day, you know, especially with freight.
Right.
You know, it's not guaranteed pickups.
You know, their estimates.
So we know we need to get at least this amount of orders done this day so we can get it within a certain time to go ahead and build it out and just open communication.
Maybe something does fall through the cracks.
Our customer service team just walk down and say, hey, we have this.
(08:49):
Okay, cool.
Let's flag it and get some attention.
A really big aspect here, I think, is relationship building.
I think when people know you care about your job, they're more likely to want to work with you and kind of help you create all that.
But I think a high attention to detail, definitely.
As far as work ethic, I have a really strong type a Personality.
(09:12):
So having kind of the daily core priorities of things I know I need to get done and also just letting the different managers kind of run what falls underneath them.
So I think that's a big thing.
We have our outbound manager who will focus majority on making sure the actual operations, the daily things are getting done.
So I know I need to support him and allow him to do all that.
(09:33):
We have our inbound manager who maybe he's getting returns or damages or containers.
It's kind of delegating, I guess, but I think just attention to detail, knowing your core priorities and just kind of scheduling out minimums of what you need.
So that way you're not leaving it the chance.
So I know from this time I need to get X amount of orders done.
(09:53):
I need to make sure we're hitting this amount this week and, you know, we're not falling behind.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Yeah, it's, you know, like managing, not falling behind.
And especially in a world where everybody does expect that instant.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Like there's certain very large companies out there.
We don't have to names, but it's like you can get stuff same day now, you know, so it's like that competition that is out there feel like is ever evolving.
Like, I mean, I'll just.
I call it the Amazon effect.
You know, like there is like when you go out there, I mean, people expect like, well, I can go here and buy it this morning and then have it delivered here to my house this afternoon.
(10:32):
And as a consumer, I look at it is as like I want to align myself with like a brand identity, you know what I mean?
Like, there's certain products out there.
Like there's a company that I buy all my supplements from called First Form.
Their customer service team is next level.
Like, it is absolute next level.
Where it's like, are they the cheapest ones on the block?
Absolutely not.
(10:53):
But I know that as I align with them as a brand and like the values of the company and everything.
So it's like I want to buy my products from them and then there's other ones of.
In my.
Inside of my home where it's.
It's the same thing, right?
So it's like when you're sitting there talking about the care that you guys deliver as a whole, as a company, I feel like that's essential.
All right, so it's like, I feel like that's how most businesses are going to compete with those larger, more instantaneous brands that are out there.
(11:18):
Is.
Is you might be sacrificing customer Service at some of those large ones, because you know what, maybe they're not going to answer the phone when you call.
But if you reach out to maybe you guys, where it's like, hey, how you guys handle those customer concerns, that's what keeps people coming back to you.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yeah, yeah.
No, and I think you put it really well.
I mean, I think we focus on not just the product, but the people.
Right.
You know, especially with something like this, you know, it's a very niche.
People like woodworking, they enjoy it.
It's a package passion project.
Right.
Or they're doing it for work.
And it's still typically a craft that breeds a lot of passion.
But our customer service team, you know, we'll give them their shout out, is really good with fielding calls, emails, and then that's one thing I've had to do and a lot of us, right, is explaining to them how freight and transportation works so they then can explain it to the customer.
(12:07):
Right.
A lot of people don't receive freight on a regular basis.
I don't remember the last time I know anyone who had like a freight pallet personally that, you know, delivered to their house.
Right.
And so again, it's being able to educate, explain, you know, this is how it works.
This is why maybe, you know, the delivery appointment can only be this day because you are in a really rural area, you know, or there's just different aspects.
(12:28):
Maybe this particular item weighs a lot because the shape it needs to be a terminal pickup, you know, but being able to, I think, explain in a way that helps the, you know, because again, all our customers are direct.
That's coming to them at their home.
Being able to explain it in a way that helps them, but also making sure our team is equipped and knows how to do that.
(12:49):
Like we did a training a few weeks ago.
It's just kind of explaining different things like inside delivery, residential, you know, limited access, things like that white glove.
Because people need to have that same basis of knowledge to be able to explain that, be on the same page and really create that experience for the customer.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
How are you with the freight spend that you guys have?
Andrew, how are you balancing cost control with service reliability?
Especially when you're talking about some of those rural areas that are coming out there.
And you know, again, when you don't receive product all that often, I'm assuming it's why can't I get it faster?
You know.
But you're also like, as a transportation professional myself, this is Chris Jolly's opinion only it's like, well, you're 400 miles away from the nearest major bedroom.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Yeah, yeah.
It's like.
So.
Yeah.
So a few things with that, I'd say, as far as managing the spend.
So I think I'd mentioned it earlier, our RFP RFQ is earlier in February.
We have actually about 10 companies, brokers and carriers direct got them, you know, a year of data so we can run analysis.
(13:59):
And then what I did was prior to this, I managed a lot of vendors for commercial property management, other things.
So there were good practices that I learned there in general with like, quality service standards, things like that.
I basically made a scorecard and created the whole process to really evaluate not just the company, but the individual, you know, representative or consultant on service.
(14:20):
Things that I thought were important and that I thought our team would think were important after talking to them and getting their opinion.
So one, we really fielded who we work with.
We negotiated rates, market competitive.
We understand everyone has to make money, but you understand the market, right.
It's like a wave, especially with transportation.
You just have to accept it and ride it.
(14:41):
And then from there, based on the order where it's going, we'll look at several factors to determine who's the best carrier partner we have that can take this here, who can get this done, you know, and sometimes the customer does have a unique situation that requires a lot more, you know, because you're paying for a service you're getting.
Right.
Maybe just where they live requires a lot more for some reason.
(15:05):
And there are times where you might have to, you know, kind of work with them on that and say, hey, you know, this costs a bit more than normal.
We also, our customer service team is pretty good with coaching customers and that in the beginning and explaining like, you know, best practices for receiving freight, how things work, things like that.
But that stands to your question.
That was kind of the multiple processes.
(15:26):
One, setting up our partners and choosing them correctly, then kind of setting up our own operations to mirror that.
And then three, it's customer.
Our customer service team is really good with working with our customers.
And the ones who do have those expectations are harder.
Please.
They usually reach out a lot.
Our customer base is a very niche community.
It's something they're passionate about, they network about.
(15:48):
Kind of like how you and I are for transportation.
That's how our customers are for woodworking.
And so they're usually good with calling.
And then, you know, we, you know, our customer service team just takes that human aspect and focuses on the relationship.
And, you know, it sounds simple.
But, you know, so far that's really working for us.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
No, I mean, it makes a lot of sense.
And, you know, from a single distribution center, like what you guys are operating off of here and you're shipping to all 50 states from the best that I can see out there.
What, what are some of the challenges that you've overcome when you know, you kind of.
Because you talked about building out the scorecard, the RP and everything.
What are some of those challenges that you had to overcome with setting up a lot of this network?
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Let's see.
I think the main thing was one I needed to meet because I just came in January.
I needed to meet with all the other managers and really understand what their needs were, any issues they've had from a service level, other opportunities.
(16:52):
You have to take the time to build relationships.
People don't care what you know until they know how much you care type of thing.
You gotta think long term.
So I had to really learn and understand where were some service needs.
Or maybe you're just evolving.
Like, what are some issues you're having that you're facing?
Okay, where can I find a solution within transportation or TMS or something like that can fit that?
(17:16):
And then from there I kind of put it together.
We had different meetings.
Like, we'll have.
Sometimes we don't have anything set yet, and we'll literally make a meeting that says brainstorm meeting in this topic.
We'll just talk about it and like, all right, cool, let's be back next week.
But, you know, just.
So meetings like that, explaining like, hey, this is what we're going to do.
These are the safety guarantees.
(17:38):
This is where I see this going.
This is a way I want you guys to think about it.
Does that make sense?
And just really picking each other's brains.
I think that's one thing that's good here.
All the managers that are here right now were promoted and have been here for years.
So they've really worked their way up.
They really care.
So they have a lot of insights and knowledge of maybe this small thing is something to look out for because we remember this from two years ago or things like that, where I may not know that yet.
(18:03):
It helps to really be able to pick each other's brains and kind of come to those solutions together.
But I think that was just the main challenge is it takes time.
There was no way to rush it.
I'm very go, go.
So, you know, taking the time, setting the meetings.
Okay, like, making sure we're all kind of like a bridge that kind of keeps it together.
We're all moving forward.
(18:26):
And then I underestimated how busy interviewing 10 companies would be.
Yeah, like a two and a half hour meetings for them and then analyzing the data, follow ups, things like that.
But it was fun.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Yeah, no, absolutely.
I mean, and hopefully it's one of those things, Andrew, where it's like you only have to do that once.
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Where it's like the right way to set it up.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
And then like with peak season, I mean, do you guys really have a peak season or is it, you know, obviously there's probably something that's tied around with like sales and stuff like that.
But you know, when you guys are in a peak season and you're.
And you're handling in, you know, an increased volume of shipments and stuff like that, how do you keep performance consistent?
What are those things that you're looking for from a performance standard?
(19:09):
Because you know, one thing I've come to realize in my career, like yes, prices.
Price is a factor.
But getting your customers their product will always be the utmost importance.
So what are those kind of, you know, how do you guys keep that performance consistent throughout.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Yeah, yeah.
And before you into that, on your last point.
Yeah.
You know, it's.
You have to pay for quality.
Right.
It's kind of balancing it.
So you want quality to go up, cost to go down and they kind of find where they meet.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
But you know, it's not always gonna be the cheapest.
Right.
You know, what's a reasonable market rate for the service?
You know, fair.
And as far as peak season, so.
Yes, typically starting around September, October.
So think holidays, right.
Like when someone getting husband or dad something for father's Day or anniversary, Christmas up into January.
(19:58):
That said, we did actually have.
We were a lot busier this past summer than were in past years, so.
Which I'm good.
I'm happy with that.
But our peak season usually is fall into early winter.
And I think what we do then is we have to really plan and project long term, plan and prospect long term.
(20:19):
So Q4, not really the time to implement and try new systems.
We need to do that before then.
So we have everything set up, we have time to beta test it, we know things are good.
So that way when we do go into our busy season, we know what works, we know what's going, everything's implemented.
So time and place, not just of the day, but long term.
We look at the whole year, the quarter we plan, like Q4 is our game time we need to be ready to play.
(20:45):
Obviously, we'll make changes as needed, but I think we come in and we're pretty good.
Even now on certain days, we know when we have to focus just on, all right, we're processing orders, we're getting things out.
We did it.
That's a good day.
It's a lot of thinking long term, being able to keep timelines together for weeks at a time to making sure something doesn't fall off.
(21:07):
But I think everyone here is pretty good.
The managers and the team underneath them with knowing, like, what core priorities are, what we need to do to get done, and then other people jumping in when needed, I was gonna say.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
So, I mean, obviously you guys probably use a ton of data, right?
Like, I would assume that there's a lot of data, there's a lot of metrics that you guys are really looking at.
What do you look at to track, like, areas of improvement, right?
Because that's gotta be of top concern for you guys is like, hey, how do we get better at this process?
And, you know, so, like, is there any metrics that you guys pay attention to on, like a daily, weekly or monthly basis to help you guys make better decisions?
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Yeah, yeah.
And then right now, and not to be as Vegas, because I'm actually in the process of updating that and kind of our metrics and what we're doing.
But error fulfillment is something we look at, you know, right orders, right things going the way, how long items take to get to, you know, the customer.
You know, obviously they have delivery appointments.
So we understand with freight it might get there by a certain time, then they can't make the appointment until a few days later.
(22:07):
So, you know, looking at little details like that, understanding cost per region, how was the customer satisfaction?
You know, we're pretty good with getting feedback and surveys.
You know, was everything damaged?
It was presented nicely.
How was the, you know, customer service from the driver?
Because everything's going to be appointment for us for the most part.
(22:27):
But a big thing is just air fillmit how long it takes to process orders once they come in, to make sure we're not falling behind, you know, and for example, if were to start taking a really long time to process new orders for stock we have here, then we know, okay, we need to adjust.
There's something we need to do.
The way I see it is data is feedback to adjust and respond.
The more data, the better.
(22:49):
But little operational things are how fast we're processing, how much we're getting done, how much we're able to build on a daily basis it should take an hour to build this amount of machines.
Are we on track for that?
How long it takes to book and then little operational things like that are where we really have to pay attention and that's where the management and people aspect comes in.
(23:12):
Right.
You have to kind of walk around, you have to see what's going on.
Did something come up that you need to help out with or things like that.
But a lot of proactive, just monitoring and being present.
As underrated as it sounds, knowing what's going on with the company and then individual roles and functions is pretty big I'd say.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Like I mean because you guys obviously have two like product of different sizes as well right.
And like with because you know obviously the NMFC just re updated a lot of the code changes out there and you know shifting that.
So it's like how are you guys going to be attacking that moving forward with you know, shipping out products of different sizes and then the new NMFC code changes or is your LTL smaller compared to your parcel style shipments?
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Well so again what helped with that is my background working for a freight broker.
So were already had everything you know, classed by the product.
We know how to do density, all that.
We have it updated in our tms.
So a lot of that at first was training the booking staff or anyone here to kind of understand how that works and how that affects it.
You know and we have like a certified scale, we check everything and then I put it to my partners right.
(24:25):
Like you're the ones working in this industry still.
Technically I'm not, you know, in your role you should kind of know more than me.
So you tell us right.
Like are you're saying we should use this mc Cool, I'm going to do it.
But then I'm going to hold you accountable for that.
Right.
We're fair.
Just like if it's something we're doing I will totally we'll take accountability.
We're not going to blame you for that but we do best practices.
(24:49):
You know I'd rather use the correct mnc.
Like having that background being able to explain to everyone why this needs to be booked this way, why it matters, how it can affect rates, things like that.
You know, explaining the difference between set up and knocked down.
It's things that people wouldn't know unless they really are working in freight.
And so I get to kind of that helped me be able to kind of explain the importance and understand or have the class it pages and show them, hey, this is how subclass works.
(25:16):
This is how this affects this.
This is the best practice to do in this situation.
Maybe you didn't update the subclass that you had the correct one.
A whole ton of things like that you and I probably are well versed in.
But being able to, I think explain that and get people on the same page was pretty key.
But we're pretty adjusted.
And again, like I said, it's like riding a wave, right?
(25:39):
So like, if I know we're negotiating rates, you know, I know we're pretty, I'm pretty good with monitoring things like that.
If things start to go up, it's likely not just us, it's probably happening kind of everywhere.
You know, markets fluctuate, they go up and down.
And that was one of the things I told our team when we first started.
Think of like a surfboard, you know, the wave goes up and down, you kind of just want to ride it.
(26:01):
That's just long term, right?
It's supply chain that's going to happen.
But we're pretty fast with implementing that.
So all our stuff's audited.
Our nfcs, we, the moment we notice a variance or anything, we jump on it, we look into it.
What went wrong here?
Was it dimensions?
Was it this?
Was it that we act really fast in real time and then make sure that everyone understands why that change had to be made.
(26:26):
So that way we actually grow and learn.
It's just something we normally do.
We're pretty avid with monitoring changes, issues.
What's the solution?
How can we fix this?
All right, let's try something.
It doesn't work.
We'll try something else.
How?
Speaker 2 (26:44):
You know, we only got like a couple minutes left here, so.
A long winded answer.
I apologize for saving this one for last.
But I'm also like, you know, looking at how things, automation and everything is changing here at a rapid space.
Do you see AI really changing the way you guys operate here, Andrew, in the coming months, years or anything like that?
(27:05):
Or is that something where you feel like it's kind of a wait and see approach to it?
Speaker 3 (27:11):
No, no, at all.
So we, we use AI.
So we have like one of our new bandsaws that 15 has.
You know, it's an intelligent AI bandsaw.
We're constantly looking for ways to improve tools here.
We'll use AI to automate or things like that within reason.
But because we're a small team, we get to manage and see.
Okay, is this actually helping us meet like our end goal?
(27:33):
You Know, does this.
Is this AI actually helping the parts manager with what he needs to do?
If not, then I think we look at it just as any other tool or technology.
If it's going to help and do good, great.
If it's not and it kind of isn't a good fit, then, well, we won't implement it.
But I think where it can help is what I'd like to really look into.
(27:56):
One of the projects I'm working on is going through how we book everything through Shopify, how we use freshdesk and writing out opportunities for itms.
We might get to kind of say, hey, where can you integrate?
These are kind of key areas.
Can you help us with that?
So that's where I see more technology going as far as AI.
(28:16):
I think we have to wait and see what comes up.
And we're always good with trying something and if it will help us, if it's going to be good, then great.
It's just implementing another tool at that point.
But if it's, we're not really here going to do change just for the sake of change, right?
Like, we have a purpose for what we're doing, not just for us, but also for our customers.
You know, there has to be some type of benefit or value add for us to implement and try something.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
I think what you just said there is so key, Andrew.
At the end of the day, we're not going to change just for the sake of change.
And at the end of the day, does it benefit our customers?
And you know, from a freight tech standpoint, I, you know, there's a lot of great technology options that are out there, but the customers that I'm actively moving freight with are not requesting it.
Right?
Like the carriers that we're booking aren't requesting that.
(29:02):
So it's like, do I make that investment today if it thoroughly brings value to my customers?
Because as a broker, carriers and customers are shippers are 1A and 1B of importance to me.
Right?
So it's like I will invest in it if I know that it brings value across the board or if a customer's requesting, hey, can you guys automate something along those lines?
(29:23):
But automating for the sake of automating is, I think it's kind of foolish.
It's just like the people who are like, oh, I got to buy a new iPhone every time it comes out, it's like, why your.
Your.
My iPhone 14 works great still.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
I just got one, but I wait till it can't charge anymore and I absolutely have to.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Man.
I.
We're aligned on that one.
Andrew, thank you so much for your time today and really explaining your guys's operations and stuff like that.
I don't want to put your contact information out there because I feel like a lot of people are gonna blow up your inbox.
But how.
If anybody's interested about purchasing any Harvey products, how can they reach out to find out more about that?
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Yeah, yeah, just.
Just Harvey Woodworking.
If you go on our website or social media, you'll see a lot of items there.
And always call, you know, our customer service team, you know, we're all pretty prepped to answer, explain everything, even if you kind of just want to learn, you know, okay.
What's unique about your tools.
You know, why.
Why Harvey?
Right.
You know, always call and look us up.
You know, we're happy to help out.
You know, we're happy to build those relationships.
(30:21):
We have people who buy from us, and they still talk to us years over years that they upgrade more of their equipment.
And, yeah, if anyone wants to get in contact with me, if they just call here and ask, they'll contact me.
The info.
I'm in charge of vendors, so that's part of my job anyway.
I get people contact me all the time now.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Absolutely.
Andrew, thank you so much for your time.
That is going to be it for today, ladies and gentlemen, as always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show, you guys.
And if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, which you should be, rank the show on itunes and Spotify, because if you saw value, your network's going to see it as well.
I appreciate you guys.
I love you guys.
And we'll be talking to you soon.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Came back with a bank moving fast.
Hey, hey let them all cross if they hate, then let them hate them Make a bigger boss.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Hey, it.
Came back with a bank window down yelling now money anything hey oh Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when I'm getting to the back hey Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them hate to make a bigger ball hey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What is up, ladies and gentlemen?
We are back.
We are live.
It is the Freight Coach podcast, the top podcast in transportation, coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30am Pacific, 10:30 Central, to break down some industry headlines.
But most importantly, you guys provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information.
If this is your first time tuning in, welcome.
This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen.
(00:47):
And I do say that before every single show.
And what I mean by that is I only speak with transportation professionals.
Professionals, because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve.
So you can take that information, apply it, utilize it, and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life.
Happy Friday, everybody.
I got a very special guest for you guys here today.
(01:09):
I'm really looking forward to learning more about, you know, kind of the final mile, the distribution side of things and what goes on behind the scenes.
I feel like as a broker, as a transportation provider, we're just sent pos, right?
We're sent this information, hey, come pick this load up.
But like, what does it all take to kind of get it up and get it ready?
So I have Mr. Andrew Rodriguez, the operations manager over at Harvey, on the show today.
(01:29):
So, Andrew, thank you so much for taking the time to join me.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Of course, Chris, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So, Andrew, I always like to start the show like this, man, how'd you get your start in freight?
Like, what brought you into the transportation industry?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Yeah, yeah.
So.
So once upon a time ago, I was originally wanting to be a lawyer on a pre law route.
Ended up working in different, like property management positions, managing vendors, things like that.
And then I applied for a freight, a sales position, a territory manager role, the freight broker.
That worked out.
(02:00):
I think I just had a natural inclination and curiosity about business and just the supply chain as a whole.
And then being with a, you know, a large 3 PL allowed me to really learn a lot about a ton of different modes.
You know, whether it's reefer, ltl expedited, knowing how different seasons play into like produce season things like that.
(02:22):
And that's really where I got my start.
And from there, you know, I kind of just would nerd out about a lot of the different things.
I would try to learn as much as possible.
I'd meet with the, like, mode heads, so like the head of flatbed, things like that, and just pick their brain.
And then even building relationships with my customers and picking their brain and kind of just talking about not even just freight, but like business, the operations as a whole, and kind of understanding more of their mindset.
(02:45):
But that's kind of where I started to get my feet wet.
And what started me with transportation.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
No, you know, I think as I had no idea where this show was going to kind of go when I first started.
Right.
Like, I just as a. I first started as a way just to kind of like market my services out there, and it's grown into kind of building a really solid support system kind of behind the scenes from people from all walks of the industry to.
(03:10):
To your point there, Andrew, about bringing a.
Just a better understanding of the industry.
And, you know, I've.
I've befriended some transportation managers for some very large brands out there who've been on the show who offer that guidance and support and really kind of open up your eyes to what goes on behind the scenes because I feel like a lot of us are siloed in our roles inside of this vast industry that we're operating in.
(03:33):
And, you know, we don't necessarily have an understanding about kind of like what goes on behind the scenes.
And, you know, when you transition into your current role now, kind of like, what was it where you were like, hey, I want to get on this side of the fence now.
I want to leave the brokerage space and I want to go on to, like, the manufacturing side.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yeah, yeah, that's.
That's a very good point.
So I think just having worked in managing operations before in large roles, I kind of knew I liked operations.
Maybe not kind of where it was before applying, working in freight.
You know, I love the industry, but I'm just.
I'm not a sales personality.
You know, I like consulting.
I like meeting with people.
(04:10):
I like learning with them, learning about them and helping them.
And then I.
It kind of just dawned on me, well, if I know I like, you know, operations, I know I like transportation, supply chain, why not do operations in that role?
And so I just started applying around.
I was like, I know my eventual goal is to be some type of, you know, supply chain VP or just work something in supply chain operations.
(04:32):
And Just started applying out, and then I saw that Harvey was hiring.
I had remembered them, and then kind of just worked out that way.
But that's where it was, is me kind of wanting to combine, like, the type of job I like and mixing it with the actual industry.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
No.
So, you know, speaking of Harvey, I mean, you guys are known for your products out there, precision engineering tools and everything, but you guys kind of run a lean operation as a whole.
Right.
Like, when you look at that volume.
So how does a team of your size, I believe it was, like, five, six individuals, manage such an immense logistics operation?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, yeah.
So right now, as a whole, so including customer service, finance, warehousing, inbound, outbound, it's about 15 of us as far as shipping.
Yeah, everything there.
There's about five of us.
And so I think one thing that helps is we communicate with each other a lot.
We're used to working with each other because we can just.
We're around each other all the time, essentially.
(05:33):
We have our systems down, and we're always willing to change.
We print out our orders for the day.
We know, okay, hey, Today we got 50 to 100 LTL orders that we need to get out, build, and book before one.
And so we get that.
We have a system.
We know where to physically grab everything, how we coordinate the warehouse, as far as our inventory and things like that.
(05:54):
And then we kind of know, around, like, all right, around 10 or around here, let's start booking.
Let's get this for pickup today.
And then we'll have someone else usually working on the parcel side.
So we pull everything.
A lot of our home base is on shopify.
So for things I didn't understand when I worked in freight, Right.
Like how that is, the order comes in, they pull it.
(06:17):
Customer has a certain expectation.
We know, okay, this is parcel or freight.
And the moment it goes to freight, we know, okay, it needs to get out today, or it's okay if there's another day here or there.
And then also, just looking at the region, a lot of our people live in remote areas or cabins or things like that.
So having to coordinate a truck that can get up there with a lift gate, and then from there, we work hand in hand a lot with our customer service team, who lets us know, hey, these are the human sides of this shipment that you need to look out for.
(06:46):
They're really good at flogging things to our attention.
And we, in turn, kind of flag it and say, okay, here you go.
You can communicate with the customer.
And then I think another Thing is, just the partners we work with, we're pretty proactive in managing those relationships and our service expectations.
But we're pretty.
We thrive, I think, on change, and we're all pretty passionate.
(07:08):
I think that's a big thing here.
A lot of people have an interest in what we do.
A lot of people like showing up, and then we know kind of when to jump in and help out as needed to make sure the operation's running smoothly.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
So, I mean, with that, there's a certain skill set, I feel like, that comes along with that when you're managing multiple modes of transportation, multiple order size, going to different parts of the country.
Like, you brought up rural areas and stuff.
So, like, what are some skill sets that are crucial to keeping you guys running at a high level?
Right?
Because I feel like one thing that people on my side of the fence, you know, as a broker, like, when we're out there soliciting business, we think, oh, Andrew, he's the only one out there.
(07:49):
You guys have your own set of competitors on your side of the fence, right?
So it's like you guys are being judged by your customers the way that certain things are handled out there.
So kind of like, how do you.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
What.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Like, what are those skill sets that are crucial to remaining at a high level to keep your customers coming back to you as opposed to your competitors?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, I think one thing definitely is the quality of the product we make.
You know, we sell on quality.
We really care.
We work really hard.
You know, the owner, I was with him this past Saturday, is very passionate about what we do and tools, woodworking.
The other thing, too, is, you know, we set daily minimums.
Right?
Like, we know the work and output we need to do to not fall behind.
(08:28):
You know, we understand not everything's gonna come out that day, you know, especially with freight.
Right.
You know, it's not guaranteed pickups.
You know, their estimates.
So we know we need to get at least this amount of orders done this day so we can get it within a certain time to go ahead and build it out and just open communication.
Maybe something does fall through the cracks.
Our customer service team just walk down and say, hey, we have this.
(08:49):
Okay, cool.
Let's flag it and get some attention.
A really big aspect here, I think, is relationship building.
I think when people know you care about your job, they're more likely to want to work with you and kind of help you create all that.
But I think a high attention to detail, definitely.
As far as work ethic, I have a really strong type a Personality.
(09:12):
So having kind of the daily core priorities of things I know I need to get done and also just letting the different managers kind of run what falls underneath them.
So I think that's a big thing.
We have our outbound manager who will focus majority on making sure the actual operations, the daily things are getting done.
So I know I need to support him and allow him to do all that.
(09:33):
We have our inbound manager who maybe he's getting returns or damages or containers.
It's kind of delegating, I guess, but I think just attention to detail, knowing your core priorities and just kind of scheduling out minimums of what you need.
So that way you're not leaving it the chance.
So I know from this time I need to get X amount of orders done.
(09:53):
I need to make sure we're hitting this amount this week and, you know, we're not falling behind.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Yeah, it's, you know, like managing, not falling behind.
And especially in a world where everybody does expect that instant.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Like there's certain very large companies out there.
We don't have to names, but it's like you can get stuff same day now, you know, so it's like that competition that is out there feel like is ever evolving.
Like, I mean, I'll just.
I call it the Amazon effect.
You know, like there is like when you go out there, I mean, people expect like, well, I can go here and buy it this morning and then have it delivered here to my house this afternoon.
(10:32):
And as a consumer, I look at it is as like I want to align myself with like a brand identity, you know what I mean?
Like, there's certain products out there.
Like there's a company that I buy all my supplements from called First Form.
Their customer service team is next level.
Like, it is absolute next level.
Where it's like, are they the cheapest ones on the block?
Absolutely not.
(10:53):
But I know that as I align with them as a brand and like the values of the company and everything.
So it's like I want to buy my products from them and then there's other ones of.
In my.
Inside of my home where it's.
It's the same thing, right?
So it's like when you're sitting there talking about the care that you guys deliver as a whole, as a company, I feel like that's essential.
All right, so it's like, I feel like that's how most businesses are going to compete with those larger, more instantaneous brands that are out there.
(11:18):
Is.
Is you might be sacrificing customer Service at some of those large ones, because you know what, maybe they're not going to answer the phone when you call.
But if you reach out to maybe you guys, where it's like, hey, how you guys handle those customer concerns, that's what keeps people coming back to you.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yeah, yeah.
No, and I think you put it really well.
I mean, I think we focus on not just the product, but the people.
Right.
You know, especially with something like this, you know, it's a very niche.
People like woodworking, they enjoy it.
It's a package passion project.
Right.
Or they're doing it for work.
And it's still typically a craft that breeds a lot of passion.
But our customer service team, you know, we'll give them their shout out, is really good with fielding calls, emails, and then that's one thing I've had to do and a lot of us, right, is explaining to them how freight and transportation works so they then can explain it to the customer.
(12:07):
Right.
A lot of people don't receive freight on a regular basis.
I don't remember the last time I know anyone who had like a freight pallet personally that, you know, delivered to their house.
Right.
And so again, it's being able to educate, explain, you know, this is how it works.
This is why maybe, you know, the delivery appointment can only be this day because you are in a really rural area, you know, or there's just different aspects.
(12:28):
Maybe this particular item weighs a lot because the shape it needs to be a terminal pickup, you know, but being able to, I think, explain in a way that helps the, you know, because again, all our customers are direct.
That's coming to them at their home.
Being able to explain it in a way that helps them, but also making sure our team is equipped and knows how to do that.
(12:49):
Like we did a training a few weeks ago.
It's just kind of explaining different things like inside delivery, residential, you know, limited access, things like that white glove.
Because people need to have that same basis of knowledge to be able to explain that, be on the same page and really create that experience for the customer.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
How are you with the freight spend that you guys have?
Andrew, how are you balancing cost control with service reliability?
Especially when you're talking about some of those rural areas that are coming out there.
And you know, again, when you don't receive product all that often, I'm assuming it's why can't I get it faster?
You know.
But you're also like, as a transportation professional myself, this is Chris Jolly's opinion only it's like, well, you're 400 miles away from the nearest major bedroom.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Yeah, yeah.
It's like.
So.
Yeah.
So a few things with that, I'd say, as far as managing the spend.
So I think I'd mentioned it earlier, our RFP RFQ is earlier in February.
We have actually about 10 companies, brokers and carriers direct got them, you know, a year of data so we can run analysis.
(13:59):
And then what I did was prior to this, I managed a lot of vendors for commercial property management, other things.
So there were good practices that I learned there in general with like, quality service standards, things like that.
I basically made a scorecard and created the whole process to really evaluate not just the company, but the individual, you know, representative or consultant on service.
(14:20):
Things that I thought were important and that I thought our team would think were important after talking to them and getting their opinion.
So one, we really fielded who we work with.
We negotiated rates, market competitive.
We understand everyone has to make money, but you understand the market, right.
It's like a wave, especially with transportation.
You just have to accept it and ride it.
(14:41):
And then from there, based on the order where it's going, we'll look at several factors to determine who's the best carrier partner we have that can take this here, who can get this done, you know, and sometimes the customer does have a unique situation that requires a lot more, you know, because you're paying for a service you're getting.
Right.
Maybe just where they live requires a lot more for some reason.
(15:05):
And there are times where you might have to, you know, kind of work with them on that and say, hey, you know, this costs a bit more than normal.
We also, our customer service team is pretty good with coaching customers and that in the beginning and explaining like, you know, best practices for receiving freight, how things work, things like that.
But that stands to your question.
That was kind of the multiple processes.
(15:26):
One, setting up our partners and choosing them correctly, then kind of setting up our own operations to mirror that.
And then three, it's customer.
Our customer service team is really good with working with our customers.
And the ones who do have those expectations are harder.
Please.
They usually reach out a lot.
Our customer base is a very niche community.
It's something they're passionate about, they network about.
(15:48):
Kind of like how you and I are for transportation.
That's how our customers are for woodworking.
And so they're usually good with calling.
And then, you know, we, you know, our customer service team just takes that human aspect and focuses on the relationship.
And, you know, it sounds simple.
But, you know, so far that's really working for us.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
No, I mean, it makes a lot of sense.
And, you know, from a single distribution center, like what you guys are operating off of here and you're shipping to all 50 states from the best that I can see out there.
What, what are some of the challenges that you've overcome when you know, you kind of.
Because you talked about building out the scorecard, the RP and everything.
What are some of those challenges that you had to overcome with setting up a lot of this network?
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Let's see.
I think the main thing was one I needed to meet because I just came in January.
I needed to meet with all the other managers and really understand what their needs were, any issues they've had from a service level, other opportunities.
(16:52):
You have to take the time to build relationships.
People don't care what you know until they know how much you care type of thing.
You gotta think long term.
So I had to really learn and understand where were some service needs.
Or maybe you're just evolving.
Like, what are some issues you're having that you're facing?
Okay, where can I find a solution within transportation or TMS or something like that can fit that?
(17:16):
And then from there I kind of put it together.
We had different meetings.
Like, we'll have.
Sometimes we don't have anything set yet, and we'll literally make a meeting that says brainstorm meeting in this topic.
We'll just talk about it and like, all right, cool, let's be back next week.
But, you know, just.
So meetings like that, explaining like, hey, this is what we're going to do.
These are the safety guarantees.
(17:38):
This is where I see this going.
This is a way I want you guys to think about it.
Does that make sense?
And just really picking each other's brains.
I think that's one thing that's good here.
All the managers that are here right now were promoted and have been here for years.
So they've really worked their way up.
They really care.
So they have a lot of insights and knowledge of maybe this small thing is something to look out for because we remember this from two years ago or things like that, where I may not know that yet.
(18:03):
It helps to really be able to pick each other's brains and kind of come to those solutions together.
But I think that was just the main challenge is it takes time.
There was no way to rush it.
I'm very go, go.
So, you know, taking the time, setting the meetings.
Okay, like, making sure we're all kind of like a bridge that kind of keeps it together.
We're all moving forward.
(18:26):
And then I underestimated how busy interviewing 10 companies would be.
Yeah, like a two and a half hour meetings for them and then analyzing the data, follow ups, things like that.
But it was fun.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Yeah, no, absolutely.
I mean, and hopefully it's one of those things, Andrew, where it's like you only have to do that once.
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Where it's like the right way to set it up.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
And then like with peak season, I mean, do you guys really have a peak season or is it, you know, obviously there's probably something that's tied around with like sales and stuff like that.
But you know, when you guys are in a peak season and you're.
And you're handling in, you know, an increased volume of shipments and stuff like that, how do you keep performance consistent?
What are those things that you're looking for from a performance standard?
(19:09):
Because you know, one thing I've come to realize in my career, like yes, prices.
Price is a factor.
But getting your customers their product will always be the utmost importance.
So what are those kind of, you know, how do you guys keep that performance consistent throughout.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Yeah, yeah.
And before you into that, on your last point.
Yeah.
You know, it's.
You have to pay for quality.
Right.
It's kind of balancing it.
So you want quality to go up, cost to go down and they kind of find where they meet.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
But you know, it's not always gonna be the cheapest.
Right.
You know, what's a reasonable market rate for the service?
You know, fair.
And as far as peak season, so.
Yes, typically starting around September, October.
So think holidays, right.
Like when someone getting husband or dad something for father's Day or anniversary, Christmas up into January.
(19:58):
That said, we did actually have.
We were a lot busier this past summer than were in past years, so.
Which I'm good.
I'm happy with that.
But our peak season usually is fall into early winter.
And I think what we do then is we have to really plan and project long term, plan and prospect long term.
(20:19):
So Q4, not really the time to implement and try new systems.
We need to do that before then.
So we have everything set up, we have time to beta test it, we know things are good.
So that way when we do go into our busy season, we know what works, we know what's going, everything's implemented.
So time and place, not just of the day, but long term.
We look at the whole year, the quarter we plan, like Q4 is our game time we need to be ready to play.
(20:45):
Obviously, we'll make changes as needed, but I think we come in and we're pretty good.
Even now on certain days, we know when we have to focus just on, all right, we're processing orders, we're getting things out.
We did it.
That's a good day.
It's a lot of thinking long term, being able to keep timelines together for weeks at a time to making sure something doesn't fall off.
(21:07):
But I think everyone here is pretty good.
The managers and the team underneath them with knowing, like, what core priorities are, what we need to do to get done, and then other people jumping in when needed, I was gonna say.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
So, I mean, obviously you guys probably use a ton of data, right?
Like, I would assume that there's a lot of data, there's a lot of metrics that you guys are really looking at.
What do you look at to track, like, areas of improvement, right?
Because that's gotta be of top concern for you guys is like, hey, how do we get better at this process?
And, you know, so, like, is there any metrics that you guys pay attention to on, like a daily, weekly or monthly basis to help you guys make better decisions?
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Yeah, yeah.
And then right now, and not to be as Vegas, because I'm actually in the process of updating that and kind of our metrics and what we're doing.
But error fulfillment is something we look at, you know, right orders, right things going the way, how long items take to get to, you know, the customer.
You know, obviously they have delivery appointments.
So we understand with freight it might get there by a certain time, then they can't make the appointment until a few days later.
(22:07):
So, you know, looking at little details like that, understanding cost per region, how was the customer satisfaction?
You know, we're pretty good with getting feedback and surveys.
You know, was everything damaged?
It was presented nicely.
How was the, you know, customer service from the driver?
Because everything's going to be appointment for us for the most part.
(22:27):
But a big thing is just air fillmit how long it takes to process orders once they come in, to make sure we're not falling behind, you know, and for example, if were to start taking a really long time to process new orders for stock we have here, then we know, okay, we need to adjust.
There's something we need to do.
The way I see it is data is feedback to adjust and respond.
The more data, the better.
(22:49):
But little operational things are how fast we're processing, how much we're getting done, how much we're able to build on a daily basis it should take an hour to build this amount of machines.
Are we on track for that?
How long it takes to book and then little operational things like that are where we really have to pay attention and that's where the management and people aspect comes in.
(23:12):
Right.
You have to kind of walk around, you have to see what's going on.
Did something come up that you need to help out with or things like that.
But a lot of proactive, just monitoring and being present.
As underrated as it sounds, knowing what's going on with the company and then individual roles and functions is pretty big I'd say.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Like I mean because you guys obviously have two like product of different sizes as well right.
And like with because you know obviously the NMFC just re updated a lot of the code changes out there and you know shifting that.
So it's like how are you guys going to be attacking that moving forward with you know, shipping out products of different sizes and then the new NMFC code changes or is your LTL smaller compared to your parcel style shipments?
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Well so again what helped with that is my background working for a freight broker.
So were already had everything you know, classed by the product.
We know how to do density, all that.
We have it updated in our tms.
So a lot of that at first was training the booking staff or anyone here to kind of understand how that works and how that affects it.
You know and we have like a certified scale, we check everything and then I put it to my partners right.
(24:25):
Like you're the ones working in this industry still.
Technically I'm not, you know, in your role you should kind of know more than me.
So you tell us right.
Like are you're saying we should use this mc Cool, I'm going to do it.
But then I'm going to hold you accountable for that.
Right.
We're fair.
Just like if it's something we're doing I will totally we'll take accountability.
We're not going to blame you for that but we do best practices.
(24:49):
You know I'd rather use the correct mnc.
Like having that background being able to explain to everyone why this needs to be booked this way, why it matters, how it can affect rates, things like that.
You know, explaining the difference between set up and knocked down.
It's things that people wouldn't know unless they really are working in freight.
And so I get to kind of that helped me be able to kind of explain the importance and understand or have the class it pages and show them, hey, this is how subclass works.
(25:16):
This is how this affects this.
This is the best practice to do in this situation.
Maybe you didn't update the subclass that you had the correct one.
A whole ton of things like that you and I probably are well versed in.
But being able to, I think explain that and get people on the same page was pretty key.
But we're pretty adjusted.
And again, like I said, it's like riding a wave, right?
(25:39):
So like, if I know we're negotiating rates, you know, I know we're pretty, I'm pretty good with monitoring things like that.
If things start to go up, it's likely not just us, it's probably happening kind of everywhere.
You know, markets fluctuate, they go up and down.
And that was one of the things I told our team when we first started.
Think of like a surfboard, you know, the wave goes up and down, you kind of just want to ride it.
(26:01):
That's just long term, right?
It's supply chain that's going to happen.
But we're pretty fast with implementing that.
So all our stuff's audited.
Our nfcs, we, the moment we notice a variance or anything, we jump on it, we look into it.
What went wrong here?
Was it dimensions?
Was it this?
Was it that we act really fast in real time and then make sure that everyone understands why that change had to be made.
(26:26):
So that way we actually grow and learn.
It's just something we normally do.
We're pretty avid with monitoring changes, issues.
What's the solution?
How can we fix this?
All right, let's try something.
It doesn't work.
We'll try something else.
How?
Speaker 2 (26:44):
You know, we only got like a couple minutes left here, so.
A long winded answer.
I apologize for saving this one for last.
But I'm also like, you know, looking at how things, automation and everything is changing here at a rapid space.
Do you see AI really changing the way you guys operate here, Andrew, in the coming months, years or anything like that?
(27:05):
Or is that something where you feel like it's kind of a wait and see approach to it?
Speaker 3 (27:11):
No, no, at all.
So we, we use AI.
So we have like one of our new bandsaws that 15 has.
You know, it's an intelligent AI bandsaw.
We're constantly looking for ways to improve tools here.
We'll use AI to automate or things like that within reason.
But because we're a small team, we get to manage and see.
Okay, is this actually helping us meet like our end goal?
(27:33):
You Know, does this.
Is this AI actually helping the parts manager with what he needs to do?
If not, then I think we look at it just as any other tool or technology.
If it's going to help and do good, great.
If it's not and it kind of isn't a good fit, then, well, we won't implement it.
But I think where it can help is what I'd like to really look into.
(27:56):
One of the projects I'm working on is going through how we book everything through Shopify, how we use freshdesk and writing out opportunities for itms.
We might get to kind of say, hey, where can you integrate?
These are kind of key areas.
Can you help us with that?
So that's where I see more technology going as far as AI.
(28:16):
I think we have to wait and see what comes up.
And we're always good with trying something and if it will help us, if it's going to be good, then great.
It's just implementing another tool at that point.
But if it's, we're not really here going to do change just for the sake of change, right?
Like, we have a purpose for what we're doing, not just for us, but also for our customers.
You know, there has to be some type of benefit or value add for us to implement and try something.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
I think what you just said there is so key, Andrew.
At the end of the day, we're not going to change just for the sake of change.
And at the end of the day, does it benefit our customers?
And you know, from a freight tech standpoint, I, you know, there's a lot of great technology options that are out there, but the customers that I'm actively moving freight with are not requesting it.
Right?
Like the carriers that we're booking aren't requesting that.
(29:02):
So it's like, do I make that investment today if it thoroughly brings value to my customers?
Because as a broker, carriers and customers are shippers are 1A and 1B of importance to me.
Right?
So it's like I will invest in it if I know that it brings value across the board or if a customer's requesting, hey, can you guys automate something along those lines?
(29:23):
But automating for the sake of automating is, I think it's kind of foolish.
It's just like the people who are like, oh, I got to buy a new iPhone every time it comes out, it's like, why your.
Your.
My iPhone 14 works great still.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
I just got one, but I wait till it can't charge anymore and I absolutely have to.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Man.
I.
We're aligned on that one.
Andrew, thank you so much for your time today and really explaining your guys's operations and stuff like that.
I don't want to put your contact information out there because I feel like a lot of people are gonna blow up your inbox.
But how.
If anybody's interested about purchasing any Harvey products, how can they reach out to find out more about that?
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Yeah, yeah, just.
Just Harvey Woodworking.
If you go on our website or social media, you'll see a lot of items there.
And always call, you know, our customer service team, you know, we're all pretty prepped to answer, explain everything, even if you kind of just want to learn, you know, okay.
What's unique about your tools.
You know, why.
Why Harvey?
Right.
You know, always call and look us up.
You know, we're happy to help out.
You know, we're happy to build those relationships.
(30:21):
We have people who buy from us, and they still talk to us years over years that they upgrade more of their equipment.
And, yeah, if anyone wants to get in contact with me, if they just call here and ask, they'll contact me.
The info.
I'm in charge of vendors, so that's part of my job anyway.
I get people contact me all the time now.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Absolutely.
Andrew, thank you so much for your time.
That is going to be it for today, ladies and gentlemen, as always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show, you guys.
And if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, which you should be, rank the show on itunes and Spotify, because if you saw value, your network's going to see it as well.
I appreciate you guys.
I love you guys.
And we'll be talking to you soon.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Came back with a bank moving fast.
Hey, hey let them all cross if they hate, then let them hate them Make a bigger boss.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Hey, it.
Popular Podcasts
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!