How Estes expanded their network intelligently
North America’s largest privately owned freight carrier Estes Express Lines goes the extra mile to deliver reliable freight solutions and exceptional service that keep its customers coming back. With over 90 years of freight shipping expertise, Estes has worked for decades to build a robust fleet and vast network of over 10,000 doors and 278 terminals nationwide.
With the shutdown of a major LTL competitor, over 120 terminals went up for sale. This presented an opportunity to expand to new markets, improve service, or upgrade existing terminals. Estes Express Lines knew they could use these terminals in their network. But how did they know? And how would these terminals add efficiency to their network?
The solution
While Estes continually improves their network by opening new terminals, a bulk addition of 24 terminals could cause a shock to any network without proper planning. With powerful optimization tool HaulPlan, LTL carriers can quickly simulate changes to their network to create better network plans faster with automated linehaul network planning.
Using Optym’s HaulPlan, Estes ran time-space simulations of network changes. With its easy-to-use workflows, HaulPlan helped Estes with two planning modes:
Evaluation mode
In evaluation mode, users explicitly introduce a change in the network and study its impact. For example, if a carrier wanted to test the addition of multiple new terminals, they can add them into a digital twin of their network and review the effect on freight flow and network costs.
Recommendation mode
In recommendation mode, users invoke HaulPlan to suggest changes in the network based on the degree of freedom provided. Users can run localized optimizations, specifying regions or terminals, and request the engine to suggest changes with maximum impact.
Through these modes, HaulPlan provided a system to model freight flows and density to transition to this larger network footprint. Taking a view of historic shipments, and terminal availability, HaulPlan suggested optimized freight consolidation opportunities taking advantage of new lanes, which reduced linehaul and rehandling costs.
Results
Using HaulPlan and DriverPlan, Estes was able to add an additional 24 terminals to their network in a smart and effective way. This minimized planning time, giving the team confidence in their strategic acquisition of terminals and a better understanding of the impact on operations and service.
Optym has continually proven that they bring more than just optimization and AI prowess to the table.
Their profound understanding of LTL operations, extreme client focus, and a relentless focus on delivering results uniquely positions them as our strategic partner. We are delighted to work with Optym and engage in this journey of continuous improvement of both our systems and processes alike.”
Todd Florence
Chief Information Officer
Estes also leveraged DriverPlan to create driver schedules that balanced cost efficiency with operational needs. With a unified network and new lane opportunities found through HaulPlan, Estes greatly grew their footprint with efficiency, offering better service for customers.