Saia LTL Freight chooses Optym RouteMAX Software to improve service levels and deliver savings in route planning, fuel and labor costs
JOHNS CREEK, Ga., April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAIA) announced today that Saia LTL Freight has deployed the industry-defining software RouteMAX, developed by Optym, an Optimization Intelligence (OI) company. Optym’s RouteMAX is a dynamic route optimization software designed to streamline and speed pickup and delivery operations for the less-than-truckload (LTL) industry. Through the ability to quickly and accurately build routes, RouteMAX allows inbound planners to reduce fuel and labor costs, while consistently meeting all service commitments.
“Through this partnership, RouteMAX was developed to provide improved planning, allowing for greater efficiency,” said Saia Chief Information Officer Rohit Lal. “RouteMAX’s unique combination of route optimization and intuitive user workflows has delivered better visibility, rapid route planning, and improved utilization of our drivers and equipment.”
Saia inbound planners use RouteMAX daily to build routes across all 169 terminals. The software’s intuitive user workflows combined with an optimization engine results in productivity gains for the users. RouteMAX also sends proactive notifications to planners about impending issues in the plan based on real-time data changes from linehaul and dock, such as heavy traffic, new bills, re-weighs, and more.
Optym’s RouteMAX team worked closely with Saia’s operations and engineering teams to understand the day-to-day needs and intricacies of the carrier’s city, or daily pickup and delivery, operations.
“RouteMAX’s team sat with our inbound planners to gather insight into our processes, pain points, and areas of opportunity for efficiency,” explained Lal. “From the beginning, the goal of this partnership was to develop software that would boost productivity and improve the quality of routes to allow Saia’s planners to be more proactive.” “RouteMAX’s dynamic routing in congested, high-density areas is an important step in optimizing the operation,” Lal added. “Because of this optimization solution, Saia planners are able to create dense routes without compromising service quality.” “Saia partnered with Optym because of Optym’s track record of working with other industries, such as airlines, which we believe closely align with the LTL world,” stated Lal. “Optym’s unique combination of diverse skills, bringing together UX, sophisticated algorithms, and knowledge of the network businesses, helped to build a product that creates both optimal and practical routes.”
According to Patrick Sugar, Saia Vice President of Linehaul and Engineering, adoption of the software across the carrier’s network of terminals was seamless.
“Optym helped us to onboard over 200 users,” explained Sugar. “The software is intuitive and most planners were able to understand the majority of the features with limited training. Driver and dockworker feedback has been strong as well. The training and support platform delivers rapid responses to planners and an in-app chat feature is available. End-users can easily contact the RouteMAX engineering and Saia support teams to suggest future enhancements and ask questions.”
The Optym and Saia teams completed a network-wide rollout of RouteMAX to 169 terminals in less than four months.
Optym Director of Trucking Solutions Raguram Venkatesan said, “Much of the LTL industry is still working on legacy systems that are difficult to maintain and make route planning complicated and slow. With Saia’s leadership and partnership, we developed RouteMAX with the goal of making planning simple and fast. Together, we introduced an industry-first dynamic routing solution that is designed to create the most efficient routes possible without any zip-code boundaries.”
“We are excited to partner with Saia and use RouteMAX to redefine pickup and delivery optimization for the LTL industry,” said Optym Chief Executive Officer Vic Keller. “Route optimization when done right results in multiple benefits including reduced fuel and labor costs, lower carbon footprint, and most importantly, improved customer experience. With RouteMAX, we want to make transportation efficient, one route at a time. RouteMAX represents an important milestone in the LTL industry, and we look forward to continuing to lead OI and technological advancements in the logistics and transportation industries.”