United Salt Case Study

The Challenge

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United Salt Corporation (USC) is a U.S.-based privately owned provider of sodium chloride (salt) products for industrial, government and commercial/consumer applications. Shipping on the average 45,000 tons per month of bulk and packaged salt, the company is a top domestic supplier. USC’s corporate headquarters provides sales and transportation logistics support for four sister companies that operate salt mining, processing and packaging facilities. The company’s products range from bulk salt for de-icing roads to brining salt provided to the maritime fishing industry to produce individually quick frozen (IQF) seafood. USC supports third-party operated warehouses throughout the country as well as a direct customer base. The company relies on independent carrier contracts for service and maintains relationships with over 100 carriers.

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The Difficulty of Bulk Transportation

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Salt can be a very difficult cargo. Bulkers must be specially lined for salt, or they will corrode rapidly, potentially damaging the trailer and contaminating the cargo at the same time. Salt packaged on pallets rarely ships Less Than Truckload (LTL) as it can pick up odors. Salt can absorb moisture in damp environments, leading to clumping, which can inhibit its ability to distribute evenly.

All this means that only a limited number of independent carriers and fleets are qualified, equipped and willing to haul salt. USC does not work with railroad carriers. Fuel costs are increasing, and the company needs to find ways to make shipping as efficient as possible and manage fuel surcharge costs. Spot rates have been fluctuating, on the down turns small trucking companies go out of business, new ones start on the uptick, so the company needed an efficient means to track available carriers and an effective way to bring in new contracts. Overall, the trucking industry had been heavily impacted by the shortage of drivers, with openings in excess of 80,000 for U.S. carriers. Given these circumstances, shippers with the best carrier relationships get service more consistently. USC wanted to be able to develop very good relationships with its contracted carriers.

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United Salt Corporation gets better coverage, better visibility, more savings using the Princeton TMX TMS

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United Salt chose the Transportation Management System from Princeton TMX which saves them hours a week on manual tasks and now provides an efficient way for their dispatchers to match outbound loads with qualified and available carriers. The new Cloud-based TMS System enables automated tendering that can be tuned to get the best rates and on-time delivery. The system helps them source detailed carrier profiles for carriers that meet requirements for capabilities and performance. The Carrier Access Module provides a means for carriers to communicate status and accessorial charges as well as respond to automated tender offers. All of this is closely integrated, providing work queues that highlight exceptions and tasks that must be performed. The system completely changes the day-to-day process of scheduling and shipping loads on time while minimizing freight spend.

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Benefits realized by USC using Princeton TMX

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After the Princeton TMX Transportation Management System deployed in 60 days, telephone calls and email traffic with carriers dropped an average of 75%. Carriers love the system’s efficiency and are logging their accessorial charges through the carrier portal. Tendering/acceptance is seamless, and dispatchers have time to work on other important projects. The system allows for the tracking of trends and costs on fuel and other accessorial charges. Just one area of company activity is on track to save $30,000 yearly.