The Overview
The COVID-19 pandemic was a very new and unprecedented time for people and companies around the world. While the focus was on the health of those who fell victim to the virus, something else entirely was happening behind the scenes. Employees everywhere were being sent from the office to their homes to start what we now know was a world-changing remote-work movement. Along with that shift, many retailers saw a massive surge in sales for outdoor and sporting equipment as more and more families took to the outdoors as a safer option to spend time together. This unexpected surge in shopping led to many retailers scrambling to find the trucks to ship their freight to their stores to keep fulfilling the customers' needs. That's where Covenant came in.
The Challenge
This client ran out of trucks to move their goods from the port to the warehouse on the West Coast, and they were not alone. There was a national shortage of trucks, trailers, and drivers. Their cargo was of extremely high value, which required high insurance carriers that could also live drop to their store locations. This lack of assets drove them to seek creative solutions to support their trailer pools where needed. Time and quality were of the essence.
Characteristics
- One of the nations largest sporting goods & outdoor stores
- 261+ Stores
- Multi-billion dollars of revenue per year
Expectations
- Manage year-round trailer pools of 20+ trailers supporting 2 DC’s
- Provide live and drop options at shipper and consignee
- Provide high cargo insured carriers
- Maintain service expectations of 98%
The Solution
- Leased Covenant trailers to provide support with trailer pools in West Coast during COVID
- Maintain consistent trailer pools
- Power only, high value store deliveries
- Security program that provides 24/7 visibility to high value cargo freight
- Captured round trip capacity within the network
- Hazmat capacity
- DC transfers between Jeffersonville and Cookeville
- Flexible capacity solutions through spot board
The Results
Covenant’s creative solutions and commitment to the client partnership created a successful process that continues to deliver lasting value even today. In addition to the surge support that Covenant gives them, the robust security program installed on their trucks helps ensure that their high-value cargo is delivered safely every time.
Covenant is ecstatic to have grown this relationship into other sectors of our business throughout the years, including our Dedicated Driver teams. We know that with our flexibility and commitment as a complete logistics partner, this is not the last success story to come out of this relationship!
