Callaway Carriers

Opening doors with in-depth insights

Callaway Carriers has put customers first for nearly 30 years. Today, this Missouri-based, full load carrier has 45 commercial trucks and 1,000 trailers that travel more than 5 millions miles a year. It has loads arranged with shippers, receivers and third-party companies. Customers recognize Callaway as a reliable provider. And the Missouri Trucking Association has recognized the company’s commitment to safety.

Callaway has a solid reputation as an established, reliable carrier. But, before implementing Zonar smart fleet management technologies, the company didn’t have an integrated solution that delivers core insights into its operations.

Specifically, Callaway needed:

• visibility into its fleet operations
• integration with its third-party load delivery management solution
• streamlined IFTA fuel tax reporting
• driver-friendly ELD technology

Also at the top of the wish list were safety, ease of use, and time savings for Callaway and its drivers.

Like the rest of the trucking industry, Callaway faces an ongoing driver shortage. John Lummis, Callaway's personnel and safety director, wants to retain his top talent. Lummis works to hire only safe, highly skilled drivers and limits how much he oversees their activities. But he still needs to uphold Callaway's dedication to safety.

He needed a solution for monitoring performance without being unnecessarily invasive, so he can balance safety and driver satisfaction.

The right smart fleet management fit

After much research and deliberation, Lummis chose Zonar smart fleet management solutions. He saw the ideal blend of modern fleet technology that delivers the data he needs and driver-friendly solutions to support his approach to driver retention.

Lummis uses Zonar Ground Traffic Control, the solution’s secure online portal, to view a real-time picture of Callaway’s fleet operations and safety performance. Now he can drill down into key metrics, including exact vehicle location and unsafe driver behavior or events.

He can respect his drivers' privacy and professionalism, yet still look at safety-related vehicle performance data and related events such as hard braking. If there's an issue, Lummis has the objective insights to address it quickly.

Callaway's drivers cover thousands of miles each day and across states. They're required to comply with the FMCSA's ELD mandate. They needed a solution like Zonar Logs that makes logging and managing their hours easier—and that ensures HoS compliance at roadside inspections.

As a full truckload carrier, Lummis needs insights into load deliveries. With McLeod Software LoadMaster seamlessly integrated onto their Zonar-enabled tablets, drivers can now swap and hitch one trailer for another and rely on the integrated solution to record the transaction.

No more being stuck on the phone, at the loading dock, trying to figure out logistics.

Drivers earn money per mile. When they save time, they make more money. And this digital integration streamlined the process so they can get back on the road faster.

Accidentally miscalculating available hours would cost Calloway dispatchers valuable time. Loads would have to be canceled, and drivers could be left vulnerable to HoS violations. Zonar Logs and McLeod integration extends dispatchers’ visibility to trip planning around actual available driver hours.

Now they focus on assigning loads to drivers who can pick them up instead of canceling loads and possibly missing business.

“Trucking capacity exceeds freight volumes these days, so we need to be able to immediately look at a driver’s HoS and decide if we can take a tendered load that’s on the open market,” says Lummis. “A delayed decision could mean missing out on a potential load. The visibility aspect of Zonar and McLeod is truly remarkable and drives efficient equipment utilization.”

Before Zonar solutions opened remote insight into vehicle health, Callaway’s mechanics had to call the driver for a description of the problem when a truck threw a fault code. Not a reliable method of assessing a problem or predicting a foreseeable breakdown. Now they remotely assess the issue and determine if the vehicle needs immediate service.

Callaway itself has grown thanks to this streamlined drop-off, pick-up and digital transfer of load information. By keeping drivers on the road and making money, Callaway has taken on more business, made its drivers happier and is now a preferred truck load carrier.

project44, a supply chain visibility platform, has named Callaway Carriers a Gold Preferred Carrier due to the seamless Zonar and McLeod integration, which provides automated load updates to customers more accurately, timelier, and with higher quality data than other solutions. Being awarded this distinction, out of tens of thousands of full truckload carriers within project44's network, recognizes Callaway's commitment to its customers.

"Recognition by project44 goes a long way toward Callaway Carriers being a full truckload carrier of choice, and driving our business forward," says Lummis. "We are deeply honored and could not have achieved this accolade without the seamless, easy-to-use technology and integration from Zonar and McLeod."

Instead of manually filling out IFTA fuel tax reporting forms, which were prone to human error, the process is now a seamless transaction that happens behind the scenes using Ground Traffic Control. No paperwork, no wasted driver time, no more human errors. Drivers and dispatch can now focus on the task at hand—keeping drivers driving.

As Lummis puts it, "We've been able to use Zonar technology to achieve numerous safety benefits, with the added bonus that it easily integrates with our other systems to drive efficiencies. We've moved from paper to digital reporting, identified and addressed safety issues, all while saving the company, and our drivers, time and money."

Zonar provides electronic fleet inspection, tracking and operations solutions for public and private fleets. Our products are effective, driven by customer satisfaction and affordable by design. We’ve made it our business to do right by our customers. You will notice the difference.