Totalline Transport

Source: Exec Digital Canada

Date :30/05/2008 00:34:47

Logistics is a dynamic and ever-changing industry. Exec talks to Uwe Petroschke, owner and president of Totalline Transport, to see how his company’s approach to total customer satisfaction means it leads the Canadian market Written by Ian Armitage and Produced by Rich Gentile

Totalline Transport is driven by the success and satisfaction of its customers and, as a result, has built a reputation based on exceptional customer service. This is vital in the dynamic, ever-changing world of logistics.

“We never lose sight of what is important to customers,” says Uwe Petroschke, the company’s owner, president and founder. “We understand the need to be both innovative and flexible, and are ability to provide tailor-made solutions for even the most complex needs.”

It’s in the name

Totalline is an interesting name isn’t it? It means “total line of service” and providing that is key to Petroschke’s business philosophy. Indeed, Totalline’s services encompass a full spectrum of solutions – transportation and warehousing, including everything in between.

“Totalline is today a one-stop shop for all transportation needs,” says Petroschke.

So, Totalline is the “total line of service”, but who are its major customers? “We specialize in attracting customers who are ranked first in their respective industries and who want to maintain and preserve that position. Our customers rely on custom-fit solutions - our services evolve with our clients’ needs and we work hard each and every day to ensure your carrier requirements are being met.”

An impressive list of clients includes Volvo, Mattel, Dell, Panasonic and many more. “We deal with customers for who failure is not an option,” says Petroschke. “Obviously it is important to make sure we deliver on time, so our systems are set up so that we have a 99.99 percent on-time delivery. It’s very rare that we’re late.”

Enjoyable service

Petroschke started the company way back in 1986. It has since enjoyed unprecedented growth and expansion across North America. Today, Totalline Transport operates over 750,000 square feet of warehousing space, with terminal locations spanning the country.

“I started Totalline Transport because I was tired of the corporate politics and of working for larger companies,” says Petroschke. “I wanted to start something that was more enjoyable. And I’ve done that. This is a job I go to everyday and enjoy doing. I wanted to do something that I enjoyed, which is working with trucks and solving logistics problems.”

Totalline has risen to become one of the Canadian trucking industry’s best carriers. It has worked hard to achieve this reputation and is committed to continued excellence that it not only meets, but surpasses customer expectations.

“We were a pioneer in introducing the concept of a trucking company that offers warehousing as a value added service - offering “logistics” before logistics was even a buzzword,” explains Petroschke. “That is proof that we are committed to surpassing customer expectations.

Longevity

Many of Totalline’s satisfied customers have been with it for more than 20 years. “Yes, that’s remarkable but what is more so is that five of the first six employees are still with us,” says Petroschke. “We have longevity in customers, as well as longevity in personnel. That means the mantra we started with is still going strong today because we have the same people who’ve been with us since the beginning. They know how we run, how we operate, how we want things done. They can really pass that knowledge on to new employees as we grow.

“When I first started the business,” adds Petroschke, “I could do it all myself. I can’t do it all by myself now. We need many, many people to believe in exactly what I believe in, and it takes years to get that feeling. So we are fortunate in having that excellent level of retention.

“We try to treat our people well, take care of them, we try to have fun and word gets out, and we’ve been able to find the people that we need.”

Returning home

The current decline in the US economy means that a large number of Canadian carriers are returning home. This has made the competition in Canada a lot tougher. “There’s a lot of competitiveness going on right now that we haven’t really seen in the last five or ten years,” says Petroschke. “Right now we’re working on making sure we’re as perfect as we can be, so as not to give any customers a reason to look elsewhere.”

Uwe also believes that there will be increasing consolidation within the Canadian trucking industry. “I think there’s going to be more consolidation and a lot more acquisition, with several companies being bought out.

“The number of carriers that are operating in Canada is going to shrink a little bit in the coming years. We have done a couple of small acquisitions in recent history and we’ll continue to look at doing that as well,” says Petroschke.

Mr Petroschke believes that technology will play an important part too: “We are upgrading our IT right now and we’re going to be unveiling something that should be completed by the end of the summer. From a technology perspective we’ll be further ahead than any other company. What it’s going to do is make our speed of information much more improved and our customers will have access to any kind of information that they require from our company, with a minute-by-minute update.

“I think that, in the future, if you aren’t on this type of program you won’t be able to survive. You need to have this type of program within your company in order to keep up with the fast-paced flow of information.”

Leading from the front

One of the reasons for Totalline’s success is that Petroschke is not an absentee owner and is actively involved in the day to day process and operation of the company. “I want to make sure that every day we’re performing as we’re supposed to and have a detailed vision for where we want to go,” says Petroschke.

Indeed, Totalline Transport has built a vision for the future. Its goal is to become the premier LTL transportation leader in North America. How will it get there? By continuing to pioneer extra-ordinary services. “Forward thinking solutions are the heart of Totalline’s philosophy - it sets us apart in the marketplace,” says Petroschke. That is the Totalline difference.

“We thrive on surpassing customer expectations,” Petroschke says.