William B. Cassidy | Apr 06, 2010 1:48PM EDT
Less-than-truckload carrier Estes is changing its freight routing network to speed shipments moving between its Midwestern terminals and other U.S. markets.
The company converted its Des Moines, Iowa, terminal into a hub to cut transit times between its 15 terminals in the Upper Midwest and other destinations by a full day, Estes said today.
It's part of a broader re-engineering at the Richmond, Va.-based carrier, the largest privately owned LTL carrier in the United States.
The $1.3 billion company cut transit times to more than 75,000 destinations since the fourth quarter, "and we aren't finished yet," said Rob Estes, president and CEO.
Estes' efforts to shave days off transit times are part of a broader quickening in the LTL market, where carriers of all sizes have been speeding shipments to gain customers.
In addition to Estes, companies such as YRC Worldwide, UPS Freight, FedEx Freight and Con-way Freight are tightening their networks to reduce shipment transit times.
Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com.