Fleetowner 4355 Mrs2a
Fleetowner 4355 Mrs2a
Fleetowner 4355 Mrs2a
Fleetowner 4355 Mrs2a
Fleetowner 4355 Mrs2a

Customer centric

Aug. 11, 2014
Midwest refrigerated services is finding ways to serve customers

Milwaukee-based Midwest Refrigerated Services (MRS) provides frozen and refrigerated logistics and distribution services with a fleet of 75 trucks—20 company-owned tractors and 55 dedicated owner-operators.  “We are literally the start and finish of the food supply chain,” says Nick Schumacher, transportation operations manager.  “As the food producers, distributors and their customers who rely on our service address new food safety regulations, they look to us to find new and better ways to transport their products and to ensure the integrity of their loads.”

MRS provides less-than-truckload consolidation at multiple sites with freezer and cooler storage, distribution, and cross-dock operations.  Its customers include food processors and manufacturers, retail grocery distribution centers, and food service distribution companies. After making multi-stop runs across the lower 48 states, MRS trucks haul full truckloads to company facilities for consolidation.

“The steady 52 weeks per year of freight and predictable nature of our lanes and delivery patterns are attractive to many drivers,” says Jim Koeble, the company’s vice president of transportation. “Finding good drivers is still a challenge, however, because we’re more than a trucking company. We serve as a third-party logistics service provider for shippers, so our freight consolidation programs require drivers to be more involved.”

One of the hardest challenges, according to Schumacher, is to recruit good drivers. “With the depletion of the driver pool, everyone in the industry is competing for the same prize by recruiting drivers from their current places of employment,” he says. “While our turnover is minimal at about 15% annually, it’s most often the newest drivers who leave. Drivers who work at MRS for a year are likely to stay for 20 years, but how do we get new drivers to stay when everyone is hiring?”

Also focused on constantly improving its service, Koeble notes that MRS is investing in technology.  “With our suppliers, including Great Dane, refrigeration unit manufacturers, and bulkhead supplier ITW Insulated Products, we’ve developed specs for what we believe is the right trailer and configuration to handle everything from deep frozen to refrigerated loads,” he says.  “Our dealer, Trudell Trailers, was also involved and helped as we gathered information from a cross-functional team of MRS transportation and warehousing employees, discussed ideas, and formulated specs.”

The result was a set of trailer specs developed for the unique nature of the MRS consolidation and refrigerated LTL service offering. “The design that came from those meetings was a cold draw system that allows us to haul dual-temperature loads in a traditional single-temp trailer,” Schumacher explains. “The Great Dane Everest SS reefers feature frozen and refrigerated compartments separated by an insulated bulkhead. A thermostat in the rear refrigerated compartment controls an exhaust fan attached to a PVC pipe that blows the colder air in the front through the pipe to the rear when the refrigerated compartment becomes warmer than the thermostat set point.”

The trailers also feature a notched corner in the bulkhead to accommodate the PVC pipe.  Additionally, a temperature probe is mounted in the rear of the trailer that is wired into the refrigeration unit, allowing for the driver to monitor the temperature in both compartments.

While MRS has been in operation under its current management since 2008, the fleet traces its roots and its unique refrigerated LTL load consolidation business model to the early 1990s. “We’ve had to change many things over the years, and find new and better ways to serve our customers,” Koeble states. “The only constant in this business is the need to be smarter.”

Sponsored Recommendations

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

How Electric Vehicles Help You Prolong the Life of Your Fleet

Before adopting electric vehicles for commercial/government fleets, prioritize cost inquiries. Maintenance is essential; understand the upkeep of EV fleets. Here’s what you need...

How to Choose the Right Route Planning Solution

This free buyer's guide will help equip you with the knowledge and insights needed to analyze route planning software and vendors in the market and, ultimately, make an informed...

How to Put Your Trucking Data to Work

How fleets can overcome data overload to optimize operations and get ahead.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!