A STEADY diet of the Internet provides foodgrade businesses with a healthy means for improving services, whether the businesses are tank truck carriers or others that support the industry. Drivers and dispatchers searching for tank cleaning facilities can find out what is available and a list of wash capabilities.
Foodgrade carriers can take driver recruitment and retention in hand by advertising job openings while listing company benefits.
Following is a sampling of Web sites from a variety of businesses: tank cleaning, carriers, and load coordinator. These sites are another indication of the versatility that is available through the Web.
www.qualawash.biz
QualaWash, Tampa, Florida, took a look at today's dispatchers and their use of the Internet, and created a Web site to help make their jobs easier. A personalized service, MyQualaWash, will allow customers to establish secure access to yard checks, payment information, and to set up authorization protocol for one-line heel and hand labor approval. Customers are invited to sign up to become part of the initial test service.
The site has location maps, contact information, location capabilities, and service hours. A form is available for customers to apply for credit. QualaWash responds to the credit request within 48 hours.
Another service offers links to material safety data sheets information sites from a wide range of sources, including government, academia, and industry.
www.prtanklines.com
A solid driver recruitment and retention effort resides on the Web site of P&R Tank Lines of Baltimore Inc. Two sections are devoted to company drivers and owner-operators, respectively. Using non-hazardous materials hauling as one incentive for prospective drivers, P&R points out other advantages, including time-on-road benefits.
The company lists its driver requirements and provides an online application form that can be submitted electronically or printed out for mailing. (Please turn page)
Another section of the site has information about tank wash services. Categories include service description, hours of operation, and methods of payment.
On the transportation side of the site, P&R has listed its products and services and locations served by the company.
The site also contains information about other divisions, including ice melting products and wastewater and shop services.
www.conleytrucking.com
R Conley Inc, Elma, New York, uses its Web page to advertise services for foodgrade hauling and tank cleaning, as well as basic maintenance and repair.
Visitors to the site learn that the carrier hauls liquid sugars, juices, vinegar, wine, mineral oil, and pharmaceutical-grade liquids.
The tank cleaning page describes the internal and external services, including both cold flush for concentrates and non-hardening oils. A hot water flush or sanitize (no cleaning solution) and a detergent wash are also available. Directions to the location and a map are provided on another Web page.
In addition, prospective employees can view job requirements and benefits. Job seekers and others with questions for the company can use an e-mail form on another page.
www.dairy.com
Dairy.com, Dallas, Texas, has a new Internet-based transportation market service available for liquid foodgrade shippers and carriers. Shippers post their needs on the site and carriers respond with rate quotes. The program is available to all shippers and haulers of liquid foodgrade products.
Dairy.com was launched by Dairy Farmers of America, The Dannon Company, Dean Foods, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Kraft Foods, Land O' Lakes, Leprino Foods, and Schreiber Foods. Currently, Dairy.com's membership across all trading markets comprises more than 500 users and 130 companies, representing 85% of total industry sales, according to company information.
Use of the Web marketing program requires no setup or subscription fee at this time. With a user account and password, shippers can post transportation requests, and carriers may bid on as many posts as they wish. Dairy.com charges a transaction fee to the shipper and hauler for loads successfully completed through the transportation market.
The Internet-based program represents the latest addition to Dairy.com's offerings, which includes spot trading of milk, cream, condensed skim, and cheese, as well as collaborative scheduling and forward contracting. Dairy.com is also exploring the addition of other dairy commodities such as butter and powders, as well as an expansion of the transportation market to include refrigerated and frozen transport.