Breaking away from “the usual” has netted Marten Transport the Randall-Reilly/CCJ 2011 Innovator of the Year award. As part of its focus on saving fuel and money in recent years, Marten simply examined the way it had always operated and took up the challenge to make a change.

In 2008, Marten Chief Executive Officer Randy Marten tasked Douglas Petit, Marten’s executive vice president of operations, to find additional ways to save fuel. At that time, unprecedented high diesel prices were forcing many carriers out of business – a fate the Mondovi, Wis.-based refrigerated carrier was determined to avoid

With a firm goal set to control fuel costs, Randy Marten and Petit began to consider new solutions. Petit turned his attention to the fleet’s frozen food shipping operations and the standard practice of transporting frozen food at -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Petit proposed setting the temperature slightly higher to place a lighter demand on reefer diesel engines but wanted further testing to ensure that moving to a higher shipping temperature would not affect food quality in any way. During initial and secondary testing, Petit says they saw “zero” food quality control issues when shipped using the higher temperature settings.

Today, Marten Transport ships 78 percent of all frozen foods at that setting compared to just 10 percent when the process first began.

This simple change has translated to a fuel savings of about 130,000 gallons per quarter. At today’s national average of $3.07 a gallon that results in quarterly savings of $399,100. Additionally, maintenance costs for reefer engines have dropped.

“We’re thrilled to receive this award,” says Robert Smith, Marten’s chief operating officer. “It’s rewarding to us as a company to be resourceful in our operations but to have those efforts recognized by the Innovator of the Year designation is an enormous honor for us. We’re very proud of Douglas Petit and everyone who took up this challenge.”

Avery Wise, Randall-Reilly/CCJ Editorial Director, says this award recognizes what he calls “the essence of innovation” which is a clear challenge to conventional wisdom. “Strip away the specifics of each Innovator of the Year and what you find is a creative spark -- a leap,” says Wise. “It's the mindset that says we aren't going to do things the way everyone else does just because that's what everyone else does."

According to Wise, Marten Transport exemplifies this approach to management. “One day not so long ago the [Marten] management team questioned a standard industry practice and in doing so saved the company lots of money without compromising the quality of its service,” he says. “This company recognized that while at some point in time there might have been a legitimate reason to follow a particular practice, times change. Tools and technology change.”

About Marten Transport, Ltd.
Marten Transport specializes in transporting food and other consumer packaged goods that require a time and temperature-sensitive or insulated environment. For more information on services or opportunities at Marten Transport, call 800-395-3331 or visit us online at www.layover.com

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