Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/923471
commercial carrier journal | january 2018 31 INNOVATORS KENAN ADVANTAGE GROUP North Canton, Ohio It also provides ETA updates and 24-hour email noti cations and also allows customers to place new orders and back up documents directly through the portal. No matter how good it has become at servicing its customers, KAG under- stands it is meaningless without its team of safe, professional drivers the company relies on to ful ll its mission statement: Take every load, deliver it on time, with- out incident. An incentive for success KAG shares an employee bene ts package similar to other large carri- ers, including broad coverage options for medical, dental and vision insur- ance, a 401(k) program, a merit-based rewards program, life insurance and other employee assistance programs. KAG separates itself from many of its competitors with its Employer of Choice culture initiative that leverages these o erings along with new equipment, advanced technology, safety support and respect and appreciation from manage- ment to help create a highly attractive work experience. Despite the best e orts by KAG and other industry-leading companies, the worsening driver shortage and tightening capacity have made it more di cult to service customers. "Even with all those initiatives and a low turnover rate, we weren't seeing the traction and growth in driver counts needed to continue to meet the needs of Tanker hauler KAG announces guaranteed three-year driver pay increase program BY JEFF CRISSEY W hen Carl Young and Dennis Nash shook hands and established Advan- tage Tank Lines in 1991, neither man likely could have predicted what the partnership would become 27 years later. Young brought with him a small trucking company, North Canton Transfer. Nash lent his expertise from a career in the trucking industry in operations and sales. rough organic growth and a series of for-hire carrier acquisitions and private eet conversions, the pair would grow the business to become Kenan Advantage Group (CCJ Top 250, No. 21), now North America's largest tanker and bulk hauler with more than 6,000 power units and 10,000 trailers. Today, KAG operates ve business units – Fuels Delivery, Logistics, KAG Canada, Merchant Gas and Specialty Products – and delivers more than 26 billion gallons of petroleum products annually to North American customers from xed-base and satellite terminal locations in 40 states and ve Canadian provinces. With that rapid growth came changes in the ways KAG positioned itself in the market, and management knew its customer base would demand best-in-class service. In 2008, the company launched a proprietary technology platform that integrates real- time data from trucks' onboard computer systems, dispatch information and driver safety and compliance monitoring data into a single platform. KAG Connect is the company's customer-facing web portal that allows users to quickly and easily verify shipment status anywhere from pickup to delivery. The nation's largest bulk hauler implements a new pay increase structure to recruit and retain drivers.