Spireon Helps Summitt Trucking Address Labor and Trailer Shortage While Saving $644,000 Per Year

Customer-first, technology-focused truckload and logistics company, Summitt Trucking, realized an annual savings of $644,000 after adopting FleetLocate trailer management and Managed Services from Spireon, a Solera company. To mitigate the shortage of professional drivers and commercial trailers, Summitt turned to Spireon’s solutions with the aim of improving operational efficiency, optimizing driver productivity, and enhancing profitability.

“In the current environment, which poses challenges spanning shortages of IT and operational personnel, driver recruitment, supply chain disruptions, trailer shortages and more, it’s imperative that Summitt Trucking distinguishes itself, and Spireon’s end-to-end offering helps us do this,” said David Summitt, president at Summitt Trucking. “FleetLocate is easy to use, Spireon’s customer support is outstanding, and its team of expert analysts has consistently delivered valuable, actionable insights that have significantly enhanced our business results.”

Established nearly four decades ago, award-winning Summitt Trucking is a 24/7 business that provides logistics and truckload services throughout the continental U.S. Based in Clarksville, Indiana, Summitt Trucking’s fleet operation values every employee from the office worker to the driver, and tailors to their customers’ specific needs. It prioritizes partnerships that promote long-term growth and customer satisfaction.
Prior to working with Spireon, Summitt Trucking worked with another telematics provider. “Without an accurate cargo sensor, we were sending five to 10 drivers per day an average of 30 miles to look at 30 trailers on a lot, only to grab one trailer, losing $90-$100 per hour in revenue in each instance and spending more than $500,000 annually having our drivers go and look for empties,” added Mr. Summitt. After a year of using Spireon’s trailer tracking solution, IntelliScan cargo sensor, and cloud-based UI to manage its mixed trailer fleet, Summitt Trucking minimized driver time and saved $500,000 in lost revenue.

Summitt Trucking saw the value provided by Spireon’s FleetLocate, but the business still needed help. That is when Spireon introduced Mr. Summitt to Managed Services and its expert analysts. With this change, Mr. Summitt now sees an improvement in idle trailers, equating to $144,000 saved per year. According to Mr. Summitt, “adding Managed Services to Spireon’s trailer tracking solution has helped my team save countless hours and realize its full potential.”

Trailer utilization is at the forefront of operating concerns due to the simultaneous increase in price of assets and supply constraints. However, trucking companies often find themselves without the actionable data and analysis needed to efficiently allocate their capital resources. Spireon’s dedicated operations analysts produce customized reporting and can tackle bigger challenges such as spotting untapped revenue opportunities.

“Spireon’s Managed Services transforms trailer tracking data to actionable reporting and analysis, offering a professional outside resource to assist with various fleet management needs and identify opportunities to improve operations and bolster margins,” stated Scott Flerl, supervisor of Managed Services at Spireon. "Trailers don’t just impact operations—whether it be to support contract rates, detention billing, maintenance intervals, or anything else—our Spireon Managed Services team provides Summitt Trucking and our other customers with the tools they need to help improve the bottom line.”

“It has been a pleasure collaborating with David and his team at Summitt Trucking to ensure the fleet has reliable, real-time visibility to trailer location and status, and intelligent insights to inform strategic decision making,” said Roni Taylor, senior vice president of strategy and business development at Spireon.