Dedicated Logistics
Logistics Consulting

A Smart, Efficient Way to Manage Your Fleet

Dedicated Logistics is a highly specialized science driven by data and the know-how of planning and implementing cost-effective solutions for a fleet. Whether you're a national company looking for a regional solution, or a regional company with specific shipping needs, your goals are the same. That's why we've developed flexible and personalized solutions tailored to help you reach your goals.

What Makes NationaLease Dedicated Logistics Your Best Resource?

  • Market Responsiveness
    We have the experience and understanding of multiple markets. We are market responsive, with the ability to respond quickly and anticipate the needs and wants for your fleet.
  • Multiple Service Offerings
    Our Dedicated Logistics program includes a wide range of offerings from third-party transportation and distribution services to integrated supply chain solutions.
  • No Corporate Red Tape
    The burden of formal corporate processes and decisions of a large corporation slows down your fleet operations. With our Dedicated Logistics program, you will have direct communication with company executives rather than national sales teams.
  • Customized Solutions
    We create a solution that fits your needs every time. We collect data and assess your current situation using sophisticated modeling tools to provide optimal recommendations. With this information, we measure and analyze the results to offer the best solutions that will meet your fleet strategies and operations.
  • Specialized Equipment and Operations
    In addition to general product, we serve a wide array of customers and can provide specialized equipment, operations, and solutions that are specific to industry needs and requirements.
  • Flexibility
    Flexibility is just a part of our company culture. If you need to refine your dedicated contact carriage solution, we adapt rapidly to changing conditions and resolve your issues immediately.

A Dedicated Transportation Partner You Can Count On

Interested in a dedicated contract carriage provider? Here are a few points to consider before outsourcing your company's delivery needs.

Dedicated Contract Carriage (DCC), is an outsourced service used in place of implementing a private fleet or to replace an existing private fleet. A shipper utilizing DCC is provided contract pricing, equipment, and drivers for a set amount of time (contract term) to deliver their product, thus guaranteeing rates and capacity for an extended period of time.

Data! Lots of delivery data! Typically, the carrier will require an estimate of an average week of deliveries for your company. The carrier will need this data to create and analyze the routes of each potential driver to ensure the driver complies not only with your delivery needs but also adheres to regulatory transportation rules.

We mean what we say about creating a solution that fits your needs. We collect data and assess your current situation using our sophisticated modeling tools, provide optimal solution recommendations, and implement those solutions. We then use this data to measure and analyze the results of the solutions implemented. Periodically thereafter, we'll compare experiential data collected and use that knowledge to refresh your program for continuous improvement during the length of your dedicated contract carriage agreement.

It is important to share all your shipment data during the initial solution design process. Truckload, LTL, and even small parcel shipments should be taken into consideration when evaluating your company's shipments. The key is to leave no stone unturned, so it's advised to also consider inbound shipments in the analysis. While typical private fleets tend to the outbound shipment of a company's goods, you have an opportunity to take a deeper dive into all your company's transportation needs including those outsourced to 3PLs. It's crucial to provide the complete freight mix for the dedicated contract carriage carrier to analyze.

Also, it's important to go beyond optimizing your route network by performing similar analyses of the resources included in a dedicated carriage solution. Specifically, collaborate with the carrier to ensure the drivers have enough work throughout the week, how efficiently their time is utilized, as well as the transportation equipment involved. In any dedicated contract carriage solution, we include an analysis of the shipment data, equipment utilization, and recommendations for the optimal size and configuration of the fleet for your company's needs.

While data is being collected, you should continue to meet with your dedicated contract carrier to communicate goals, initiatives, and expectations of both your company and the customer base it serves.

The dedicated contract carrier will be responsible for providing the fleet assets as well as scheduling and maintaining the equipment. If at any time a piece of equipment is sidelined for maintenance or repair, the dedicated carrier will provide substitute equipment in order to comply with the delivery schedule. There are a variety of ways the carrier can handle the shipper's existing fleet, including purchasing and operating the equipment, or purchasing and replacing with new equipment, or simply operating the shipper's equipment while providing the aforementioned maintenance requirements. What makes doing business with NationaLease unique is that we not only provide equipment capacity to the truckload market, but also own full service lease and maintenance facilities throughout the US and Canada. This advantage allows for ease and convenience when it comes to providing replacement or additional equipment to satisfy peak or surge demand periods. Additional equipment costs can be factored into your dedicated contract carriage contract as well as negotiated on an as-needed basis.

Pricing options and contract terms will vary. A typical dedicated contract will run between three to five years with an annual CPI incorporated in the contract. Pricing is typically a fixed cost with a variable rate per mile charged. Other pricing options could be fixed and variable pricing models with an hourly wage charge or a pure rate per mile. The pricing model will depend on how the fleet operates as well as your company's preference. These are the details you and your carrier will discuss and finalize during the final contract review.

In most cases, transportation management system (TMS) platforms will facilitate to digital transfer of needed information. These details can be worked out during the implementation stage of your dedicated contract carriage contract and carried through the start of the operation. It's important to consider what kind of data you are looking for. TMS platforms can be an expensive investment. Most carriers have integrated telematics due to regulatory requirements so equipment and shipment visibility is included in the service the carrier would provide. If you are outsourcing, please discuss the type of shipment visibility and shipment data your company tracks.

Once your company has decided to outsource to a dedicated contract carriage carrier, that carrier's operations team will reach out to you to begin a four to six week implementation schedule. The implementation schedule (project plan) will have details that will take your company and the carrier through the daily and weekly process of equipment ordering, staff recruiting and training, invoicing, and additional operational items that will be required for you and the carrier. This document is the blueprint that will take you and the carrier from the foundation to the final construction of your company's dedicated contract carriage structure. After its creation, the implementation document will be updated daily and/or weekly with regular, ongoing communication to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

Once the carrier and operation are up and running, you will meet regularly (weekly or monthly) to review how the fleet is performing. These meetings will include discussions about fleet operation, cost control, holiday and vacation plans, or any other relevant topics that your company chooses to review. These meetings are also a great time to discuss shipment business levels or upcoming changes your company's shipments may see in the future.

Because the dedicated contract carriage carrier is an extension of your company, contingency plans will be developed that will enable you to continue to provide the necessary delivery service to your customers safely and efficiently.