Page 47 - ATR 2 2015 web

The question for motor carriers
these days is how to get more cool kids
like Rhodes to take an interest in the “we’re usiNg techNology to leverage
industry. And to do that, the mostly
young IT (information technology) everythiNg we caN, aNd we Need to do a
professionals have to see that today’s Better joB of commuNicatiNg to people
motor carriers are actually sophisticated that the opportuNities we have are
logistics companies hungry for data that valuaBle aNd that we have successful,
can give them an edge in a competitive
market. happy people employed iN the iNdustry
Rhodes, 44, whose brother was a earNiNg a good liviNg.”
vice president at eBay, has been in the
trucking industry for 20 years, but he —shaNNoN NewtoN, ata presideNt
didn’t start there. Instead, he worked
in telecommunications and for Waste
Management. The science of collecting “I just don’t think they know how we can, and we need to do a better job
and burying trash led him to trans- complex all of that information is,” he of communicating to people that the
portation, where he eventually became said. “And as we go to newer fleets with opportunities we have are valuable and
global vice president of IT operations at the newer technology, the data just gets that we have successful, happy people
CEVA Logistics. better and better. It becomes more of a employed in the industry earning a
video game than it does the old every- good living.”
ColleCTing daTa body-sitting-in-a-room-type scenario. ... Max Farrell, co-founder of Create
The world of trucking has plenty “You’re trying to maximize value Reason, a company that encourages
to offer IT professionals, Rhodes said. and hours. A driver can only drive X employee engagement and innova-
Today’s companies can know exactly amount of hours, so the more that you tion, said young IT professionals in the
what every truck and driver in their can maximize those amount of hours so-called “millennial” age group want
fleet are doing. At an LTL carrier, they that a driver can drive and actually be three things: autonomy, mastery and
can use data to determine how best driving and not waiting or sitting or purpose. They have a hunger to learn,
to consolidate packaging so they can doing something that’s nonproductive, test and explore new concepts. So to
load as much as possible onto a truck, the better you get. So the video game is, attract that age group, the company
how to maximize time, and where the how do I maximize the drivers’ hours to can work into its culture what he called
best lanes are. Data collected from two the fullest every single day of the week? “microactions,” such as giving employ-
major weather events during the last Because you can never get a driver’s ees a few hours to explore ideas, and
two years is helping his company pre- hours back. Once it goes bad, once it then celebrate those successes. Farrell,
pare for the next one. goes stale, you totally lose it forever, and 25, said young people want their work
“Everything that I looked at, I was the people that utilize hours the best are to be meaningful, so they care about
looking at through that paradigm of the ones that are winning the game.” how a company embraces its corporate
how can we make this more efficient and social responsibilities. They also
and what data do we already have to sCouTing TeCh TalenT want a clear career path “almost to the
make this more efficient,” he said The motor carrier industry needs to point of each month of how one thing
about his move into trucking. “Because do a better job of educating everyone, leads to the next. Otherwise, disengage-
all the trucking companies have this including young people and their par- ment does start to occur,” he said.
data. It’s the ones that use it that ents, about the opportunities available Motor carriers must find IT tal-
become really successful, and the ones in the industry, said Shannon Newton, ent rather than just wait for the tal-
that don’t use it, they’re really missing Arkansas Trucking Association presi- ent to find them. John Limozaine,
the boat.” dent. Part of the problem is that the senior corporate recruiter, Maverick
Helping IT professionals see those move toward technology has happened Transportation, said his company trav-
possibilities is the key to attracting so quickly that carriers haven’t had a els a number of avenues when looking
people to the industry. Most still “look chance to catch up. But catch up they for talent. It partners with universities,
at trucks as dumb units which just haul must. advertises job openings, and recently
something from point A to point B,” “I think that trucking and trans- hired an IT manager from the banking
he said, not realizing how sophisticated portation finds itself now as a sophis- industry. He said young people coming
trucks and trucking operations have ticated industry,” she said, “and we’re
become. using technology to leverage everything 

aRkansas TRuCking RepoRT | issue 2 2015 47