Trailer Bridge Choosing Champions
Trailer Bridge has seen a 33% increase year over year in loads booked per day by investing in leaders and a learning culture.
An organization that fosters a strong learning culture is more likely to embrace change and reap the rewards. A culture rooted in continuous learning is pivotal for future success and attracting top talent across the industry. Trailer Bridge (TB) underwent a significant transformation by partnering with Mastery Logistics Systems (Mastery) and implementing MasterMind® TMS, they have experienced success, in part, due to a strong learning culture. Since going live, TB has implemented a custom training and development program to increase product adoption and has seen a significant increase year over year in the number of loads booked per person, per day.
Trailer Bridge grows with MasterMind® TMS
Trailer Bridge is an asset-based logistics company, that has been providing trusted and reliable services throughout North America, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Virgin Islands for more than 30 years. Today, TB has 17 locations worldwide and more than 310 employees. TB needed a system that was built to handle complex multi-modal movements with multiple capacity providers. In 2022 TB implemented MasterMind TMS, a modern SaaS based TMS built to connect systems, people, and data to orchestrate the movement of goods.
The importance of fostering a strong learning culture
Creating a culture focused on employee training and development does not happen overnight. It requires buy-in from leadership and strong organizational values at the business’ core that put an emphasis on training and personal growth. However, implementing significant change programs within an organization can raise concerns, especially when the change modifies an employee’s day-to-day workflows.
‘Be Flexible and Embrace Change’ is a core value TB leans on when facing a new challenge. The company’s leadership relies on its core values to create a common goal across the organization. TB has built its culture around an open-door policy creating a consistent feedback loop throughout the implementation between branch leadership and their logistics teams. TB’s strategic focus on continuous learning and development has put them in a position to overcome resistance to change during the implementation of a new software.
Trailer Bridge enables End User Champions by leaning on core values
One way TB leaned into change was through the creation of an internal Champion Training Program to pinpoint key individuals at each branch location to serve as pivotal figures in supporting their respective teams’ learning. TB’s leadership and Training and Development Specialist worked directly with Mastery to outline training materials and a training schedule. Mastery delivered foundational training sessions for the designated Champions and fostered relationships to encourage open dialogue about challenges or questions encountered during the implementation. After the initial kick-off training series, TB’s internal Training and Development Specialist became the primary liaison for training alongside executive leadership. TB’s executive leaders stayed involved throughout the entire project and continued to emphasize the importance of the training programs.
“Creating a culture that prioritizes training and development requires leadership buy-in and a commitment to ongoing learning. Today, we reap the benefits of this philosophy as we’ve seen increased collaboration across offices following the implementation of the Mastermind TMS.”
Scott Douthitt, Vice President of Logistics at Trailer Bridge
TB’s Raleigh branch created a competition as part of the training to boost product adoption. The competition encouraged the use of various processes within MasterMind TMS to increase exposure across the platform. Since implementing MasterMind TMS and their new training programs TB’s logistics divisions have experienced margin improvements across their loads.
Open communication increases SaaS product adoption
Mastery and TB worked closely together to develop a training program unique to how TB’s end users will operate within the system. The team’s two-way communication allowed for end user feedback to shape the training program.
“The strong relationship between Trailer Bridge and Mastery has been key to the success of our product adoption internally as well as the ongoing implementation process. It’s a testament to the importance of relationships in our business and industry.”
Eric Masotti, President of Logistics at Trailer Bridge
If a specific area was identified where end users required more in depth training the project teams worked alongside each other to develop the content and the best method to deliver the content. In addition to TB’s training classes, they also created a content library which supports ongoing training for individuals across the organization. TB has found different ways to deliver information based on unique learning styles.
Trailer Bridge invests in its people and experiences collective success
TB invests in their people by providing them with opportunities to learn and grow professionally. One way TB invested in its people during the implementation of MasterMind TMS was by creating new roles and responsibilities for End User Champions. These Champions took greater responsibilities and were given the opportunity to become leaders amongst their peers. TB recognizes these individuals in their internal newsletter that goes out to the entire organization, thanking them for their commitment to continued learning and service to TB.
Through the creation of an internal Champion Training Program, TB strategically identified key individuals to serve as advocates and mentors through change. These individuals ensure different branches across TB receive consistent communication and the appropriate amount of training. Through this continued focus, Trailer Bridge experienced a 33% increase year over year in the number of loads booked per person, per day across the entire organization. They also enjoy an increased level of collaboration across branches.
About Trailer Bridge
Trailer Bridge is a full service, asset-light transportation and logistics provider, serving customized freight solutions for more than 30 years. With 17 locations and growing, it offers a broad range of services to meet the needs of today’s shipper including domestic trucking, intermodal, cross border, freight forwarding, international shipping, government services and more.
For more information visit: https://www.trailerbridge.com/
