Dean Foods Battles Transportation Inefficiencies
Originally posted on Automotive Fleet
Dean Foods has a zero-tolerance for accidents and injuries safety culture, and requires sign-off from all drivers on a policy banning the use of electronic communication devices while operating any commercial motor vehicle.
n 2008, the company set an overall greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goal to reduce its distribution fleet’s CO2 emissions by 50,000 metric tons by 2013 over its 2007 baseline emissions totals.
Dean Foods has made significant strides in reducing the amount of diesel fuel used in the transportation of its finished product, directly reducing the impact of related emissions on the environment.
Dean Foods invests in training its technicians across the country and ensures outside maintenance providers are using the company’s best practices.
In 2006, the fleet became an early adopter of automatic tire inflation systems (ATIS) for its refrigerated trailer fleet.
The Meritor Tire Inflation System by P.S.I. has been deployed on more than 3,000 of the company’s refrigerated trailers.
Michael Ahart, VP of transportation for Dean Foods, has been with the company since 2000. He is responsible for ensuring the company has a safe and reliable fleet of vehicles for use in the day-to-day delivery of its products.
There are nearly 300 people managing and maintaining the Dean Foods fleet on a day-to-day basis, including 12 corporate-based employees (executives, senior-level management, and support staff); four field-based senior-level managers; 25 field-based managers; and 260 field-based supervisors, technicians, and support staff.
Dean Foods has set goals for each of its 40 maintenance facilities as it relates to warranty dollar recovery, and measures each location monthly on its compliance.
Dean Foods set a goal of reducing its distribution fleet’s CO2 emissions by 50,000 metric tons by 2013 (over a 2007 baseline). Meeting the goal in 2010, it has increased its emissions-reductions goal to 95,000 metric tons by 2020.
The Dean Foods fleet operates 12,100 vehicles. Of these, approximately 6,000 are refrigerated trailers delivering the company’s fluid milk products.
To meet its sustainability goals, the company created a “Smart Fleet” initiative to optimize routes, invest in new technology and equipment, and train drivers to drive more safely and maximize fuel economy.
The company has also instituted a no-idling policy, with automatic vehicle shut-off after 3 minutes of idling.
Ahart started at Dean Foods in 2000. He has held a variety of operation and finance leadership positions before being promoted to his current position in 2006.
A whopping 60 percent of the fleet’s maintenance is performed in-house by the company’s fleet maintenance team.