Pilot Freight Services Named Official Carrier of the Freedom Bell

LIMA, Pa.—May 27, 2014—Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, has been dubbed the “Official Carrier of the Freedom Bell” by The Spirit of Liberty Foundation. At the foundation’s request, Pilot has delivered the Freedom Bell from its place of honor at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, to the Indy 500 in Indianapolis for a Memorial Day salute to U.S. Armed Forces.

“The Freedom Bell is quickly becoming an important American icon. In just the past year since it was created, over 250,000 people have seen and rung the bell, and it was important to the foundation to give fans of the Indy 500 the opportunity to ring the bell in honor of our armed forces,” said Richard Rovsek, chairman of the Spirit of Liberty Foundation. “When other major shippers and forwarders were unable to help us, someone immediately said, ‘call Pilot Freight Services.’”

“As a family-owned business that is proud to work closely with U.S. Armed Services on a regular basis, we were happy to help The Spirit of Liberty Foundation with this move,” said John Hill, executive vice president of Pilot Freight Services. “This type of unique, oversized shipment is perfect for our expertise, and I have to give a big thanks to our Honolulu and Indianapolis stations, which handled either end of the delivery process.”

The Freedom Bell was cast on June 6, 2013, the 69th anniversary of D-Day, with full military honors. The bell symbolically contains metal from the Twin Towers, and features the official emblems of each branch of the Armed Forces, embossed on the bell in the order of their founding: Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force. It is inscribed with the words “Honoring our Armed Forces Past, Present and Future.”

Pilot Freight Services’ Raleigh Station Moves to Bigger, Better Location

LIMA, Pa.—January 6, 2014—Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, announced today that its Raleigh station has moved to a new location in the heart of the Triangle region in the Globe Center complex. The new station is adjacent to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and minutes from Research Triangle Park, which is home to more than 170 global tech companies.

The new site offers roughly 25,000 square feet of office and warehouse space, more than double the size of the station’s previous location. The enhanced warehouse space will allow Pilot to provide inventory management as an addition to the services it currently provides to its customers. The station’s customer base includes technology, furniture, medical, electronics, and manufacturing companies, among others.

“Having additional warehouse space and proximity to the airport in such a central location puts us in a good position to provide the best service to our customers,” said Pilot Regional Manager Charlie Hertlein. “With technology changing so quickly, we strive to stay on top of the latest industry trends, and the new space will allow us to do that efficiently.”

Michael Schwartz, co-owner of Pilot’s Raleigh station said, “It’s a very exciting time for Pilot and we are seeing growth—not only here in Raleigh, but throughout the company. We designed the new facility based on the needs of our customers, so that we can handle anything that crosses our docks. With this expansion we are prepared to develop and gain new opportunities and types of business. ”

The station, which is operational as of Thursday, December 19, is located at 9221 Globe Center Drive, Suite 120, Morrisville, NC 27560.

Pilot Freight Services Wraps Up Successful Holiday Shipping Season

December 30, 2013—Philadelphia, Pa.—Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, announced today that it has completed the holiday delivery rush with its best ever on-time delivery rate. The company delivered more than 40,000 televisions and other large items to consumers in the month of December.

“The holidays are always a challenge for shippers, with extremely high volumes and very tight delivery windows,” said Richard Phillips, CEO of Pilot Freight Services. “We always pride ourselves on on-time, damage-free deliveries, and the holiday season is no exception. We work closely with our customers ahead of the rush to determine their needs and set clear expectations that our network of stations and partners can work to meet or exceed.”

Phillips continued, “This year we launched a suite of new technologies that make our network more efficient, reduce errors, change driver routings on the fly, and allow us to flex to the specific needs of each customer. But we did not rely on technology alone. Our people make the difference, and this year we increased our staffing and training in order to handle the extra load. Throughout our network, Pilot people worked harder and smarter to avoid the disappointment of a missed holiday delivery. We are still seeing large numbers of after-Christmas orders coming through, which we expect to continue into mid-January. Our team will continue to work to ensure the same high rates of customer satisfaction that we’ve been able to provide thus far. We anticipate that when the numbers are all in, our home delivery on-time performance rate will be well over 99 percent for the month of December.”

Pilot Freight Services Receives Recognition from SupplyChainBrain and Ryder Transportation Management

Lima, Pa.—July 29, 2013—Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, announced today that it has been recognized as a top provider by two of the industry’s most prestigious award programs. The company was named the 2013 Ryder Transportation Management Carrier of the Year in the category of North American Freight Forwarder. The awards program, which has recognized Pilot for 8 consecutive years, identifies the top-performing carriers who provide outstanding service to their customers. Additionally, Pilot was named to SupplyChainBrain’s “100 Great SC Partners” list, which highlights a select number of companies who have exceeded expectations in every aspect of customer service and overall supply chain performance.

“Taking great care of our customers is always our number one goal, so to receive awards that specifically recognize customer service is particularly meaningful for us,” said Richard Phillips, chief executive officer of Pilot. “The entire team at Pilot continually goes above and beyond with every customer, on every shipment. Without that dedication and effort, we would never have achieved our goal of $500 million in revenue in 2012.”

The Ryder awards recognize excellence through a variety of metrics, including on-time performance, claims handling, customer service, technology applications, economic value and innovation. Ryder places more than $3.7 billion of its customers’ freight on selected carriers in all modes of transportation. SupplyChainBrain’s 11th annual list of 100 Great Supply Chain Partners is the result of a six-month online poll, in which supply chain professionals were asked to nominate vendors and service providers whose solutions have made a significant impact on their company’s efficiency, customer service and overall supply chain performance. Nominations were received for hundreds of trading partners in every aspect of supply chain management. Pilot appears in the July/August issue of SupplyChainBrain magazine as a celebrated member of this year’s 100 Great.

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Pilot Freight Services Expands into Spain

LIMA, Pa.—June 30, 2013—Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, announced today that it has expanded its European footprint with a newly opened station in A Coruña, Spain, a port city in the Northwest of the country.

This announcement comes on the heels of Pilot reaching a $500 million revenue milestone in 2012. The company, which opened its first European station in Amsterdam in 2011, plans to open additional locations in Barcelona and Madrid within the year.

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from the opening of our station in Amsterdam, as our customers have really seen the benefit of having Pilot employees on the ground in Europe. Our plan has always been to expand further within the continent, and Spain was a natural next step,” said Richard Phillips, CEO of Pilot Freight Services. “Our team in A Coruña is already handling shipments of textiles and ecommerce goods, and we expect these commodities to be a mainstay for Pilot Spain.”

The A Coruña station offers a full suite of transportation and logistics services, including air, ocean, ground and logistics capabilities, and will handle freight en route to the European Union, China, the United States and South America. The station is being run by Javier Torrens and Eduardo Sanjuro, who will be responsible for all sales and operations.

Pilot Freight Services Hits $500 Million Revenue Milestone

LIMA, Pa.—February 1, 2013—Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, announced today that it has hit the $500 million revenue mark for the first time, with $500.6 million in revenue for 2012. The company shipped more than 640 million pounds over the year, a nearly 8 percent increase from 2011.

“Two years ago we set a lofty goal of reaching $500 million in revenue for 2012, despite being in the midst of trying economic times. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone in the Pilot organization, we achieved that goal,” said Richard Phillips, chief executive officer of Pilot.

Phillips continued, “While the numbers themselves are exciting, I’m even happier about how we got here. In the last few years, we’ve really focused on our core strength: heavy-weight, expedited freight. To this end, our strategy has included walking away from some very attractive-looking, big revenue accounts. Instead, we’ve gone after business that has made Pilot a stronger company and positioned ourselves for long-term, sustainable growth.”

Pilot saw strong year-over-year growth in several of its business units in 2012, including special services (up 40 percent), home delivery (up 21 percent), national accounts (up 12 percent) and government services (up 11 percent). After opening its first European station in 2011, Pilot expanded its footprint into Canada, establishing a station in Toronto in early 2012. The company expects to continue its international expansion by opening a station in Spain in the first half of 2013.

 

Pilot Freight Services Receives Industry Recognition

Lima, Pa.—August 20, 2012—Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, announced that it has been recognized as a top provider by three of the industry’s most prestigious publications. The company was awarded its 23rd Quest for Quality Award from Logistics Management magazine, and recognized as the #1 Overall Freight Forwarder. Additionally, Pilot was named to Inbound Logistics magazine’s Top 100 3PL Providers list, and SupplyChainBrain’s “100 Great SC Partners” list.

“As we continue to grow as a company, we have worked extremely hard to be the best in the business, particularly in the realm of customer service,” said Richard Phillips Jr., CEO of Pilot Freight Services. “Receiving recognition from the editors and readers of the publications that cover our industry validates that hard work, and serves as a testament to the incredible team that we have at Pilot. We look forward to continuing to impress our customers and the industry at large.”

The Quest for Quality Awards, long regarded as an important measure of customer satisfaction in the industry, recognize overall service excellence in five areas: on-time performance, value, information technology, customer service, and equipment and operations. The awards are determined by votes from readers of Logistics Management, with more than 4,700 ballots cast this year. Awards will be presented at a reception on October 3rd, in conjunction with the annual CSCMP Conference in San Diego.

Each year, Inbound Logistics editors select the best logistics solutions providers by evaluating submitted information, conducting personal interviews and online research, and comparing that data to readers’ global supply chain and logistics challenges. IL editors selected this year’s class of Top 100 3PLs from a pool of more than 300 companies. The service providers selected are companies that, in the opinion of IL editors, offer the diverse operational capabilities and experience to meet readers’ unique supply chain and logistics needs.

SupplyChainBrain’s 10th annual list of 100 Great Supply Chain Partners is the result of a six-month online poll, in which supply chain professionals were asked to nominate vendors and service providers whose solutions have made a significant impact on their company’s efficiency, customer service and overall supply chain performance. Nominations were received for hundreds of trading partners in every aspect of supply chain management.

Pilot Freight Services Awarded Ryder Carrier Quality Award for the Seventh Consecutive Year

Lima, Pa.—July 31, 2012—Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, received a 2011 Ryder Transportation Management Carrier Quality Award for the seventh consecutive year in the category of North American Freight Forwarder. Every year Ryder recognizes carriers through this award who demonstrate excellence in on-time performance, claims handling, customer service, technology applicants, economic value and innovation.

“We are honored to be awarded the Ryder Quality Award for 2011,” said John Hill, Pilot’s executive vice president of sales. “The award shows our team’s commitment to outstanding customer service and carrier performance. We greatly appreciate every Pilot employee’s dedication as well as Ryder for recognizing our work.”

The Ryder awards recognize excellence through a variety of metrics including: on-time performance, claims handling, customer service, technology applicants, economic value and innovation. Ryder places more than $4.1 billion of its customers freight on selected carriers in all modes of transportation.

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Pilot Freight Services Reports Strong Revenue Growth for Second Quarter

LIMA, PA—July 26, 2012–Pilot Freight Services, a worldwide provider of transportation and logistics services, today announced reported revenue of $126.5 million for the second quarter, ending June 30, 2012. This marks a 12.5 percent increase over the same period in 2011 and a continued strengthening in the momentum of ten consecutive quarters of revenue growth.

In Q2, Pilot saw steady increases in all areas of business with the most significant stemming from their special services business, up 65.5 percent year-over-year and home delivery, up 37.2 percent over last year. This sector growth is attributed to a diversification in home deliveries product shipment including outdoor products as well as home furnishings. The special services division saw growth as a result of their asset recovery and medical equipment businesses.

“We are incredibly excited to see our numbers grow across all industry sectors and our customer base further develop,” said Richard Phillips, chief executive officer of Pilot. “In the third quarter of 2012, we look forward to seeing sustained long term revenue growth as a result of our dedication to exceeding our customers’ needs and expectations while consistently developing our business lines to serve a broader customer base. I am confident that by focusing on our customers’ needs and taking pride in the work that we do, we will continue to foster our long-term company growth.”

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Ernst & Young Announces Pilot Freight Services CEO Richard Phillips is the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012 Award Winner in Greater Philadelphia

LIMA, Pa.—June 26, 2012– Ernst & Young LLP today announced that Pilot Freight Services Chief Executive Officer, Richard Phillips, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012 Award in the service category in Greater Philadelphia. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Richard Phillips was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala on June 21, 2012 at the Terrace Ballroom of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia.

“It’s very exciting to receive the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Everyone at Pilot prides themselves in standing out from the competition through outstanding customer service. This award reflects that pride and commitment.” said Phillips. “It’s an honor to be recognized alongside the most successful entrepreneurs in the Greater Philadelphia region and I’m thrilled that Pilot has received Ernst & Young’s recognition.”

Now in its 26th year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of FedEx, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Richard Schulze of Best Buy, Andrew Mason of Groupon, Mindy Grossman of HSN, Inc., Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and many more.

As a Greater Philadelphia award winner, Richard Phillips is now eligible for consideration for the National Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Award. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 17, 2012. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.