Pilot was named as one of SupplyChainBrain’s 100 Great Supply Chain Partners, an annual peer-nominated industry honor. Over a period of six months, supply chain professionals submit vendors and providers whose solutions have made a significant impact on their company’s efficiency and overall supply chain performance.

In June, Pilot was awarded its 16^th Ryder Carrier Quality Award. The commercial fleet management, dedicated transportation, and supply chain solutions company recognizes excellence through a variety of metrics, including on-time performance, claims handling, customer service, technology applications, economic value, and innovation for the last full calendar year.

For the ninth consecutive year, Pilot has been named to Inbound Logistics’ list of the top 3PL Providers. Each year, Inbound Logistics’ editors select the best logistics solutions providers by carefully evaluating submitted information, conducting interviews and online research, and comparing that data to their readers’ expanding global supply chain and logistics challenges to serve their unique needs better and with more efficiency.

Throughout September, Pilot is supporting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s Million Mile fundraiser—the largest childhood cancer awareness challenge that funds research for cancer treatments and cures. During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, employees are tracking their efforts to walk, run and bike, like Kevin Burrell, who works for Pilot Salt Lake City. At Pilot’s corporate office, a volleyball match got employees into action and combined with 50/50 drawings, helped raised over $1,500 for the cause. Pilot launched its charitable initiative with ALSF this spring and has already donated over $50,000 to the foundation.

Pilot’s acquisition of Manna Freight Systems marks the expansion into an important final mile service category: H3D. With the purchase of the Minneapolis-based provider, Pilot gains leverage specifically in the furniture delivery and appliance delivery and installation markets, core areas in which Manna has been very successful. “In 2018, our e-commerce business has grown remarkably, so entering this new space with furniture and appliances not only enhances our final mile capabilities, it raises them to the next level,” says John Hill, president and COO.

With favorable, warmer weather leading into June, Northwestern U.S. cherry suppliers were able to start the picking season slightly earlier this year. That means Pilot Seattle’s cherry operation is now in full swing with peak volumes expected to come in July. This year, the perishables industry forecasts 21.5 million 20-pound boxes of cherries will ship worldwide, which is down slightly from last year’s volume, mainly due to lost crops in California. Pilot Seattle, which ships millions of pounds of sweet cherries each season, is keeping pace with demand by servicing overseas markets that include China, Taipei, Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Korea is a new destination for Pilot this year, and the Seattle team expects significant traffic for this location throughout the course of the season. When it comes to this delicate commodity, Pilot Seattle is known for its ability to adjust volumes and react to the time-sensitive nature of shipping perishables, so that fresh produce can reach worldwide points in a timely manner! 

Pilot’s newest multi-client warehouse is now operating in Salt Lake City, providing a gateway for West Coast distributions. The 44,000-square-foot facility is designed to give clients of all sizes and scope in the West Coast market the ability to store, distribute and manage transportation operations, all under Pilot’s trusted name. According to Steve Bullard, vice president, logistics services, Salt Lake City is an ideal West Coast distribution location for several reasons, including a desire to better service customers in the e-commerce sector, an area of significant growth for Pilot during the last three quarters. “Many companies are now moving warehouse operations out of California due to internal tax and cost implications of distributing e-commerce product from there,” he says. SLC is also geographically located to support 2-day deliveries to most of the western U.S., and Pilot’s multi-client warehouse is supported by ground, air and parcel capacity as well.