Twelve students and four faculty members from Niagara University's Holzschuh College of Business Administration toured the A.DuiePYLE, a regional Less than Truckload terminal in Tonawanda, N.Y., on Wednesday, Nov. 1. A family-owned business since 1924, A.DuiePYLE provides a range of integrated transportation and distribution services with 28 LTL service centers and 18 warehouse facilities.
LTL carriers, using a network of terminals, typically carry palletized freight and must mix shipments from different customers to achieve economical trailer volumes to make deliveries to customers in one to three days. This terminal also loads trailers bound for Canada. Students learned about critical paperwork (including required cross-border documentation) and the importance of customer service before going into the terminal for a physical tour.
The group saw how trailers were loaded to minimize the chance of damage and maximize trailer space and the “dimensioner,” a machine that measures the density of each shipment in a few seconds, thus helping A.DuiePYLE correctly bill their customers. Students commented on how this experience helped them understand topics discussed in the classroom. Special thanks to John Tillison, senior vice president of sales & marketing, who arranged for the tour of the facilities.