CNGA LooseLeaf February March 2019

5 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf February/March 2019 MEMBER PROFILE C&S Transportation Services, LLC 800.928.2787 720.870.4949 cstrans.com Interviewwith Freight Agent Rick McDougall & Company President Scott Anderson Safe, Reliable & Experienced in Plant Delivery Rick, how did you get started with C&S? I was an independent trucking owner/operator for 17 years. During that time, I delivered trees to Little Valley Wholesale Nursery. After Larry Watson asked me to schedule deliveries to his customers, I found myself enjoying that type of work and became a freight agent. I’ve been doing that for the past 20 years, the last eight with C&S. What are your company’s strengths? We pride ourselves on taking care of our customers and doing what needs to be done. All of our carriers are pre-qualified, licensed and very experienced with hauling live and cut plant material. This enables us to provide consistent performance and on-time pickups and delivery. Since scheduling is always a priority for our customers, we communicate with them by calling ahead on both the pickup and delivery ends of a load so that there are no surprises. Customer education is also important. We want them to understand that we may have to adjust schedules due to unforeseen or uncontrollable weather events or machinery issues. But, at the end of the day, we provide a quality freight service that is safe, reliable and committed to delivering plant material in a healthy condition and on time. Afterall, it’s not the truck that moves the freight; it’s the people, and our staff is the best at what they do! Is the truck shortage affecting your availability? Several factors have produced a real shortage of freight trucks. The new ELD (electronic logging device) regulations, required medical certificates, and the subsequent loss of 17,000 trucks in 2018 has certainly limited the country’s overall freight capacity. Our company has been able to adapt, and we pride ourselves on meeting our customers’ needs and schedules. However, during periods of high seasonal demand, like the second and fourth quarters, customers need to plan ahead for getting their loads scheduled. How can growers save on freight costs? If a grower is sending plant material to multiple locations, they should consider consolidating the orders onto one load wherever possible. They would pay freight costs based on the furthest delivery point, with smaller drop fees for each delivery along the way. C&S can help with any shipping logistics to maximize delivery efficiency and customer satisfaction, while minimizing costs to the shipper. Rick, what are some of your more unique loads? I once delivered a live, 65-foot spruce tree from Illinois to Greenwood Village, Colo. It had a 12-foot diameter root ball, and required a 65-foot stretch trailer. Another time I hauled a load of nickels from the Denver Mint to Los Angeles. It weighed 47,000 pounds, and was $250,000 worth of nickels. Oddly, I didn’t have a security escort. What key benefit do you get from CNGA? We exhibit each year at ProGreen EXPO and the member discount is an important benefit for us. It gives us the chance to keep in touch with our customers and meet them face to face, which is very im- portant to us. It also gives us a chance to introduce our company to customer prospects and develop new business relationships. Scott Anderson, President 400 Bellerive Blvd. Suite 200 Nicholasville, Ky. 40356