Tony, Author at Premier Global Transportation

Logistics Administrator

We have the job for you!

Are you organized? Can you multi-task? Are you good at problem-solving? Have you been thinking of a new career path? Or maybe you like the path, you just want to revisit who you work for at the moment?

If the common answer to those questions is YES, you’ll want to keep reading!

The logistics industry has a need for many different skillsets. At PGT, one position we have is a Logistics Administrator. You know what we think about them? They are the glue for the entire operations team.

We’ll explain what’s in it for you. Most people care about the pay first, so we will start there.

We take pride in our work here at PGT and want you to as well. This role offers competitive pay plus a the potential for bonuses throughout the year. The pay goes hand in hand with your experience. We are willing to train, but if you have the background in both administration and logistics, we aren’t afraid to pay you for that experience!

What else does PGT have to offer? Let us break it down for you by highlighting some of the most important parts.

The atmosphere. Relaxed. Casual. Fun. Sound good yet? PGT is all of those things and then some. We want everyone to enjoy coming to work. Sure, there are always going to be bad days, but we believe there are more good days than bad here. There are TVs going, music in the background, and often jokes and stories flying back and forth. We enjoy simple things like casual attire, walks around the building, flexibility, and team events outside of the office.

The benefits. Our list of benefits continues to grow as we grow. We currently offer a 401k with a 401k match! We want you to be with us until you retire, so let us help get you there. We pay a cell phone stipend and paid time off at time of hire. In addition, we can get you set up with medical, dental and vision insurance. Not bad for a company less than two years old, right?

Growth potential. New company = endless opportunities. We have a solid staff that has laid the groundwork for success, now we just need you to help build the foundation of our future. As we grow, so do the opportunities. The potential to move up into various other roles is endless. You can do as much as you want with us and go as far as you want to go. You control your destiny when you work at PGT. How far do you want to go?

Sounds good, right?

Come join our team! Check out the job description on Indeed and apply while you are there! You can also give us a call at 513-453-6046 to set up an interview.

Table Talk- Carrier Tips

PGT Tips for Carriers

Fun and exciting things just keep coming at PGT. In April, we are introducing a new feature: Table Talk Tuesdays!

This could mean many different things: tips for customers, PGT insider information, industry changes, etc.

Our first episode of Table Talk is geared toward our carriers.

Check out the video below for Carrier Tips with Kandra, Taylor & Jake.

Produce Season

Produce in Full Swing

Spring is here. That means we’ve kicked off produce season.

What is produce season? It seems obvious, but the reality is, there are so many variations of fruits and vegetables that it makes it a little more complex. Add in the different types of weather and temperatures across the globe, and produce is technically moving year-round.

But…here we are, in peak season, which generally runs February through July. This is when the largest volume of fruits and vegetables are harvested and shipped to manufacturers, grocery stores and various other vendors across the country.

The real question this time of year: how does peak produce season impact truck rates?

I think we all know what happens when demand for trucks rises, right? If not, let us clarify. Capacity shrinks. It’s not the best ratio, but the number of trucks and drivers doesn’t change just because there is more volume. In addition to that, refrigerated trucks are in even higher demand, so the rate for reefers increases drastically this time of year.

That’s all great information, but what does the data tell us?

According to DAT, spot market freight rates rise over 30% in the spring, peaking toward the end of March. Because of this, carriers will intentionally position their trucks in the produce states- mostly southern states & California. This impacts shippers in other markets because they experience capacity shortages in their areas because more trucks are looking for the higher produce rates. This generally drives rates up for other equipment- vans, rail, LTL, etc.

How big is the increase? Spot rates (not including FSC), have increased by almost $1.00/mile in the last three months, per DAT. Comparing that to two years ago, rates have increased over 120% this time of year, averaging almost $5.00 per mile.

Let PGT Help

To try and combat higher prices, reach out to us. We can help with spot market rates with our preferred carriers, but we can also work together to put some contracted rates in place so you don’t feel such a dramatic price increase during peak season. And a big thing- put your focus on being that one shipper everyone loves. Have flexible shipping and receiving hours, driver-friendly facilities, and treat drivers like they will be handling your valuable freight…because, well, they are! By doing this, you will become a shipper that carriers will gravitate to and will be more willing to run at lower rates.

An Indiana Girl

Meet Jennifer

It’s time to meet the one that holds the sales floor together. She wears many hats- but is the go-to person for our daily operations.

Meet Jennifer, a Hoosier girl through and through.

She was born and raised in Indiana. She graduated from Vincennes University with an Associates Degree in Accounting (yes, that’s one of the hats she wears here at PGT).

Jennifer married her high school sweetheart, and they have three children and one grandson. They love to spend most of their time outdoors: kayaking, fishing, or going to the local “beach” at Brookville Lake (total Hoosier at heart, right?).

She started with Premier Global Transportation almost a year ago as a Logistics Administrator.

“I love what I do and I’m proud to be a part of the team.”

Jennifer has been in the industry for seven years, but one thing she loves about the industry is the daily challenge.

“It still challenges me every day to grow as a leader, professional, and even in my personal life,” she explains.

“If you’re looking to expand your experience or to start your journey in the freight industry, I highly recommend joining our team,” Jennifer explained.

“It’s great to be part of a team environment that works together to create personal and company success. We are always growing and striving to be better.”

A Million Dollar Milestone

A $1 million month

We told you big things were happening at PGT!

The reality is, though, that it couldn’t have happened without all of our customers, carriers, team members, and families. Our business doesn’t work without each and every one of you, and we are extremely humbled by that.

Thank-you doesn’t seem like enough, but words are hard to come by around here right now. We are proud of our success and cannot wait to continue to grow with all of you! Thank you for all of your support, relationships, and work!

We couldn’t have hit $1 MILLION of revenue in a one-month period, less than two years in business, without you all. March was a big month for us and we are excited to continue sharing our milestones with you!

Because we don’t know what else to say: THANK-YOU one million times over! (I don’t really feel like typing “thank-you” a million times)

Going Above & Beyond

Going the Extra Mile

It may be a simple concept, but not everyone does it. Here? It’s just what we do.

We take every opportunity we get to learn, understand, and get feedback from our carriers and customers. What better way to do that than see it all firsthand?

That’s exactly what account manager Jason Harper did last week when we drove out to one of his customer’s delivery locations.

But the real question is why. Why bother seeing your customer’s product deliver? Why take time out of your day to check in on a truck driver delivering product for you?

The more we understand about your company, product, and procedures, the better service we can provide. At PGT, we honor our promise of quality service from start to finish. When we get the opportunity to learn more about the shipping and receiving processes our customers deal with, we jump at it. It provides great insight to other aspects of the business. Then we can provide some feedback for you on ideas we may have to make things easier on your end.

It’s always an added bonus when we can see the delivery process from the carrier side of things. It is a great way for us to build relationships with our carrier base, which, in turn, ensure your freight is handled by the drivers who value our relationship.

We’d love to come check out your facilities to ensure we understand just how complex your supply chain is and how we can better serve you. Ask your account rep or give us a call at 513-575-7645. Let’s make it happen!

Fowling Fun!

PGT Family Fun

At PGT, we consider each other family. After all, we spend many hours a week with each other.

This industry can take a toll on you if you don’t balance work, life and fun! We try to combine everything into one around here to help everyone relax, get to know each other personally, and really build that team environment that goes along with our core values.

Every quarter we get out of the office and do something fun. Don’t get us wrong, we do other small things on a regular basis, but every quarter, we make sure we do something bigger and better to let loose.

As we wrap up the first quarter, we thought it would be fun to show you exactly what we mean! Earlier this month we went FOWLING! Nope. That’s not a typo. Fowling.

If you’re like most of us and have never heard of it, you should really check it out! It’s a lot of fun.
The entire PGT staff was there, enjoying each other’s company, having a few drinks, and throwing a football at bowling pins. To make it even better- there was some added friendly (for the most part haha!) competition. As you can see, Kandra may or may not have won…a lot.

Come join our staff! We have several open positions. We are confident you will find one that fits. You still have time to get on board before our Q2 event. You won’t want to miss out.

E is for Excellence

Excellence- the final core value

We’ve reached the end. It’s time to finish our discussion on our core values!

We have determined that T.I.M.E. is our most valuable asset. In every interaction, we strive to uphold our values to keep our team and your business on track. If you missed it, we discussed teamwork, integrity & meticulous earlier this month.

But what does T.I.M.E. mean for you? We continue this discussion with today’s focus: E is for Excellence.

We do the job and we do it well.

If there’s one thing to describe our focus, it’s definitely excellence. Ironically, that means we have to do the other pieces as well.

Excellence means things to different people, but at PGT excellence is defined by execution. Did we give our customers what we promised? Will they trust us with their freight again? Did our carriers have a good experience with the shippers and receivers? We will become a preferred carrier for us?

We answer those questions every day to evaluate our level of excellence. It’s obvious the answer can’t always be “yes” to all of those questions every time. But that’s the goal, no matter how unrealistic it may be. There are a lot of moving parts, many that PGT can’t always control, but we will do our best to control as much as we can.

Control becomes easier with technology. That’s why we have invested a great deal of our time, money and energy into having top-of-the-line technology options for our customers and carriers. We have a customized TMS software, upgraded phone and internet options, and have major IT projects in the works. All of this helps us, and you, reach the highest operational efficiency possible.

PGT believes we are the standard for excellence. That doesn’t always mean perfection, but we’ll get as close to that as we possibly can. We want your freight to move without issues so your experience is…dare we say it…EXCELLENT!

Flatbed Market

Spring has sprung...flatbeds?

Spring is here. Many associate this time of year with produce loads. Not today. Today we’re reviewing the flatbed market.

When the temperature starts to rise, so does the load volume for flatbeds. Over the last couple of weeks, the number of flatbed loads moving increased by more than 7%, according to DAT. The load post volume on DAT’s load board have also increased by about 18%. The number of carrier equipment being posted through the DAT system has also increased.

What does that mean? The short answer is that capacity is tightening. Yes, there are more loads and more equipment being posted, but the load to truck ratio isn’t increasing at the same rate. In fact, the recent DAT load-to-truck ratio trends are seeing a significant drop. (You can see the load-to-truck ratio according to DAT in the graphic to the right.)

What is this doing to the flatbed rates?

As the month progresses, so does the spot rate. Last month, flatbed rates were increasing weekly by about one cent per mile. By the end of March, spot rates are expected to have increased by almost ten cents per mile throughout the month and almost 20 cents per mile more than February. How does that compare to this time last year? It’s almost 30 cents higher than March 2020. The last time there was this big of an increase in the flatbed market was 2018. The spot rates are almost 80 cents higher per mile in 2022 than they were in 2018. Wow.

From the Marines to Logistics

Get to know Jason

PGT takes pride in our team’s diverse backgrounds. What fun would it be if everyone in the office was the same? That’s not the case here.

Today’s Staff Spotlight is Jason Harper. Jason has been with us for almost a year and has proven to be an asset to both the company and the industry.

Jason grew up in the Cincinnati area. He made the honorable decision to join the United States Marine Corp after high school. With the Marines, he served our country for eight years. He was deployed multiple times to various countries around the world. After leaving the Marines he attended college at Miami University and earned a degree in Project Management and Professional Leadership.

It wasn’t long after graduating from college that Jason got his start in logistics. He jumped in head first with the second largest 3PL in the country and has been in the industry in some capacity ever since. Jason explained what he likes most about PGT. “I like working at PGT because of the aggressive mindset of the senior leadership.”

Jason values his integrity most of all. “My integrity is important to me in my personal life and even more so as I conduct business daily,” he stated. “I am motivated to provide reliable service to my customers and to be an example for others to follow.”