cLeod Software and

Katz, Sapper &

Miller (KSM) have

come together to create a joint

project to provide an operations

level benchmark for the trucking

industry. This initiative seeks

to break new ground in giving

truckload carriers the opportunity

to measure the real performance of

their operations against their peers.

KSM & McLeod Software

Operations Performance

Benchmarking Project

M

O ur benchmarking

initiative is designed

to be complimentary

to other benchmarking initiatives

in the industry, and to break new

ground for those companies who

want to understand where their

operating efficiencies stand as

compared to similar carriers.

In the first iteration of this

benchmarking program, we are

offering carriers across the United

States and Canada the opportunity

to submit their results and data for

the calendar year 2013 for a number

of operations functions. Katz,

Sapper & Miller, one of the leading

CPA practices in the United States,

will accept this information under

the terms of our confidentiality

agreement, and compile a report to

ensure that each participant’s data

remains confidential and completely

anonymous in the final report.

In exchange for each carrier’s

participation in this first benchmark

study, the carriers will receive a copy

of the final benchmark report, which

includes the high, low, median, and

average values for each benchmark

category, as well as the group

qualification parameters to allow for

comparison of their results on each

benchmark to those of their actual

peer group.

A Look at Operating MetricsOur benchmarking survey of operating

metrics examines several aspects that

are common performance indicators

for every truckload carrier.

• People and headcount by category or role

• Fuel consumption, expense, purchasing, and efficiency

• Revenue miles, rates, and surcharges

• Equipment counts and actual utilization

• Safety profiles

• Operating expenses

Where do we really stand?And to create the truly valuable peer

comparisons, we will segregate

the benchmark data by

several criteria that give

carriers the chance to

compare their metrics

with their true

peer group.

• Carriers of a similar size

• Carriers with the same equipment types

• Carriers with a similar length of haul

What can we do with this benchmark?It is a problem for most carriers that

they don’t clearly see how they

stack up against similar companies

in many of these operating metrics.

The goal of the KSM & McLeod

Benchmarking Initiative is to begin

to give truckload

carriers a

better

picture of

their relative

performance in

these areas than has

previously been available.

This sort of benchmarking

information should provide a

call to action for you and your

company. By understanding how

you rank against your peers in each

of these operating categories, you

understand where there is real

room for operations performance

improvement. If your true peer

group is doing something better

than you are, the opportunity for

you to improve in that aspect of your

operational performance is likely

within your reach.

What do we need to do to participate in the program?Companies who would like

to participate in the 2013

benchmarking program must

collect and submit their data to KSM

via a pre-formatted spreadsheet,

and ensure that their data meets

the strict definitions set out in our

benchmarking data collection

documents. We will provide this data

collection document, the definitions,

and a copy of our confidentiality

agreement to you upon request.

The deadline for submissions to be

included in the 2013 benchmark

report is May 1, 2014.

Additional assistance will be

available to current KSM clients

and current McLeod system

customers to help them prepare

this report for submission to the

benchmark project.

For more information about

joining this benchmarking project,

contact Tim Almack

at 317.580.2000 or

talmack@ksmcpa.com.

As one of the top 65 CPA firms in

the nation, Katz, Sapper & Miller

(KSM) has earned a reputation as a

leader in the areas of accounting,

tax and consulting services. KSM

has provided audit, tax and business

consulting services to the trucking

industry since its founding in 1942.

Through the firm’s experience with

100-plus trucking and logistics

clients throughout North America,

KSM has become a national service

provider to the trucking industry.

The firm provides additional services

through KSM Transport Advisors,

LLC (KSMTA), a part of the Katz,

Sapper & Miller Network. KSMTA

exclusively services the trucking

industry, providing freight network

engineering and profit improvement

services and products.

Katz,Sapper&MillerCertifiedPublicAccountants800East96thStreet,Suite500Indianapolis,IN46240317.580.2000www.ksmcpa.com

Since 1985, McLeod Software has

provided powerful transportation

management and trucking software

solutions to the trucking industry.

These solutions, developed entirely

by our company, are comprehensive

and support integration with a

broad array of complimentary

logistics products.

We are the leader when it comes

to software for trucking dispatch

operations management, freight

brokerage management, fleet

management, document imaging,

workflow, EDI, and business process

automation solutions for trucking,

freight brokerage, third party

logistics, and shipper companies in

the United States.

With an established base of

more than 700 active customers

throughout North America, McLeod

Software is dedicated solely to

the transportation industry. This

focus means we have a deep

understanding of the needs and

intricate details involved in carrier,

broker, and freight management

businesses of all types.

McLeodSoftware2550ActonRoadBirmingham,AL35243877.362.5363www.McLeodSoftware.com

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