So, Why Georgia?

“In addition to the largest airport in the world, Georgia serves as a main gateway for international commerce through its world-class port in Savannah,” Slusher says. “Through our world-class port, Georgia also serves as one of the main gateways for international commerce. As the port generates more business, LTL activity in Georgia and beyond increases. SMC³ is here to support this boost in activity with our cutting-edge technology solutions.”

As the technology and transportation hub of the southeast, Atlanta offers an environment loaded with top-tier talent. “Due to our proximity to this workforce, we can easily attract the employee base needed to create some of the leading technology tools in the transportation industry,” Slusher says.

As for the company’s own contributions to the state’s logistics assets, SMC³ boasts expertise that has established it as a highly respected thought leader, hosting premier supply chain conferences and educational events in Georgia and elsewhere. Shippers, carriers, logistics service and technology providers rely on SMC³ to translate intricate LTL transportation pricing and transit detail into data-centric solutions.

Simply put? “We fuel the LTL transportation arena by way of innovative and forward-looking solutions, helping the community optimize LTL decisions throughout the entire shipment lifecycle,” Slusher says.
As an example of the company’s innovation and reach, Slusher points to an initiative undertaken south of the border—of the United States, that is.

“After thinking about it for quite some time, we recently took a large step into the Mexican LTL market with the creation of MexicoLite Intra, a rate benchmark that will create a level-rate playing field for shippers and 3PLs operating inside Mexico,” he explains. “In developing the tool, which mirrors what we’ve done with other MexicoLite and other CzarLite products, we had the cooperation of the top LTL carriers in Mexico, many of whom joined us at the SMC³ Jump Start conference in January to announce the product.”

The value to Mexican shippers is enormous, he says, all thanks to a company headquartered in Georgia. “Think about how many unknowns have existed in the past when sending an LTL shipment between two points in Mexico,” Slusher says. “Shippers haven’t historically had a reliable way to benchmark the pricing data they received from carriers, so they were at a loss when negotiating contracts. We’ve given these customers the tools that allow them to determine the best price and carrier for their shipments every single time.”
It’s all about the links—from here to there to market square—and how one Georgia company can direct the traffic from the cloud. “Our company was founded on the idea of fostering cooperation among all members of the supply chain by supplying transportation technology focused on providing solutions targeted at LTL rating, transit-time and shipment visibility,” Slusher says. “We have thrived through multiple generations of content delivery—from distributing printed paper tariffs via the U.S. mail system to disseminating content by way of our secure SMC³ cloud and the SMC³ Platform.”

Slusher is confident that Georgia’s role in logistics—and the role that SMC³ plays within it—will continue to grow.
“Cloud-based technology and the streamlining of supply chains will only become more important,” he says. “In the current API [applied programming interface] economy, connectivity is a critical step in fully optimizing carrier-connected communication options that shippers, 3PLs, and logistics technology providers are demanding. Our role right now is to incorporate existing technology with other data points brought in from the network of carriers to provide new, unrivaled services to our customers that help them optimize the LTL portions of their supply chains for years to come.”

And all this will be accomplished from the cloud in Georgia, USA. “I can think of nowhere better to serve as the headquarters for a company that is so involved in the constantly evolving technology that fuels the LTL industry,” he says.
Jeff Lantz, president of Atlanta-based C.L. Services, Inc. (CLS), puts it simply: “As they say in real estate: location, location, location.” And CLS is in the heart of it all.

“We are located in the center of one of the fastest-growing hubs for all modes of transportation and population,” Lantz says. “There are a lot of great things happening in our state, economically speaking.”
CLS—which moves shipments both nationally and internationally, specializing in dry van, flatbed and temperature-controlled truckload services throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico—makes the most of its strategic spot on the map. The company’s average length of haul is 750 miles, but a short ride is hardly its only advantage.