Black Horse Carriers Inc. (BHC) has roots dating back to 1925. The business started out as a local drayage company purchased by Conrad Niedert. BHC was part of Niedert Terminals Inc. – a family business with operations in LTL Pool Distribution, a full-service truck leasing and dedicated contract carriage in the Chicago area – up until the mid-1980s.
Gerry Niedert, Conrad’s grandson and current owner and president of BHC, is proud to note that the business survived several transformations, merges and buyouts over the years. Gerry’s brother, Ralph, restarted the business in Tully, N.Y., in 1998. Soon after Gerry signed back onto the team and the two began to rebuild BHC together.
Following its reincarnation BHC has become a highly specialized carrier of a variety of dry and perishable goods. According to Gerry, what makes the company unique is that BHC offers services that common carriers are reluctant or unable to provide. The BHC difference is in the company’s enormous range of equipment and capabilities, as well as a highly trained and experienced team of drivers. “There are only a handful of companies our size that can effectively take over complex private fleet operations,” says Gerry. “It’s a very narrow field.”
Unique Philosophy
Gerry pinpoints four main components of BHC’s service execution: remain consistently reliable, flexible, efficient and above all ethical. Carefully selecting employees and maintaining a low, manageable amount of turnover achieves these points of success. “We can’t have a workforce that’s continuously turning over,” Gerry says.
Many of BHC’s employees have full access to client stores and warehouses. Therefore, in order to work for BHC drivers must be mature individuals with a clean safety record in addition to being at least 25 years of age with three years of driving experience. The company subjects all applicants to an in-depth background check, including criminal history and driving records. To ensure each candidate fits BHC’s standards, every driver undergoes a thorough physical examination as well as testing for drug usage.
Once part of the BHC team, employees work together to ensure customer satisfaction on every job. BHC’s drivers often make unattended deliveries, which means merchandise is dropped off before or after the client’s hours of operation. “They bring frozen, perishable and dry merchandise into those facilities, and take out any returns that have to go back to distribution centers,” explains Gerry. Drivers undergo regular training to maximize positive relationships with customers. The training program covers up-to-date safety standards as well as customer relations, cargo handling requirements and the completion of daily activity reports.
Happy Customers
Many of the company’s customers have used BHC’s services for decades. Gerry’s team has amassed the capabilities to eliminate the need for a private fleet by offering highly customized and specialized services to its clients. Operating a private fleet is expensive, high risk and places operational pressures on businesses that do not necessarily have the right experience with respect to route optimization, equipment maintenance, fuel use, licensing, insurance and driver management expenses. BHC has grown to a size where these issues are the sole focus.
BHC recently purchased equipment with fuel-efficient components, lowering the company’s operating costs and passing value along to customers. “We have unique vehicles with unique components,” say Gerry. This enables BHC to accommodate customers’ needs to operate the most fuel-efficient fleets.
The company has designed more efficient ways to get customers’ goods to market, allowing BHC to maintain growth throughout the recession. Gerry and the BHC team are always looking for ways to operate more efficiently, using transportation resources in a shared-services approach that does not burden a single customer with 100 percent of a dedicated fleet’s operating costs. This is all done while maintaining the reliability and flexibility that made BHC attractive in the beginning.
BHC sticks to its core values, which have served the company well over the course of its renewed existence. Rival companies keep Gerry and the BHC team on their toes, and Gerry wouldn’t have it any other way. “Competition is a challenge,” Gerry explains. “That is a good thing; competition makes us a better company and a smarter company.”
Gerry’s competitive attitude has prepared him for a future of sustained growth. “We welcome even the toughest private fleet challenges,” he says. “Our growth is unbudgeted and unrestricted. Whenever a private or dedicated fleet opportunity arises we will always give it due consideration.”
According to Gerry, the only thing impeding business right now is inconsistency in industry regulation. However, BHC is at the top of its game, implementing the best systems, technology, scheduling designs and equipment in the business. The BHC team carries a wealth of experience in the transportation business that spans several industries. Gerry is confident that BHC will always have the ability to effectively adapt to the ever-changing needs of its customers.
BHC has been recognized several times for its commitment to quality service. Clients and partners laud the business for flexibility, safety and solid communication. BHC makes it easy for its customers to monitor services and offers an online tracking program where clients can sign in and see the status of deliveries. BHC treats each employee well by offering safety and performance incentives as well as fair wages on the higher end of the industry. Black Horse Carriers Inc. embraces fairness in all dealings, bringing peace of mind to loyal staff and customers alike.
