Creating a Unique Transportation Plan With A Customized Project Management Position

Landstar Agent Troy Shasko credits the teamwork of highly skilled owner-operators and experienced agency staffers who worked for a year providing all of the planning and project logistics to complete a series of massive mineral processing projects in Texas.

The customer, Turn-Key Processing Solutions LLC (TPS), specializes in the development of processing plants and facilities from start to finish - including concept, design, engineering, fabrication, construction and operations – for mining, minerals and processing companies throughout the world. When TPS needed logistics solutions for its newest build, the company turned to the team at Shasko Global Logistics LLC, an independent Landstar agency.

“These construction projects are owned and operated by some of the largest mine and minerals companies in the world who have extremely high expectations. Each of the projects have high visibility with extreme penalties associated with any delays,” says Turn-Key Processing Solutions Vice President of Project Management and Finance Jeffrey Brickett.

The agency team at Shasko Global Logistics, based in Pennsylvania, has 35 years of experience in managing the transportation solutions needed for customers like TPS.

“Our relationship with TPS goes back 10 years. Our most recent projects with them involved moving everything needed to build three mineral processing plants and facilities in the Permian Basin located in western and southern Texas,” says Landstar Agent Troy Shasko, owner of Shasko Global Logistics.

“These were massive projects with thousands of shipments including expedited, over-dimensional, specialized, LTL and international shipments. Each of which needed to be timed to coincide with the construction phase of the plant.”

Smooth Operation

“After winning this business, we immediately started identifying the transportation specifics. We determined what the customer would need and when they would need it,” says Shasko. “We were in constant communication with TPS to create a transportation plan, outlining the capacity needed to fit their construction schedule to make each move happen with no delays.”

Shasko and his team secured a wide range of transportation modes for the project, including: truckload capacity, air, ocean and rail intermodal services. After weeks of planning and collaboration with TPS, a logistics plan was in place for the year-long plant construction projects.

“Throughout the projects, we had weekly, sometimes daily, calls with the customer about the transportation operations and shipments status,” says Shasko. “We were able to meet all of the customers’ needs on this project, coordinating shipments from all over the United States and as far away as Italy, and transporting them to west Texas to build the plant.”

To accommodate their customer’s extensive transportation plan Shasko created a new project management position within his agency. For this customer value-add Shasko called on an experienced Landstar business capacity owner (BCO) to work in the field managing shipments coming into Texas from Wisconsin.

“We needed an experienced BCO on the loads we moved from Wisconsin. Not to drive any of the trucks, but to act as the project manager in the field and organize the truckloads,” says Shasko. “Being familiar with the trailers and the freight, Landstar BCO Rich Wetter was able to assess and consolidate shipments to save the customer money.”

“I was given the dimensions of the freight and matched the right truck and trailer to the right equipment. During that process, I made sure we safely utilized the space available on the trailer,” says Landstar BCO Rich Wetter. “I worked closely with the customer throughout the process. We lined up the trucks coming in for loading, managed the loads and kept drivers from getting anxious about long loading times. It was great coordination for a smooth operation.”

Massive Results

After more than 3,300 shipments and a 12-month commitment to the customer, the projects were complete.

When the mineral plants were in full operation, Shasko traveled to West Texas to see the results of his agency’s logistics and freight transportation efforts.

“Landstar moved thousands of shipments for these projects,” says Shasko. “Seeing the plant complete at the end of a year-long project gave me a great sense of pride.”

“The logistical component Shasko Global Logistics provided for these projects has been vital to our growth and efficiency in project management,” says Brickett. “We look forward to utilizing the same approach on future projects.”

Shasko’s pride extends beyond his own team to include the entire Landstar network. “The Landstar business model provided the support we needed to succeed with the Permian Basin project, from start to finish.”