Expertise that Drives Innovative Solutions
All shippers have unique needs and experience challenges in their supply chain. We are always striving to provide value to customers by using our industry expertise to address those challenges and deliver innovative solutions. A lot of our current offerings were developed because we were looking to solve a challenge or improve upon an existing system for our customers.
Let’s look at some of the creative solutions we’ve developed over the years to meet the challenges that our customers faced – and how we’ve used them to continue evolving the transportation industry.
The Evolution of Intermodal Shipping
Quantum was first created in 1989 as a joint initiative between J.B. Hunt and BNSF (then Santa Fe Railway). The transportation industry now refers to it as intermodal but at the time, it was truly revolutionary as trucking and rail companies were considered competitors. The growth of intermodal transportation and our years of experience led us to develop more innovative solutions for customers.
Quantum, a J.B. Hunt and BNSF service™ was announced in late 2023 and offers breakthrough intermodal transportation that provides the consistency, agility and speed needed to convert service-sensitive shipments from highway to rail. Customers who ship with Quantum are assigned to a dedicated customer service team who oversees their shipments and makes any needed adjustments to keep the freight on track. In fact, customers can experience 95% on-time delivery with 24/7 door-to-door oversight.
“Quantum provides the exceptional intermodal service needed to consistently meet the demands of the most complex freight,” said Spencer Frazier, executive vice president of sales and marketing at J.B. Hunt. “Its solutions are flexible to address supply chain challenges in real time. Customers have access to multiple modes for unexpected concerns such as potential delays, volume surges or production issues.
Solving Challenges with Innovative Thinking
In April 2017, J.B. Hunt deployed J.B. Hunt 360° and changed the way freight met capacity by moving the marketplace online, directly connecting shippers with carriers. This innovation was a result of our industry knowledge, years of experience and understanding our customers and the market. When thinking about the challenges and inefficiencies facing our industry, Shelley Simpson, President and CEO, asked herself if there was a way for us to create a system where we can have the right visibility, transparency and access to information that would allow us to transact more efficiently.
When launched, J.B. Hunt 360 provided unprecedented access and transparency into the freight quoting and booking process. Over the past few years, we’ve invested millions in our technology. We’ve enhanced our operating systems, developed better cloud infrastructure, integrated with other systems and branched out to offer more services to our customers.
.svg)
.png)
“What does a marketplace need? It needs buyers and sellers. We have the components of a marketplace. And if we were to put a strategy behind it, could we do something with it? And that’s what made us go in motion to develop J.B. Hunt. 360.”
– Shelley Simpson, President and CEO of J.B. Hunt.
Addressing Customers’ Specific Needs
Our J.B. Hunt Final Mile Services® (FMS) team was created as a direct result of a customer need. And because of our breadth of resources, we were able to provide a service that led to the creation of a new business unit at J.B. Hunt.
We have very talented people that help us design and efficiently operate, and then our delivery teams execute. Our goal is not to be the largest, our goal is to be the best. We have a lot of experience. The J.B. Hunt brand has been around since 1961.”
– Nick Hobbs, COO and President, Highway and FMS, EVP
After learning that a customer was facing challenges with their supply chain and looking for a new solution, we asked ourselves if getting into the home delivery business could be a way to solve for their need. We started a two-truck operation from that conversation, delivering our customer’s products straight into their customer’s homes.
A customer came to us asking for a solution. We hadn’t really thought about going into home delivery, but when your customers ask you to look at something, you need to adapt to meet their demands. This conversation turned into the development of our Final Mile Services business unit – a leader in safe and secure deliveries that touches every mile of the product's journey.
Built on Innovation
Since 1961, we have been a disrupter in the logistics industry, venturing into places nobody could have imagined. J.B. Hunt is built on innovation, and we’ll continue to invest in our people, technology and capacity so that we’re always at the top of our game. That’s what it means to be Driven for You™.
We can help build innovative solutions for your shipping needs. Connect today to learn how you can get started.