Fresh Freight recognizes US Foods for supply chain leadership

Fresh Freight LLC, the industry’s premier full-service provider of food transportation services, announced that US Foods, a leading foodservice distributor, has been chosen to receive its first annual Shipper of Choice award for supply chain leadership.

“Our Shipper of Choice award recognizes a partner who strives for operational excellence,” said Matt Heroux, CEO of Fresh Freight.  “The people of US Foods are some of the hardest working, and most respectful and skilled in food logistics.  This is a relationships business, and we’re thankful for the partnership we have with US Foods.  Their efforts have been critical to our success and together we can contribute to the betterment of our industry.”

The annual Fresh Freight Shipper of Choice award celebrates organizations that help advance higher performance standards for carriers and drivers.  Some of the key elements of an award winner are communication, collaboration, and the development of opportunities for growth, respect for drivers, and a spirit of partnership.

For US Foods, Fresh Freight provides truckload service throughout the west coast for national account and broadline customers, including fresh, frozen, dry and multi-temp shipments.

Ernest Herrera, director of supply chain solutions at Fresh Freight, noted that US Foods personnel routinely put in long days and nights to achieve common goals, and their leadership team frequently reaches out to discuss projects and industry challenges.  Their emphasis on reducing receiving dock time, for example, allows Fresh Freight to more effectively plan loads and optimize utilization.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, Herrera added, the two companies worked closely to manage very challenging load planning dynamics.   “By March of 2020, eight weeks of our foodservice load inventory with US Foods had been changed or cancelled,” he related.  “The US Foods team did a tremendous job of creating new opportunities through retail redistribution, inventory transfers, and engineering new vendor combinations to service their customers, and help keep our trucks running.”

Fresh Freight, as a premier partner to US Foods, also handles special projects.   For example, when the US Foods distribution center in Houston was damaged by storms, Fresh Freight assisted with disaster relief efforts.  In 2020, after US Foods acquired Food Services of America, Inc. (FSA), the carrier managed warehouse inventory transitions.  In past years as well, it has supplied needed capacity by utilizing drivers to make customer direct deliveries in markets where operations were impacted by labor issues.