For More Information Contact: Customer Service Phone: 800-765-7242		PRESS RELEASE January 15, 2001
Saia Announces Integration With Action Express, WestEx
Saia, Inc., announced today that Saia, Action Express and WestEx, Inc., will be integrated. They now will operate under the Saia brand name as one company, with a continued focus on overnight and second day service in the LTL market. "This strategic move better positions us to handle the needs of our customers by allowing us to extend our consistent, quality regional service throughout a 21-state area, an increase from 12 states," said Saia President and CEO Rick O'Dell. "Our mission will not change from being the premier provider of one and two-day service in our direct coverage area," he added. "This consolidation is the result of a very well-constructed plan," he said. "The use of the same internal computer system, along with common operations procedures will make the transition seamless and smooth for our customers and employees." Saia has a strong 77-year heritage and has grown steadily with company revenue exceeding $368 million in 2000. Adding Action and WestEx combined 2000 revenue of more than $117 million will place Saia in the top fifteen LTL carriers by revenue in the country. "The integration of WestEx, Action Express and Saia into one company is the result of a carefully thought out plan that meets the regional market needs. Bringing these three companies together under the Saia brand will offer numerous benefits for customers, employees and shareholders," said Bert Trucksess, president of Yellow Corporation¡¦s regional carrier group. "The focus by these three carriers has always been one and two day service, so this integration strategy is a perfect fit. Now Saia can concentrate on increasing its density in one and two day lanes in the Southern and the West Coast regions." Being integrated into one company not only provides customers with the strong service recognition associated with Saia, but also gives Action and WestEx customers the added advantage of the Saia quality processes and service enhancements as supported by their unique Customer Service Indicator„¥ index. The Saia CSI program is an index of performance measurements that include those things customers have said are most important to them, including on-time pick-up, on-time delivery, claims settled within 30 days, claims-free shipments, proof of delivery (POD) turnaround and invoice accuracy. Saia stands behind its superior service and proves it in a published report on these six measurements each quarter. Saia also provides monthly CSI totals by company for customer locations on its Web site at www.saia.com, which recently has been enhanced to provide a variety of user-friendly tools. Saia is a provider of regional one and two day service covering 21 states from Southern Virginia, across the south and west to California, and northwest into Oregon and Washington with partner service to the rest of the continental United States. Saia also provides service to Puerto Rico, and complete North American coverage is offered including Canada and Mexico. Saia has more than 5,500 employees networking from 114 locations. For more information, contact 1-800-765-7242 or visit www.saia.com.