For More Information Contact: Customer Service Phone: 800-765-7242		PRESS RELEASE February 26, 2001
Saia Integration On Schedule; Benefits Include Improved Transit Times In Almost 500 Lanes
Saia reported today that the integration of WestEx, Action Express and Saia is on schedule and will become effective as planned on March 4. Customers will immediately realize the benefits of the integration with improved transit times of one and two days in 414 lanes in the company's new 21-state system. "Improving these destinations is part of an ongoing effort to provide reliable 1 and 2 day service in our direct coverage area," said Tony Albanese, senior vice president of operations and sales at Saia. Albanese continued, "Bringing these three companies together gave us an opportunity to improve overall service including transit times. Immediately, we were able to improve 414 lanes to one or two day service. Seventy-one of the lanes improved by two days, and sixteen improved by three." This recent service enhancement is the result of deleting artificial company boundaries between the three companies, less handling of shipments, and more direct routes where shipments bypass breakbulk locations, Albanese said. "When you couple these improvements with our on-time delivery percentage, overall we are providing a better service in the market place," Albanese said. "Our on-time delivery has exceeded 97 percent on a consistent basis. This is one of the primary measurements in our Customer Service Indicators® program we calculate on a daily basis to show how well our company is doing in service," he said. The Saia Customer Service Indicators program (CSI) is an index of performance measurements that include on-time pick-up, on-time delivery, claims settled within 30 days, claims-free shipments, proof of delivery (POD) turnaround and invoice accuracy. Saia is the only carrier in its class to offer a published report on these six measurements each month. Saia is a provider of regional one and two day service 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 113 locations. For more information visit the Saia website at www.saia.com.