Cathie Leigh Inc

RECOVER / PROTECT / GROW

*Federal SCA Service Contract Act [Driver Wage Determination] Compliant

When you need help meeting the requirements of your postal highway contract route, work with a subcontractor partner that:

• Has access to a network of over 100,000 small fleet owners and owner operators, yet cultivates a team of loyal fleets to work with on a consistent basis
• Operates a control center 24/7 with a highly trained staff
• Has knowledge of postal operations, schedules and contracting
• Owns and operates some of their own assets and resources
• Provides real-time data via proprietary TMS software applications
• Offers multiple GPS tracking solutions
• Supports Star Route Carriers, but does not contract directly with the Postal Service

At Cathie Leigh Inc. powered by LDI- Our team specializes in supporting U.S. Mail Contractors. We want to earn your trust and business to become your partner of choice. CLI are partners with manufacturers, distributors, and shippers of all sizes to provide customized transportation solutions to meet their specific needs. We take the time to learn and understand our customer’s freight and treat it as if it were our own. Our experienced staff of logistics professionals is dedicated to offering superior service, and they take pride in the role they play in our customer’s supply chain. Our proprietary transportation management solutions and suite of communications tools provide increased efficiency, speed, and visibility — optimizing both price and service for our customers. Our web-based Customer Portal allows customers to:

• Track and manage their shipments in real time, eliminating costly delays and miscommunication
• Receive email notifications of delivery, new invoices and POD documentation
• View proof-of-delivery

Cathie Leigh Inc. is a different kind of 3PL provider; large enough to meet your needs, yet small enough to provide personalized service. Cathie Leigh Inc. is a 100% family owned and operated 3PL (3rd Party Logistics) Transportation Provider with physical offices operating in several states and the island of Puerto Rico.

We achieve customer satisfaction by providing quality service, on-going communication, and implementing a vetting process to identify quality carriers. Further we hold drivers to the highest standards of professionalism and excellence to protect your brand.

We understand the contract and operations requirements of the Postal Service such as on-time pick-ups and deliveries; knowing that even one minute late is late and unacceptable. For mail loads, we require fair and Service Contract Act compliant pay to our brokered drivers. Whether your needs are seasonal or year-round, dedicated contracts or one-off middle of the night emergency recovery, we are there for you. Helping you meet all contract service requirements with high quality, on-time service. Our team works with the Postal Service on daily basis just like you. We do business based on transparency, honesty and prompt communication. We never contract directly with the Postal Service, we support those who do.

We can provide resources to support your increased needs for postal peak season but we can also assist in the following ways:

 Contract Service: Recovery / Protection / Growth

Recovery:

• Call outs
• Extra Trips
• Equipment breakdown recovery

Protection:

• Seasonal resource supplementation
• Contract start-up
• Provide for employee driver route preference – we’ll handle the trip no one wants
• Leave coverage
• Performance improvement

Growth:

• Incorporate CLI into your growth strategy and proposal development – we can provide the necessary resources to allow you to bid on the contracts you want, but lack sufficient resources
• Assistance with solicitation debriefs

 The foundation and cornerstone of our business model is HONESTY & AVAILABILITY - We are at your disposal 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and you can always depend on us to tell you the truth, and nothing but the truth, 100% of the time! 

We recently attended a live panel discussion with several large brokerage houses represented and a few online platforms and would love to offer response as we hold vastly different opinions and opposing views on many of the talking points discussed. Let's start with what we felt was the most important question asked and one panelist referred to as...

In paraphrasing, the question was along the lines of, "How do you manage/balance your working business relationships/partnerships with the NSRMCA membership vs being the competition?" The truthful answer is under the models of all the companies represented on the panel is: YOU DON'T | YOU CAN'T | and/or IT ISN'T POSSIBLE. I would offer that unless your company has a vested interest in one of these large 3PL brokerage houses that owns, operates, and bids on direct contract work from the USPS, you shouldn't give them a single load of mail. Don't get me wrong, I think once you reach a certain size as Star Route Carrier, you will need either an in-house brokerage or 3PL brokerage partner you can trust to remain relevant and competitive, through these unprecedented and technology driven times. Just find one that doesn't also have a competing interest!

If you need them to move your trucks, then certainly it is safe to take freight from them, just don't give them any. Offering them free inside information on the specific lanes you operate allows them to leverage the 3rd party market against you when it comes time for renewals or new bids as now, they will know exactly what price point it will take to get trucks from the open market regardless of what they were charging you and can attempt to close in on areas that were already difficult making them near impossible for you to source drivers.

Our model here at Cathie Leigh Inc. was inspired and developed by the living legend, Mr. Chuck Pawlus - He worked in postal contracting before several years with the OIG (Office of Inspector General), following retirement began working in consulting and contracting for a major Star Route Carrier, when just after retirement 2.0, he blessed us with his transition from loyal customer to trusted business partner; Rule #1 - We NEVER directly solicit ANY business from the USPS. Business is ultimately all about relationships and trust. We trust the relationships that Star Route Carriers have built and developed with the USPS, in some cases over decades of service and sacrifice. There should never be a conflict when collective interests are aligned. I would have counter-questioned all the panelists as well with a two-part follow-up:

We do. We moved 14,105 loads of US Mail and ONLY US Mail over the 2021 calendar year. We are not conflicted with demands of any other commodities pulling time and talent away from our team. 2nd part being...

We do. We have partnerships with 32 different NSRMCA Members and ONLY NSRMCA Members. Our interests are always aligned with the association membership. As such we feel it is important to show our support for the association through maintaining a premium vendor position and sponsoring events and participating in promotions on their behalf. In final opposition to what I heard from the panels about competition being healthy and how you could partner with all of them, and it will only force them to compete with each other, driving down the rates. I would posit that the exact opposite of that is true. Once you have a relationship with a 3PL partner you can trust to give you good data, you can work together to leverage the market when and where it makes the most sense or needs demand. Multiple brokers competing over the same lanes will drive the quality of the trucks down and to beat each other they must do what?... Pay trucks MORE. 

Truly Leveraging Logistics and making the 3rd Party Market work for you can look very different depending on your situation. The panels all spoke of filling your empty miles and adding you to their capacity network to access different freight opportunities. If you can use them for this, for example as a way to reposition after one-way STC service, fantastic and yes you can and should use them for that if and when it makes sense,...AND they are willing to pay you fair market value for the trip. There is no such thing as "Backhaul" anymore. Trucks deserve to be paid fairly on all miles. Unlike the panel, we have no interest in filling empty miles with other freight options. Other freight options come with other freight problems like rejections, re-consignments, delays, claims, seizure, etc. effecting connected service. We now have 14 dedicated Agents, 1 affiliate office, and 8 full-time Track & Trace Dispatch Operations Staff available to our contractors and carriers 24/7/365. Anything less than Real-Time GPS Applications are sub-standard and should be refused. If your Broker tells you they use MacroPoint or FourKites to track the mail, ask them to do better! We are small enough to offer direct accountability but big enough to give you the entire suit of tools to be able to compete with anyone in the industry. Our team puts as much work and love into the relations they have with you and your teams as they do with each and every mom & pop small fleet carrier or owner operator they contract to run under your flag. Together we can Recover, Protect, & Grow, YOUR business & THIERS!