Horizon Freight Lines, Inc. was founded in 1937 by Indiana native Ezra Satter.'Then a one-man, one-truck operation, it served areas of southern Indiana hauling general commodities and providing household moving services.'This once tiny business has since grown to a full service short and long haul transportation company with core business in the transport of automobile assembly line components.'The company still loyally serves its local community as well as the Midwest, Southwest, and Southeast United States, with service to Canada and Mexico.
Though highly successful throughout the decades since its founding, Horizon's time-tested but increasingly outdated organizational methods resulted in bottlenecks in its office operations, exacerbated by the company's strong growth.''We quickly began to outgrow our manual processes,' said Mike Satter, Ezra's grandson and third-generation owner of Horizon Freight Lines.''We were using spreadsheets, whiteboards, and a standalone accounting system, and it was tough to manage our growing fleet and customer base.'
With colleague Nancy Johnson, Satter searched for a new system to handle the daily dispatching and other duties.'After reviewing several software products they learned of Prophesy's DispatchSeries solution through TruckersB2B resources.'Satter and Johnson viewed demonstrations from several software providers and were impressed with the level of functionality Prophesy offered.''The decision to go with Prophesy was already easy considering the tons of new capabilities it would give us.'Couple that with its ease of use and affordability, and I was sure we had a perfect fit.''As an added benefit of Satter's TruckersB2B membership he would also receive an additional 10 percent rebate on his investment.
Satter worked closely with Kevin Pasternack, Prophesy National Sales Manager, to tailor a software suite to fit the exact needs of his company.'He configured a package including Prophesy Dispatch with interface to the QuickBooks accounting system, as well as modules for fuel tax reporting, mileage & routing, driver management, fleet management, fuel card importing, and document imaging.
Satter then enrolled at the University of Prophesy for instruction on the software.'He and staff members attended phone-based sessions held by expert Prophesy instructors, becoming fully versed in every aspect of the software in the comfort of their own office.'With the necessary knowledge to get the most out of his software, Satter implemented Prophesy Dispatch and was off and running.
'Prophesy software has truly enhanced our productivity,' said Satter. 'With the easy to use built-in rating system we are now able to have one person manage the rating while our dispatchers focus on dispatching and customer service. And the once tedious task of locating POD's is now a breeze with the Document Imaging module.'
After over 70 years in business, Horizon Freight Lines continues its trend of success and growth.'It now employs 80 trucks and 110 personnel, and has opened an additional office in Laredo, Texas, to better serve its international community.''Even in the current economy we remain a strong company thanks to the added efficiency and capabilities of Prophesy DispatchSeries.'We are focused on diversifying and have plans to grow outside of automotive in 2009.'A lot of great things are happening for us.'
