Overnite Transportation Co., one of the nation's largest less-than-truckload carriers, says it reduced transit times this week from both New York City and Miami to locations in 16 states and Western Canada.

The new service standards, which go into effect immediately, will reduce cycle distribution by as much as 48 hours from the two East Coast cities to points as far west as British Columbia in Canada and Denver in the United States.
Included in the more than 100 new service standards announced, Overnite will guarantee delivery to Denver from New York City within three business days.
In addition to the new service offerings from New York and Miami, Richmond, Va.-based Overnite, which offers a full range of supply-chain management services, announced comprehensive service enhancements from service centers in Madison, Wis., and Elkton, Md. The faster service times from Madison bring 12 states and the District of Columbia closer to the central Wisconsin site, while the new service standards to Elkton will reduce transit times to a dozen states, including Hawaii.
Since June 1, 1998, Overnite has improved service on its regional, inter-regional and long-haul lanes with improvements on 40,000 lanes. At the same time it has improved transit times, Overnite has maintained a 97%-plus on-time standard.
"Reducing transit times by 24 or 48 hours on a particular lane holds tremendous advantages for many of our customers who more and more are relying on regional distribution centers and smaller inventories," said Overnite Chief Operating Officer Gordon Mackenzie.
Overnite, the trucking arm of the Union Pacific Corp., reported revenue in excess of $1.3 billion in 2002. The company serves more than 45,000 points in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam.