Shifting Gears: Applying ISO 9000 Quality Management Principles to Trucking

While formal quality management systems are a basic requirement for carriers doing business with the automotive industry, it is a company’s understanding of key items such as leadership, continuous improvement, and customer satisfaction that is needed to survive and excel in today’s market. Shifting Gears brings a unique approach to quality in the trucking industry, clearly defining the issues that challenge a carrier’s very survival of business and, through the principles embodied in ISO 9000, discusses practical measures for addressing these challenges. It identifies ISO 9000 as an effective management tool, offering information on how business leaders can reduce their costs, improve their overall business efficiency, and improve their competitive advantage in the marketplace. This quality management principles book moves beyond quality management principles to include methods for use in day-to-day operations, helping carriers easily “shift gears” to make these tools a part of the company culture.

James DePillo is currently the Director of Quality at Smith Transport and has been Management Representative for Quality for two mid-sized TL carriers. He has 18 years of experience within the transportation and logistics field and has assisted 4 organizations in developing and implementing ISO registered quality systems. James is an ASQ Certified Quality Manager, is formally trained as a QMS Lead Auditor, is a Six-Sigma Green Belt, holds a B.S. in Marketing, and a M.S. in Logistics from the Pennsylvania State University and is currently in the Ph.D. program at The Pennsylvania State University studying Work Force Education and Organization Development.