The Nation's Largest Food Redistributor
But the biggest innovation our founder Robert Tracy put in place was the company's original concept-food redistribution.
Food manufacturers are experts are product development, production and marketing, but their transportation systems are only set up to efficiently sell full truckloads of their products. In the United States, there are more than 15,000 distributors. Many of them are not large enough to regularly order from manufacturers in truckload quantities, or do not want to warehouse large quantities for long periods.
The answer is redistribution. Dot Foods buys full truckloads from 700 manufacturers and consolidates their products in eight distribution centers across the country. Then we resell these products in less-than-truckload (LTL) quantities to distributors on a weekly basis. There is normally no extra cost to the distributor when buying from Dot, and manufacturers compensate us to handle distribution of their costly LTL orders. It's a win-win for everybody along the food supply chain.
Broadest product offering • Sell more products with fewer assets • Reduced costs • No individual lines minimums • Reduce inventory and increase turns • Extensions of the manufacturer • Improved service to operators • Consistent pricing
Dick, John and Joe Tracy explain how a company on the cutting edge keeps its feet firmly on the ground.
See how Robert and Dorothy Tracy's dream evolved from a station wagon and two rented trucks into the nation's largest food redistributor.
With nine distribution centers, Dot maintains a presence in every region of the country.
Today, our Dot Transportation subsidiary has developed a transportation system of more than 800 temperature-controlled trucks that allows us to ship any combination of frozen, refrigerated and dry products in a single load. These trucks are meticulously maintained in our own garages by our own certified mechanics.
Dot Transportation also employs many of the best drivers on the road. And with one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry, our customers can be certain their Dot driver has the experience to troubleshoot when necessary. What’s more, our drivers arrive within 15 minutes of scheduled delivery time with 97% accuracy.
Dot Transportation (DTI) can haul a variety of goods for companies that need reliable transportation services.
Over the years, the DTI Custom Haul program has delivered a range of merchandise including 200 truckloads of sugar to an ice cream maker and 171 truckloads of clay to a brick maker in Chicago.
For more information, please contact DTI Freight Sales Manager Clint McDonald at 800.366.3687 or cmcdonald@dotfoods.com.
In addition to our headquarters inMt. Sterling, Illinois, Dot has seven regional distribution centers in California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, New York and Oklahoma.
At Dot, we don't view all that warehouse space as just belonging to us. We see it as an extension of our customers' warehouse facilities. By sourcing products fromDot's dry, refrigerated and frozen warehouses, distributors sink less capital into expensive buildings and inventory, and put that money to work building sales instead.
Distributors can offer more products with fewer slots, and achieve better inventory management. With Dot, our customers can really "build their business, not more buildings."™
