U.S. trucking giant Interstate Distributor Co. relies on ATI to keep its state-of-the-art fleet rolling and on time

From modest beginnings as a one-man, one-truck operation back in 1933, Interstate Distributor Co. has grown through seven decades to become one of North America’s most successful trucking companies. Today, with a team of 3,000 drivers, independent contractors and employees, the Tacoma, Washington-based company stays ahead of the competition by using state-of-the-art technology that includes ATI’s FireMV™ 2200 multi-view 2D workstation acceleration cards. Relying on ATI products, says Bob Short, Interstate’s senior network administrator, is in keeping with the company’s philosophy of using only the most-advanced tools – whether computer technology, communications systems or satellite tracking - to keep its growing truck fleet rolling and on time. “We are constantly innovating and looking for ways to gain any advantage we can in an extremely competitive industry,” says Short from his Tacoma office. “In this business, every edge we gain can make a difference in the marketplace and with ATI’s FireMV, we are seeing real gains in productivity and accuracy.” Interstate currently has a significant number of workstations in the U.S. using ATI FireMV 2200 PCI multi-view 2D workstation acceleration cards. Interstate added the ATI FireMV cards, plus dual LCD screens, to workstations being used by all fleet managers and customer service representatives, giving them access at a glance to complete details on customer shipments, vehicle availability and driver location.

A clearer view with ATI
Prior to adding FireMVs to its workstations, Interstate fleet managers and service reps were each working with a single display monitor set-up that made it difficult to keep track of the information streaming into its computer system from both drivers and customers. Tracking customer requests, along with the whereabouts and capabilities of thousands of vehicles out on the road, was becoming difficult to do with the high level of accuracy and speed required.

With ATI FireMVs in place, dual-monitor capability is making the task of coordinating shipments and transportation logistics for drivers and customers far more reliable and precise.

“The ability to view multiple screens simultaneously eliminates the need to switch back-and-forth between different views and windows, so we can now work faster and more reliably and with far fewer errors along the way,” says Short. “It’s a huge advantage. We are seeing increased productivity that we have not seen before in this part of our operations. We can assign loads, for instance, and confirm pick up, much more quickly and reliably by having all of the information visible at once via two monitors.”

While the FireMV has delivered new levels of reliability, stability and accuracy, the ATI brand is no newcomer to Interstate operations.

For the last five years, Interstate has had great success with a variety of ATI video cards being used in about 300 workstations at its various locations. In addition, Interstate facilities in Washington, California and Tennessee all use 50-inch TV displays to provide company information, news and weather to visitors and staff - and each display is driven by an ATI-equipped PC.

So with ATI’s track record for success, adding the FireMV 2200 to Interstate’s ATI arsenal was an easy choice, Short says.

An easy choice, a seamless change
“ It’s simple – ATI gives us superb quality, reliability and availability. ATI has always been the main player as far as we are concerned,” Short remarks. And bringing the FireMV 2200 cards on-stream quickly was easy, he adds.

ATI’s FireMV 2D pro graphics cards boast an innovative low-profile dual-monitor design, so that they will fit into both Low Profile and Full Height systems, enabling easier integration into a wide range of machines. And for Interstate, with its many workstations, that has been a clear advantage.

“Adding the FireMV cards was seamless - it was a matter of just loading the driver. The ATI card’s low-profile design made it so much easier to use compared to what is available from other brands in the market that we’ve seen,” says Short. “Overall, the ease of use has been remarkable.”

Short also has high praise for the value that ATI products deliver, as well as the outstanding support he gets from the ATI team.

“ATI cards are reasonably priced and deliver a level of reliability and availability that no one can match in our experience,” says Short. “And in terms of support for their products, ATI has been outstanding. The ATI support team has been terrific and we have really appreciated the help we get from them. They know what we are looking for and they deliver what we need ever time.”

With ATI playing such an important role in Interstate’s ability to provide reliable service, the company is looking forward to new innovations from ATI.

“This business is very competitive, especially now with rising fuel prices and the impact that this is having on everyone in terms of rising costs. Anything we can do to save money, improve efficiency and raise productivity is crucial to staying competitive today,” says Short. “ATI has helped us in each of those areas and certainly Interstate and ATI will continue to work together. When you’ve got a winner, why mess with other products?”