Martin Brower — Cutting Driver Detention 19% with Smarter Carrier Communication

Martin Brower set out to tackle quality claims, communication inefficiencies, and on-time delivery challenges across its distribution network. Carrier communication was scattered across email, making it hard to keep a shared history and respond quickly. With more than 70% of shipments moving refrigerated, protecting product integrity in transit added another layer of urgency to getting visibility and communication right.

Martin Brower created dedicated carrier communication channels using FourKites Instant Messenger for key carriers, centralizing conversations, reducing email volume, and giving the team a shared communication history. After hitting its tracking compliance goal, the team expanded naturally into temperature tracking to monitor its high volume of refrigerated shipments. The combination of real-time messaging and notifications helped identify the most reliable carriers during rush-shipment events and improved on-time performance at the distribution center.

On-time delivery rates increased by 4%, and driver detention dropped 19% from 2024 to 2025 — reducing cost and supplemental charges to carrier partners by demonstrating an enhanced ability to manage and mitigate delays. Identifying top-performing carriers during rush shipments further supported distribution-center operations.