QTS works hard to attract and retain top talent. Our front-line representatives in our fleet and tracking groups average over 8 years of experience and our management team averages over 15 years with QTS. Additionally, many of our team members come to QTS from previous positions in transportation, including rail, truck, and associated industries. We truly believe that our people make the difference!
Over 30 years in the business, we've been able to accumulate quite a few valuable relationships in the industry. We have direct FTP connections with most of the Class I carriers as well as Railinc, and we work with them on system enhancements and other efforts to work collaboratively to satisfy our mutual customers. In addition, we have access to a library of over 1200 contacts, including customer service groups as well as individuals at plants, transloaders, brokerage houses, customs desks, accessorial departments, rip tracks, and local yard operations. We have the ability to get to the right people to reduce delays and resolve issues faster.
The QTS SmartRail Suite of software tools are designed and updated regularly by a staff of programmers on-site at our headquarters. Our development team works with our operations group side-by-side to produce applications that are built from an end-user's point of view, with our years of industry knowledge and business intelligence built right in. We don't give our customers a cookie-cutter, off-the-shelf program, but a customizable, user-friendly tool that leverages our experience to bring efficiency and ease of use.
Over 30 years we've learned quite a bit about how to run an effective rail transportation program. We have a set of protocols and operating procedures in every area of our business - from tracking, to fleet maintenance, to software development and network support. Many of these practices come from industry models, some from the leadership of our customers, and some from a recipe of common sense and trial and error that have allowed QTS to stay flexible in an ever-changing business environment.