Case Study: A Small Oversight, a $20K Risk, and the Shipping Partner Who Helped Fix It Fast

In January 2025, a Southeast-based telecom manufacturer in Commerce, Georgia, found itself at the center of a logistical nightmare. A 20-piece shipment of custom flat bars, critical to a cell phone tower upgrade on Oahu, Hawaii, arrived in Honolulu short by two pivotal bars. These weren’t just bars of steel; they were the linchpin for a major telecom project. The client’s construction momentum halted abruptly, potentially costing labor, reshuffling timelines, and spurring penalties that loomed at an alarming $20,000 for the manufacturer. 

For the family-owned, 60-person operation built on trust, reputation, and returning customers, this was no small misstep. It wasn’t merely about money anymore. A hard-earned reputation hung in fragile balance. Fred M., the shipping coordinator, was at the helm of a problem that demanded an almost impossible solution. 

The missing bars instantly put the entire construction timeline in jeopardy. Without them, construction could not start. A delayed start meant idle workers, rescheduling headaches, and the risk of penalties—all of which would create a ripple effect of unforeseen costs. 

Fred initially assumed the bars had been lost in transit. However, a second check of the loading dock revealed a seemingly small oversight. Two bars never made it onto the truck. Suddenly, a tiny error had the potential to cost his company tens of thousands of dollars. 

“When a job is delayed because of something on our end, we’re not just talking about inconvenience. That specific crew is booked for that specific job for that week, and our customer is on the hook to get the job done. Idle time costs them a lot of money, which gets passed on to us if we don’t get our product there on time and in full,” Fred explained. “For a one-week delay, we were looking at having to pay up to $20,000.” 

The 60-person, family-owned business operates in a market dominated by a small number of telecom giants. Losing that much money would be a big problem—but the reputational damage could be catastrophic. 

“Our entire business runs on reputation,” says Fred. “Everything is word of mouth and repeat customers. If we give a customer a reason to go to a competitor, that’s a disaster.” 

With no time to lose, Fred contacted his Old Dominion Solutions Specialist, Brittany Dailey. Given the urgency and the cross-country, trans-oceanic haul, he anticipated a complicated and costly logistics challenge. 

Instead, Dailey had a simple response: “We’ll handle it.” 

“Our first instinct at OD is always to tell the customer it’s no problem,” Dailey said. “Then we figure it out from there.” 

Within hours, OD had developed a solution: an expedited shipment leaving Georgia on January 21st, arriving in California just in time to make the next cargo vessel to Hawaii on January 25th. If everything went smoothly, the bars would reach Oahu before the January 31st deadline. 

Just as a workable solution was put in place, Mother Nature decided to put her beak in. 

On January 21, 2025, a record-breaking snowstorm blanketed Florida, Alabama, and Georgia with six to eight inches of snow—three times Georgia’s average annual snowfall in a single day. The storm paralyzed the region for days. By the time roads were passable on January 24th, all trucks out of the region were getting a late start, and it was unclear whether the bars would make it to Long Beach in time for the scheduled sailing to Hawaii. 

“It’s never great when things don’t go to plan,” Fred said. “But when your Plan B runs into problems, that’s when you really start to worry.” 

Snow might have shut Atlanta down, but Dailey and her team were in constant motion. The Expedited team tracked the shipment from location to location, providing Fred with real-time updates on its progress. Meanwhile, Dailey was figuring out contingency plans, and other potential modes of transport.

By the time the bars were midway across the country, it became clear they weren’t going to make it in time for the boat to Hawaii. Mid-shipment, Dailey rerouted the bars to Los Angeles International Airport. By January 26th, the bars were booked on an air freight carrier, departing for Honolulu on January 29th. The product arrived in Oahu just hours later, narrowly avoiding costly delays, fines, and reputational damage.

“Figuring all this out could have taken me hours or even days. In the end, all I had to do was make that one phone call to Brittany,” said Fred.

The company incurred additional shipping costs, but the price was insignificant compared with a $20,000 fine and incalculable damage to the business’s reputation. In the end, the project stayed on schedule, the customer was happy, and the company’s reputation was preserved. 

Three key learnings emerged from the event:

1. Flexibility is paramount in logistics. Even when plans falter due to uncontrollable factors like weather, having a trusted logistics partner that can quickly pivot is critical to minimizing disruptions.

2. Exceptional customer service is about more than logistics; it’s about trust, clear communication, and actionable solutions.

3. For businesses, reputation often outweighs financial costs. Having a trusted logistics partner ensures not just the movement of goods, but the preservation of trust and business relationships. 

Fred credits OD’s commitment to customer service and problem-solving for making the difference. 

“Brittany treats us like we’re her only customer. We don’t get that level of access with many of our vendors. That direct relationship is what made all the difference.”