Leading Greek Carrier Works Together with Coyote Logistics
The most valuable part about working with Coyote Logistics has been the understanding of our business needs. They know where our trucks are and where they need to go – Coyote really cares about our business.” – Elias Marinos, CEO, Marinos Trans
Facts About Marinos Trans
- Based out of Megara, Greece
- Third-generation family-owned business
- Grew from two to 120 refrigerated trucks
- Runs consistent loads with Coyote
The Story of Marinos Trans
When Elias Marinos’ father started the family business he did so with 15 refrigerated trucks from the United States. In fact, he was the first in Greece to buy and run refrigerated units. He used the trucks to run domestic freight at first, and only dedicated one for international cargo. Year by year, as business grew so did his fleet. Today, 15 years under Elias’ leadership with hard work and much love, Marinos Trans is proud to be one of the biggest fleets in Greece.
Q&A with Monika Deligianni, Intra Europe Manager
Coyote: What are some of your day-to-day business challenges?
Monika Deligiannis: The biggest challenge that we have now is our competition. When we started, we were the first to move refrigerated trucks, but now there are many others. Some of these newer companies accept rates that are below the actual cost to transport in order to avoid driving empty. It’s hard to keep up, but you don’t have a choice – after all, we have to keep our trucks moving.
C: Besides competition, are there any other challenges you’re facing?
MD: It is challenging to consistently find the right freight to keep our trucks moving but having a partner with a sizeable network like Coyote Logistics is very helpful. Being able to tap into a huge network of customers allows us to find freight that we couldn’t have found on our own. At times when capacity is low, like around certain holidays or when our trucks are in places where it’s harder to find freight, Coyote is there.
C: You mentioned that we have helped you to overcome some of the challenges you’re facing. Can you share what made you start to work with us to begin with?
MD: Our first contact at Coyote was with a rep named George. We talked quite often and we could see how motivated he was to learn more about our business. This personal touch made the difference. But the same way he learned about us, we learned about Coyote. George took his time to answer questions, explain how Coyote operates and what opportunities are available to us. It was only a short matter of time before we found lanes we could start hauling.
C: We’ve been working together for several years now. Can you tell us more about your experience working with Coyote?
So far we are very happy with our relationship. Not only has Coyote been able to provide us with solutions and freight that we couldn’t have found on our own, but you always pay on time. It is a big relief not having to worry about delayed payments.” – Monika Deligianni, Intra Europe Manager
C: Can you expand on what value your Coyote rep adds to your business?
MD: I think in the time I’ve been working with Coyote, first with George and more recently with a rep named Simoni, the most valuable part was their understanding of our business needs. They’ve been helping us find both long-term dedicated freight and short-term spot freight. They know where our trucks are and where they need to go. It is like having an extension to our team who really cares about our business.
Simoni is very hard-working and it has been great working with her. She always finds us solutions if our reloadings fail. Whenever we really needed her, she has been there for us – no matter what time of day she is always available to help, even after hours.
C: It sounds like a relationship with a rep that knows your business is important to you. What other qualities do look for in a logistics provider?
MD: In addition to a strong relationship, some of the main things we look for from a provider are whether their prices are fair and sufficient, how quickly they can resolve issues when incidents arise and finally how well-organized the company is. These are all very important things to us.
For example, most of our seasonal work includes the transportation of fresh meat. If there is a delay during loading or offloading and it isn’t resolved quickly, we will fail on our business commitment. Fresh meat will obviously go bad and this would be unacceptable to our customers. That is something that we absolutely cannot do and having a provider that is available and cares makes a huge difference.
Thank you to Marinos Trans for sharing their story and insights with us.