Lone Star Overnight (LSO)

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LSO Flexes Capacity to Meet Productivity Targets, Reduce Lead Times

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Lone Star Overnight (LSO) is a regional logistics and shipping company serving the Southwest. Early in 2021, the company experienced a massive surge in demand for its services as e-commerce boomed and supply chain challenges mounted. LSO’s Dallas hub, in particular, faced significant productivity targets but struggled to keep workers in place to meet those goals.

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The static, traditional staffing model simply wasn’t keeping up with rapidly shifting demand. According to Don Benson, Senior Supervisor at LSO, his facility’s productivity goal was 110, but they were consistently operating in the mid-80s. Retention challenges compounded the problem, making it difficult to process freight on time, which in turn impacted the broader market.

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“Our biggest challenge right now is we’re accumulating so much volume that our location is too big for just one place to handle,” Benson explained. “Other locations don’t have the same experience as the hub — wrapping packages, getting them loaded, achieving on-time departures. That’s our biggest challenge.”

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LSO’s delays in processing freight meant shorter lead times were missed, disrupting schedules downstream. Benson realized he needed a better, more flexible solution to match labor to workload in real time.

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The Veryable Solution

When Benson connected with Veryable, he saw an opportunity to move away from a rigid, full-time-only staffing model. Instead, Veryable’s on-demand labor platform allowed him to match staffing directly to productivity needs — even on short notice.

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“Last year we started ramping up, getting more volume,” Benson shared. “When Veryable came in, it really helped us out by giving us the flexibility of being able to pick our people, maybe even the same day. If I wake up and realize I need 10 more people, I can post an opportunity and might get 25 bids.”

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By bringing in the exact number of operators needed on a daily basis, LSO could flex capacity up or down. Benson began adding flex shifts to distribute work more evenly and brought in on-demand labor to consistently hit daily productivity targets. On days with lighter volume, he simply reduced the number of on-demand workers, aligning headcount precisely to the day’s output requirements.

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“During the day, if I see that we’re short, I like that I can make changes,” Benson said. “I usually think a day before about what I need based on what the volume looks like.”

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Over time, Benson curated a “favorites” list of proven on-demand workers who had performed well, effectively building a high-quality labor pool he could rely on.

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Results/Benefits

• Increased productivity by 38%

• Improved lead times & on-time shipping

• Eliminated reliance on rigid, full-time-only staffing

• Decrease turnover & increased FTE morale & retention

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“I have to say, of all the years I’ve worked, this has been by far the best, the easiest,” Benson concluded. “It’s been a great relationship, and I hope it continues.”

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With a more agile, responsive workforce strategy, LSO has future-proofed its Dallas hub — and shared its success with other company locations to build a culture of proactive labor planning and real-time capacity flexibility.