Managing the Logistics of Transporting Turfgrass

Managing the logistics of getting sod from farms to commercial projects is one of the most challenging aspects of the turfgrass industry. Ensuring that the sod is transported from point A to point B in excellent condition for healthy growth upon delivery is crucial. Sod Solutions Professionals manages hundreds of turfgrass projects annually with partnerships across the country and meeting the diverse expectations of clients—from sod farms to end users—is critical. Ensuring that sod is harvested and installed within 24 hours is imperative for successful grass establishment.

To streamline this complex process, Sod Solutions Professionals relies on partners like Axle Logistics, an international transportation company. Brandon Porch, General Manager at Axle Logistics, shares insights on managing the ins and outs of turfgrass orders and shipments. From coordinating logistics to ensuring timely and efficient deliveries, he highlights Axle Logistics’ crucial role in supporting the turfgrass industry.

Axle Logistics comes into play for sod deliveries and projects that are out of the range of a farm truck, whether that might be a certain distance from the farm, an overnight trip, situations where the sod farm’s trucks are fully booked or other variables that just don’t make feasible sense for a farm to take on. “We like to be that additional resource,” Porch said.

He attributes their success to their technology, carrier relations and people-centric approach. “Not just for turfgrass but in general in the transportation industry, our model is very people-centric, allowing our team to act as true consultants for problems. We have streamlined communication from our customers to our carrier partners to shippers and receivers. Our steps are in tune with the entire process so answers are almost instantaneous,” he said.

Axle Logistics strives to be extremely responsive and transparent with customers to keep everything running smoothly. They are on pace to reach $1 billion in revenue this year, a milestone Porch attributes to their dynamic growth.

Sod Deliveries

Axle Logistics has delivered sod to every major region in the United States. Orders are managed through constant communication and tracking, allowing them to know the precise location of an order without needing to call drivers. “We can get a pinpoint location and essentially watch a truck drive down the road,” he shared. “If needed, we have someone monitoring the truck’s progress during the day and another person at night to ensure everything goes smoothly.”

Porch, formerly a sports field manager, recalls being on the other end of a delivery waking up early to expect sod delivered at a field at 7 a.m. and not being able to get a hold of anyone until 10 a.m. He tries to avoid those situations as much as possible through basic communication.

Managing turfgrass involves setting expectations and details upfront with the customer, carrier and receiver. Porch highlights the importance of accurate drive time estimates and weather monitoring to decide if refrigerated trucks are needed to keep sod in pristine condition. They manage it on the front end so that the carrier they book can ensure those expectations are met. “The ins and outs depend on the customer. A lot of what we do is open deck unless it needs to be tarped. We’ve found that tarps can make the sod too hot so we try to leave them off when we can. But ultimately, it’s just according to what the customer needs and what the receiver’s expectations are.”

In case of truck breakdowns or other unforeseen circumstances, Axle has protocols to bring in additional power or transload shipments to meet delivery windows. Porch said that due to volume experience, orders from placement to final delivery operate very smoothly. While there are always challenges in transportation with unforeseen hiccups and things out of their control, the most common challenges are usually weather-related.

“People don’t always understand that weather is usually the deciding factor on the day of pickup or delivery on how smoothly a project goes,” he explained. “If a pop-up shower delays us for three hours that causes a backlog when we’re moving multiple trucks in a day. Every morning when I wake up, I have every single place that I have a sod pickup scheduled saved in my weather app because I’m trying to be ahead of it. We usually try to check the night before too to avoid problems or at least communicate on the front end to everybody if we anticipate delays.”

Background

When it comes to overseeing freighting turfgrass, that’s no issue for Porch given his extensive background. He earned a degree in turfgrass management from the University of Tennessee and worked as a head groundskeeper at the University of Miami and DC United Audi Field before joining Axle Logistics.

His father, Terry Porch, is the head groundskeeper for the Tennessee Titans and has worked with the Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs and Royals grounds crews. “Axle fit the bill. It got me back to Knoxville and allowed me to apply my experience to transportation, a challenge for many,” he said.

Porch’s connection with Sod Solutions dates back to his college days when he was chosen for the University of Tennessee’s Jacobson Future Turf Managers Program. In this program, he met several Sod Solutions employees and learned about the business’s involvement in the turfgrass industry. His relationship with Sod Solutions continued through his work at the University of Miami, where their baseball and soccer stadiums had Celebration® Bermudagrass.

Economic Impacts

Porch explains that the economy drives logistics and trucking, impacting rates and capacity availability. “During produce season, markets like Florida, Southern Georgia, Southern Texas and Southern California see more freight activity, making it harder to get trucks out,” he said. Turfgrass and produce share similar growing cycles and seasons, which affects trucking schedules, demand and logistics.

Satisfaction

The most rewarding part of managing turfgrass deliveries for Porch is seeing projects come to fruition as a partner in the background. “It’s satisfying to know we were a small part of making a project happen, whether it’s a golf course, stadium or any other field,” he said. “My team and I are up at all hours checking on drivers, ensuring everything runs smoothly and communicating any delays.”

He said they’ve been fortunate to be a part of many significant events, including new construction projects for soccer, football and golf across the country. Porch highlights working with his father’s facility, Nissan Stadium, as a sentimental favorite. “My dad’s the one that gave me the shot initially to take over his transportation, and growing up a Titans fan and getting to work with my dad in that fashion is always going to be my favorite project I’ve been involved with. I don’t think anything that we get to do is going to top that.”

A particularly memorable project with Nissan Stadium, he recalls, involved a truck breakdown that required towing the entire truck and trailer of grass over 200 miles to meet a deadline. The carrier Porch was using was familiar with the stakes behind providing grass for this job and although it cost about $6,000 to get it there, it arrived on time. “One thing Axle always says is that it takes what it takes. We do whatever it takes to ensure our customers get what they need.”

One of Axle Logistics’ largest turfgrass projects was with Sod Solutions Professionals delivering sod over a two-year period in coordination with multiple sod farms for a client. This project exemplifies their capacity to handle large-scale, long-term logistics challenges to meet capacity for the end-user.

Porch shared that he enjoys being able to answer common questions he used to ask, like where the trucks are and how to get deliveries on time. He quickly realized it was a value-add to offer streamlined communication and help sod farmers fill more orders with their capabilities. “I can’t make a truck get there any faster than anybody else can, but I can offer you the transit times and experience to let you know what’s going on with the truck during transit.”

Porch explained that Sod Solutions and its Sod Solutions Professionals division have grown together with Axle over the years. “There have been learning curves and challenges, but we’ve worked hard on managing expectations and knowing what’s possible for certain shipments,” he adds. Axle Logistics opts to use drivers who have hauled turfgrass before for Sod Solutions Professionals projects and deliveries, ensuring they understand the parameters of sod deliveries. Over time, Sod Solutions has been able to focus on finding more significant projects and business opportunities, relying on Axle to handle logistics.

Sod Solutions Professionals Director Erin Wilder said, “I’ve known Brandon for a long time and greatly value his dedication to our projects. He ensures that sod is delivered on time and in excellent condition. Brandon knows how to oversee and manage all aspects of these orders properly. We look forward to continuing to work with a partner we can rely on and trust.”

In summary, Porch appreciates the satisfaction of seeing their work come to fruition in projects across the country. Despite the challenges of delivering a live product, he and his team are committed to doing whatever it takes to meet customer needs, making Axle Logistics an essential partner for Sod Solutions and the turfgrass industry.

For more information on Axle Logistics, click here. For more information on how Sod Solutions Professionals can streamline the entire process of your next turfgrass project and installation, click here.

This article was written by Cecilia Johnson.