Sign in Subscribe
Telecommunications equipment industry

3Com Corporation Empowers U.S. Xpress with Advanced Network Infrastructure

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc., the fifth largest publicly held truckload carrier in the U.S., has chosen 3Com's full range of systems to build a nationwide enterprise network that accelerates e-commerce applications and provides prompt customer service. The $1.2 million, 6,000-user e-Network is anchored to a Gigabit Ethernet local area network (LAN) at the company's Chattanooga, Tenn., headquarters, powered by three CoreBuilder(R) 9000 enterprise switches.

Key Takeaways:

  • U.S. Xpress is standardizing a new nationwide enterprise network on 3Com's reliable, high-speed e-Network systems, utilizing CoreBuilder(R) 9000, SuperStack(R) II, OfficeConnect(R), and NETBuilder(R) Systems.
  • The network supports customized e-commerce applications, such as Xpress Connect, which allows customers to track shipments in real-time, and Xpress EDI, which enables customers to initiate shipping orders online.
  • The 3Com network reduces the time it takes to access scanned documents from almost a minute to less than 10 seconds.
  • The e-Network supports several business-critical services, including Saber Technologies' QDSS load optimization, ISDC's fuel optimization application, and Infinium's enterprise resource planning (ERP) software package.
  • U.S. Xpress is also planning to deploy streaming video and voice-over IP across a new SONET ring to recruit and train drivers and to improve communications among its nationwide operations managers.
  • The LAN at U.S. Xpress headquarters in Chattanooga is based on three fully redundant CoreBuilder 9000 switches with Gigabit Ethernet connections to 25 CoreBuilder II 3500 Layer 3 switches.

Statistics:

  • $1.2 million: the cost of the e-Network infrastructure.
  • $725 million: the value of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, the fifth largest publicly held truckload carrier in the U.S.
  • 6,000 users: the number of employees who will be connected to the e-Network.
  • 4,800 trucks: the number of trucks operated by U.S. Xpress nationwide.
  • 7,800 employees: the total number of employees, including 6,000 drivers.
  • 30%: the growth rate of U.S. Xpress since 1986.
  • 25: the number of CoreBuilder II 3500 Layer 3 switches connected to the Gigabit Ethernet LAN.
  • 50: the number of SuperStack(R) II 3300 switches located in wiring closets throughout the building.
  • 500: the number of desktop systems connected to the SuperStack II 3300 switches.
  • 42: the number of Compaq Proliant and Hewlett Packard HP LH Pro servers running Microsoft Windows NT and an IBM AS 400.

Sources:

  • Business Wire, "3Com Corporation Announces U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. Standardizes on 3Com's Full Range of Systems" (November 2, 1999).
  • 3Com Corporation press release, "U.S. Xpress Enterprises Standardizes on 3Com's Full Range of Systems" (November 2, 1999).

Read more