How the University of Arkansas' Supply Chain Program Has Prepared Me For My Internship with J.B. Hunt

I just started the first few weeks of my internship with JB Hunt as a customer experience intern. A customer experience intern is “someone who delivers top-notch customer solutions and manages key relationships with our customers and several internal teams. Customer Experience professionals are the face of our business and help us achieve our company goals” (JB Hunt). JB Hunt has rallied around all of us interns and has made us feel at home and like family these past few weeks. During the first week of the internship we played lots of jeopardy. Playing jeopardy ensured that we knew certain “supply chain vocabulary”. I saw a lot of words I knew from class while playing jeopardy. Some examples of these words are: reefer, commodity, bill of lading (BOL), lane, and more. Because of my supply chain classes, I was able to recognize those words and help my team win. Not only did my supply chain classes help me with jeopardy, but it has helped me while booking appointments. Without my delivery: transportation and distribution management class, I would not have been able to excel in my internship. As I book appointments I need to distinguish if the customer is asking for a reefer or a container. l also get sent over a bill of lading (BOL) and have to distinguish the reference number, load number, address, and more. Adding onto this, knowing what commodity my customer is shipping helps to book the load through our system and categorize the product.?

Adding onto this, my delivery: transportation and distribution management class helped me get familiar with the type of booking systems JB Hunt uses. They are not the same platforms, but the motions are the same. In delivery, we used an online system called Mercury Gate. Mercury Gate is “a way to simplify shipping and logistics for any business. We use this platform to help our clients in managing freights in multiple ways. The portal offers smooth experience to both shippers and carriers which translates in increasing efficiency and cost savings (Gartner). By using this platform in class I was able to get an understanding of how to book appointments andloads, what certain documents that might get sent over look like, where to find reference/load numbers, and more. Although the Mercury Gate and JB Hunt system are not fully the same, Mercury Gate helped give me knowledge and an understanding that has helped me excel through my internship so far. Booking loads and appointments are a huge part of my internship, so I am really thankful for the work and practice I was able to do on Mercury Gate.

I was amazed at how much I really did know going into my internship, and I would like to thank the University of Arkansas for this. The University of Arkansas’ supply chain program is ranked number two in the country, which is amazing! Brian Fugate, chair of the Department of Supply Chain Management and holder of the Oren Harris Endowed Chair in Transportation says, “We have worked hard in our department to deliver the best programs, develop the best curricula and recruit the best faculty and students, we are surrounded by supply chain leaders in our corner of the world. The result is productive mentorships, internships, guest speakers and solid career paths for our students. The Gartner analysis substantiates all of our hard work and our valued industry partnerships”(Fugate). I believe that the University of Arkansas supply chain program goes above and beyond with their students, professors, content, and the opportunities they give us. Without the University of Arkansas Supply Chain program I would not have the knowledge I have, the connections with other students and faculty that I have, or the amazing internship that I currently have either.

Works Cited?

MercuryGate Transportation Management System (TMS) Reviews June 5, 2023, Gartner. Mercurygate-tms

Representing Our Company August 24, 2021, J.B. Hunt. customer-experience

Walton College's Supply Chain Graduate Program Ranked No. 2 In North America July 19, 2022, Univeristy of Arkansas. walton-college-s-supply-chain-graduate-program-ranked-no-2-in-north-america