Chimka Spends Sabbatical With J.B. Hunt Intermodal Engineering Team

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Associate professor Justin Chimka completed a nine-month off-campus duty assignment working with the Intermodal Engineering group at J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., the Fortune 500 transportation company in nearby Lowell, during the 2022-23 academic year.

Its intermodal segment, which is focused on moving freight by multiple modes — usually from train to truck or ship (or vice versa) — makes J.B. Hunt the largest intermodal company in the world. And its mission is "to create the most efficient transportation network in North America."

Chimka used his expertise in engineering statistics and operations analytics to help advance projects and implement solutions for Deric Bidwell, director of intermodal engineering at J.B. Hunt. They worked together closely with other logistics engineers and network planners on several projects across most parts of the intermodal business. One project focused on managing the company's immense intermodal fleet of containers, chassis and trucks. Some projects related to statistical process control for monitoring important system levels and aspects of cost. Others relied on building empirical models to learn from data and make better business decisions with respect to things like driver productivity.

"It was great to have Justin's experience and expertise as a resource for the team. We spend so much time dealing with the nuances of our operations processes as we work on projects," Bidwell said. "Justin's unique perspective helped us step back and think about how we apply statistical methods to provide insight and solve problems. We are excited to continue the work he initiated during his time with the company!"

The idea for this sabbatical came after years of successful collaboration between Chimka and Bidwell on research funded by the J.B. Hunt Innovation Center of Excellence, "a combined effort between the company, the College of Engineering and the Sam M. Walton College of Business to advance supply chain management efficiency through technology." And the sabbatical itself was made possible by the support of Eric Ervin, vice president of engineering & technology at J.B. Hunt.

Chimka said he felt very much like part of the team at J.B. Hunt. He was issued a computer, email address, photo ID and keycard like every other employee and moved freely inside the Lowell corporate headquarters, where he had dedicated workspace. In addition to the day-to-day satisfaction Chimka gained from working on a team to achieve common goals, there were specific highlights that stand out. Those include presenting on his work to the company's 100-plus logistics engineers at their quarterly meeting and volunteering with team members at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

Chimka attended companywide "town halls" featuring executive officers including President Shelley Simpson and enjoyed the privilege of participating in the company's annual Million Mile celebration of drivers achieving more than 2 million safe driving miles. He was even present when co-founder Johnelle Hunt visited the corporate headquarters and shared stories about the early days of the company. According to Chimka, "working with the intermodal engineering team at J.B. Hunt was the professional experience of a lifetime."

Chase Rainwater, head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, said Chimka's recent successful sabbatical is important to the future of the department.

"Dr. Chimka's numerous collaborations with J.B. Hunt have become a model for academic research translating to real-world industry impact," Rainwater said. "The experiences he brings back to the classroom and our research program will enhance student development in ways that a textbook alone cannot."