Episode 122 - State of Less-than-Truckload with Chris Gula
Kyle MacNaught • 34 min listen • June 4, 2021
This week, we sat down with Chris Gula, Director of Operations at FreightPlus, to discuss the state of the Less-than-Truckload mode. One of the biggest challenges that the mode and transportation industry is currently facing is a massive driver shortage. The pool shrunk by 200,000 last year alone and it is predicted that in 2021, the retirement levels of truck drivers are going to increase, making it even harder for carriers to recruit truck drivers.
The way the industry is combating the lack of drivers is by focusing on retention and recruitment, to bring in new drivers. Some of the incentives include increased wages, sign-on bonuses, and guaranteed salaries. Retaining these workers is harder than before because of the long hours that they are at work, which is resulting in companies changing their hours and redesigning their systems to fit the driver’s needs. Essentially, they are reducing the workload to make the job more attractive. Communication and transparency are vital when maintaining a good trucker-employer relationship and having a good company culture. It is important to be appreciative of all the work they put in.
Equipment is placed at number two on the list of problems for carriers. Everyone needs the same equipment and there are only so many companies to produce it. Purchasing is difficult, production is slow and the price of the materials has increased. The average price of a tractor-trailer is up 30%, making it more difficult for carriers to obtain and purchase the vehicles. All the carriers are reaching out to the same manufacturers, which only increases the price. As a result, some of the carriers are beginning to refurbish their trailers or using their own shops for production. On a positive note, as things start to open back up, more people will want to return to work and more people will be available to combat this equipment shortage.
All of the top 25 carriers are seeing a shipment, tonnage, and revenue growth anywhere from 5% to 30%. One of the carriers is able to comfortably handle about 55 million pounds of freight in their system, every day. This carrier also explained that in the month of May, they averaged 62 million pounds daily and expected to haul 70 million pounds by the end of the month. The same carrier had plans to add 1,500 drivers in 2021, but due to COVID-19 and retirement, only gained 287 drivers.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel for the LTL mode, including:
- Congress takes on driver shortage, reboots divisive under-21 interstate bill
- Lawmakers aim to ease driver shortage with women in trucking workforce bill
If you would like to contact Chris Gula, the best way to reach him is at cgula@freightplus.io or on LinkedIn!
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May Transportation Market Update
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Innovative managed transportation provider continues to invest in hiring and developing the best talent within the logistics space QUINCY, Mass — FreightPlus, a data-driven managed transportation solutions provider, announced Brendan Lawler has joined as Senior Manager of Strategic Planning and Customer Service. Lawler brings in over seven years of experience leading diverse, cross-functional teams in challenging, chaotic, and ambiguous environments. In his new role, Lawler will own all aspects of planning, optimizing, appointing, tracking and servicing customers’ freight. He looks forward to standardizing the planning and customer service functions within the department and incrementally improving the throughput of the team through process improvement and technology integration. “I am energized by the opportunity to help continue FreightPlus’s growth as a data-driven transportation management solutions provider,” says Lawler. “I’m eager to use my experience in leading teams toward operational excellence to enhance the customized service for our clients. FreightPlus's mission to ‘simplify complex logistics together’ embodies the people-driven culture that I value so deeply. I look forward to joining a company that is team-focused and has a proven track record of transforming ideas into innovative solutions that create sustainable impact.” Lawler previously served as a Captain in the Marine Corps and as Senior Operations Manager within Amazon Transportation Services, where he focused on driving operational excellence and utilizing new technology to drive process improvements. In his tenure, he was responsible for developing and implementing new network-level process improvements for both under-the-roof (UTR) and over-the-road (OTR) operations, as well as spearheading the effort of optimizing the synchronization of warehouse and transportation operations. With revenue and employee count quadrupling over the past five years, FreightPlus was listed no. 184 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America in 2022. Chief Operating Officer Ben Graeff comments, “I am so excited to welcome Brendan to FreightPlus. Brendan brings a deep background in operational excellence from his time in the Marine Corps and Amazon Transportation. He is a quiet leader that leads by example, lives in the day-to-day details, and is the exact right person to help us scale our operation and customer service teams through our continued growth.” About FreightPlus FreightPlus is an industry provider of data-driven transportation management, offering businesses customized and fully tailored managed transportation solutions in a boutique environment where clients get the individual attention they deserve. FreightPlus combines first class customer service with innovative technology and industry best practices to help mid-size and growing companies work efficiently in the $800B domestic transportation market. Visit FreightPlus.io for more information. ### Media Contact: Courtney Conyers Marketing & Communications cconyers@freightplus.io
For the 2nd Time, FreightPlus Appears on the Inc. 5000, Ranking No. 184 on the List of Fastest-growing Privately Held Companies in America FreightPlus recognizes a three-year revenue growth rate of 2,846% NEW YORK, August 16, 2022 – Today, Inc. revealed that FreightPlus is No. 184 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The list represents a one-of-a-kind look at the most successful companies within the economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent businesses. Facebook, Chobani, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. “We are honored to be featured on the annual Inc. 5000 list for the second year in a row,” said Stephen Aborn, FreightPlus Chief Executive Officer. “This award and our ranking reflect the continuous dedication from our team to providing our customers with the people, technology and processes to build best-in-class logistics programs. We are thrilled to be recognized as we strive to bring customer-centric and innovative solutions to the world of logistics.” The companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 have not only been successful, but have also demonstrated resilience amid supply chain woes, labor shortages, and the ongoing impact of Covid-19. Among the top 500, the average median three-year revenue growth rate soared to 2,144 percent. Together, those companies added more than 68,394 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc. magazine, which will be available on August 23. “The accomplishment of building one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., in light of recent economic roadblocks, cannot be overstated,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that have established themselves through innovation, hard work, and rising to the challenges of today.” About FreightPlus FreightPlus is an industry provider of data-driven transportation management offering businesses customized and fully tailored managed transportation solutions in a boutique environment where clients get the individual attention they deserve. FreightPlus combines first class customer service with innovative technology and industry practices to help mid-size and growing companies work efficiently in the $800B domestic transportation market. Visit https://www.freightplus.io/ for more information. Media Contact: Courtney Conyers cconyers@freightplus.io
Innovative managed transportation provider brings on LTL industry leader to continue to support rapid growth QUINCY, Mass — FreightPlus, a data-driven managed transportation solutions provider, has announced the expansion of their company with the hiring of Curtis Garrett, joining as Senior Vice President of LTL. Garrett will focus on improving carrier relationships and interactions through utilizing technology and strategic processes. With revenue and employee count quadrupling over the past five years, FreightPlus was named the second-fastest growing privately held company in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal. FreightPlus was also listed as the 783 rd fastest-growing company on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. CEO Stephen Aborn commented, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Curtis. Expanding our team with his experience is a great step in the right direction for FreightPlus as we continue to look for the most innovative and ambitious thinkers in the logistics space.” Garrett brings fifteen years of LTL experience prior to joining FreightPlus, including eight with ODFL in operations, driving, pricing, yield, and W&I. Since departing from ODFL, he has spent six years on the 3PL, software and consulting side of the industry, recently serving as Vice President of Pricing and then Chief Strategy Officer at Reconex. Garrett is fascinated with technology and is truly a student of the industry. Having overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue on the business profitability side, as well as pricing and carrier relationships and procurement, Garrett is more determined than ever to break down silos and get everyone on the same playing field. “I am beyond excited to join FreightPlus”, said Garrett on his new role. He continued, “from what I have witnessed, this company has all the right parts and pieces – customer obsession, innovation, and grit – to do big things in the freight industry and I could not be more excited to be a part of it.” About FreightPlus FreightPlus is an industry provider of data-driven transportation management offering businesses customized and fully tailored managed transportation solutions in a boutique environment where clients get the individual attention they deserve. FreightPlus combines first-class customer service with innovative technology and industry practices to help mid-size and growing companies work efficiently in the $800B domestic transportation market. Visit https://www.freightplus.io/ for more information. Media Contact: Courtney Conyers cconyers@freightplus.io
FreightPlus has been named to Boston Business Journal's exclusive 2022 Fast 50 list for the first time.
Innovative managed transportation provider continues to invest in executive team to support the company’s rapid growth. QUINCY, Mass — FreightPlus, a data-driven managed transportation solutions provider, announced Ben Graeff has joined as Chief Operating Officer, the first in company history. Graeff will be responsible for the company’s operational, managerial, and product strategy, as well as driving day to day and quarterly results and innovation in FreightPlus’ next stage of scale and growth. With revenue and employee count quadrupling over the past five years, FreightPlus was named to The Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America in 2021. CEO Stephen Aborn commented, “I am thrilled to welcome Ben to FreightPlus. His natural ability to lead and his experience scaling large businesses at the intersection of technology and operations will be invaluable to our growth story. Every person or partner that works with Ben will be better for it.” Graeff brings over 10 years of experience building technology and businesses at Amazon. Prior to joining FreightPlus, he served as Sr. Manager, Product Management and Data Analytics within Amazon Transportation Services. During his tenure, Graeff was responsible for P&L ownership in Amazon’s consumer retail division, developing new software and customer experiences for Amazon Prime, as well as product development and business results in operations and logistics across the globe. “I am excited to join a company whose mission embodies solving complex problems in partnership with its customers,” said Graeff on his new role. He continued, “Like all great organizations , FreightPlus is powered by its people. I’m eager to join this growing team and blend my experience in building and developing organizations with delivering fast-paced results through people, process and technology. FreightPlus’ commitment to driving long-term partnerships, cost savings and strong service for our customers aligns closely to my core values. I look forward to continuing to build the products, processes, programs and technologies to drive FreightPlus’ future growth as a data-driven transportation management service.” About FreightPlus About FreightPlus FreightPlus is an industry provider of data-driven transportation management offering businesses customized and fully tailored managed transportation solutions in a boutique environment where clients get the individual attention they deserve. FreightPlus combines first-class customer service with innovative technology and industry practices to help mid-size and growing companies work efficiently in the $800B domestic transportation market. Visit https://www.freightplus.io/ for more information. Media Contact: Courtney Conyers cconyers@freightplus.io
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CEO of FreightPlus Stephen Aborn Featured in Inbound Logistics
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