Even before taking on the Niagara account, the MoLo team understood there would be high expectations and high-volume shipments. So, needing some time to get their feet wet, pun intended, was to be expected during the first year. So the team focused on learning how to best communicate with their carrier base and ensure they knew how the Niagara business ran—which would be critical to future success.
In January 2022, with a year under their belts, they knew they had what it takes to be one of Niagara’s top carriers. They kicked it into high gear by focusing hard on service; starting a weekly scorecard audit, working closely with Carrier Sales Director Nick Livas, and utilizing the Strategic Capacity team to ensure that their carriers serviced all loads up to their high levels of expectation.
That dedication to being driven for better is precisely how they got to this moment: being named Niagara’s Northeast Carrier of the Year.
“The MoLo team consistently delivered the world-class service and reliability needed for us to provide our products across the country.” Said Niagara Carrier Relations Manager Paul B. “Their exemplary service, communication, and collaboration are why we are honored to name them our Northeast Carrier of the Year.“
The decision at the beginning of this year to start biweekly meetings with the Niagara team, where they would check in on their scorecards, any callouts they had, or issues they came across, was the key to the massive progress made on the account. This proactive commitment to communication ultimately improved scores and helped the team develop deeper partnerships with the Niagara team.
“A lot of the success had to do with our relationships; they spoke to that when they gave us the award.” Nicole Beer, Manager, Customer Operations, said. “They mentioned ‘the top-down knows the bottom-up.’ Everyone on both sides are consistently on the same page and being proactive to make sure all issues get resolved.”
The team didn’t stop there, though. They went above and beyond through a policy of always responding to emails within 10 minutes, and by tailoring their communication style to the Niagara coordinators’ preferences so they could respond to any and all issues as quickly as possible.
One of the team’s most significant changes from 2021 to 2022, and another critical part of their success, was utilizing the Strategic Capacity team and leaning on them as a resource, which was vital to best servicing Niagara’s high-volume lanes.
“We were working hand-in-hand with the StratCap team, really becoming one team for the customer.” Brendan Sullivan, Account Manager, said about the partnership. “To see the transition from our overall score in 2021 to being a top performing carrier, I think that’s a big testament to why we made that decision.”
The MoLo team’s adaptability and agility in scaling up resources with a project’s needs allowed our team to stand out in Niagara’s network and become a key resource in critical times.
Winning something like Northeast Carrier of the Year clearly doesn’t come without an immense amount of teamwork, but the account’s manager, Nicole Beer, had one specific teammate she wanted to highlight:
“I would definitely like to shout out my Customer Operations Lead, Cailin Sheehan. She joined about two weeks after we onboarded Niagara in 2021.” Nicole said. “She has been my right hand, making sure that the service is there, building up our Operations team, and making sure they’re knowledgeable on the account and know how to handle certain issues. She is a huge part of the reason we got this award.”
Moving forward, and with two years of experience and knowledge under their belt, the team has every intention to continue to build upon the incredible success of 2022 and deliver even greater growth in the coming year.
A huge congratulations to everyone on the Niagara team who clearly put in the work and deserves this incredible recognition!
The award-winning team is comprised of Nicole Beer, Customer Operations Manager; Brendan Sullivan, Account Manager; Cailin Sheehan, Customer Operations Lead; Abbey Parsley, Customer Operations Specialist; Christine Athamanah, Customer Operations Specialist; Katie Dozois, Customer Operations Specialist; Maria Kay, Customer Operations Specialist; Trent Cairns, Customer Operations Specialist; Ellie Birgbauer, Customer Operations Specialist; Lexie Leander, Customer Operations Representative; Charles Bachmann, Customer Operations Representative; and Evan Price, Customer Operations Representative.
In January 2020, we built out our training team and welcomed our first class of new employees for the year. This would mark the last full training class of 2020 that took place in our 120 N. Racine Avenue office.
By the time March rolled around, change was in the air. On March 10, Forbes named MoLo the #1 best startup to work for in Transportation & Logistics. The next day, our COVID-19 Response Taskforce was formed, and we swiftly worked to ensure everyone had the resources to safely transition to working remotely.
Hundreds of monitors began to stack up in our office space, towering over Katie Richards, a member of our COVID-19 Response Taskforce, who managed the inventory as employees from across the company came into the office to pick up their equipment. “When we sent everyone home, we had no idea that we’d be seeing each other over Zoom for months,” Katie recalled.
By the end of the day on Friday, March 13, every MoLo team member was equipped to work at home. “If we’re going to be who we say we are when it comes to taking care of our people, this is the kind of situation where it’s all or nothing,” she said.
As we began working from home, our people got creative.
Company-wide meetings went virtual, as did our problem-solving, our relationships, and our collaborative environment. Each team found a rhythm that worked for them: some teams met first thing in the morning and at the end of the day, while other managers used FaceTime to call teammates while taking walks around the neighborhood. No matter how they made it work, it’s safe to say that prioritizing our connections with each other—even over Zoom—was a huge factor in our success in 2020.
We also found ways to safely give back together, taking shifts at the Greater Chicago Food Depository to pack emergency relief kits for shelters across our community as COVID-19 rates worsened in the spring.
In April, as panic-buying hit new heights and volumes surged, we found innovative ways to service our customers and get shelves stocked across the country. Our commitment to service never wavered—even if it took late nights and required all-hands-on-deck. This spring, we were honored to receive the Kraft Heinz Highway Heroes Award, which recognizes companies that go the extra mile to feed America.
By May, we were looking for ways to thank our carrier community. Their dedication to keeping supply chains rolling was unmatched in 2020, and we wanted to rally our team and give back directly to the people that take care of us every day. We found St Christopher Truckers Relief Fund (SCF)—which helps provide financial assistance to ill or injured drivers—and pledged $5 for every load moved in the month of May to SCF. These pledges, plus a final round of donations raised internally, came to $62,500.
In June, we spoke out about racism and our commitment to listen, learn, and educate ourselves on ways to make a real impact, both short and long-term, to improve a broken system. We formed our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which is dedicated to leading the change we envision for our company and the global community. DE&I aims to be a catalyst for change within MoLo and its communities through volunteerism, recruitment, fundraising, and the furthering of education on inequality and social injustice. DE&I meets twice monthly, and coordinates conversations about allyship, biases, awareness, and more.
As we focused on sustainable growth, we also needed to find new ways to safely recruit new team members. We partnered with Handshake, which connects us with over 7 million alumni and students across the country to take part in a diverse range of virtual career fairs. These events have provided us with more opportunities to meet candidates where they are.
Through our first season of remote recruiting, we also trained our managers to help them conduct virtual interviews and shadow sessions, and we even welcomed our first virtual internship class!
This fall brought lots of new opportunities to MoLo! We launched a partnership with Boon, which offers holistic, personalized mental health resources paired with 1:1 coaching sessions to improve resilience, productivity, and engagement.
After months of testing and development with the Mastery team, we went live with our partnership. Their TMS, MasterMind™, is built to solve the supply chain’s most complex issues. MasterMind™ provides us with the infrastructure, functionality, and efficiency that we needed said, allowing us to continue to offer the highest level of service to our customers and carriers.
This November, we raised $1200 for Earth’s Remedies, which supports members of the community in the west side of Chicago. Our donation went towards their November 2020 event, Holiday for the Homeless, which helped to provide warm meals, winter wear packages, sleeping bags and sanitation kits to 75 people facing homelessness.
As we close out 2020, we’re thankful for the resiliency of our team, time after time. No matter how it was put to the test, the MoLo family rose to the occasion.
Reflecting on what this year has brought us, we’re incredibly thankful: for our team, our families, our friends, our customers, and our carriers. 2020 has brought so much into focus, and although there have been ups and downs, we’ve leaned on our values, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to commit to the highest levels of service to each other and to you.
Here’s to all that’s ahead in 2021!
MoLo’s message from day one has always been about service. These past couple of months have pushed MoLo and its employees to show what that means. In an article published by FreightWaves, our CEO, Andrew Silver describes what it means to be MoLo during a challenging freight market.
The MoLo Solutions team is excited, proud, and grateful to be recognized for the work we’re doing to take care of our customers in such a challenging freight environment.
Driven by passion.
The company hasn’t been shy about its service-at-all-costs philosophy and what it’s willing to do to take care of its customers. MoLo’s executives have wagered the future of the company on their belief that shippers will ultimately reward loyalty and honesty.
Driven to deliver.
“If you can consistently deliver a level of service above and beyond the expectations set, you can not only grow, but you can grow profitably,” Silver said in a Zoom interview. In a companywide meeting with his team, he put it differently: “Today, we’re watching our competitors count their margin dollars. Tomorrow, they will watch us move their loads.”
Driven to do better.
“We think we can change the way shippers look at freight brokers,” Silver said. “We don’t think it’ll be easy and we know it’ll take years to achieve. Building a reputation doesn’t happen overnight, especially if it’s a reputation of excellence. Over time, we believe the loyalty we’ll build with our people, our drivers and our shippers will yield profitable results. We will never be the most profitable brokerage in the market on a per-load basis — it’s just not possible if you always service the freight. However, we can have healthy profits and own a massive piece of market share. Maybe all of it one day, if we do this right.”
Family. Resilience. Accountability.
MoLo is driven to uphold the values of our business.
The culmination of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent events around racial tensions has produced a shockwave of unrest not only throughout the general public but amongst leaders in the supply chain industry.
Understanding the responsibility to give back and stand up for those affected by these challenging times, MoLo’s CEO, Andrew Silver, took to the airwaves to share how the company plans to make a positive impact in both its industry and community.
In a recent interview on FreightWave’s podcast, “What The Truck?!”, Andrew shared his insight on the company’s priority initiatives:
- The company’s philanthropic campaign for the St. Christopher’s Trucker Relief Fund
- Creating a safe work environment for employees post-COVID-19
AND - MoLo’s response to the current racial injustices taking place across the country
To learn more about MoLo’s services, request to Talk To A Specialist.
While the spread of COVID-19 has certainly been the primary industry focus for the trailing 3-4 months, reoccurring seasonal events present new waves of challenges and opportunities for shippers of all sizes. As we enter the spring and summer months, typically, a surge in freight demand is observed in the marketplace due to one notable industry event that jumpstarts much of the transportation activity in early-mid Q2: produce season.
As consumers anxiously wait to be released from the confines of their homes to once again enjoy the beauty of the outdoors, demand for products and goods, like produce, continue to be shipped. Even with produce essential activities like picnics and backyard barbeques on hold for most of the country, the stockpiling of cabinets and fridges have kept demand for fruits and vegetables at a constant hum. For shippers, understanding the regions heavily impacted by the uptick in produce shipping as well as how carriers react to the heightened volumes is important to successfully navigate the ebbs and flows of the market. In addition, implementing supply chain best practices can help optimize and position facilities as a favored choice amongst preferred carriers.
What regions of the U.S. drive produce demand?
Year over year, two states generally serve as the primary contributors to produce’s impact on the truckload market. Florida and Texas drive much of the nation’s produce volume during the early spring months. With sudden surges in volume sweeping across these regions, challenges to source capacity and limit heightened costs can arise for shippers. For Florida, major port cities like Miami serve as the focal points to shipping in the southeast. As imports and local produce gradually take hold of the market during early Q2, shippers are challenged with competing for coverage as rate premiums for produce heighten costs in the surrounding areas and states. Through the spring and early summer months, outbound Florida freight will support much of the country’s produce demand until freight in outside markets begins to loosen with the rising temperatures.
It is important for shippers to understand the significant uptick in freight activity to properly forecast and prepare their supply chain for potential disruptions.
For Texas, the influx of produce from Mexico and Latin America will cause strains at southern shipping points across the state. Cities like Laredo and McAllen drive the majority of outbound produce demand, and capacity in nearby locations will tighten as carriers reposition fleets south to take advantage of the surplus volumes and rates. Like Florida, shippers can expect costs for non-produce goods and products to potentially rise in these areas due to the spiked demand.
Arizona and California also deserve recognition. As the states that lead the demand for the western regions of the country, border cities experience significant increases in volume during this time of the year. As produce from Mexico crosses over into the U.S., freight moves up the western coast to support states in the pacific northwest as well as shipments reaching the mountain west.
With more freight available in the southeast, southwest, and west areas of the country, these regions become the early hotbeds of opportunity for carriers.
Referencing MoLo’s Regional TL Volume from Q1-Q2 2019, demand rose 27% across the west, southwest, and southeast areas of the US, making these states and surrounding regions pivotal in measuring the marketplace volatility during Q2. It is important for shippers to understand the significant uptick in freight activity to properly forecast and prepare their supply chain for potential disruptions.
As freight volumes increase, how will carrier fleet strategies change?
To take advantage of the rise in shipments, carriers will make equipment alterations to make them suitable to haul certain types of produce. Outfitting dry van trailers with vents is a common practice during the season as well as some carriers switching out for refrigerated trailers to profit on the heightened demand for temperature-controlled coverage.
Fleets will also reposition their drivers to high-volume produce shipping lanes. To capture premiums on outbound shipments from produce heavy states, carriers will be more willing to haul inbound shipments at compressed rates as to not lose out on outbound rate inflations.
Establishing new revenue streams could be the new initiative for decision-makers as we cross the halfway point in the quarter.
Will COVID-19 have an impact on this year’s produce season?
COVID-19 has impacted supply chains across the globe for various industries, and the outlook for the U.S. truckload market remains widely uncertain. Specific to produce, favorable winter weather in produce states bodes well to have a strong season in 2020 and could look more favorable to carriers with other industries still on standby. However, as the general economy looks to rebound from the pandemic, shipping rates may not elevate to historical highs, thus, pushing baseline rates lower. While food will continue to grow, and consumers will continue to stockpile homes with fresh fruits and vegetables, small to mid-sized produce shippers could be challenged with locating new business opportunities to sell their crops. The closing of schools and restaurants, making up sizeable portions of business for shippers, hampered sales in the first part of the year. Establishing new revenue streams could be the new initiative for decision-makers as we cross the halfway point in the quarter.
What are the main takeaways?
Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas set the course for produce demand in the early part of the year. Look to these regions as key areas of interest through the spring and early summer months. As volumes gradually rise to make their way across the country, shippers in produce-heavy locations could experience competition to secure capacity for their shipments.
Dispatchers and fleet managers will outfit equipment and position drivers accordingly to reap the benefits of produce season. Having experienced a difficult start to 2020, carriers are eager to ramp up operations heading into summer. Produce season could be seen as a more favorable opportunity compared to years past as a result of other industries, not shipping products due to the pandemic.
COVID-19’s impact has shaken the truckload industry to its core. As it looks to resume full operation, small and medium-sized produce businesses may need to source new customers. Schools and restaurant closings have hurt sales and the time to sell to new markets in grocers or grocery-backed retail may be the new norm in the near future.
Do you have seasonal produce shipping needs?
MoLo’s flexible carrier network has the dry and refrigerated solutions to service your produce. Start shipping with MoLo by submitting a quote today.
With produce season in full swing, the surges in volume, for many truckload shippers, have put strains on the available capacity in the marketplace to cover their shipments. States in produce-heavy regions have experienced drastic market shifts from Q1-Q2 as a result of not only the COVID-19 pandemic but the seasonal produce spike as well. As a result, many questions have been brought to the forefront from shippers as to how best to react to the various influences to ensure their freight operations remain intact.
What areas are impacted by produce season?
Are there best practices I can implement now to pad against risks in the market?
To help answer these questions, we sat down with MoLo’s Vice President of Sales, Stephan Mathis, to get his insights on the historical impacts of the season and strategies shippers can implement to best work with their transportation partners.
Q: From a region perspective, where does produce season take hold on the truckload market?
A: Beginning in April and ramping up in May, Florida and southern Texas serve as key regions for tracking produce demand in the truckload market. Starting in Florida, port cities like Miami drive much of the volume coming out of the state. With domestic produce and imports making their way from these areas, shipments gradually move up through the southeast to be delivered throughout the country.
Along with Florida, southern Texas plays a pivotal role in produce shipping. Border cities like Laredo, and McAllen in particular, are primary areas of focus due to the produce volume from Mexico. As a result of the surges in freight, it is not uncommon to see capacity shift towards the U.S.-Mexico border during this time to capture premium demand posing challenges in nearby locations. Like Miami, produce and non-produce shippers in the Laredo, and McAllen regions compete over capacity to ensure their shipments are covered, thus, driving rates up. In turn, carriers will send drivers south to these areas during the seasonal freight spike to reap the benefits.
It is also worth mentioning Arizona and California as states that lead the demand for the western regions of the country. Produce from Mexico makes its way through major border cities trickling up the western coast to the pacific northwest as well as reaching mountain west states. Outbound lanes to higher volume areas will become desirable for carriers as they look to reload fleets back to produce heavy cities.
Q: How did the 2019 produce season compare to previous years?
A: Both the 2018 and 2019 produce seasons were moderately tame compared to previous markets. As a result of poor farming conditions, as well as tropical storms, hitting much of the produce shipping states, the seasons were manageable for most of the shippers in the focal regions. You must examine the supply and demand of the industry as well. With 2019 serving as a year of capacity surplus, shippers could confidently procure providers at favored rates to move their shipments. Overall, many companies did not struggle to find available trucks both for their primary and spot allocations.
Q: How do you anticipate the 2020 produce season to unfold?
A: It’s difficult to say how the season will unfold with the volatility not only in the marketplace but in the larger economy. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the favorable farming conditions forecasted for a successful season this year. However, since the outbreak, it’s difficult to determine how things will shape out at this time. With farmers facing potential challenges to source new markets due to the closing of restaurants and schools, the outlook of shipping operations remains unclear. Consumers will continue to buy fresh produce but the revenue streams may look different in 2020 for small to mid-sized farmers.
The modern transportation industry demands efficiency and scalability in a shipper’s supply chain network.
Q: What are some best practices shippers can implement in all market conditions?
A: The modern transportation industry demands efficiency and scalability in a shipper’s supply chain network. To successfully navigate the ever-changing landscape, businesses must turn their supply chain operations into competitive advantages to grow market share. To do so, shippers must adopt and implement shipper of choice strategies and principles that will best serve their business in the long-term. While these strategies take time and resources, the investments made will attract high-service carriers to their network, elevating operations in the process.
While there are many practices to name, here are a few core principles:
Provide accurate lead times
Lead and forecast timelines play a critical role in shipping operations. Communicating accurate updates for product readiness and delivery options to transportation partners will help limit idle times and reduce accessorials at facilities. While some shippers are constrained in their ability to forecast shipments due to production schedules, ongoing updates can help carriers plan accordingly. Ideally, 24-48 hours of lead time, allows carriers to plan ahead and reposition drivers as necessary.
To help efforts, identify must-go shipments, and communicate the importance of service to carrier partners. Freight that has more flexibility can be scheduled accordingly to ensure high priority product gets shipped in a timely fashion.
Establish KPIs with carrier partners
Set carrier performance metrics and hold them accountable to those benchmarks. Implement carrier scorecards and reviews to help address underperformers and acknowledge those carriers who continually provide reliable coverage. Conduct reviews with carriers to ensure both parties are up to date on levels of service. Effectively communicate where they are performing well and discuss areas that need improvement. Being open and honest with carriers will help to hold them accountable for consistent service, and the strength of the network will elevate over time.
Secure reliable capacity early to limit spot market exposure
Procuring capacity early and often is a shipper’s biggest ally in limiting their freight to spot market exposure. By securing trucks early, shippers can allocate time to handling ad hoc freight that could pose an issue for their network. Understand how providers add value to the network. Inquiring about similar shippers they service is one method to align business needs to fleet capabilities. Take the time to learn how existing and prospective carriers can protect against market risks. With reliable, consistent coverage, shippers can focus on other areas of their business for future growth and monitor carrier performance.
Lastly, shippers should have a healthy blend of asset and non-asset providers in their network. When it comes to market fluctuations, being solely dependent on one provider poses risks to the entire operation. With multiple carrier options, tapping into excess capacity when issues arise is possible and allows shippers to analyze how carriers react during difficult scenarios.
Reward high-performing carriers
Treat top-performing carrier partners well by offering them more opportunities to grow with the business. Build rapport with carriers and they will service freight well during the tough times and demonstrate flexibility when the market is more favorable for shippers. Premier shippers understand the strength of a network relies upon the relationships built with carriers. Take the time to align business needs. By understanding their priorities, shippers can establish strong relationships and trust with their core carrier base that will serve them well in the long-term.
With so much volatility in the marketplace, these best practices can help shippers safeguard their network against the risks associated with seasonal disruptions and gain a competitive advantage over their competition.
Need a strategic logistics partner for your produce operations? MoLo’s carrier network has the flexibility to help limit exposure to spot market uncertainties and help maintain reliable solutions for your supply chain.