Logistics Leadership Insights

A lot of my conversations with manufacturers and distributors under 500 employees revolve around their data.

They know it's there, and they have access to it, but they lack an efficient, repeatable process that converts that data into actionable insights, something the business can use to have a positive impact on the P&L.

Without a robust analytics process, decisions are made reactively, based on guesses and hunches.

With a good analytics process and the skillset to run it, the data becomes actionable and decision-ready, and your decisions themselves become more proactive.

Start with your analytics process. Gauge your skills gap. Start using that data to its fullest extent, and your logistics network will thank you for it.

If you're a manufacturer under 500 employees and feel like your freight costs are high, but you can't quite put your finger on why, you're not alone.

This is a fixable analytics problem.

The data is already there:
• Freight invoices
• Shipment history
• Order book

But it hasn’t been broken down in a way that shows what’s actually driving that spend.

Start by organizing your freight spend into clear categories:
• Geography
• Mode
• Accessorials
• Cost metrics

Once you can see it clearly, the next steps become more apparent.

Most companies think optimization starts with change.

It doesn’t.

It starts with clarity and visibility.

Because until you understand what’s actually happening, you can’t improve it.

That’s where the real opportunity begins.

Not all hours of the day are equal!

Does fielding emails create the same value as analyzing data, partner performance management, or running the production line? Maybe. Maybe not.

A fractional model for your logistics management team means you only pay for the value that’s added, not just for activity or attendance.

My goal as your Fractional Head of Logistics is to minimize reactive management, to prevent issues from arising in the first place, and and to run your logistics network in a way that the partnership yields you an ROI several times over on your monthly retainer.

𝘐𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯. . . 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨?

It is a thing, because I made it a thing.

This concept sounds expensive to most companies I talk to until we do the math on a comparable full-time employee and the ROI that I can generate.

If you're on the fence about whether or not this is a fit for your organization, let's talk.

Most companies experience only one of the three pillars of logistics management: Operations.

That’s what they see on a day-to-day basis.

But the real opportunity for small and midsized businesses lies in the other two:

Analytics and Strategy.

That’s where cost, service, and working capital start to move.

And it all starts with using facts and data to make good business decisions.

𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 works 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 in certain organizational structures and 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 in others.

Stop me if this sounds familiar:
👉🏽 If logistics is absorbed by Operations, Purchasing, or Customer Service
👉🏽 If 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 is handling tactical execution but no one is drawing insights from your data
👉🏽 If a 3PL or freight broker helps to keep costs and performance in line but no one can really ask them the 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

If any of those strike a nerve, then this could be an excellent fit for your organization.

𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 is about owning outcomes, not just processes, across Operations, Analytics, and Strategy.

And when you can’t clearly explain how well your logistics network is performing or where the biggest opportunities exist, that’s often a signal.

If that sounds remotely familiar, it may be worth a conversation.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?

Let’s turn over that napkin and run some numbers. . .

If your outbound freight spend is $250,000 per year and optimization improves that by 15 - 20%, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲. Imagine if your freight spend is double that or ten times that.

The opportunity is in capitalizing on my 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦: 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲.

In my first-30-day sprint, I'll:

• Audit rate variances and accessorial charges

• Evaluate inventory levels and tied-up capital

• Analyze carrier mix and network structure

• Identify mode shifting opportunities that improve both cost and service

These are 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 at large organizations with layered logistics teams and seemingly endless budgets.

But, smaller companies can apply the same discipline without adding permanent executive headcount.

If you haven’t executed optimization initiatives on your logistics network in a while, it may be time to run the numbers.

A lot of companies think they have only two choices when it comes to logistics:

Hire an entry-level or junior role to handle execution
Or
Absorb logistics into Operations, Purchasing, or Customer Service and hope it works

There’s a third option.

I consider logistics management across three overlapping workstreams:
Operations
Analytics
Strategy

Junior roles usually only cover operations or analytics (if you're lucky). Senior leadership ties all three together.

That’s why fractional logistics leadership can cost the same or less than a coordinator, while delivering significantly more value.

The real value in managing logistics isn’t moving freight. It's by using a deep understanding of YOUR organization's operation coupled with insights drawn from great analytics that help to generate new, strategic ideas.

It's that analytical and strategic mindset wrapped up into one role that achieves cost savings, efficiencies, and optimization that in just a few short months can pay for the role itself.

Most urgent logistics decisions are of a tactical nature. But what about the choices we make in logistics that have a longer-term effect and a more direct impact on financial performance?

Those decisions often go unmade because the team is managing the fire of the day.

Those decisions build over time, and they have real cost, service, and capital outcomes.

That’s where experienced logistics leadership makes the difference.

Most of the time, a manufacturer's logistics operation isn't a complete failure. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥.

When it has to be handled by Purchasing, Operations, Customer Service, or another area of the org, it's hard to know whether the network is well-optimized or if 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦.

𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 brings an experienced level of direction 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞, helping teams to make smarter, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 and to obtain more value out of the resources they already have.

❓ If you've ever wondered if your logistics network is truly optimized. . .

❓ If you've ever wondered if the way transportation operates in your organization is the best way to do business. . .

❓ If you've ever wondered if you're getting the most bang for your buck in your organizational structure. . .

💡 . . . it's worth a conversation.

Hiring a logistics coordinator often solves the immediate problem.

It rarely solves the right one.

As logistics complexity grows, the gap usually isn’t effort or execution.

It’s clear ownership at the decision level.

That’s where fractional logistics leadership fits.

There's a No Man's Land for small and midsized companies where they're 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 for another role to handle the logistics but 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 to hire a full-time Director- or VP-level role to lead it, and I find them to be typically in the sub-500-employee size range.

They often seek the 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫, with a Logistics Coordinator. Coordinators add coverage but don't provide any strategic direction and don't typically bring 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝, 𝐞𝐧𝐝-𝐭𝐨-𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, meaning quite a lot can slip through the cracks.

And optimization or continuous improvement? 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵.

This is where 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 is a great fit for these organizations and why it’s becoming a practical model for small and midsized companies.

This video kicks off a series where I’ll break down:

💡 what fractional logistics leadership actually is
💡 who it’s for (and who it’s not)
💡 and why it often delivers more value than adding full-time headcount

Some companies 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 carrier scorecards. Far fewer are 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 them to drive better outcomes.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚. It’s alignment across the different organizations within the business.

If the chosen KPIs and weightings don’t reflect what the business truly cares about, the scorecard is just 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭; noise instead of 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬.

For example, a business that manufactures fragile, high-value freight may assign a higher weighting to freight damage than a distributor that ships low-cost consumables.

Carrier scorecards work best when they’re built around intent. I custom-build my client's scorecards asking questions such as:

💡 What matters most to this business?
💡 What, within their logistics network, causes the most headaches?
💡 What carrier attributes are most valuable to this business?

You use a carrier scorecard to drive the desired behaviors out of your carriers, rewarding those that score higher and. . . you know what happens to the ones that don't perform.

When scorecards are designed that way, they stop being a reporting exercise and start driving real decisions, lane by lane, carrier by carrier.

As I always say, 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.

Freight damage is a highly misunderstood transportation cost.

I see a lot of focus on claims, packaging improvement initiatives, or discussion about who's liable, and all of this happens after the damage has already occurred.

Reactive rather than Proactive.

In my experience, damage is often upstream of that. It’s connected to how freight is routed, how often it’s handled, and whether the mode actually matches the product.

When you redesign the transportation network to reduce touches and unnecessary transfers, damage rates often improve faster than people might expect, and this can happen sometimes without changing the packaging at all.

I know a lot of these topics I've already touched on, but maybe you can see how a Transportation Network Optimization initiative can do more than just save a few bucks on freight costs.

This video breaks down how I think about freight damage through a network design lens.

I 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 accessorial charges. They drain your budget. They dip into your margin. They 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺 everyone that has to see the invoice.

In many ways, they're 100% 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞. A waste of your time reviewing invoices to confirm they were accurate. A waste of your team's time trying to track down what went wrong. A waste of your hard-earned budget.

It doesn't matter if it's sea container 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 at the dock, 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩, or 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 charges. I hate them all, and I often feel like it's my life's goal to 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥.

Am I hitting a nerve here? Because it sure hits mine.

The beauty of accessorials is that they're often 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐱, often with some much-needed process development or by implementing a system that you may have needed for a while anyway.

This video discusses some of the things I've seen on accessorial charges and touches on how I approach them in a Transportation Network Optimization project.

More often than not, I see manufacturers running only one or two carriers. I posted a video series on supply chain resilience, and one of the topics was 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Not only can diversifying your carrier base minimize the risk of a terminal outage, labor shortage, or service failure, but 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 to YOUR customers 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

When I optimize a transportation network, playing that carrier diversification card means I'm using 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 to pair each lane with the carrier that’s best suited for it, and identifying the best carrier for the lane involves additional tools that I'll speak to later in this video series.

Balancing both price AND performance is how you see 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐅, 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Shifting modes of transportation is an amazing way to cut costs without constantly brow-beating carriers over rate.

I helped a manufacturer shift modes on outbound freight lanes, resulting in 25% 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝, roughly $2M in annual savings.

Parcel volumes dropped from 15% of the total to 3%. LTL volumes were cut in half with FTL volumes doubled. This had the effect of drastically 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

In a market where LTL and parcel are more expensive than they were at the peak of COVID and FTL has been flat for 2 1/2 years and counting, manufacturers have an 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 on an initiative like this.

All it takes is someone that has experience with this, knows what to look for, and that has the data chops. A current state analysis is an extremely 𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤, 𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 way to find out if you're leaving money on the table in your transportation network.

More in the video.

There's a lot of the same pattern across manufacturers and distributors lately:

📈 freight costs climbing
💥 service slipping
🥷 accessorials showing up like that party guest nobody invited

So I’m kicking off a short video series on how I approach Transportation Network Optimization. You won't get to see exactly how the sausage is made, but I'll share some strategies I use to help companies achieve real savings and fix the problems nestled in their data.

This first video introduces the situation, while the rest of the series gets into the fun stuff: mode shifting, carrier strategy, scorecards, accessorial control, and a few stories from the field.

If you’ve been feeling the pain in your transportation budget this year, these next few videos are for you.

What is supply chain resilience? Here are a few examples from the past of what a good resilience program can protect against.

Hurricanes, airplanes, and line-stoppers. What do they all have in common?

Let’s talk some more about supply chain resilience, and you’ll get to find out!

When the Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal, it caused a ripple effect throughout global supply chains, and it exposed how fragile many supply chains really are.

That's a great reminder that resilience isn’t just about reacting more quickly. It’s about planning smarter: knowing your alternate routes, modeling “what if” scenarios, and shortening the time between disruption and recovery.

In this short video, I talk about route diversification, visibility, and why prepared networks always outperform lucky ones.

Everyone talks about supplier redundancy. Almost no one talks about 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲. . . until their carrier stops picking up or a terminal shuts down.

When a carrier hits capacity or drops a lane, most shippers scramble. The 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 ones don’t. They’ve already diversified across regions, modes, and partners.

That’s what flexibility really looks like: not 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 faster, but designing your network so it never breaks in the first place.

In this short video, I share how diversifying your carrier base strengthens flexibility and collaboration, two pillars of a strong 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 program.