Andrew Sendra

In this blog, Mike Beckwith, CTB describes a problem we see frequently with LTL freight — shippers, accustomed to truckload pricing, end up receiving unexpectedly expensive bills. LTL is unique, and it requires paying particular attention to several factors. Pricing by linear footage, classification changes from the NMFC, special consolidation strategies, and carrier scorecarding are just a few examples. Mike does a great job summarizing Odyssey’s LTL capabilities — including our extensive carrier network, which helps us bring down pricing for customers across the board. Well worth a read for anyone thinking through their LTL strategy. https://bit.ly/3MbyTCZ

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The best time to know a great recruiter is when not looking…because When you’re winning in freight sales, you have leverage. Waiting until you “need” a recruiter usually means negotiating from stress, not choice. A quiet stay-in-touch line with a specialist isn’t a job hunt — it’s options later, on your terms. Full brief: https://lnkd.in/erRAgR9Z — Darius and Company

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Missed LTL pickups aren’t a people problem. They’re a data problem. C.H. Robinson’s new AI agents are cutting missed LTL pickups by treating them as a coordination failure, not a carrier mistake. By automating 95% of pickup status checks and acting on shared data in minutes, the system has reduced unnecessary return trips by 42% and saved hundreds of manual hours each day. The real shift isn’t automation for its own sake, but faster, network-wide decision loops that stabilise shared capacity and improve delivery times for everyone. #Logistics #FreightTech #SupplyChain #ArtificialIntelligence https://s.cad.onl/jmxtqe

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Some quick thoughts on where the dry van truckload capacity stands based on the payroll data for General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (NAICS 484121), using the seasonally adjusted data. Thoughts: •The rate of seasonally adjusted payroll decline fell to 800 jobs in January from December. Year-over-year, payrolls were down 15,800 (-3.1%). •From peak 2022 levels, payrolls have fallen 57,300 (-10.4%) and are currently at the levels we last observed in late 2013 and early 2014. •Given dry van TL spot rates appear to be holding around $2.41 per mile from DAT (including fuel), but diesel prices have risen sharply in the last few days, I expect that some expansionary plans of carriers will be put on hold. Implication: we are back to an incredible degree of economic uncertainty due to the energy shock we are currently experiencing. My sense is that, until clarity emerges on energy prices, carriers that had been thinking of expanding in response to rising spot rates will move more cautiously than they otherwise would. This makes March's new Class 8 truck orders an even more important indicator of future trucking capacity when FTR and ACT Research publish their next data. #supplychain #freight #trucking #truckload

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Most people in logistics just see rates and emails. We see this. Big engine on a flatbed. Chained down. No room for mistakes. If this goes wrong, it’s not small. There’s no “we’ll fix it later” on loads like this. You either do it right the first time or you pay for it. This is the part people don’t see. Every load carries pressure. Someone’s timeline. Someone’s money. Someone’s reputation. The gap in this industry is simple. Execution. Secure it right. Stay on it. Deliver when you said you would. That’s how trust is built.

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The right sales talent is still the biggest differentiator in this market. Chris Shields consistently represents strong opportunities for true freight hunters. Worth a conversation if you’re in Chicagoland.

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