Transfix prides itself on the industry experts that make up our team to deliver simple, smart, and sustainable solutions for our shippers and carriers. In this interview series, we highlight different individuals and their experience in the industry, and why they believe Transfix is reimagining freight.
Below Sam Huston, Enterprise Account Executive, discusses his experiences leading procurement categories at a $2.5B consumer products company, and why he brought Transfix on as a broker before ultimately deciding to join Transfix.
1. What was your previous job before joining Transfix? What were your responsibilities?
Previously, I was Director of Global Procurement for Logistics, Distribution, and Facilities/MRO at a large consumer brand company. On a day-to-day basis, I was responsible for supporting ongoing sourcing initiatives and managing supplier relationships. More strategically, I would identify, plan and execute new opportunities that would support the company’s long-term strategy.
2. As a Director of Procurement, what did you look for when selecting a carrier or freight brokerage partner?
Primarily three things:
- A reliable partner that would have a high tender acceptance rate on lanes awarded to them. You sometimes award a lane but the carrier can only cover it a portion of the time resulting in more work for the transportation team to find a new carrier to cover the load. It’s hard to build a strong network and efficient internal operations without that level of reliability.
- Potential for a long-term partnership. I wanted to grow and innovate with our carriers. It was important to me that they had the tools to optimize our supply chain and provide insight into our operations.
- Competitive pricing. I wanted a carrier who wasn’t just trying to undercut the market to win business, but was a leader in pricing and comparable to the majority of other carriers.
3. Why did you decide to partner with Transfix to manage your previous company’s freight?
I knew we needed to partner with a company who was forward thinking and could support the company’s digital transformation goals as we grew with them. Transfix was using technology to solve age-old problems in the industry and I thought they would be a perfect fit.
I had witnessed capacity constraints over the years due to things like the driver shortage and the ELD roll-out. I was impressed with how Transfix was able to add capacity to the market by using their technology to optimize routing and reduce deadhead miles. I also saw how this would improve service levels; given drivers had shorter distances to drive between dropoff and their next pick-up, there was less potential for disruptions along the way.
4. Why did you decide to move to a digital brokerage after working in procurement at a shipper?
While working in procurement, I started to get interested in how to leverage different technology solutions to eliminate inefficiencies while improving our operations and reducing cost. I realized I wanted to be able to do that for multiple companies.
Working on the supply side lets me learn about different companies’ operations and see how I can add value and make things simpler and more cost effective for them. Having been in their position, I wanted to use my past experiences to help them.
Finally, I wanted to be part of the broader digital transformation happening in the logistics industry. I believe digital freight brokerages will become the norm. I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a digital freight company, help it grow, and see how it will revolutionize the logistics space.
5. Why did you decide to join Transfix?
The logistics space is going through a digital transformation. Transfix is a leader in that regard, and its mission of creating a “simpler, smarter, and more sustainable” freight ecosystem through reducing empty miles driven resonated with me.
The other reason was Transfix’s culture. I believe you should always be enjoying life, and that includes enjoying work. From working with Transfix, I knew they had a positive culture that focuses on learning and growth, and that’s become more apparent the longer I’ve worked here.
6. Now that you’ve been at Transfix, what’s something you’ve learned which wasn’t obvious to you when working at your previous company?
I didn’t realize how much our technology truly enables our operations team. Our team is able to leverage the tools we’ve built to drive more value for our customers and automate a lot of manual, repetitive processes.
The other was Transfix’s focus on carriers. We’re constantly recruiting the best carriers and helping them grow with initiatives like our Core Carrier Program, and making sure they’re equipped with the support they need to meet performance goals for our shippers.
7. Having been a partner with Transfix in your previous role, what do you think shippers should know about working with Transfix?
Transfix is dedicated to doing things right the first time and being transparent with our customers. We don’t try to take a shortcut for a quick win if it’s not sustainable in the long-term for our shippers.
We also focus on proactively communicating with our customers. I know what it’s like when you have a partner that is difficult or not communicative. Life is much easier when everyone can speak openly and directly.
8. What’s your favorite part about working at Transfix?
It’s hard to pick one thing. I love meeting new people, learning about their company and supply chain, and seeing how we can leverage Transfix’s network and technology to make their supply chain better. I care about our customers and the problem we’re solving, and it’s amazing to be in a position where I can be a long-term partner for them and help make their life easier.
