FreightTech leaders share TIA Technovations’ strategy. (Photo: Grace Sharkey/FreightWaves)
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Logistics technology leaders who gathered recently at the Transportation Intermediaries Association’s Technovations event highlighted the challenge of balancing technology investments and budget constraints in today’s freight market.
Common theme: Be strategic and selective in your technology implementation while maximizing the value of existing tools and vendor relationships.
Several speakers representing companies such as FreightVana, SiLo, CH Robinson (NASDAQ:CHRW), Sunset Transportation, and Kingsgate Logistics talked about the importance of understanding how today’s technology is used within organizations. Emphasized gender.
According to the expert panel, this process should include auditing usage data, seeking feedback from frontline employees, and identifying opportunities to improve adoption and efficiency.
“We did guided exercises (with employees), and one of those exercises was, ‘What new technology has been effectively implemented at Sunset this year?’ We did…” said John Sutton, director of corporate support for Sunset Transportation. “I knew that the answer was probably going to be in the lower middle[of expectations]and I was right. But the point was to get them to the next question. “What are the technologies that we should be evaluating that we haven’t, and that we want to adopt right now?”
The conversation also touched on the delicate balance between core competencies and market pressures. Speakers acknowledged the challenge of requiring technology vendors to continue expanding their offerings while requiring partners to remain focused on their areas of expertise.
“It’s an interesting economy because we want FreightTech vendors to work with us and scale and solve more problems so that we don’t have to bring in other providers. We want you to really focus on your competency, so we’re asking a lot of people in this room to stretch,” said Don Everhart, FreightVana’s chief technology officer. .
Strategies such as pilot programs and phased rollouts have emerged as a way to test new solutions without disrupting critical business operations.
“The biggest successes we’ve had so far have been primarily with pilot groups,” Sutton says. “Many of the vendors we spoke to were willing to reduce or significantly reduce costs and conduct pilot groups, which would help identify gaps (in technology), fill them, and move forward with full deployment. When you’re ready, we’ll move forward with implementation so you can start from day zero.”
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Implementing effective technology was also a key theme. Speakers shared lessons learned on driving user adoption, managing shadow IT (unauthorized technology use), and calculating return on investment.
The group emphasized the importance of clear success metrics, transparent communication, and a willingness to retire underperforming solutions.
“We’re becoming much more intentional[about trying technology]. And if it doesn’t work, say it didn’t work and say, ‘What did we learn from what didn’t work? ?’ It’s okay to ask,” Cody Griggs said. Vice President of Digital Securities at CH Robinson.
Finally, the conversation emphasized the value of the logistics technology community as a resource for learning and growth. Speakers encouraged their peers to take advantage of networking opportunities, industry events, and peer-to-peer relationships to expand their technical capabilities in a constrained market environment.
“The good news is we can get through this,” said Brian Roy, SiLo’s director of business operations. “In some ways, this could be a renaissance for many of us, but we can also work together as partners and have these really game-changing conversations.”
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