Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/741843
42 commercial carrier journal | october 2016 T om Stawinski, at 22, might be the youngest owner of a trucking company in the United States. While his fa- ther always has driven a truck, Stawinski chose a different path to jumpstart his own career. Straight out of high school, he went to work for Coyote Logistics, a Chicago- based third-party logistics provider. Coyote's fast-growth technology culture helps make trucking appealing to young people, Stawinski said. "Being younger, I understand why and how technology can change the industry and the game." After two years at Coyote, he started Percy Transportation, a Chicago-based carrier that specializes in local and cross-border movement of temperature- controlled goods. Today, Percy has 30 trucks: 28 owner-operator assets and two that are company-owned. When not in the office, Stawinski is completing a bachelor's degree in logistics and supply chain management. A recent discussion with a professor technology solidified his decision to use the owner-operator model – at least for now. The professor advised him to prepare for the possibility of buying driverless trucks in five to 10 years. Stawinski also is evaluating cloud-based transpor- tation management software, as recent developments have made it affordable for small carriers. Percy cur- rently uses Excel spreadsheets and "a mix of other things" to manage information. Of- fice personnel use different systems and websites, and dispatchers call and text drivers. "I'm always looking for better ways to improve efficiency," Stawinski said. During the past month, Stawinski has been testing a beta version of the Tracks TMS system from Cargo Chief, a tech-enabled 3PL based in Mountain View, Calif. The user interface of Tracks TMS is similar to that of another Silicon Valley enterprise, said Stawinski, who describes it as "clean and simple" and compares it to Apple's iOS. Tracks TMS has the potential to do everything, he said, from finding loads to track- ing shipments, invoicing customers, paying drivers and managing equipment. But there is a catch. Stawinski is concerned that Cargo Chief, as a freight broker and 3PL itself, would have access to the data he imports into Tracks TMS, such as cus- tomer information and pricing. Abtin Hamidi, executive vice president of Cargo Chief, understands this concern. He confirmed that carriers do have the option to give Cargo Chief visibility of their customers, pricing and lanes, but they also can choose to hide it. While carriers can use Tracks TMS as a standalone system, Cargo Chief might ask the carrier for permission to gather their pricing data anonymously, as other TMS A MIX OF THINGS: Small fleets use many systems and websites, and dispatchers call and text drivers. CLOUD-BASED TMS: Recent devel- opments have made systems more affordable for small carriers. SHARING PRICING: Real-time data from fleets can improve the accuracy of freight-pricing algorithms. Tech tools for a 22-year-old CEO Percy Transportation owner prepares for the future The Tracks TMS platform captures tracking data from drivers. Prepare for the possibility of buying driverless trucks in the next five to 10 years.