BWT Logistics

Customer-First Logistics Leadership

I learned early that servicing the customer is paramount. And that does not necessarily mean to always agree with them, as the logistics "experts" it is our responsibility to find opportunities to streamline their delivery process while decreasing their costs.

This becomes more challenging every year. With the increase in diesel fuel, potential driver shortages and shipper's continued volume fluctuations, it has been one of the most challenging times I have seen in my nearly 30 years in this industry. In order to survive in this environment as a logistics provider, you must be able to adapt to your customer needs immediately, or as stated earlier, anticipate their needs before they even realize it and position yourself to meet those needs, proactively.

The first thing to pop in my head is obviously AI. It has already begun to improve our data analysis and routing optimizations across the industry. I feel if a transportation or logistics provider is not embracing AI, they are going to be, unfortunately, left behind. In addition to AI, another obvious trend is Electric equipment. However, I feel that we are a decade or so out before we truly see a major shift from diesel to electric. Mainly because the infostructure needed to keep an electricvehicle moving across the country is not currently in place. Once that need is resolved I think we will see a gigantic swing at some point.

Building Trust, Teams, and Leadership Growth

Honesty, this applies to both internal and external relationships. If your team, your customer or your leadership does not have faith in your words you will eventually fail. Keeping open and honest communication between everyone creates a level of trust that then creates a level of partnership that is hard to replace.

Honest communication creates a level of trust that then creates a level of partnership that is hard to replace.

Be willing to say “yes” to every meaningful opportunity presented to you. I can look back at one specific moment that became the catalyst for where I am today. A former President once asked me to work on a special project with a group from Australia. It meant joining off-hour conference calls and engaging with leaders who were far more senior than I was at the time. My immediate response was, “Yes, Ma’am.” The project itself was frustrating at times, moved slowly and eventually did not lead anywhere, as often happens in business.

However, the President received excellent feedback from other members of the project, and within a month or so of saying yes, I was offered a promotion. Now, 11 years later and after a couple of job changes, I am once again reporting to the same President who first gave me that opportunity. I remembered who had faith in me, and that faith created loyalty in me. Lastly, how you treat people matters. People remember how you made them feel, and it is much easier to rise through the ranks with a strong support system behind you. Conversely, if you have a weak or unsupportive system around you, it becomes very difficult to excel.