Coyote Logistics CEO Sisler provides overview of company’s 15-year history and market trends

Chicago-based transportation and logistics management and truckload freight brokerage services provider Coyote Logistics, a subsidiary of freight transportation and logistics services bellwether UPS, recently marked its 15-year anniversary.

Over that time, the company has transitioned from a technology start-up to a leading global logistics provider, moving more than 17 million loads over 11.8 billion miles. Coyote Logistics CEO Jonathan Sisler recently penned a blog covering the company’s history and growth over the last 15 years and subsequently provided Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman with an in-depth look at the truckload freight brokerage sector, how the company has become part of the UPS family, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, among others. The interview follows below.

LM: How far has the freight brokerage industry come over the last 15 years, since Coyote was founded?

Sisler: The logistics industry has come a long way over the past 15 years. We’ve seen a digital revolution, the rise of business partnerships and collaborative innovation, vast changes in the demand cycle, and unprecedented levels of market volatility just to name a few.

Some of the biggest advancements and focuses for Coyote have been within our digital portfolio. Innovative load tracking technology, digital freight platforms, AI-powered route optimization and market cost generation, and API/EDI capabilities have transformed the way we book loads, move freight, pay commissions, and communicate with our network.

While these technological innovations have led to new levels of efficiency and the automation of countless manual tasks, human expertise, service and decision-making skills remain critical components of effective supply chain management. The need for a strategic balance of both technology and human insight reinforces the long-standing approach Coyote has taken to serve our network and will guide the future of our business. 

LM: What are the biggest, changes, or differences, in how freight brokerage has evolved, from both a company and industry perspective?

Sisler: The industry has evolved dramatically, and much of this change has been driven by shifts in consumer expectations and demands. Overnight and same-day delivery for goods and real-time tracking are now often the expectation. This means that the businesses we serve are having to invest in new technology to manage orders and provide visibility, advance their warehousing and distribution strategies to manage inventory, and find new ways to drive efficiency across their supply chains to remain cost-effective. Since consumer expectations are everchanging, today’s supply chain professional is trying to aim at a moving target, and it can be difficult to do at times.

We know our business plays an increasingly critical role in helping our customers meet the needs of their end customers and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. To keep up, our solutions and technology not only need to be reliable but also easy to use and accessible wherever and whenever they’re needed. Changes in consumer buying patterns and expectations that affect our customers also affect us; leveraging our 15 years of expertise in market dynamics has enabled our business and our network to stay ahead of, and prepare for, fluctuations in the market. 

While the evolution of the industry has been rapid and complex, it’s also opened the door for incredible collaboration and advancement opportunities. At Coyote, we see collaborative innovation with global industry experts and service providers as the key to unlocking the best insights, holistically understanding the challenges shippers and carriers face today, and creating the most effective solutions across the end-to-end supply chain. This collaborative approach will remain a critical component of our growth strategy.

LM: What have been the biggest benefits of being part of UPS, since the 2015 acquisition, for Coyote?

Sisler: One of our biggest differentiators has, and will continue to be, our integrated relationship with UPS. As we look to the future of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, we’re committed to working together to drive towards our vision of building true end-to-end supply chain offerings, which ultimately benefit our unified networks and customers. Together, we can ultimately offer more than our competitors.

As a non-asset-based logistics provider, the ability to strategically integrate and leverage one of the largest asset networks in the world has been invaluable. The result is that no matter the commodity, mode or location of a shipment, Coyote and UPS have the solutions and capabilities needed to deliver for our customers every day. I’m proud of how far we’ve come since 2015 and excited for where we’re heading. 

LM: How has the Coyote value proposition changed over the years, from its inception to now?

Sisler: Coyote’s founders rooted our business philosophy, solutions portfolio, and strategy around a “No Excuses” motto that challenged the status quo and service reputation for 3PLs in the early 2000s. The message resonated with members of the supply chain that needed dependable logistics support but were unable to find a provider that could offer the capabilities and levels of service they required. The reputation of trust, reliability, and superior service that we developed early on is the value proposition we continue to offer our customers today.

Dependability and trust are arguably more important now than ever before. As we've advanced our business, we’ve also unlocked new ways to build on this value proposition and enhance how we deliver on it. At the core of everything we do is the customer and carrier. The solutions we create, research we curate, and technology we build is focused on solving their unique challenges and making their lives easier. As businesses of all sizes continue to navigate new levels of market volatility, shifts in consumer demand, and implementing the technology necessary to stay competitive, we continue to offer the multi-modal solutions, market intelligence, digital expertise, and superior service that they need to maximize the value of their supply chains.

LM: How do you view current market conditions, given the tight capacity environment and the driver shortage still very present?

Sisler: The global supply chain is still recovering from COVID-19. When compounded by other complexities like challenges in commercial driver recruitment and retention, a resurging economy and port congestion, just to name a few, it’s important for shippers to focus on efficiency and flexibility. Building a supply chain strategy that combines the short-term capacity necessary to keep up with demand and the long-term agility to sustain performance will set shippers up to effectively navigate the ever-changing market conditions today and in the future. 

With the rise of new digital solutions, the need for data-driven decision making and fluctuations in demand, today’s supply chain expert is being tasked to constantly optimize both their networks and overarching strategy. Working with 3PL providers and outsourcing support can help shippers effectively manage these variables and enable business growth in the complex market conditions we see today.

LM: What do you see as some of the key lessons learned for the industry and Coyote coming out of the pandemic?

Sisler: During times of unexpected and extreme market volatility, communication and collaboration are critical. COVID-19 represented a new level of extreme conditions, pushing the entire industry to the edge and reinforcing just how critical and impactful strong 3PL relationships can be. Our customers not only relied on our solutions and technology during the pandemic but also on our data, consultative expertise and market insight to help pivot their strategies to maintain their operations and efficiency. 

Our customers needed to be flexible to navigate the market during the pandemic, and so did Coyote. Many needed to shift to new modes and lanes, required daily market updates to help plan for the week ahead, and depended on our support to advance their distribution and warehousing strategies to meet demand. When conditions are volatile and customer needs are variable, we must be creative and help solve their challenges in new ways. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t cut it and won’t provide the value and service our customers have come to expect from Coyote. By collaborating directly with our network, we were able to better understand their changing needs and provide the insights and solutions necessary to help navigate pandemic-induced volatility.

COVID-19 also reinforced how critical it is to put our people first. We know that much of the customer experience we offer comes from working with our over 3,000 employees around the world. Making sure they were safe and supported during the pandemic enabled us to not only maintain service levels, but also the culture and values we’ve worked hard to cultivate. I’m proud of how our people stepped up and remained laser-focused on supporting our network despite all the uncertainty around us.