This past year has felt like no other year to many people around the world and across all industries. The freight market certainly mirrored these challenging circumstances with a volatility never seen before. As consumers flocked to grocery stores and purchased goods online due to stay-at-home orders across the world, the pandemic fundamentally changed the way we work, interact, and operate. During one of the craziest years in Spot’s history, we were beyond fortunate to celebrate numerous successes. Here are a few of the things that we’re most proud of…
1.) We onboarded over 150 new employees.
As many logistics companies cut or furloughed their workers, we welcomed new team members across our sales, operations, and support staff departments. As you can imagine, starting a new job right in the middle of a pandemic had its challenges, so our training department had to quickly shift from our traditional style of classroom training to hosting over 200 virtual training sessions during our work from home period. Not only was this a change for our new employees, but we also pushed our existing workforce from no remote working to approximately 90% remote working in a matter of days.
2.) We showed our appreciation for those who kept the nation moving – truck drivers!
We couldn’t have been more thankful for our motor carrier partners and truck drivers who kept the nation moving. To show our appreciation, we passed out boxed lunches at truck stops and at local customer locations to share our gratitude for their hard work amid the pandemic. Some of the drivers were even featured on a segment with WTHR, which you can view here.
3.) We launched our sister company, Red Technologies.
We were excited to launch our sister company and proprietary software brand, Red Technologies, a transportation management solution that connects shippers, carriers, and drivers while providing complete visibility into their supply chain operations. The brand launch also included a fresh new logo and website (redtms.com). As the logistics industry played a prevalent role in transporting goods during the pandemic, having the right technology in place to increase efficiency and streamline communication became increasingly important.
In addition to onboarding over 150 new Spot employees, we also quadruped the size of our in-house development team, allowing for us to further customize the Red Technologies platform, which is comprised of a TMS for shippers, carrier portal for motor carriers, and a mobile app for truck drivers.
4.) We delivered products that were vitally important to the needs of our country.
With the help of our amazing carrier partners that we’ve referenced numerous times already (we clearly can’t do our job without them!), we saw an average order increase of 45% as we hauled products that were pivotal to the needs of the nation, including toilet paper, Covid test kits, PPE gear, fresh produce, and more.
In addition to the growth with our current shippers, our Business Development team continued to drum up new business by quickly veering their sales campaign strategy. Digital pattern interrupts and personalized videos became a game changer as we aimed to reach prospects working from home in new ways (thanks to our friends at Covideo)!
5.) We were recognized for our sales performance.
To once again showcase how dedicated our team really was during this time, we were honored to receive three key awards:
- For the second consecutive year, we were ranked on Selling Power’s “50 Best Companies to Sell For” list in recognition of our winning sales culture.
- We were included on Transport Topics’ list of the top 50 freight brokerage firms in the nation.
- We were thrilled to receive a 2020 Penske Carrier Award (their first year of handing out awards of this type) based on our performance with Penske freight-managed accounts.
Our S^4 values couldn’t have reigned more true as we received these recognitions: we do what others won’t, we do the little things right, we are capacity driven, and we are more than just a broker.
6.) We kept the Spot culture alive!
As we faced a tough year, we remained together! Our staff adapted brilliantly through a mixture of Zoom calls, Teams messages, and so much grit and dedication to their jobs. We found ways to work together despite being apart, and we couldn’t be more proud of our team for their extraordinary efforts. Doing whatever it takes to get the job done is a key part of the Spot culture!
We still found ways to participate in our traditional teambuilding events by hosting Zoom Happy Hours, a virtual spirit week (Jersey Day, Tacky Attire Day, Dress Like Your Boss Day, and more), trivia nights, and our very own Spot Cribs contest.
7.) We more than doubled the size of our satellite office in Charlotte.
We quickly grew our Charlotte, North Carolina team from just 12 sales reps to over 40! We had previously only hired for sales positions at this office, however, we’re excited to now have numerous Red Tech developers at this location in a city that offers a vast pool of stellar candidates.
8.) Our 24/7 Logistics team provided top-notch support to our shippers, carriers, and internal staff.
We couldn’t have functioned without our logistics department who still came into the office every single day. As an essential business, we worked diligently to take all the necessary steps to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees who remained in the office, including this department. Many of our logistics team members took on additional shifts, providing necessary coverage and support to our shippers and carriers as we experienced rapid growth.
It truly is crazy to look back on the past year, and we couldn’t be more thankful to our employees, shippers, and carriers for their unwavering support during such a pivotal time in our industry. Here’s to an even more successful end to 2021 as we continue to get closer to the light at the end of the tunnel on this whirlwind of a year.