From Dispatch to President: How ARL Scales Freight with People + Automation

From dispatch trainee to president, Jordan Reber unpacks how ARL Logistics scaled an agent-powered network by pairing offshore talent, selective automation, and a revamped cradle-to-grave model—without losing the relationship-first DNA. We dig into building hybrid teams in Colombia, “train-the-trainer” systems, cleaning messy TMS data, and ARL’s shift toward a revenue-engine sales structure.

What We Cover

• Career arc: Management trainee → dispatch → brokerage launch → ARL presidency
• Hybrid operating model: Staffing-assisted cradle-to-grave (Colombia ops + US client touch)
• Train-the-trainer: “Four super users” to eliminate perpetual entry-level retraining
• Sales structure 2.0: Splitting hunters (sales) and BDR/CS to speed response & enforce SLAs
• People vs process: EOS/Traction, shadow-work, and deleting steps before automating
• Tech partnerships: Why ARL co-builds with vendors and aims for 80/20, not edge cases
• Automation lens: Start with mundane, API/RPA bridges, humans as exception managers
• Data reality: TM3→TM4 migration, standardizing inputs, and the prize of drayage pricing data
• Risk & resilience: Receivables caution, tariffs, and modal shifts (intermodal ↔ OTR)
• Culture: Small wins daily, continuous training, and giving offshore teams a real voice

Playbook & Tactics

• Sit tech next to the business. Proximity shrinks build cycles and bakes in reality.
• Free reps to sell. Move load-building, T&T, and intake to an ops pod first—then automate.
• Design for exceptions. Automate 6–7 steps in a 10-step flow; humans handle the rest.
• Standardize input fields. Clean data starts at the source; train against exceptions.
• Measure the ROI. Track time saved, licenses retired, and throughput per seat.
• Organize for strengths. Separate “people-first closers” from “process-first executors.”

Notable Quotes

• “If the tech people would just sit next to the business people, you build product fast.”
• “Train four super users and you never have to train entry-level again.”
• “Those are two different roles—very few are great at both.”
• “Our motto is small wins every day.”

Resources Mentioned

• ARL Logistics (brokerage & agent network)
• US1 Industries (parent; proprietary TMS)
• Lean Solutions Group (nearshore ops)
• EOS / Traction (operating system)
• The Revenue Engine by Kara Brown (sales/marketing alignment)

Sponsor

Vooma — Back-office automation for freight brokerages. From AI document handling to ops streamlining, scale without the growing pains.