EKA Insights Interview: Frank Adelman

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EKA Insights Interview: Frank Adelman

By Arune Singh

Life rarely works out the way you expect.

Some people try to fight that change, but then there’s the truly successful ones who learn to ride the wave of unpredictability.

The latter describes Frank Adelman, Chairman of Transflo, who has been in the transportation logistics industry for over thirty years and has seen the industry change at a seemingly unimaginable rate.

Picture provided courtesy of Frank Adelman

Today the EKA Insights Interview series continues with special guest Frank Adelman,  who recently spoke to us about his perspective on the evolution of the trucking logistics business. The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

EKA: Well, Frank, let’s start at the beginning. I’ve been in my industry for just over 20 years and that feels like a lot. But you’ve been in yours for 30 and that is uncommon in today’s industry-hopping environment. How did you get started in transportation logistics? And what kept you there?

Frank Adelman: Great question. I always tell people, once you get in transportations logistics you can rarely get out. I’m living proof of that.

I graduated from University of Tennessee and went to work at a sizable bank here in Nashville called First American Bank. And I got a call from a friend of mine who was working at Comdata, who had a new kind of thing called a debit card. You have to understand that this was in the really early 80s before any of us were using ATM cards. 

But I didn’t go to college to become a sales guy, y’know? I’m above that, right? Then he told me what his commission check was for the month and I said “okay, who do I talk to?” [laughs]

That led me into a really nice kind of opportunity, not just there with Comdata but also in the transportation supply chain that’s such a huge, complex ecosystem. I looked at the industry as an opportunity to really make a difference, which is what we all want when we’re young and starting out and  was blessed enough to accomplish that. 

So, I got into this in the early 80s and I haven’t looked back.

The industry has changed so much in that time – you’re talking about the advent of debit cards and now you’re working with some cutting edge technology. As I researched your career more, I think one constant theme of your career is adaptability. With that in mind, what do you think has been the biggest change to deal with in the transportation logistics industry over time?

I think, first of all, that our society is pretty adaptable. If you look at us over the last 20 years, now we’re connected to any and everything we want to today and that wasn’t the case back when I started my career.

Transportation is an industry that thrives on and has a huge appetite for efficiency. It’s because of that they’re not necessarily in the high tech software world and instead you have to grind to keep your head above water. Trying to do it all more efficiently has led to some really interesting technologies – some of them are real good, some of them aren’t earth-shattering but they do the job.

And I think the biggest mistake that a lot of technology companies make in this marketplace is not realizing that the best technology doesn’t necessarily win. If you start from a truck driver and work your way back up to the company – your freight broker, your factory companies or financial institution – it’s really where the rubber meets the road. If it doesn’t work there and it isn’t easy for those driver employees to adapt, then you’re gonna have limited success.

So, you really start at the basic level and work from there because this is an industry that’s certainly embraced technology, but it’s been a survival move to ensure they’re not losing out and are able to stay out in front.

Now, at the risk of making you feel a bit older, I remember being a child when fuel cards were becoming popular and it seemed like such a huge paradigm shift. What do you think has allowed you to be so ahead of the curve with technology in your career? I’m sure part of your answer is the people you’ve worked with, but is there anything else?

I wouldn’t ever claim that I’m smarter than anyone else – certainly there’s a lot of people in the marketplace and I think it really does come back to talking and understanding your customers. What are their problems? Where are their solutions? What are the pain points? Who is addressing those things best? And can those issues be addressed in a way that a larger share of the market adapts and embraces them?

Knowing that you’re focused on the driver experience and efficiencies for them, what do you think is the next big tech opportunity for the transportation logistics industry?

We’re really at an inflection point today because companies are getting really good at capturing data and it’s data that I would refer to as “Intelligent Automation.” That’s where there are those decision support tools, grabbing lots of data and making those “make or break” decisions. I think we’re just at the front end of machine learning.

And, in fact, at Transflo we spend a lot of resources there today because we process over one hundred billion worth of freight bills through our platform. That means we are at one of those kinds of obvious places where we ask what we can do to use that data to help our customers more so that they’re not working from a notepad anymore. Even if they’re working from a computer they don’t necessarily have that inherent decision-making process that will drive them to the next level. So, I really think that this kind of Intelligent Automation with deep, deep machine learning is really going to thrust a lot of activity into the forefront in the very near future.

Earlier you mentioned the desire to help others and that’s something that’s been on all our minds during the pandemic. With all the changes in the world, how have you adopted your management style to meet the challenges of today?

It’s a good question given the last few years in the remote workforce. That’s been a bit of a struggle for an oldtimer like me but I’ve always felt like my management style has been about embracing an individual on a personal level as opposed to treating people like they’re just here to do a job every day. The caring and nurturing of your workforce is what lets them look at you like a partner and not as a Boss. They have to respect you and trust you, so I think there’s a lot you have to do as a manager to get there.

Over the years, I think that the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you have to equally manage the peaks and valleys because your employees follow you.

And they’re looking at the bad situations – how do you react? It can be a serious situation but you don’t need to panic.

I think when you’re younger you do try to be a bit of a hardass and then you learn how to treat people as individuals so they respond the best.

I would just caution those remote workers  that, for the only who’re aggressive, is that to make a name for themselves, then they’ve got to figure out a way to be top of mind for executives as someone who has more to offer outside of their daily routine and one Zoom call per week. 

It’s difficult, but let’s face it – the biggest and best companies are struggling with the question of how do we bring employees back? How do we nurture them? How do we make sure they’re adapting to our culture? I don’t think there’s an easy answer to that and I think we’re all learning to move forward in this new world.

As someone who’s 40, I’m not quite young and not quite old, but I’ve really learned to enjoy remote work. But I’ve noticed there’s a set of muscles that don’t get developed, which is especially evident when I work with people who are terrified by phone calls. Do you find that there are similar skill sets getting lost or deprioritized in this new world?

I think a lot of it depends on the job, right? For a new employee coming into the work environment where they’re learning from peers on how to respond to different situations, it’s easier to stick your head around the cubicle to ask a question as opposed to trying to schedule another call with someone.

I will say, this is all a bit crazy for me, but when someone calls me to do a conference call without video I look at them like they’re ancient. We don’t do that! [laughs] And that shift has happened in such a short time. I think we’re going to wake up in another two or three years and discover a lot of new pluses and minuses about remote work. 

On a related note, I think there’s a greater amount of uncertainty and anxiety we’ve seen compressed into the last few years. If you have people coming to you because they’re overwhelmed by change, what advice do you have for them?

I’d say, you know, that I don’t know more than anyone else – I deal with those same kinds of issues. 

The fact of the matter is, a lot of us allow our lives to get more complicated than they need to be and, I hate to say this because I know I’ll sound like my father, turn the dang TV off. So much of the content has no goal beyond throwing negative stuff at you.

Go back to the basics and the fundamentals – those things don’t fail. 

And don’t sweat the stuff that doesn’t matter.

I know there’s a lot of people that drive hard and it’s great they do, but don’t let the stuff that doesn’t matter interfere with the things that do. Sometimes we just outthink ourselves.

If you stuff back to those fundamentals and those basics, I think that in business we can embrace those and be successful without having to invent something new. Look, it’s tough because we are getting hit with a lot of new stuff. The answer is all about showing empathy for people and recognizing they’re more than a seat in a job.

It’s your organization and it’s them as human beings that you care about, but that has to be genuine because they’ll figure out if you’re not. If they’re gonna lay it on the line for you then give them the nurturing they need and maybe kick them in the rear end when they need it.

Absolutely. Thanks again for joining us.

You’re welcome.

EKA Insights Interview: David L. Summitt

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By Arune Singh

That’s something David L. Summitt learned at the age of 20, when his father William R. Summitt passed away and left his son to take over the Bestway Trucking company.

In the ensuing nearly 40 years, Bestway has seen a plethora of changes (as detailed on their website), transforming into Summitt Trucking LLC and rapically scaled its business to provide nationwide services, with a particular focus on taking care of their drivers.

Today the EKA Insights Interview series continues with special guest David L. Summitt, who recently spoke to us about his path to leading  Summitt Trucking and his vision for the Company.

EKA: Let’s start with something a bit more existential – people are always talking about finding their purpose these days. We hear about that a lot in a world that feels like it’s changing more than ever before, so finding that purpose can be difficult. Did you feel like you found your purpose back in 1985 when you took over the family business or is that a thing you felt you had to do?

David: My father died unexpectedly on Christmas in 1985. A day or two later, after we buried my father, my mother looked at me and said, “I’ve got a sixth grade education, two mortgages, here’s your dad’s keyes, don’t let me lose the house.” I already had a full-time job somewhere else, so I had to step into this role and figure out how to allow her to keep her house.

That may not be the kind of purpose that people think about when we ask the question of ourselves, but that is definitely a specific goal and a very specific purpose – to take care of family.

I’m an only child, ain’t nobody gonna take my momma’s house. I was destined to make sure that didn’t happen.

I was roughly 20 years old, and I walked into a room where I had two partners and, you know, pretty much all of our drivers were in their 40s and 50s. It was a very hard thing to learn. I wasn’t respected – but you don’t get respect, you earn it. I had to work twice as long and twice as hard than most people to get that respect because I was my father’s son, right? And you just have to exceed their expectations.

Do you feel like there’s a disconnect today with how that idea of earning respect is viewed by different generations?

Yeah, absolutely. We see it all the time. 

The older generations grew up with our grandparents and parents either being in the wars or some horrific recessions that they had to overcome. And my children, who are somewhere between 23 and 33, didn’t experience a lot of that. They’ve seen Mom and Dad go to work, come home and life was good. They played sports, went to school and got to have their fun activities without the same kind of trying moments that make people stand up and either do it or not.

So there’s a lot of entitlement in this generation and I don’t do really well with things like that because I think if you earn what you work for, it’s yours. You deserve it. If you don’t work, then you’re not deserving of as much, right?

Absolutely – I think it’s definitely generational. I’m 41 this year and I work with a lot of folks younger than me. There are different standards – some of which are great, but the idea of certain work that needs to be done and some uncomfortable situations to get through already seems like it might be old-fashioned to some.

I watched a motivational speech by a gentleman named Simon Sinek, who I have a great deal of respect for and I think it was called “Millennials, How I Broke The Internet.” I thought that was an interesting title and the first question was about millennials and entitlement. Simon immediately goes into “I don’t know that you want me saying what I really believe here because it might hurt a lot of people’s feelings.” And he went on to say that, you know, when I was a kid and I played ball, if I came in first, second or third, I might have gotten a trophy or a ribbon or something. But he said today whether you win, or you lose, every single person on the team gets the exact same award. 

And what we’re doing is we’re teaching our children that for one, two, and three, it’s no better, you’re not going to be treated any better, than anybody else if you work hard. That means for those that are on the bottom, “wow, I’m actually not good. I don’t deserve this that they’re doing anyway.”I feel ashamed or that I shouldn’t have it. 

So we’re teaching some kids some things that probably, you know, they’re learning differently than we did.

That leads me to my next question, which is about people succeeding or failing – whether on the diamond or something else. Sometimes life throws you curveballs when you expect to succeed or expect your life to go a different way. You’ve dealt with a lot of ups and downs in your career, leaving the company and then returning to make Summitt Trucking what it is today. What advice do you give people when they come to you for advice in dealing with the unexpected?

Well, there’s a few things and it depends on the severity of course.

But when you do get those curveballs, you can whine, cry and complain, or you can do something about it. I’ve always been one of those kinds of guys that feels like I’ve got all these employees working for me and they expect the paycheck – they’re counting on me. 

It’s not just the husband or wife who works for me – they probably have a spouse and maybe two children. So you multiply the number of employees by four, which means if you’ve got 100 people working for you then you’ve got 400 people depending on you. I take that to heart.

I’m one of those kinds of guys that sees there’s a door in front of me and I try to find a way either around it, over it or blow it up. You have to find a way to get to the other side. And to do that, you have to have passion for what you’re doing. If you don’t have passion, you’re missing out on a large part of what it takes to get things done.

When people think about passion these days, they often talk about it as though it has to ignite every aspect of their soul. Whenever I’ve been interviewed for jobs, I always say it’s about creating a better quality of life for my wife and our family. That’s my passion and it trumps any other aspect of the job.

Absolutely. I’ve had situations where people have come and said, “Dave, I really don’t want to go, but I have this opportunity.” We sit and talk and I would look at him and say, “Look, if that’s what’s best for you and your family, please go do that.”

I don’t care if you are the single best employee I have – sincerely, I want what’s best for our employees. I’ve repeated that over and over and over. And with that, hopefully, I’ve gained the respect of a lot of our people who are comfortable enough to come talk to me. 

The single most rewarding thing for me in the last few years was with my daughter Danielle who’s 23 and had just graduated Purdue with an HR degree. She came to me and said, “Dad, I don’t want to work for you. I don’t want to get into the family business.” 

So I said, “That’s fine. How can I help you succeed?”

She said not to worry because she’s got a job starting Monday – so she graduates on Friday and has a full time job on Monday. But she goes to work and it doesn’t work out. It wasn’t right for her and that night he was terribly upset. I said, “Danielle, don’t worry about it. It’s your first day out. You’re going to be fine. You’re a smart young lady. You’re driven so just be patient.”

Next day, she calls me and says, “I can’t stand the thought of having this degree and sitting at home. I know you need some help. How about I work part time to help you?”  So she comes in and a month later she’s still here. She’s at the door, got a little tear in her eye and says, “I think I owe you an apology.”

I ask, “Why is that?” and she said, “You always told us as we were growing up that you had two families. And I would just get really mad. You don’t have two wives, two sets of children, you know, what are you talking about?” And she said, “But I’ve been here 30 days, and I would like to become full time. And I don’t think I ever want to have another job in my life. This company is truly like family. It’s like cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters that you work with. It’s just amazing.”

That’s beautiful. I think that a big part of that family and the people who matter to you are the drivers, right? Your website mentions “meeting and exceeding” their needs, but what does that mean to you in practice?

In all honesty, I drove a truck for three and a half years and I don’t think that makes me a truck driver right now in today’s world. 

Back then you had paper logs, loose regulations and safety protocols. And, maybe four logbooks. I’m not saying that was legal or you should do it, I’m just saying that’s how some of them operated it.

And with all that today, you’re demanding electronic logs, scanning documents and you’re demanding that they know the new DOT rules but there’s no real way for them to be communicated unless we communicate to them. There’s no classes that they can take or online subscriptions that really keep up with these things. You have to pick your information here and there, then put it together and then we send it to them, right? 

We’re asking a whole lot of a driver, whose average age is probably 59 years old. Well, I’m 58, I never went to college, my dad died, I wanted to be an attorney. But I ended up being a trucker, and I’m proud of it – I actually have passion for it. 

But you’re asking a 58 or 59 year old person to learn how to do things they’ve never done, then operate in a country where maybe they don’t feel safe if they have to park their vehicle, or they’re worried about getting a ticket, or they’re worried if they run one minute over on the load.

We literally had a situation where a driver was pulling into a restaurant because the driver was out of service – he needed a break, right? He had like one minute when he came off the ramp. And he’s kind of timed it that way and a little tight. But he’s pulling in and because of the way the truck was parked next to him, he had to make adjustments and he got a citation for it. You know, a lot of the DOT officers, I respect them, I think they’re great people, I think they do a good job. And they help keep our interstates and highways safe, right? 

On the flip side of it, some of them have not been given the education that they should get. And then they come out on the road and we end up with confusion over what a driver should or shouldn’t do. It becomes very complicated, right? But, in my opinion of a truck driver, when you look at what that driver has to go through where they eat, where they sleep, where they take a shower, the risks that they take to avoid accidents, congestion, acts of God – I could just keep rattling these off.

At the end of the day, we’re paying these guys, you know, two years ago, maybe in the 50s. Today, maybe in the mid 60s, maybe 70. And in all honesty,  those guys ought to be making 100 grand a year. If we want to attract people who have the technology, technological skills to do what we’re asking them to do, have the motivation to go do that job every day and fight this traffic and the congestion and so forth, then we should pay thrm well.

But our industry – and it’s nobody’s fault, in particular, not one person, no governmental person – it’s just the way it’s been. Our industry has allowed the drivers’ wages to remain lower than where I think they should be. And as a trucking company owner, how do I get that up? I can only do what my customers will allow me to do. And after I take everybody’s wages and expenses out of the business, there’s only so much leftover, so we try to give back as much as we possibly can. I would really love to see our industry shift to where we’re actually taking care of these people and paying them more than what we are today.

Why do you think these drivers remain so unappreciated or misunderstood by folks at large? It feels like the pandemic should’ve made it clear how important these folks are to everything but there’s still a disconnect.

Well, COVID made it really clear when it became an emergency, when the drivers didn’t have a restroom, and it was a hard time just getting fuel. And they couldn’t even get a sandwich. So you’ve seen the US citizens come out to rest stops with food and drink for the drivers because they knew the important role they had. 

And these drivers stepped up big time when everyone else was at home in their house, scared to come out, or not allowed to come out. These drivers were rolling up and down the interstate and we didn’t have a single drive that said “I’m not going to do it.” They actually felt really proud of what they were doing. They stepped up and they worked harder. 

So in that particular case, yes, they were given some consideration for what they’re doing. But as soon as that emergency situation ended, they went right back immediately to the people driving an 80,000 pound rig that’s very noisy, takes up a lot of room, you know, “you’re following me too close,” “I don’t like the fumes I mean” – the list goes on and on in regards to what the general public thinks of drivers.

But it is a necessity. And it is an underappreciated necessity in respect to the driver, right? Those drivers do a wonderful job, and they need to be compensated accordingly. And we’re doing the very best we can. I think all of our competitors are doing a pretty great job as well. And that driver is the key to everything. That’s the reason why I have a paycheck. I really think as a nation, we probably lost a little respect for these folks. And you know, let’s face it, there are great and wonderful grabbers in our industry. What we’ve got to do is figure out how to help these folks become better at what they’re doing. 

I agree they’re truly essential workers. If drivers just stopped driving, I don’t think folks fully realize the domino effect it would have on their lives and how the world would stop in just a few days. 

Yep. I don’t know if that’s a week or two weeks, or how long it actually is in reality. But I guarantee you stores would have empty shelves and I would only get worse until drivers were back out.

You’ve answered a couple of questions I had, which brings me to one of my last questions – do you have a list of the top three core fundamentals to your leadership and vision for Summitt?

You know, I’ve worked 40 years of my life. And I think I’ve worked very hard with passion, trying to make sure all these folks are taken care of. I’m actually taking my entire management team as we speak, and enrolling them in some personality survey type experiences where we can learn how to better work with each other, along with coaching skills on how to better react and talk to each other. 

And culture starts in this chair, and then it goes down a level and then down a level right until it gets to every single person in this company. My role is to make that happen. And I’m working very hard to see that it does in the way that I want it so I think having the right culture is a real key part of this.

Number two is succession planning so that if something would happen to me or one of the directors that this company keeps moving forward, and without hesitation. That needs to be a seamless transition so that our people are taken care of because I had the unfortunate situation of selling my business to a company that I don’t think did the right things with that, they’re no longer here. That’s the reason I came back – I actually had to look in the mirror every morning and see my bank account had some money in it while our people that helped me be successful, didn’t. 

And I honestly couldn’t live with that. 

So that’s why I came back under the name Summitt Trucking.

So the morals, ethics and culture fit into one bucket and the succession plan fits in another bucket. With the way the world is moving, we have to be continually updating our processes, procedures, looking at the technology and making changes where needed so we can stay ahead of the curve. Once you get behind that curve it;s very hard to get in front of that again. I’ve been there, it takes a lot of work and diligence and just kind of putting it on the line without fear. 

That all brings me to the last question. You’ve mentioned rebranding the company and putting your name on it. What did it mean to put your name on the company and make it clear that you were in charge of it again?

I’m actually a low key guy and I’ve really liked flying below the radar.

Our company was named BestWay Trucking and my dad named it that way in 1982 because all the shipping documents that came out said “Ship the BestWay.”

You have no idea how many phone calls we got from people based on that name, so it was a very successful way of doing business.

When we closed our business and sold it to another party, my wife and I were at home when it went out of business. I looked at her and I said, “You know, I’m struggling. I’m having a hard time knowing that  all these people that helped us be successful are hurt, and we need to go try to help somehow.: And she looks at me and she says, “I know you’re gonna do it. And I’ve been thinking about it.”

She mentioned that the BestWay logo had a diamond, with a truck within the diamond and “BestWay” below it. So she suggested that I put some mountains on there to represent a summit, with “Summitt” below the Diamond since it’s got the same number of letters. That way when anyone sees the  Diamond they’ll see my name.

And we went from zero to 125 trucks in twelve months thanks to her thought right there.

That’s amazing. 

Well, that’s how it happened. 

There’s days I’m really proud to have my name on that side of that truck. 

And there’s days where I wish it said something other than my name. [laughs]

Well, I think that sense of accountability you have is part of what makes the company so successful. Thanks so much for the time, David.

EKA Solutions launches financial services subsidiary

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EKA Logistics Capital part of ‘vision to democratize freight management’

Grace SharkeyThursday, December 2, 2021

EKA Solutions launches EKA Logistics Capital (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Digital freight management platform provider EKA Solutions announced Monday it has formed EKA Logistics Capital LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that will provide working capital financial services to its carriers, brokers and eventually its shippers.

The financial program, set to begin in January, is designed to give EKA a competitive solution to the industry’s factoring companies and create a full ecosystem of freight management tools within the EKA Omni-TMS platform.

“This is a logical next evolutionary step for EKA to realize its original vision to democratize freight management by providing a dual and seamless connected end-to-end ‘best-in-class’ digital platform, for freight management and key services respectively, to help smaller carriers, brokers and shippers to effectively compete with their larger competitors,” said JJ Singh, CEO of EKA Solutions.

While Singh did not disclose specific fees for these services, he did describe them as “highly competitive” to those charged by some of the largest factoring companies, often averaging around 2% to 5%.

Singh explained that EKA can charge lower fees because of the optimization and risk tools the company will be using to make the financial decisions.

“We can accomplish this as EKA provides a touchless and highly intelligent end-to-end platform with work processes that help deliver lowest customer cost to serve coupled with tools that help manage fraud and credit risk at the lowest levels possible,” said Singh.

Unlike many factoring companies that force carriers and brokers to only use a single factoring platform, there will be no constraints through EKA Logistics Capital, Singh said. EKA will offer its services in one of three ways — receivable financing of an entire customer receivable portfolio, select shipper receivables or on a single shipper invoice basis.

Over time EKA plans to open its platform to other factoring services as well, democratizing the way its customers use its freight management platforms.

“EKA expects, sometime in 2022, to make available [our] transformational financial services ‘Open-Loop’ platform for other factoring companies to use to service their factoring customers to transform services delivery, fraud and credit risk management practices and, hopefully, share cost and risk management savings with small to medium-sized businesses,” said Singh.

EKA Solutions Debuts Real-Time Integration With KeepTruckin & Samsara

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New Omni-TMS™ Cloud-Based Platform Integrates Fluidly With Leading Telematic Platform

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — EKA Solutions Inc, the industry leading provider of cloud-based integrated freight management ecosystem for carriers, brokers, and shippers, today announced real-time integration with KeepTruckin and Samsara, two of the global telematics platforms leaders.

Designed to tech-up carriers, brokers, and shippers for the future of business, EKA Omni-TMS™ is a native cloud-based SaaS TMS that has become the company’s signature solution product and has earned EKA the prestigious FreightTech 100 award.

“EKA’s fluid real-time integration provides the smallest trucking company with the same capabilities and benefits as large companies – optimize dispatch productivity, effectuate timely 2-way communication, deliver real time load movement visibility, improve carrier cashflow through electronic document capture and transmission and, enhance driver compliance with hours-of-service rules.” says JJ Singh, Founder and CEO for EKA Solutions, Inc. “In addition, this seamless integration will help significantly improve broker productivity.”

“EKA’s innovative and best-in-class solutions will help fleet managers to be digitally connected with their drivers during the lifecycle of a loaded or empty truck move” said Mark Walker, President and CDO. “Also, it enables a broker to automatically monitor the movement of the load from pick-up to delivery in a seamless productive manner.”

About EKA

EKA Solutions, Inc., provides a transformational cloud-based SaaS digital freight ecosystem management platform, dFEMX™, to manage all the customer’s freight businesses including freight exchange and third-party services. As part of the dFEMX™ Offering, EKA provides the Smart, Unified Platform EKA Omni-TMS™ for – Virtually – Everyone. EKA Omni-TMS™ is designed to transform the transportation and logistics industry. It empowers small, medium, and large size broker, carrier, and shipper businesses to operate from quote-to-cash with affordable and best-in-class digital tools, enabling the higher performance demanded in tomorrow’s supply chain. With real-time information, EKA Omni-TMS™ enables brokers, carriers, and shippers to provide visibility and transparency as they fluidly trade across an expanding and verified network with key, trusted partners. For more information, visit: https://www.go-eka.com

For all other inquiries:
Arune Singh
arune@go-eka.com

SOURCE EKA Solutions, Inc.

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Startup aims to democratize digital freight management

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EKA Solutions builds ecosystem for small and medium-size brokers, carriers and shippers

Linda Baker, Staff Writer  Friday, May 15, 2020

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

J.J. Singh, a longtime transportation and logistics executive, decided to launch a digital freight management solutions company a few years ago after he realized that many small and medium-size shippers, brokers and carriers were not ready for “the Amazon world,” a pressure cooker environment that requires an immediate answer to the question: “‘Where is your load?’”

“We knew from the start these folks were at a cost disadvantage and an effectiveness disadvantage,” said Singh, whose previous experience includes stints at C.H. Robinson and Flying J. The reason for starting the new venture, he said “was to respond to the new business environment, help digitize folks and provide them with services so they are at least on par with larger companies that have a lot more resources.”

Founded in 2015, EKA Solutions offers a cloud-based logistics platform designed to facilitate collaboration and data exchange among small and medium-size shippers, trucking companies and brokers.

The Sacramento, California-based company is developing a range of products aimed at helping customers connect and thrive. Among the offerings: a broker, carrier and shipper transportation management system (TMS), a private marketplace platform, 4PL solutions, and solutions for service providers such as insurance companies.

“We are building an ecosystem for freight management,” said Singh, EKA’s chief executive officer. 

Several features distinguish the company’s products and services from others in the supply chain technology management sector, the company’s executives said.

EKA’s platform is end-to-end, “from order to cash,” Singh said. A centralized system of record, the platform enables real-time load management, shipment tracking, trade partner negotiations, payment and more.

Customizing offerings for different freight participants, EKA starts with a supply chain engine, then crafts different “lenses” on top of that engine, said Mark Walker, EKA’s president and chief digital officer, explaining there is a tailored TMS for carriers, for shippers and for brokers.

“The nuances of each of those lenses allows each party to run their business,” Walker said,  “and it is highly configurable as well, so one company could have a completely different look and feel in a lot of their use of the system.”

A broker TMS launched last fall, and a carrier TMS will be ready on July 1. A shipper TMS is ready to deploy.

The company’s supply chain platform features an intuitive interface and reports can be generated throughout the day in an easy-to-read dashboard style. Because of the “intelligent design,” the cost to deploy is a fraction of what other systems might charge, according to Singh, and the company offers its lowest pricing for the smallest customers, upending the common practice of giving large customers discounts.

“Our whole model is price as you need it,” he said.

Connected to the platform are web portals for any vendors, allowing customers to extend capacity and loads, and enabling “digital freighting in a marketplace environment,” Walker said. 

But unlike the large freight-matching services, typically wide open to all carriers and brokers, EKA’s offering is built around “trusted relationships,” the executives said. Customers can extend information to outsiders, but it is not suggested, Walker explained. “We are not trying to open freight up so they can get the lowest price or generate the highest profit.”

EKA is not a brokerage, but digital brokerage is a subset of what they offer broker customers. “We give them a whole gamut of lanes based on relationships, rather than a singular one-touch or touchless lane for doing their business,” explained Singh.

Looking ahead, the startup aims to broaden its ecosystem to include service providers such as insurance companies for brokers and carriers. That will debut in the second half of 2020.

Mirroring the experience of other technology companies, EKA Solutions experienced a tough time for sales in March and April, as the pandemic upended the economy, according to Singh. But the platform “shines” as a work-from-home solution, he emphasized. “All you need is high-speed internet and we take care of the rest. It’s just like running an airbnb platform.”

As the team continues to build out its product suite, “we are very close to delivering to the marketplace our vision of an end-to-end supply chain platform,” Singh said, “where the shipper can run their business end-to-end, the broker can run their business end-to-end and the carrier can run their business end-to-end. And they can all collaborate very effectively.”