Our first Director of Marketing, Mark Sink, may be new to us, but he’s been in the transportation and supply chain technology arena for over 20 years. With decades of experience gained from the US Air Force, Covente, Descartes Systems Group, JDA/Blue Yonder, and Infor/GT Nexus, he brings a wealth of experience we can all benefit from. This is why we sat down with him to get his insight into the industry and how he plans to help SemiCab with its mission to evangelize a radically new and better path forward for truckload freight moves.

‍

Read on for what Mark had to say about the global supply chain, how SemiCab helps, and how we all stand to benefit.

‍

What opportunities do you see in the industry?

There is an opportunity to bring genuine trustworthiness to the truckload industry between all parties. I believe there is a large majority of shippers and carriers looking to improve profits in a strategic, trusting, and far less transactional environment. SemiCab’s hands-on service and powerful optimizer technology act as that perfect Freight Network Matchmaker to make it all seem easy.

‍

What are the top three challenges the industry faces?

• The industry’s problems aren’t new, but they are pervasive. All parties have been putting bandages on the issues, but never solving the core problems. To start, the truckload industry (shippers, carriers, 3PLs, et al) is constantly dealing with short-term and opportunistic thinking, including an over-reliance on spot rates and porous agreements.
• Next, and I think everyone will agree, is the empty miles problem. They have always been an issue and the industry, environment, roads, and drivers will continue to struggle with this debilitating waste.  An understandable outcome of empty miles is lowered driver morale and quality of life (and thus super high attrition). We know all of the aforementioned points are unacceptable and solvable! Did you know that dedicated private fleets operate at only 50-70% utilization? We even help solve that!
• And finally, there is a lack of reliable load acceptance. Not knowing if a load will be accepted is a huge strain on the industry, and one that ends up leading to opportunistic thinking — a vicious cycle.

‍

How do you see SemiCab solving these challenges?

SemiCab is already solving the problem by creating and fostering strategic relationships through a vastly different model. Through our Freight Consortium relationships with shippers and carriers, combined with our complex simulation and modeling tech under the hood, we’re able to provide 99% acceptance rates, increasingly fewer empty miles, improved pickup and delivery stats, and an 8-10% reduction in transportation costs.

‍

What do you believe is affecting industry growth?

One key issue affecting profit and efficiency growth is over-reliance on the ride-sharing way of thinking with spot load boards—not that there isn’t a place for this in certain circumstances. This over-reliance has led to a transactional, tactical mindset and too much “spot rate chasing”. Currently, 20-30% of loads are run through the spot market, leading to higher direct and indirect (people, time, customer service) costs.

‍

What made you choose to work with SemiCab?

This one’s easy. I jumped at the chance to radically improve a super vital industry, with a stellar group of driven, creative, and easygoing teammates. When I learned that SemiCab took over two years to develop our core service and technology backbone, before even working with our first Carrier and Shipper partners, I was sold on our commitment to deliver a Matchmaking + Concierge experience that truly works.

‍

How does your background complement SemiCab's mission?

I have a comprehensive supply chain and logistics background. My past experience in vehicle operations and dispatch in the Air Force, along with the latest work I did on the “network effect” at Infor/GT Nexus, meant I was at the forefront of freight movement. I witnessed, firsthand, the evolution of real-time networks over the past decade. Coming from a different part of the supply chain gives me a different lens, one that provides complementary insights and messaging.

‍

What will be your first tasks as Director of Marketing?

First up is building a “marketing engine” with the best content delivery partners to help spread the word about where SemiCab is now and how our vision will be attained. I want all Shippers to know that dependable, reliable capacity is out there with true carrier partners at fair prices. I want Carriers to hear about how there is a better way for drivers to have a predictable schedule, which is closer to home and pays a good, solid wage.

‍

We’re in the early stages of creating a learning environment for shippers, carriers, 3PLs, and others via interesting and fun education and content. You’ll be able to access all that and more on your media platform of choice!

‍

To connect with Mark directly, hit him up on LinkedIn.

We’re so happy to have Mark on board!

‍