Trent Broberg, an experienced trucking and logistics executive who most recently served as chief operating officer for Truckstop.com, has joined ACERTUS as chief executive officer.
Broberg replaces William Billiter, who co-founded the company and has served as CEO since 2010. Billiter will remain involved with the tech-focused automotive logistics and services company as a strategic member of the board.
“It has been both an honor and a privilege to have led ACERTUS for more than a decade,” Billiter said. “This transition starts an exciting new chapter for our organization and for me personally. I will be able to pursue several of my personal passions while also remaining at the heart of our strategic thinking, serving on the board to provide Trent and the company unwavering support. When selecting the right person for the CEO seat, we knew we needed someone with a passion for the industry, top-tier leadership skills and the ability to unlock new growth potential. I’m confident that Trent is the right person to take ACERTUS into its next phase of expansion and look forward to celebrating the team’s success.”
ACERTUS positions itself as offering a “comprehensive service throughout the life cycle of a vehicle.” The company handles everything from title and registration to storage and maintenance to vehicle transport including home delivery. The home-delivery services include door-to-door delivery, local moves, hub-and-spoke moves and concierge white-glove moves. The company has more than 800 employees, 6,000 active carriers and 1,000 contract drivers available to move vehicles.
Broberg had been with Truckstop.com since May 2014 and has also held leadership roles with DB Schenker and Swift Transportation.
“I am honored and humbled to step into the role of chief executive officer of ACERTUS,” Broberg said in a statement. “Under Bill’s leadership, the company has experienced tremendous success by providing comprehensive automotive logistics services and maintaining a steady focus on developing innovative, proprietary technology solutions. By eliminating the need to go to multiple vendors for multiple services, ACERTUS has filled a significant gap for players in the automotive industry.
“Beyond the impressive hypergrowth, Bill has curated a best-in-class culture and a team of more than 800 exceptionally talented individuals that I look forward to learning from, and working alongside, in the new role. As a team, I am confident we will continue to foster the upward trajectory of ACERTUS by further expanding our products and talent.”
In an interview with Modern Shipper, Broberg said he is impressed with the organization and business Billiter helped build and believes he will fit into the existing ACERTUS culture.
“The culture he has established very much aligns with my belief systems and what I have built in the past,” Broberg said. “At Truckstop, we understood what was ‘the heartbeat of the company’ and [how to] push it into growth mode. The company’s culture lives and breathes with its partners. So it’s understanding what that culture is and working alongside the legacy partners and teams and to [ensure it lives on].”
Broberg said his goal is to build upon what ACERTUS already does well and expand existing business lines.
“They have enabled a home-delivery network of white-glove service that is second to none and I want to expand upon that. It’s an emerging market,” he said. At the same time, “we don’t want to take our eyes off what has been our bread and butter, which is our auto haul business.”
ACERTUS offers a full suite of auto logistics services, but Broberg said expanding its title and registration business will be a priority. He is also looking at growing the Vinlocity business. Vinlocity.com offers a streamlined auto shipping system, offering quick quotes, two-click ordering, data reporting and analytics, and real-time visibility into shipments, spend and claims.
ACERTUS has offices in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, and Atlanta.
“My main focus is on instilling confidence in the change,” Broberg, who officially started on Monday, said. “I believe fundamentally I have experience in the growth and hypergrowth [of companies]. It’s communicating to them that my door is always open, that I am here as an advocate for the company, and as one team we can [achieve success].”
Click for more Modern Shipper articles by Brian Straight.
You may also like:
Social Auto Transport raises $1.5M in seed funding to expand gig economy auto-moving business
Bringg’s collaboration with Uber opens new doors for e-commerce