The U.S. transportation sector gained 14,600 jobs in August and September of 2020 alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This sizable gain is a telltale sign of growth, and has been beat only three times in the last decade. While the total number of jobs in the sector is still down considerably year of year, the trend we’ve seen over the last two months points to promising recovery from huge drops earlier in the year.
It is no secret that the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a tailspin, driving high unemployment across all sectors throughout the nation. As restrictions have been lifted across the country and employers have found creative ways to continue with their work in the safest ways possible, this number has started to correct itself. This is true for the transportation sector as well; unemployment rates dropped from 15.7% in July to 11.3% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some of the most innovative companies in the industry are thriving, finding that their offerings are already well-suited to accommodate amplified safety precautions and volatile market swings.
Shared truckload standout Flock Freight has continued to grow throughout the downturn, adding 50 new team members since June. The California-based startup is just getting started. The company is hiring in all departments, including customer sales, carrier sales, engineering, marketing, operations and human resources.
Flock Freight recently became a certified B Corporation, highlighting its commitment to environmental and social excellence.
Flock Freight’s commitment to its employees was part of the reason it earned the certification. “All in” is a value it embraces, the company said. The company prioritizes the comprehensive well-being of its entire team and is dedicated to providing competitive benefits.
Flock Freight’s customer and carrier sales teams have seen 40% team growth since the start of the pandemic, creating a positive environment for new hires to succeed. On the sales side, the company is seeking representatives with one to three years of experience and a passion for changing the way freight moves for the better. The company’s shared truckload option cuts up to 40% off of the greenhouse gases that typical LTL shipments emit. Flock Freight’s initiatives in sustainability unite and drive employees towards a meaningful impact.
Like many companies across the nation, Flock Freight transitioned to a work-from-home solution at the start of the pandemic in order to keep its employees safe. The team has continued to thrive despite this significant environmental shift.
“I thought it was going to be tough working from home, but, collectively, we have done a phenomenal job,” Flock Freight Senior Carrier Sales Representative Ben Kirchler said. “The output has exceeded my expectations, and I am pleased with the experience.”
Flock Freight works to enable shared truckload freight pooling through advanced data science and algorithms, leveraging technology that wades through a sea of disparate data to identify the most optimal route for all the freight the company handles. The company is hiring passionate software engineers across multiple disciplines to help invent the future of freight logistics and push the boundaries of technology. Roles are available in cloud infrastructure and scalable distributed systems full stack application development.
“Flock Freight is modernizing an entire industry by expanding the mechanics of LTL over the entire origin-to-destination freight journey. In doing so, we dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of freight transportation as a whole,” Flock Freight Staff Software Engineer Yannick Paz said. “Flock Freight is setting itself up for success with seasoned freight transportation experts and an ambitious tech stack that makes your typing skills the limiting factor in how fast features get out the door.”
At the end of the day, the Flock Freight team — new hires and long-time employees — should be dedicated to creating and executing solutions that benefit shippers, carriers and the environment without compromising quality.