In the transformative world of logistics, when experienced people team up with smart technology, big changes can happen.
In an interview with Regan Daniels, vice president of product and revenue services at technology-enabled brokerage FreightVana, we explore her journey from customer service roles to technology-driven executive leadership. With over two decades of experience in logistics at industry giants like Werner Enterprises, Knight Transportation and SEND Transportation, Daniels’ evolution is a story of adaptability and a pursuit of efficiency.
Daniels reflects on her early experiences in the industry, where the inefficiencies of disparate systems fueled her passion for technology. She outlines her primary focus on process improvement at the rapidly growing startup and offers advice to women in logistics and technology, encouraging them to embrace challenges, assert themselves and communicate strategically.
Questions and answers were edited for clarity and length.
FREIGHTWAVES: You began your logistics career holding customer service roles and in time, went on to master a number of technology-focused executive roles. What influenced that transition?
DANIELS: I’m customer-first always and I have always gravitated towards customer-facing roles. I’ve waited tables, I’ve worked in a hospital and I worked in day care. I get a lot of energy from that.
Early on, I loved the pace of being a broker. But in those early days when systems were new to our workflow, I had to enter one load into four different systems that each had their own function. I just thought this could hardly be less efficient and I could move more loads faster without systems. At the time, many were saying technology was going to change our world, but so far it was making the brokerage worse.
Our IT team was building a new transportation management system behind the scenes but not working with the operations teams on how to build it. For example, instead of language like “Book a carrier to a load,” they would say, “Add a resource provider to the tour.” They wanted me to train everyone to that, and I was like, this is not going to work.
I never in a million years thought about going into tech but at that point, I wanted to help marry some things up. I wanted to help what they rolled out be better. So I became very vocal about changes and learned how to communicate with teams in a different way because the hammer that we use in operations does not work in tech.
I was an aggressive learner, got busy and realized technology was for me. I have been enjoying it in terms of providing solutions that make things more efficient. It creates more space in the day to talk about things that computers can’t, and it allows us to dream big and come up with revolutionary ideas.
FREIGHTWAVES: What influenced you to join FreightVana as its new created role of vice president of product and revenue services?
DANIELS: Aside from just believing in the team, I really wanted to do something transformative.
I turned 50 this year and I want to spend the next 15 years or so working on something really meaningful.
What I love about FreightVana is first and foremost, having assets was always a deal breaker for me for taking roles in this industry. I think if you don’t have the assets behind you, you have a little less influence on how business is done. That decision to invest in trailers, particularly the way this team has done it, is fantastic to me and visionary.
We also have proprietary technology that Don [Everhart, chief technology officer] I believe is going to transform the way our industry has conversations with shippers and will deepen partnerships.
I am stunned by what this team has already executed on so well.
Related: Wabash’s new trailers-as-a-service platform to support FreightVana’s power-only offering
FREIGHTWAVES: How will your industry knowledge and tenure help improve FreightVana’s imprint?
DANIELS: My initial focus is my superpower — creating efficiency.
In a startup, especially here, the pace at which they have grown has been incredible, but naturally, you are going create some inefficiencies.
My first focus will be on process improvement and fixing that. We have so much coming down the pipeline that we need to get better and do more faster. I have been brought in to create a different experience and help validate or question processes to help us continue to make better decisions and to continue to have healthy conversations that inspire growth.
We are still riding the success of FreightVana’s growth, and now we are buckling down and really focused on scaling.
FREIGHTWAVES: From your experiences, what advice would you give women in our space who have also found a love for operations and are interested in making a pivot into technology?
DANIELS: First and foremost, don’t give up on yourself even when you feel like you don’t believe it’s something you could take on.
Sometimes women can be quiet about their passions because we feel like we have to have every single t crossed and i dotted before we eventually make a change, and I think that is what causes us to get passed up for the job.
There is also a need to understand your audience. If you are going to speak to a room of industry professionals, know what you are talking about. Make your points short: Think bullet points, not paragraphs.
Women need to speak up and we need to be firm in our stance.
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FreightVana’s power-only brokerage going nationwide with more than 1,000 trailers this year