Maintaining Cross Border Relationships In Cold Chain | Running on Ice

[Music] welcome to running on Ice the coolest community in Freight I'm your host Mario conell bringing you the latest tech updates Warehouse news and everything happening in the cold chain world not only is there the coolest show and Freight but there's also running on nice the newsletter that could not be colder you can subscribe to that on freight waves.com running on Ice today we welcome Mike teresinski the of managed transportation and crossb services at TA welcome to the show Mike welcome Mary thank you so much for having us I'm excited for today um I love

a good crossborder situation espe especially especially because um it's going to kind of become in my uh you know foggy crystal ball of predictions over here um I see crossb being a very kind of crucial piece of the supply chain puzzle in 2025 if you will I see it kind of being something that everyone's going to need to deal with it some in some way shape or form uh before we get too far into that though let's get some background on you and how you get started at TA yeah no uh thanks for that and

I totally agree with you I don't think near Shoring is going away I think Mexico will and Mexico and not only Mexico but Mexico and Canada will be continue to be strong Partners from a supply chain perspective um but a little bit on my origin story from a TA perspective um came to TA just about a year ago in that time coming over over um just have had really a great opportunity to work with some folks who really value service really value um the the core values of people first results and Innovation um and really

have uh really enjoyed that but coming over from a TA perspective I spent some time before uh at a digital brokerage Uber Freight um was blessed enough to be one of the few uh who started that office for them right before the pandemic um and then spent a few years before that with Echo Global there in Chicago in Dallas and multiple other offices so I've been around just a little bit um I like to say that I started when I started this career off I had hair on the top of my head now it's only

on my face um so for those of you who listening more than 30 seconds we're we're in into this um but really bringing that service level that tailored service or tailored solutions back to uh the industry it's just kind of key and it was the opportunity for me to come into that not just selling the box as people would have it right um but really providing that that additional service building value and just getting into uh what are the commitments that we need to do and what their customers need to do or that the shippers

need for their customers right and so putting yourself in that place I like that you too have um quite the the weey background and in the supply chain World um it's definitely you know who hasn't been at Echo or Uber Freight or anywhere uh similar to those you know everyone everyone's kind of been through there yes there uh there is a a strong alumni program as I like to call it um and um I don't know if it's alumni that we're the most proud of at times uh definitely at the end of conferences you'll do

find us all kind of clumping together and catching up and seeing where things are um but it is it is a it is a great time to be with each other um and you know I think the other side of it too is you know everybody talks about how Freights uh or Transportation as a whole is is a relationship business um but it's also a small world right and I think being in a small world and things like that um people know who you are people know how you handle business um and really bringing some

of the consistency that we've seen in other places when um that's the opportunity that we have with us here today at TA and just excited about that and really excited about um kind of seeing where the indue goes and being partners for everybody so one of the part things that come with being that partner for everyone is kind of um you know you guys are kind of known for those customized Solutions as you said you're not just here is a box this will hold all of your problems it's not it's not that because sometimes sometimes

my problems are bigger than that box sometimes they're smaller sometimes they're star shaped sometimes they're circle shaped and you guys really just kind of say okay we'll build a box to to what you need and we'll come up with that so but that has to be incredibly challenging as that Logistics provider because if everyone kind of has a customized tailor solution that has to be kind of hard to keep it right running efficiently you know as that logistic service provider so how do you guys kind of balance those customized expectations while also you know not

having an entire team for each customer of just sitting there going okay well this is how we do it on this team could never be the same over there that you're absolutely right Mary um I think the first thing for us is we kind of start off with a sustainable approach right and when we think about sustainable it's not just a sustainability from from an environmental perspective but that could be part of the solution right I think the other sustainability is is how do we build this longterm and so then we get into the other

word which was tossed around throughout the industry for years which was partnership everyone's looking for a partner right and and while Partnerships are great and and and truly we are looking for partners I think the the side of that is we're looking for folks who are less transactional more relationship understand the service and the costs that are associated with it and you know what is that 98% on time how do those things work what are the key or what we call critical slas around that from a refrigerator perspective the perspective that's temp logs and equipment

and time and all those things that come into that those are the basis and and the non-negotiables and then what do we do different right and so I think one of the things that we do to your point of tailored Solutions we have a lot of localized expertise both in our Monterey side as well as in our Dallas office our Indie office and then as well as in our Toronto office that know an incred in amount of freight and Freight knowledge and have that core competency that can then execute so that it's not just a

oneperson solution um it's a solution that when you start thinking about securing capacity you start thinking about Regional demand Spikes all of those things that that build into that um that I think when you start thinking about 2025 and Beyond I think we are going to start to get back into and some would say that we've had some seasonality I would argue since 2019 it's been muted at best or muted is the nicest way I think from a macro perspective we have seen them right and so I think when you start to see that and

see that Rising tide out of the southeast when you start to see those changes that come in uh when you start seeing the proteins the pork the poultry the beef going into those Gulf ports and things like that you're going to see those changes that historically we haven't seen in the last four or five years and part of that is is because we have an over supply of carriers and over supply of capacity I think that's where you start to see these differences and I think that's where we really are going to shine and really

provide us with um you know with with operations that not only meet the expectations of what customers are looking for but then also be that partner at the table with them so that way when they start thinking about the future but not only the future but what are they looking to solve they can have that sustainability of knowing that they've got a partner that's looking towards that not just meeting today's rate but beeting out what the what that market advantages for them and I think that's something that a lot of people forget especially um kind

of on that that logistic service provider 3pl side of things is that um and also for a shipper like you know you're going into this really looking for partnership unless you do just want someone that you say you know this is very transactional you will do exactly what I want um but I think that most people are starting to look for that partnership for the ability to rely on those on those partners and say Hey you know I my favorite my favorite example is I'm really good at making muffins and I don't need to try

and become an expert in logistics if I can find a partner that can do that and I'm just going to sit here developing the next muffin flavors because I know that they're on my team and they want to grow with me and they want to see me be successful and I think that's half the battle because making sure you find not only the right partner but one that's in it for even like your vision your growth and everything like that not saying that like you know started from the bottom and then you go to like

a seven billion doll Empire um but just literally like year over year of oh we've opened a new Distribution Center can you guys accommodate that and it's always the yeah no problem instead of the you should be able to do that right or like no I'm sorry we're only on board for these three distribution centers so I think definitely having someone that isn't necessarily kind of afraid to jump in and say okay yeah like whatever you need we're here we'll make make it happen just please and this goes out to shippers everywhere please try to

get your logistic service provider more than like a day's notice because like in theory you know that you're opening a distribution center sooner um they shouldn't find out from the carriers that there's a new facility because that doesn't really work out very well yeah I I think I think what you're talking about which is massive is setting expectations up at all levels right and the car the carers want that as well I mean and I think if you look at at the track record and and I say very focused on the last few years because

I think the next few years are going to be the litness point of the change of the marketplace right um and I think when you think about that of a setting expectations we talk about food safety talk about quality assurance all those things I think that the the big the big word which is becoming far more and more of a of a cliche but I still think it's valuable is transparency and then responsiveness right and that responsiveness isn't just a response back to when someone's saying there's a problem I think it's responsiveness to what we're

seeing in the marketplace so that we can then be proactive to the carrier Community we can be proactive then to the shipper community and then also giving them visibility to your point of of communicating expectations let us know before you're going to have the the next facility and when it's opening next Tuesday right it's like oh we should have known that well how are we supposed to know right but then on that same side how are we engaging to understand those things right and I think that's where you start to get into it because then

at the end of the day especially when we start to Pivot into some of the high valued Goods some of the things that we're doing say Pharmaceuticals and maybe in some of the Organics and things like that that are in there um I'm not talking the food on the organic side but the those things that have various precise handling I think you you got to understand and I think that's the the net result is that those shippers have very uh very low tolerance for temperature deviations and things that are there right so if it's a

fuel issue if it's a it's a power issue like those things are able to be addressed at real time they're very hard to be addressed 6 48 Hours afterwards and that just doesn't give anybody any room to work and I think that's where that transparency and that responsiveness really come full circle back into the discussion Point yeah and I think uh specifically with temperature controlled Freight it's difficult to like it's a little easier with dryan if oh something was a little late or like you can kind of run a little bit behind the eightball there

because ultimately like you know if pair of jeans gets hot you can still use them it's still fine as long as nothing is physically damaged you're good um but with temperature control you can't if that that driver's been on the road for three hours and he's out of compliance on his temps like good luck because that's not gonna that's not going to be a good time that that's GNA be a huge mess um but you mentioned one thing which is like you want to keep it very predictive you don't want to fall very reactionary and

you want to do that kind of throughout your ecosystem with your carriers and your shippers and everything like that you guys do a fair amount of crossborder bre so how do you and with that comes two countries or more of um keeping up with rules regulations paperwork Customs paperwork you know the whole nine yards where sometimes if you mess up your Customs paperwork you're going to end up paying a fine that's bigger than what you would have made the profit you would have made off that shipment so how do you guys kind of stay on

top of the new regulations that are coming um and then also ultimately you know still protecting your shippers yeah I think it's it's the Confluence of of people our product and um really it's a lot of it is our technology right so I think one of the things that we've done and I'll start off with it just with myself as well as some others uh we brought some people in who know the industry who know those things um people who are uh in specific as it pertains to Mexico bilingual um we have got a person

who's actually at the border who's is is part of our executive team that's now in there um so we've got a Miguel Perez that is just done some amazing work on that as well so I think you know there's a first familiarity of understanding the landscape and where we are the other side of it is is that when we get into our product we're incredibly process driven so our process is going to be the key by which we measure ourselves the outcomes like you say sometimes uh the ball will bounce the wrong way or the

cookie will will stick with the baking analogies the cookies going to crumble right to your best to your best hopes and baking baking dreams right uh of a a perfectly snaap cookie with a gooey Center like sometimes the cookie crumbles right and I think the thing about it is is in those moments that's where we R back to our people and that's where we R back to some our technology understand where did we have a break in our process how can we help through those things and I think the last aspect of it is um

well while I would say for a lot of folks the Border can be a great mystery I think it it has its challenges I think it's like anything else um you could say the ports can have a great mystery right you know there there's a lot of different things and especially temp control um but I think that's where we get into our our Partnerships we rely on our carriers we rely on our shippers to give us the best information if that information isn't the best we need to push back on that early not at the

time of shipment or not at the time of border crossing you it's always better upfront um to have that conversation that might feel a little like hey I just need you guys to do this well it's like I can do this but we can't do this without your right and I think having those discussions that consistent cons communication that then speaks to a service reliability is how we talk about it is that reliability of service will let us have a reliability and outcome and then once we can do those two things and then we can

Circle back into whether that's a rid discussion whether that's an engagement discussion whatever have you um but I think those are the things that we start to think about it uh because I think at the end of the day and whether uh for me whether you're at the border whether you're at a port whether you're going you know west to east during um say some seasonality some sort of produce that's coming in from the pts on the west coast the servicing East I think the the ability to connect and for us to connect our people

our shippers our carers together uh allows us to provide some some solve to some of the issues that are promptly missing with a lot of the industry um and that can get into it and I think that's what can lead to small issues and resolution can lead to loyalty that loyalty then can lead to partnership and so I think that's the part where so many people are like we just want partners and it's like well okay what are you going to do to build that how do you build an infrastructure and a culture around that

and so that's that's part of what we're doing here at TA and really excited about the future I mean really kind hit the nail on the head there where like you know you want to be that Advocate you want to be that source of information and you don't want to be the reason someone's getting a phone call where someone's screaming because yes okay mistakes happen accidents do happen but also it's like not hiding them when they do happen and um you know being just very forthright and honest and like you said having that level of

transparency because I mean I can't I can't tell you how many times I've seen something go wrong they're like well we're just not going to tell the shipper and I'm like that's a really bad idea um because they will always find out and then that breaks that trust and then you're like okay well they found out this time but like how many times have they done it before and like what are they actually doing with my Freight and all of this and it's just you know it's not a good idea to be to be sneaky

and um but also like the same people who are like oh I want to build part I want to build this I want to have all these relationships etc etc the same people who have that are also the same ones that lie to their customer and so I'm like if you just take care of them and show up consistently and in a reliable predictable way and have the shippers back and also have your carriers back then suddenly suddenly that looks like a lot like a partnership oh yeah yeah and I will tell you um I

think the the deep cut uh that I I would share with anybody in the industry right and I've talked about this on a couple of of panels and things like that uh most recently did one with Tim Perkins um that I really enjoyed doing having great discussions um but I think not only just leading with what what what went well but I think leading also with what was a failure or what was a near Miss what did we not do or what did we learn or how did we adjust our process that then circles that

back because I think all too often service providers and we're all guilty of this and you kind of alluded to ear hey you have a new PL yep sure we can do this hey you have a new facility great we're going to a new country wonderful we can do it all right and and the truth is is not everybody can do it all um and certainly I'm and I think that's a that's a that's a speak to someone's character in some ways but I think the the way that I would really more say it is

is that by sharing some of the gaps by sharing some of the learnings by sharing some of those things that you've changed that are very directly related to their Freight and servicing their customers that builds more loyalty more trust than 500 loads that delivered on time because then we get into the oldest of old adies in transportation is you're judged by your last load uh and so if you we know that to be true if we all know that we're all going to be judged on our last load then the question becomes okay so if

we did 500 gr we did this last one what did we learn over the first 500 in what was different than this one right so then we don't get into well mistakes happened a driver fell asleep something happened etc etc which happens um but I think there's also another side of how do we have the processes around that so that if a driver is asleep or if certain things happen or God forbid there's a fatality or things like that you're hearing from us first to the best of our ability and then that we will be

your partner who will walk through with you on those things I think that's that's where we really see a difference for ourselves I have a question why do you think that people are so scared to talk to their shippers like when I used to work at a freight brokerage like we handled all the all different types of loads for these not necessarily just temperature controlled or drive in we handled everything but they were like I I would run bids and I'd say hey can you get me a picture of the freight can you get me

this information from this shipper and they're like well we don't want to bother them and I'm like okay well they're paying us to go out and get them pricing and go out and service their Freight and I need a picture of their Freight so I can go get them the best pricing otherwise we're not doing our job so like why are we always terrified to call our shippers yeah I you know I I think I think it's a case by case um I would say the one thing that uh again using uh cliches from the

industry that we've all heard uh but I I think it also speaks to some of the way that the industry's run over the last probably 15 20 years is no news is good news um and so a lot of providers look at this of unless there's if I'm asking for more there's no news that I'm giving to them that's that so I'm part of that good news kind of feedback cycle right I gave it to insert provider's name in this case we'll say ta I gave it to TA and all my problems went away right

that's that's how our industry was built for decades and I think what we've seen over the last four or five years and and what I've been very uh happy to be part of teams and part of ta is is that when we start thinking about the results that we're getting or what the what we're doing with our partners we're not perfect like everyone else right I'd love to tell you we are but um you know CEO may not be happy when he saying that but that's okay right I think the other side of that is

is that we are willing to have those conversations The Good the Bad and the Ugly um because I think that's where we show our value that's where we start to really display what controls we have over the supply chain and as it pertains to you know on the running on ice and on temperature you have to have as many controls as you possibly can without being obtrusive to the process itself you can't hold the process back right so I think there's there's ways that you go through that and I think there there's a lot of

positives to the marketplace that are are starting to happen and we see that with real-time tracking and things like that um that in the past we were like every 15 minutes was okay now it's like you have you have a hyper rank you when whenever you want to click it you click on it we'll put Milestones you're going to miss your Milestones we'll give you updates and we'll go from there I think technology really come along I think it really has and you brought up some good points like it's just it's it's it truly is

shipper by shipper but the amount of times that I think I would like just yell like not like not yell but just be so frustrated that no one will call them for one simple thing I'm like they're paying us to do a service we need to do this service right you're absolutely right all right so we are coming near the end and there is a question that everybody that comes in the show has to answer and Mike you're gonna be no exception it could potentially be the hardest question you get asked all day are you

ready I am ready is Cal considered a suit I would say I'll answer it uh with a question that I'll pose back to you but I'll answer your question first if we're if we're going to take serious questions here um but the first answer to your question is I would consider cereal a cold soup um I'm I'm a big um I'm a big Special K uh seral guy I can eat C I can eat Special K um maybe that's been I've been on the too often but um you can almost find shil in every uh

breakfast buffet slash uh stuff that's down there right so um yes I would say cold suit um so that and Mary to your side just kind of thinking about this if uh if reefer or specifically temperature controlled Freight was a reality television show what would you call it well first of all I would want it to be shot all below deck where like you have a crew working in the warehouse maybe you follow them there's some drama um except they're not on a multi-million dollar yacht they're in a multi-million cold chain Warehouse um but I

think I would want it to be you this is this is good because I watch a lot of reality TV show I'm not into the housewives but I'm into just about everything else um I think I would want it to be oh because then they could do like a spin-off of like a love island of just cold chain workers um I think it would have to be like like something like running the world or something like that like it'd have to be like a like a Ice Road Truckers but for a warehouse and so I

think it' just be like cold chain to the max or um it be like cold chain chaos and get yourself into some of those temper old emergencies of like last minute final mile stuff how they rescue loads you got to get this birthday Cape there on time I also love the alliteration there there you go little CC yeah little Triple C's Triple C's there you go that's it I like that a lot thank you so much for asking that question of course of course thank you so much for having me uh if someone wants to

if someone has their own proposal for cold chain as reality TV show or if they want to take on your super opinions or if they have questions on kind of you know maintaining those Partnerships figuring out what to do with crossb where can I find you outside the show yeah um so I'm on both LinkedIn um it's not hard to find the Mike jeny or just look up Mike T um but also uh through Tas services.com um we have a full onboarding list on there you can reach out it sends an email we all get

it um and uh just would be happy for anybody to reach out and if you happen to see me at a trade show that's coming up will be at uh I think a couple ones starting in January here um but we're excited about that please feel fre to stop by say hello always love meeting new people and just increasing our Network because at the end of the day Transportation will continue to be and is a relationship side and the greater our relationships the greater our Network the better opportunities we have out there well you guys

are here first Mike's DMS are open and um and you know he likes to meet people so thank you so much for joining us today it's much R there you can catch other episodes of running on ice right here on YouTube or anywhere else you get your podcast like apple podcast and Spotify need more running on Ice news no sweat subscribe to the newsletter on freight waves.com running on Ice see you on the internet [Music]