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2020 Reflection from Coyote's CEO: How We Drove Growth, Innovation & Positive Change During a Challenging Year

Jonathan Sisler, CEO of Coyote Logistics

A global pandemic, unprecedented levels of market volatility, an evolving sociopolitical environment — 2020 was certainly unrelenting in its complexity.

As a result, like many industries, it put the entire supply chain to the test, pushing the already rapid evolution of the global freight market into overdrive.

"I’m grateful to our network for giving us the opportunity to help drive their businesses forward, and to our people that stepped up to continue supporting our customers."

Navigating the year required businesses to adapt. It forced many companies to think differently and evaluate their fundamental operational structures. But at Coyote, we thrive during times of extreme complexity and volatility.

Therefore, we weren’t just able to grow last year, but continued to execute against our mission to deliver smarter supply chain solutions and insights that drive the success of shippers and carriers around the world, while effecting positive change and standing up for what’s right.   

As we start a new year, I’d like to focus on some of the incredible work that so many contributed to in 2020, which helped us keep business moving during a time of crisis.  

 

Putting Our People First

Customer service and experience have always been at the center of everything we do. Every solution, innovation and capability is centered around the needs of our network and solving the evolving challenges they face.

And we know that much of that experience comes from working with our 3,000 employees around the world; our number one priority has been, and continues to be, making sure they are safe and supported.

From cultivating diversity, equity and inclusion with the expansion of our employee resource groups and offering a company match for employee donations to important social causes to expanding our wellness program and, most of all, not laying off a single employee during such uncertain times, Coyote remains committed to the people that deliver on our promises every day.  

"Our number one priority has been, and continues to be, making sure [our 3,000 employees] around the world are safe and supported."

 

Driving Innovation with New Capabilities & Solutions

We also delivered new solutions that helped our network navigate the unstable market conditions in creative ways.

Dynamic Route Optimization

Our dynamic route optimization program streamlined supply chain operations and reduced uncertainty for carriers by maximizing the efficiency of their fleets through optimized weekly routing plans.

In just a few months, we’ve executed over 350 dedicated weekly route plans, and there’s more to come as we continue to grow and scale this solution in 2021.

Contactless Delivery Task Force

We also partnered with the Consumer Brands Association and helped launch their Contactless Delivery Task Force, which brings together manufacturers, supply chain partners and retailers to develop scalable, uniform standards for safely transporting and exchanging freight.

We are proud to support this initiative, which created greater efficiency, improved safety and reduced employee risk throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and Peak Season.

Coyote Collective

Last summer, we also launched the Coyote Collective, an industry forum which brings together experts from around the world to collaboratively solve the most complex supply chain challenges. 

The Coyote Collective kicked off with our first-ever Coyote Logistics Digital Summit in September and has big plans for continued collaborative innovation this year. 

CoyoteGO Expansion

Finally, we made it easier than ever to connect to Coyote’s full suite of digital solutions in one place with the expansion of our CoyoteGO® digital freight platform. This expansion reflects Coyote’s guiding philosophy of creating solutions that enable easier access to our large, diverse marketplace.

It has continued to be a great success as throughout 2020, 49% more carriers joined the platform and used it to book 136% more loads.

Additionally, 591% more shippers joined, getting over six times the number of instant spot quotes and increasing API integrations by 180%.

This is incredible growth that we look forward to building on this year.  

 

COVID-19 Response & Action Plan

We pivoted quickly at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure the seamless delivery of essential medical and testing equipment for FEMA and the U.S. government, we leveraged our network of carriers across the nation while our team worked around the clock to navigate unprecedented market volatility.

Always committed to living our values, we also covered transportation costs for donated goods and products from organizations including Bayer Consumer Health, Can’d Aid, and Crocs.

COVID-19 dramatically impacted traditional shipping patterns as consumers moved to purchasing goods online instead of in stores. We helped our network pivot their supply chains, from inventory planning and management to route optimization, in order to help keep their products and fleets moving.

In total, we moved more than 660 daily shipments to grocery stores, 4,948 daily food and beverage loads, and 817 daily consumer packaged goods (CPG) shipments in 2020. Additionally, we touched over 41 countries and 38,210 cities, towns and villages.

"We helped our network pivot their supply chains, from inventory planning and management to route optimization, in order to help keep their products and fleets moving." 

We’re proud of our scale and thankful to the members of our network that helped us deliver these incredible numbers. You can find out more about how we adapted this year and what we accomplished together in our 2020 Year in Review infographic.

To recognize the members of our global network and the front-line workers that have gone above and beyond to support COVID-19 relief efforts, we also launched the Green Means Give Thanks campaign.

The initiative highlighted the heroic efforts of everyone from truck drivers, dispatchers, dock workers and supply chain professionals to the doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and grocery store employees that are keeping the world moving and people healthy and safe during this global pandemic.

 

Giving Back & Doing What’s Right

At Coyote, one of our core values is “Make a Difference.” In 2020, more than ever, it was critical for us to deliver on this for our communities.

Standing Up Against Racial Injustice

Notably, we did our part to stand up against racial injustice. As a proud member of the UPS family, we supported their efforts to take action for justice and reform to advance equality in the following ways:

  • Supporting the immediate passage of the Federal Antilynching Bill
  • Providing even more support of underserved communities with employee volunteer programs and added service days
  • Making investments of $3.2 million for programming to support the National Urban League, the NAACP, and United Negro College Fund and $1 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture
  • Evaluating talent and business policies and processes to promote equality across their global business

To further support our DE&I initiatives, we also developed the Coyote Logistics Workforce Scholarship Program in collaboration with Hennepin Technical College (HTC) in Minnesota, which provides tuition support to minority students to help them receive degrees within the transportation and logistics space.

The scholarship program will allow Coyote to recruit highly trained recent graduates from underrepresented populations into in-demand occupations within the supply chain.

Philanthropy

In an effort to further assist with COVID-19 relief efforts, we worked with our network to move six million donated meals to food banks for families, 1,527 disaster relief loads, and 325,000 laptops and tablets for schoolchildren in Mississippi.

In addition, Coyote donated more than $213,000 to philanthropic organizations around the world, prevented over 69,000 tons of CO2 emissions by eliminating empty miles, and served our communities with more than 2,000 volunteer hours.

This gave us all something to be proud of because our benchmark of success as a business isn’t just growth and expansion, it’s also about doing what’s right and helping others.

 

Always Forward

These accomplishments are the result of a global workforce coming together and working towards the common goals of advancing the sector, exceeding customer expectations and driving positive change.

I’m grateful to our network for giving us the opportunity to help drive their businesses forward, and to our people that stepped up to continue supporting our customers with expertise and integrity.   

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we must expect and be prepared for the unexpected. While we don’t know what this year has in store, we do know that our employees around the world can work together to collectively accomplish anything.

Our people and culture are built for success and ready to tackle any obstacle. We hope you see the incredible value working with a trusted provider brings when it matters most. 

If you’re interested in working with Coyote, please contact us and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates.

Thank you, and I look forward to continued collaboration in 2021.
 

- Jonathan Sisler, CEO