Another Year of Learnings

Arrive is officially nine years old! One more year and maybe the double-digit age prevents us from considering ourselves a start-up!?

So much has happened over the last nine years. Amazing friendships, stories, lessons learned, historic growth and much more. A lot has changed inside the walls of Arrive but one thing has stayed the same throughout the years: our commitment to deliver for our shippers, carriers, and each other. As with every anniversary, I am going to share a few things that are top of mind.

Navigating the Market Shift

Over the last twelve months, we have experienced a deflationary freight market that challenged every leadership team in logistics to pause and reevaluate its position, strategy, investments and goals. As an organization, we were no exception. We had to ask a lot of tough questions and really understand what is a must-have and what is nice to have. Fortunately for Arrive, we have a strong balance sheet and sound unit-level economics that give us the confidence to continually invest in the team and our proprietary technology, ARRIVEnow. So many companies in logistics live and die by the freight cycle. We are excited to be able to invest when many others are pulling back, allowing us to drive long-term, consistent growth.

Back to Basics

One thing you will hear if you walk around Arrive today is getting back to the basics. As with many other companies, we made significant changes during COVID to ensure our workplace offered employees flexibility and optionality while maintaining services for our customers and carriers. Now that we are mostly back together again, thankfully, we are doubling down and focusing our teams on what leads to sustained success — relationships, service, communication, hustle, grit, persistence, and execution. This is easier said than done. The team continues to step up and deliver for our partners, proving that knowing what not to change is key. It’s usually simple things, like recognizing that it’s more efficient to pick up the phone or swing by someone's desk to solve a problem than going back and forth on Slack.

Fundamentals Lead to Results

Our results in the first half of 2023 prove that an organization focused on the fundamentals can set the standard for service in a crowded industry. This year alone, we have been recognized by the following shippers for our outstanding service: The Home Depot, Molson Coors, Newell Brands, US Foods, Anheuser-Busch, Domino’s, Mark Anthony Services and others yet to be announced.?

These brands are household names. They are some of the largest shippers in North America. These awards are the direct result of team alignment inside Arrive to provide the best possible service. This type of recognition has allowed Arrive to grow load volume year-over-year despite the challenging brokerage industry market we have faced. Thank you to all our employees who come in every day with the mindset to be their best and provide the best-in-class service to all our stakeholders.?

To Arrive’s carrier partners, this is impossible without you and the service you continue to provide on our shipments daily. We know there are tens of thousands of brokers and we never take your choice to work with our team for granted.

A Relentless Team?

Arrive continues to attract top talent due to our commitment to culture and providing a positive experience.? Fast Company recently ranked Arrive number six on their annual list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators, and we earned recognition from Top Workplaces USA and Great Place to Work. Between now and the end of the year, we will continue to add even more talent to our teams across all Arrive locations. We are building the next generation of industry leaders and doing everything possible to help them realize their potential.?

One area we are doubling down on is a redesigned training and mentorship program. The program we have used for years served us well, but we are stepping up our commitment. That means taking a fresh approach to onboarding, training and retaining the best talent in the industry and relying heavily on our experienced team members to lead the charge. At Arrive our best people want to work with other strong contributors. This environment is not for everyone; we do not shy away from the fact that our expectations are not for everyone.

Staying The Course

It is hard to believe another year has passed. As I mentioned earlier, next year is a huge milestone! I am just as proud of how far we have come as I am of what has not changed. Remembering who we are as an organization and remaining focused on the basics is the foundation for excellence.?

A lot will happen in the next twelve months. While I cannot predict the future, I can say with certainty that two things will still be true. First, Arrive is a growth-oriented company where ambitious people can take on real challenges that lead to their personal and professional development. Second, we will continue providing the best possible customer experience to our shippers, carriers and each other.?

So as we celebrate this anniversary and look to finish 2023 strong, we will stay the course that got us here: Setting the bar higher each and every year, knowing that our best work is yet to come.