?? The Legacy of Coyote Logistics

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Good morning. In today's feature newsletter, FreightCaviar contributor and former Coyote Logistics employee Ari Levy reflects on the legacy of Coyote Logistics.

Just two days ago, Ari launched his own logistics recruiting company, Landing Talent .

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A New Chapter: RXO Acquisition

Two weeks ago, RXO completed its acquisition of Coyote Logistics. We saw many Coyote employees change their LinkedIn to RXO, ceasing its 18-year run as an iconic brand.

I couldn't help but relish what Coyote has built over the past 18 years and what an honor it was to be a part of it!

My Coyote Journey

It was the Fall of 2015, and I was about to go abroad to Spain for the Spring Semester.

The clock was ticking and I needed an internship to count as credit towards graduation.

I met the Coyote team at a job fair at Indiana University. I remember going in for an in-office interview the day before Thanksgiving. What is typically a slow day for the American workforce was not at Coyote.

The phones were pumping, and the energy was high. The first person I saw when I walked in was former Chicago Bears defensive end Alex Brown (who worked in customer sales).

He goes, "Turn around, man, you don't want to work here." I couldn't believe it. I knew it was where I wanted to be.

Four weeks later, I was driving home for winter break, and on the 11th hour, I got the call and was told I was accepted into the internship program. I previously worked the phones at Lou Malaniti's Pizzeria which is one of the reasons I think they took a chance on me.

I started in the summer of 2016. I received a two-week crash course in Logistics 101 and then was sent to the carrier floor. I worked alongside one of the best carrier reps at the company as a mentor. I quickly saw the ultra-competitive environment and what kind of money there was to be made.

I was offered a full-time position in September 2016 and accepted on the spot. I got to go through my senior year of college without having to look for a job (which was awesome).

I started in July of 2017 and worked at Coyote for the next 3.5 years in carrier sales.

Coyote breeds entrepreneurship through internal competition. On the entrance of the carrier floor, there was a big board with the top 20 carrier reps. There was daily reporting that showed how many loads you had booked that day for everyone to see. That inevitably pushed you to work towards being on the top of that list.

The social aspect of Coyote was unmatched. Marriages, business partners, and life lifelong friends were formed at Coyote. I still have an active group chat with my closest friends from Coyote (shoutout to The Shadebros).

Coyote's Entrepreneurial Tree

The tree of entrepreneurs that came out of Coyote is staggering.

That is not to mention all the other employees who went on to become managers, executives, and leaders at other firms.

It's no surprise that when I talked to several of these leaders, they attributed the Coyote way to how they run their business today.

Reflections from Coyote Alumni

When I spoke to Rich Krul he told me:

Coyote did an amazing job with the brand and competition. Coyote was filled with a ton of former athletes and people of a competitive nature under one roof that bred competition. I don't think we'll ever see something like that again in the post-COVID era.

Regarding training, Krul said, "Coyote was the best freight brokerage college. The education is second to none, that's why we see so many people going off and starting their own businesses."

Danny Frisco told me:

How we run our business today is from the Coyote way. No matter how corny it was the 'No Excuses' tagline has empowered our business. We honor our commitments and a lot of that is attributed to Coyote. We lead with customer service and that was what I learned at Coyote.

Tyler Billins said, “The time and importance that Coyote put into training individuals is something we are incorporating into our business today.”

"Coyote did a good job of holding people accountable and doing the right thing. That’s something we try to emulate."

"Doing the right thing and doing whatever it takes was the mentality that has translated well into the business we started. And that was learned through Coyote."

The Legacy Lives On

Those, like myself, who eventually left, Coyote quickly realized that most brokerages aren't like Coyote. From the culture, technology efficiencies, systems, and the thousands of loads to cherry-pick as a carrier rep. One thing is clear. Coyote has left a lasting impact.

Doug Watson, former BD Manager at Coyote, told me, "I don't think anyone realized how impactful Coyote was until they left."

One thing I find fascinating about all these Coyote Entrepreneurs is that many of them started as carrier reps.

Now, with the acquisition complete, what will The legacy of Coyote be? In my humble opinion, it will be the people. Coyote took a chance on many young kids with no industry knowledge and turned them into industry pioneers.

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