Stephen Perret-Gentil

“𝗨𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗧.” 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻. If I got a dollar every time a client said “urgent,” I’d be rich enough to airlift their cargo on a private jet. But here’s the thing… Most “urgent” shipments aren’t actually urgent. They’re just poorly planned. Let me break it down with real talk: In logistics, urgency without planning is not heroic. 📌 It’s chaos in disguise. 📍 No shipping window. 📍 No documents in place. 📍 No coordination between supplier, customs, or warehouse. But somehow, magically — we’re expected to move it across the country in 12 hours. And when we ask basic questions like: • Where’s the pickup location? • Who’s the consignee? • Any special handling instructions? The reply? “Don’t ask too much. Just make it fast. It’s urgent.” 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰. And panic leads to: • Missed bookings • Last-minute rate hikes • Unavailable trucks • Angry team calls at 2 AM • And a client blaming you… for their own poor planning We’ve learned to spot the difference. And we’ve built Augustus to deal with both — But we don’t reward panic with praise. Instead, we teach our clients to: ✔️ Plan backwards from delivery dates ✔️ Keep buffer stock ✔️ Share shipping forecasts early ✔️ And communicate like partners, not last-minute gamblers 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗵, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. And when all three are missing, “urgent” becomes nothing but a dangerous label that ruins trust. So next time you say something is urgent — ask yourself first: Is it really urgent? Or are you just late? 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁” 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. And let’s start building supply chains that work… even when nothing is urgent. #logistics

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Tariffs make headlines for their global reach, but their impact is felt deeply in the trucking industry. Changes in trade flows lead to real shifts in freight:         • Lower import volumes can reduce available outbound trucking loads         • Shippers adjust pricing and timing, which affects lane rates         • Freight planning becomes more complex across supply chains In trucking, stability depends on volume and timing. When these factors shift, we adapt by reworking routes, rebalancing fleets, and managing costs in real-time. What happens at the ports, in warehouses, and at the loading dock connects directly to what happens on the road.

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Do NOT lose your direct connection with you customer. This does not mean that you allow your self to get bogged down with operational functions instead of selling. If you are the one who WON the business the customer chose to work with YOU. Your goal should always be to create better experiences for you customers. #sales #selling #recruiting #logistics

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Why I Believe 1099 Agents Are the Future of 3PL Freight – Here’s Why W2 freight sales is fading. Slowly. Quietly. But undeniably. The 1099 model isn’t just surviving—it’s scaling. Here’s why I believe it’s the future: 1. Cost Efficiency: Brokers running W2 teams carry salaries, benefits, office overhead, and management layers. 1099 brokerages? Lean, tech-enabled, and built for speed. 2. Ownership: 1099 agents want to own their book, choose their clients, and build something that’s theirs. W2 doesn’t offer that. You can’t sell your job, but you can sell a book. 1099 does. 3. Tech Has Leveled the Playing Field: With the right TMS, CRM, and load board stack, a solo agent can quote faster, book smarter, and scale cleaner than a 10-person team. 4. Shippers Are Buying Confidence—Not Just Capacity: They don’t care if you’re W2 or 1099. They care if you communicate clearly, solve problems fast, and deliver consistently. Agree? Disagree? Let’s talk. What’s the biggest shift you’ve seen in the industry this year? #FutureOfFreight #AgentFirst #FreightPOV

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After working with 10,000+ businesses on their U.S. imports, these 2 terms still cause the most confusion: Country of Origin vs. Certificate of Origin (COO) It may feel like a tiny detail but but it has big implications. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 is where your product is manufactured, processed, or substantially transformed. This is what appears on your product label and determines the applicable duty rates. 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 is the legal document, often issued by authorities like Chambers of Commerce, that verifies and certifies your product’s origin. Here’s the simplest way to remember it: - The 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 is 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 you claim. - The 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 is 𝘩𝘰𝘸 you prove it. This distinction matters more than ever with current U.S. tariff policies: • 𝗨𝗦𝗠𝗖𝗔 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: Canadian products marked "Product of Canada" requires official USMCA Certificate of Origin documentation to qualify for preferential rates. • 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀: Many trade agreements require certificates showing that enough value was added in the originating country. Product labels can't demonstrate this level of detail. • 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗗𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Steel from various countries faces different duty rates. The certificate determines which rate applies to your specific shipment. With CBP's intensified scrutiny on origin claims, they're demanding verifiable documentation that proves: • Exactly where substantial transformation took place • Full supply chain traceability that aligns with trade agreement requirements • Strict adherence to specific rules of origin My advice to importers: Review your documentation with an experienced customs broker or compliance expert before you import. With over 1,400 trade enforcement penalties issued in the first half of 2025, the risks and costs of non-compliance have never been higher.

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Florida’s market is… tricky right now. I was looking at a shipment from New York to Florida the other day, and the rates were jumping thousands of dollars in a matter of weeks. Why? It’s a mix of slow season and produce season. Basically, supply and demand playing out in real time. Here’s the thing most people don’t realize: sometimes moving a full volume LTL shipment can actually get your freight there faster than a box truck. It might sound counterintuitive, but it’s all about knowing how the market moves and planning around it. A quick example: we had a client who needed freight in Florida, and a box truck was the obvious choice. But we looked at the timing and the rates, and suggested pushing volume LTL instead. The shipment not only arrived sooner, it saved them money, too. The lesson? Logistics isn’t just about trucks and trailers. It’s about strategy, timing, and knowing your markets. Florida is a funny market, and if you want your freight to move efficiently, you need to adapt to what’s happening right now, not what normally happens.

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A look at the most active states and top 50 markets shippers were searching for capacity in last week. Texas was hot with Dallas and Houston in the top 5 most searched markets, along with Laredo seeing significant week-over-week growth.

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