Company Report: Dan Goodwill & Associates: Delivering Transportation Solutions to Canada, US
Dan Goodwill & Associates: Delivering Transportation Solutions to Canada, US This Toronto based freight transportation consulting firm provides a broad range of services to help their clients improve their bottom line

Dan Goodwill is President of Dan Goodwill & Associates Inc., a freight transportation consulting company based in Toronto, Ontario that provides a full range of consulting services to shippers, carriers and third-party logistics suppliers throughout North America.

The company assists shippers by maximizing the effectiveness of their transportation program and obtaining the best value for their freight dollars. Founded in 2004, the company has grown by 25 percent over the past year by delivering innovative solutions to its customers in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Goodwill describes his firm as a virtual company. "I know a lot of people in the transportation industry throughout North America. Depending on the type of the project, I will reach out and select colleagues that have a certain skill set and proven expertise. This allows the company to provide customized Best Practice solutions for our clients."

Managing Freight Program

For shippers, the first step in the process of evaluating their freight program is conducting a transportation audit. This examines everything from packaging, to freight loading processes, to carrier selection and rate negotiations as well as the quality of technology it uses to run its operations. "It's all about getting some independent eyes and ears to look at the business," says Goodwill. It's enabled his firm to develop a solid track record by "helping shippers reduce their transportation costs and improve their operating efficiencies.

In some cases the company may be hired to benchmark their freight rates or conduct a freight bid. In these situations we help with carrier selection, preparing the bid package, the data analysis, rate negotiations and in some cases with the implementation and compliance tracking." For Give and Go Prepared Foods Corp., his firm conducted a transportation network design study and freight bid to reduce costs and broaden their carrier base. "That's the kind of thing the company does."

Building Businesses, Operations

On the carrier and 3PL side, the focus is on business development and streamlining operations. For JDI Logistics, they were hired to help them secure a large account. "We are very proud of the work we did in helping this fast growing logistics company jump start their business," stated Goodwill. This led to recruiting senior management personnel for their Sunbury Transport division. "Although that is not our core business, we ended up helping them find some really good people. To date, our business growth has been based on tuning into our customers' needs and going the extra mile."

In other cases, transportation companies may not be optimizing their operations. Dan Goodwill and Associates will assess everything a company does and suggest ways it can improve its processes. "Whether it is accounts receivable or accounts payable, operations, sales or pricing, we look for opportunities to implement best practices, and then make some recommendations on how to improve processes and in some cases what kind of software they need," he says.

For example, companies may not be aware that a number of employees working in different departments are entering the same information two, three, or four times into a system leading to wasted efforts and needless duplication. His company is able to streamline operations by helping design a more effective work flow and transportation management system.

He's assisted Maritime-Ontario Freight Lines by developing workflows and process diagrams for every element of their business operations." We have completed the first part of the project that focused on existing processes. Now, we are in the final stages of documenting what changes they can make, and then, move forward with how best to perform the implementation," he says.

The Value of Networking

If there is one thing that Dan Goodwill has come to appreciate after 27 years in the transportation business, it's the value of networking. Consider this: Dan prepares a weekly blog on topics as far ranging as the "rise and fall of oil prices" to "how to lead a trucking firm in turbulent economic times." He writes columns for leading transportation industry magazines, speaks at conferences and serves as the director of the Council of Supply Chain Management. He has a web site, conducts webinars and web demos, and participates in a number of online social networks. This spring, Goodwill will help organize and host an industry conference for trucking industry executives.
Needless to say, Dan Goodwill makes a significant effort getting the word out although he admits finding the time to do so can be challenging. "It's not easy to do when you are in the midst of so many projects. As a small business, you must always make the time to market your services."

The Power of Partnerships

Goodwill is also big when it comes to business partnerships. He seeks out companies that have a unique expertise in certain areas of freight transportation. As an example, Trans-Lucent Markets, Inc., has established itself as a leader in the area of transportation expense management solutions. This is especially important in times of economic downturn when cost cutting is a priority. "We very much value our relationship with this fine business partner and with our other excellent partners," commented Dan Goodwill.

Surviving tough times

Goodwill sounds one cautionary note. "A number of Canadian companies are undergoing a major transformation right now," he says. "You only need to pick up the newspaper to read about all the cutbacks and belt-tightening."
For those companies, he has simple straightforward advice: "Make sure you partner and maintain your connections with those carriers that are going to survive the recession." In his blog and articles, Goodwill spends a lot of time on the topic of collaboration and partnering.

"We make sure our clients are going to be surrounded by companies that are going to be there. Certainly, as we work with shippers, our message is that the adversarial approach between carriers and shippers of past days is long gone. When we come out of the recession, there will be a lot less trucking capacity around. What that means is that for those shippers that don't have strong alliances with carriers, they may be in some jeopardy when the volume comes back," he says.
"A lot of drivers are leaving the industry, and it takes time to find and train drivers and to get trucks manufactured. When we see an upswing in business, we won't be able to snap your fingers and say we want a truck today. It's going to take time."

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