Women in Logistics: Carrie Doan
Carrie is our primary operations contact at Paper Transport (PTI). She is responsible for Asset Planning at PTI. On top of her normal responsibilities, she helps the REPOWR team by posting PTI equipment and managing interchanges.
I got to work with Carrie this earlier this year. There are many examples of her expertise and communication. She saved the day for a carrier at the tail end of the January 2024 snow storms. The carrier needed to return a trailer into the Columbus, OH region and needed a replacement. Carrie checked with her customers and found a yard seven miles away with an extra trailer. PTI was able to get that extra OH trailer to WI where they needed it and the carrier got a trailer to load in Columbus. Whether its a single reservation or a multi-trailer interchange, Carrie is on top of it.
The entire REPOWR team enjoys working with Carrie and her team at PTI. They are great communicators, eager to try product updates, and help users on our platform.
How did you get your start in the logistics industry?
I started at a big trucking company in 2014 while I was still in college. I worked on support shift as a customer service rep. I then went to first shift where I owned the relationship with the customer. I then tried something completely new on the administrative team (regulatory drug/alcohol). I started at Paper Transport in 2020 and learned customer-side brokerage practices. In the last year, I moved to trailer management.
Can you tell us about PTI and your role there?
I work in the asset management world. That means I execute a lot of the processes that have to do with owning and maintaining our trailers. I help our operations and maintenance teams get trailers in for their DOT inspections, move trailers to help markets, and set up good trailer utilization.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the logistics industry?
The market has been rough for over a year and with that comes carriers outbidding each other. Managing equipment costs and maintaining relationships with your customers and carriers is critical. It takes a lot to service your customers, keep them happy, and balance the assets you have.
What is the biggest challenge you see your customers face?
A lot of our customers are coming to us from their previous carriers. They want to see service and communication.
How has REPOWR helped your customers with those challenges?
To help with service, we have been using REPOWR to balance our markets and get our trailers where they need to go. By providing trailers in areas where we are starting new customers or getting new lanes, we are more flexible and adaptable to specialized needs.
What are you most excited about for the future of the supply chain?
I always enjoy when the market changes and people come up with creative new ways to keep things moving.
How do you explain your job to people with no industry knowledge?
My job is like tracking a package – but I’m included on all the of processes. I get to track the trailer, look at how it should be arriving at a location, and work with the operations team to move them.
