The BRIDGE
Reflections on Growth and Transformation
In a recent episode of The Freight Pod Podcast, my friend and industry maverick, Jeff Silver, reflected on transformative moments in his career. As he spoke with his son and podcast host, Andrew, I found myself reflecting on my own career and how transformation isn’t just a business concept — it’s deeply personal, too.
Certainly, the metamorphosis of Trailer Bridge during my tenure is evidence of the power of change to grow and sustain a business. Even today, we are amid major technological advancements improving how we show up for our customers and improve our internal processes.
But as we close out the first quarter of 2025, I want to share a more personal perspective on transformation with a series of moments that have shaped my approach to leadership.
The Humbling Experience of Building from Scratch
Starting a few businesses from the ground up really humbles the soul.
It’s easy to ride the coattails of an established brand with decades of history, where you can leverage the strength of its reputation. But when you start a business from scratch, you’re not just selling a product, you’re selling your own reputation.
My experiences reshaped how I think about leadership. It’s not about commanding from the top; it’s about working alongside your team and being there for them. People don’t work for youyou work for them and with them. And when you take care of your people, they take care of your customers and that takes care of the business.
Leadership Is Not Defined by a Title
Looking back, I always wanted to be a CEO but when the first opportunity came over a decade ago, I turned it down. The ‘no’ surprised me as much as it did those around me. At the time, I was able to influence real change at Trailer Bridge without the CEO title simply by caring for the people around me.
Your leadership ability is driven by how you treat people, and the respect you show others. Titles may open doors, but they’re not the foundation of true leadership. That foundation is built on the genuine relationships you create with your team. Your people will respect you, really respect you, because of how you treat them, not because of the title you hold.
The Impact of Family on Leadership
Probably the most profound moments of transformation come from being a dad. Watching my girls grow and become young adults made me a better leader. Why couldn’t I treat those I work with the same way I coach and treat my kids. This is when the word family came into the conversation for me at work.
Some say it’s wrong to use the word family in business, but I call bullshit. Family is about developing a bond through trust, love, and shared experiences—both good and bad. Think about the friends you consider family. It’s not the title they hold; it’s the depth of the connection you share. I want to be the leader that builds those kinds of bonds within the companies I lead.
Transformative moments sometimes are big and loud, but others come in a small quiet moment or in the book you pick up during a layover at the airport (podcast reference, go listen) – be on the lookout for them.
Thank you, Jeff and Andrew, for the inspiring conversation that sparked a moment of reflection for me. Hopefully, this note from me will inspire someone else to pause and reflect on their journey.
Mitch Luciano
Tony Kvasnicka
Named President of Ocean
Tony oversees the company’s asset-based ocean operations in the Caribbean, including the Puerto Rican trade lane, port operations in Jacksonville and San Juan, account management, support services, and asset maintenance.
“I am confident in Tony’s ability to lead our ocean division into its next chapter,” said Trailer Bridge CEO Mitch Luciano. “Not only does he have the industry knowledge and expertise needed, but his commitment to service and work ethic is like no other. He is the first to step up and get his hands dirty to ensure cargo is delivered to our neighbors on the island – that type of dedication is what makes companies great and transforms teams.”
“This piece of our company is the very foundation that has allowed us to grow into who we are today. I’m excited to now focus on how we continue to invest and grow our Caribbean capabilities.”
– Tony Kvasnicka
Logistics Division Enhances Tech Stack
The Logistics Division of Trailer Bridge recently announced two big tech investments to support visibility for customers and to enhance its ability to deliver transportation solutions for shippers.
A collaboration with freight intelligence company GenLogs’ leverages a nationwide network of sensors to source capacity, identify shippers, and combat fraud in the trucking industry.
In addition, the team partnered with Highway to access necessary data to reduce fraud and source trusted carriers for every load.
“We are excited to kick-off the new year by expanding our toolbox and empowering our people to make educated decisions for our customers and carrier partners.”
-TB Vice President of Logistics Scott Douthitt.
Scott and his team continue the implementation process of TB’s TMS, Mastermind™, powered by Mastery Logistics Systems, across the organization. The goal is to have all divisions of TB working in one singular platform to increase efficiencies and support a strong experience for customers and carriers.
The rollout of new technology does not stop here – the leadership team continues to evaluate new platforms and tools to empower our people with the knowledge and resources to be successful.
Stay tuned!
The Government Division kicked off 2025 with yet another contract win this time by the Naval Supply Systems Command (MAVSUP) for the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract 2.0 (WEXMAC 2.0).
Under the five-year, multi-award contract valued at $1.425 billion Trailer Bridge will support the logistical needs of the U.S. military across 22 regions around the world including Europe, the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
“Our team has worked diligently to provide our government partners with competitive and reliable logistics services throughout each contract process. We appreciate the trust and support shown to Trailer Bridge as we continue our expansion to serve our Armed Forces and their global allies” said Chris Goss, Trailer Bridge Vice President of Government and Projects.
Our Current Contracts WEXMAC
The Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) under the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract 2.0 (WEXMAC 2.0).
APD S&RTS
United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) issued the All Ports Denmark Contract for the Stevedoring and Terminal Services.
PORTS
The Port Operations and Related Transportation Services (PORTS) contract is issued by the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM).
USC-10
The Universal Services Contract – 10 (USC-10) is a Multiple Award Contract (MAC) issued by U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM).
VISA
The Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) is a multi-award contract issued by the Department of Defense (DoD).
First Operation under ALL PORTS Denmark Contract Complete
The Government team has completed its first operation under the ALL PORTS Denmark contract in Esbjerg. The team is responsible for managing the movement of more than 1,700 pieces of military equipment; vehicles and equipment were brought into the port via train and are being loaded onto two roll-on, roll-off vessels for ocean transport to the US.
Check out a few photos of the operation.
Rally for Kate 2025 Raises $107,500
The 2025 Rally for Kate Charity Golf Tournament welcomed 88 players to shine a light on childhood cancer raising more than $107,000!
The event’s participation roster included transportation and logistics providers from Northeast Florida including SSA Marine, the International Longshoreman’s Association, ATS, TOTE Maritime, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier, CBX Global, and ARCO Design/Build. It also drew support from businesses outside of the Jacksonville community; Priority Global, joined from Puerto Rico, and Chicago-based technology provider, Mastery Logistics Systems, flew in to attend.
“We are deeply grateful to Trailer Bridge for their partnership and commitment to our cause. The lack of funding for pediatric cancer research has been a challenge for decades with scientists relying heavily on private funding from non-profits to support their work. Now, more than ever, support from companies like Trailer Bridge will be necessary to fill the funding gap in the search for cures,” said Dr. Lisa Amato, Kate’s mom and Executive Director of the Kate Amato Foundation.
Learn more about the event.
Averaged
Loads per Day
27% Decrease in percentage of un-invoiced loads 15 days or older
5% Decrease in percentage of collections 60 days or older
Active Logistics Customers
3.7% Increase in Margin % in Q1
29
NEW Customers Added
14
NEW Hires
87.16% Average utilization for LoLo 5% Increase YOY
88.5% Average utilization for RoRo 8.16% Increase YOY
Average Reefer Count per Sailing
22
Chicken Lights are the exterior lights you see on semitrucks at night that make them stand out, and our monthly award recognizes exceptional performance within two key roles in our Logistics Division.
Here’s a recap of our stand-out employees for the first part of 2025!
Kiet Chau
FEBRUARY
Jacksonville-based CAM Kiet increased his prebooking from 44% in December to 64% in January averaging 12% in margin. He has shown a great ability to build strong and lasting relationships with carriers, using repeat carriers 99% of the time in January. Kiet had an impressive ZERO loads bounce in January that were prebooked, saving valuable time and leading to an impressive 90%+ on time pick percentage.
APRIL
Hitting the Chicken Lights twice at the start of 2025 is Kiet who ranked in the Top 5 in four out of five categories with an impressive 99% weighted score in the CAM Analytics. He increased his daily averages in volumes by 23%, revenue by 42% and margin by 63%. In addition, Kiet added 5 new carriers to his roster of owned carriers while keeping and maintaining the relationships with his existing carriers.
Connor Leach
MARCH:
Based in our Kansas City branch, Connor an ACM turned what is a traditionally a slower month into a win for him and his branch with more than 500 loads, with just under $750k in revenue and $62k in margin. He showed decisiveness averaging an 2-minute response time when handling 132 total offers. Connor also demonstrated a great understanding of the market, going over max cost on 14% of his loads.
Sales WINS
Every Townhall we highlight impressive sales wins from across the company!
These spotlights serve as important reminders of the great work of our team members to ‘Make it Happen’ day-in and day-out.
Here’s a recap of our key wins starting the year off:
Adela Hysaj
Jacksonville – Ocean
ExxonMobil
Ocean customer with $750K in annual revenue opportunity
Logan Lewis
Nashville
Taylor Farms
Grew Margin to 16.1% in 2024
Royal Fresh Cuts
Grew Margin to 19.4% in 2024
Justin Marques
Jacksonville – Ocean
IKEA
In the first 6 weeks of 2025, Justin worked with this Ocean customer on 200+ shipments generating $790k in revenue.
Connor Leach
Kansas City
John Deere
Based on January 2025 numbers, Connor is working with this existing logistics customer who has a $8M run rate for the year ahead.
Carlos Cortés
Puerto Rico
Eagle Sales & Distributions
In his first month at TB, Carlos landed a steel & pipes customer with International opportunity valued at $350K.
David Vásquez
Chicago
KeHe Distributors
Davide secured additional lanes in KeHe’s annual RFP increasing TB’s revenue by $1.5M annually for this existing account.
Big Bid Wins
The Raleigh team worked to add more lanes with Drive Medical in the customer’s annual bid – winning more lanes than any other carrier on the bid according to the company. The Drive Medical Logistics Manager praised the partnership with TB saying ‘Good job and thank you!’ Trailer Bridge also handles all of Drive Medical’s Puerto Rico freight.
The Kansas City branch celebrated a BIG win with Liquid Death – landing 1,400 primary lanes! In 2024 the team handled a total of 20 loads in total.
2024
Customer Survey Brings
in a NEW RECORD of Employee Shout Outs
Let’s unpack a few key highlights from
the 2024 End of Year Customer Survey.
Customer satisfaction remains high with 94% of respondents satisfied with our services and 92% praising our communication. Over half of our respondents have partnered with Trailer Bridge for 5+ years, highlighting strong, lasting relationships.
Notably, this year’s survey included more employee shoutouts than previous surveys, reflecting the positive impact of our people-first culture. Here are a few of the specific callouts:
“I would like to say that the customer service we have received from Trailer Bridge has been exceptional. The primary reason we do business with Trailer Bridge is because of the support and attention we get from the customer service team. Specifically speakingJake Langlois has done an incredible job. I have worked with him while I was with other companies in the past and he is the primary reason Lands’ End is doing business with Trailer Bridge today.”
“My customer service manager Mónica Gutirrez always tries to help us and resolve any inconvenience or requirement with our loads, in an efficient and fast way. We are very happy to have her.”
“Logan Lewis is the sole reason the Taylor Farms business is at the volume it is. We know that Logan is not going to lie about why the truck is late or whatever it maybe.”
“Sidney has been amazing in handling our transportation needs. She is consistently prompt in responding to emails and never misses an update regarding our shipments. Her reliability and attention to detail have made a significant positive impact on our logistics process”
Let’s also celebrate all the TB employees called out by our customers:
Alicia Gamez
Clay Poole
Sebastian Auerbach
Jaime Kata
Melanee Hill
Brent Neary
Crystal De Leon Diaz
Justin Marques
Morgan Cox
Lynette Delgado
Mitch Wilson
Adela Hysaj
Philip Cros
Christy Mull
Chris Nelson
Justin Holmes
Charlene Salcedo
Russell Guy
Joisy Rivera
Jacob Wegrzyn
Customer Success Corner Updates from Garrett
Apollo & Beyond
Earlier this year we transitioned from ZoomInfo to Apollo as one of our sales prospecting tools. Apollo not only allows us to search for and find relevant leads but also utilizes AI and data analytics to tailor our approach. For the first time, we have access to our email performance.
In March, our first full month utilizing Apollo, we achieved an open rate just under 30% and a reply rate of just over 4%. This means that for every 100 emails we send, 30 of them are opened and 4 are replied to.
While emailing is sometimes a numbers game, we can analyze those 30 emails that were opened to gain insight on WHY they may have been opened and WHY those 4 emails got a response.
As we gain more information, we will begin to tailor the overall email approach to those that prove to be successful to increase our open and response rate and make us more efficient when sending sales emails. Stay tuned!
Interested in getting access to this tool? Connect with Garrett to learn more.
Executive Resource Program is LIVE
Our Executive Resource Program is LIVE supporting customers who did $1 million or more in revenue in 2024. This program strategically aligns a Vice President or higher team member to each of the 35 accounts that hit this mark last year. The team held introduction calls in March with the ACMs, sales representative, and the executive resource to celebrate the accomplishment and plan for next steps.
Brokerage Hub Roll-Out
Thanks to Trey and the analytics team, we rolled out the Brokerage Hub a single-source location for essential data points. The hub features specific pages for all roles: CAM, ACM and CSR with customer and carrier information, individual performance numbers and essential KPIs.
The goal of this program is to give these accounts a second set of eyes to ensure we continue to grow the relationship and explore ways to expand our involvement in their supply chain.
If they have not already, all accounts will begin to implement Quarterly Business Review’s in the second quarter of 2025 to talk through our performance and continue to strengthen personal relationships.
Other notable resources available in this tool include:
• Access to important documents and operational links
• Links to book training time with Alex Damske or to request a custom report from the analytics team
• A carousel of Freight Fraud information to keep you informed on the most up-to-date policies and trends.
Going Global A TB Tradeshow Tour
From Poland to Mexico, California to North Carolina the Trailer Bridge team has been all around the world highlighting our capabilities.
To kick-off the year, we hosted a booth at the EXPO ANTAD Mexico show targeting food and beverage shippers and the Combat Engineer & Logistics 2025 show in Poland connecting with government freight decision makers and shippers.
In addition, team members from across the company attended more than 15 shows across industries in Q1. These events offer a great opportunity to make face-to-face connections with existing prospects and customers while also opening doors with new prospects.
Need support for an upcoming tradeshow? Connect with Kimberly O’Sullivan, Marketing Manager, for assistance.
Need support for an upcoming tradeshow? Connect with Kimberly O’Sullivan, Marketing Manager, for assistance.
Employee Updates
TB Well: Know Your Numbers
Sometimes, a visit to the doctor can feel more like a math class as the doctor throws seemingly random numbers at you as you nod your head. We’ve all been there-too afraid to ask what “120 over 80” really means when our blood pressure is ready, or completely unsure if a BMI of 27 is good or bad. Next time you hear a number that confuses you at the doctor, say something.
Understanding your health should be your number one priority.
Blood Pressure
• Normal | <120/80
• Elevated | 120/80 - 129/80
• Hypertension | 130/80+
Blood Sugar
• Fasting Glucose | <100 mg/D
• HbA1c:
Normal | 4-5.6%
Pre-diabetes | 5.7-6.4%
Diabetes | 6.5%
Cholesterol
• Total CholesterolLess than 200 mg/DL
• LDL (“Bad”) Cholesterol
Optimal | <100 mg/DL
Near Optimal | 100-129 mg/DL
Borderline High | 130-159 mg/DL
High | 160-190 mg/DL +
• HDL (“Good”) Cholesterol
Men | 40 mg/DL +
Women | 50 mg/DL +
• Triglycerides | <150 mg/DL
Introducing
our NEW
Wellness Platform, Wellable
TB has teamed up with Wellable to bring you an all-in-one health and wellness platform designed to keep you moving, motivated, and maybe even winning some awesome prizes along the way!
With Wellable, you can take part in fun challenges, explore new ways to stay active, and track your progress—all while competing with (and cheering on) your colleagues.
Be on the lookout for updates from TB Well (TBWell@wellable.co) or reach out to Becca Sutton, Rsutton@TrailerBridge.com, to learn more.
Updating Your Tax Setup
Your tax setup determines how much tax is withheld from each paycheck. You can update it anytime under Pay & Taxes > Taxes in your employee dashboard.
Make sure your tax setup is up to date for 2025. If you have not already, make sure to elect paperless W2 within Paycor to ensure seamless delivery with your next W2.
How to opt-in on a mobile device:
• Select “Pay & Taxes” from the mobile home screen.
• Select “Paperless Options”.
• Choose the form you’d like to opt-in to paperless.
• Click “Sign and Continue” to consent to the electronic forms.
• Repeat for additional forms on the “Paperless Options” list.
Reasons to Update Your Tax Setup:
• Consideradjustingyourdependentstoclaim eligiblechildtaxcredits(upto$2,000per qualifyingchildunder17).
• Updateyourfederalfilingstatus(e.g., “Marriedfilingjointly”or“Single/marriedfiling separately”).Ifbothyouandyourspouse work,checkthe“multiplejobs”box.
• Nofederaltaxeswithheld?Consideradding extrawithholdingtoavoidowingatyear-end. Toomuchwithheld?You’lllikelygetarefund. Toolittle?Youmayfaceanunexpectedtaxbill andpenalties
Keepingyourtaxsetupupdatedhelpsprevent surprisesattaxtime!
* This is not legal tax advice and has been prepared for informational purposes only. You should consult your own tax advisor before engaging in any transaction.
Let’s Celebrate!
Congratulations to Shannon Ingram, Logistics Accounting Coordinator, and Travis Thompson, Maintenance, on their engagement! The happy couple is set to wed February 2026.
Brandi Venson, Logistics Accounting, AP Coordinator, has earned a new title –Grand Parent! Her granddaughter, Laule’a was born on February 26. Congratulations!
Congratulations to Zach Meisner, Support Services Coordinator, on his recent engagement to fiancé Zamira! He proposed while on a picnic in February. Wishing you two all the happiness!
The Keven Robotics Team, sponsored by TBGives, recently competed in the States FTC Robotics competition, placing 11th out of 36 teams in attendance. The group is 1 out of 16 teams in the world with the ability to perform a second level ascent.
UPCOMING EVENTS
APRIL 18
Health Fair
APRIL 23
Sales Basic Group 16 S3
APRIL 25
Rally for Puerto Rico
APRIL 29
Sales Basic Group 16 S4
MAY 6
Sales Basic Group 16 S5
MAY 21-22
Extreme Leadership: Group 12 Session 2
AUGUST 13
Extreme Leadership: Group 12 Session 3
The Marketing Team wants your feedback, suggestions or stories for next month’s Bridge please send to @Group–Marketing
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