When a Shipment Goes Sideways: Todd Anderson on Trust in Expedited Freight

Todd Anderson came to AirFreight.com after nearly ten years at one of the largest expeditors in the country, first leading an operations team on the 3PL side, then in corporate project management. He and Kevin work through the mode hierarchy, from air charter down to ground expedite, and why an NFO handled front and back is a different product from handing a shipment to an airline and hoping. The part worth the listen is his standard for judging a carrier: anyone can run a clean shipment, so he watches what happens when one goes wrong. He tells it through a carrier who dropped freight at the wrong address on a first shipment with a new customer. The communication was honest and immediate, they tracked the freight down, and that customer is now his biggest. 00:00 Intro 00:52 Ten years at one of the largest expeditors in the country 01:41 What makes freight "expedite": speed and care 02:51 Why a dedicated truck removes the failure points 03:52 The mode hierarchy, starting with air charter 05:45 NFO, hand carry, and who actually touches your freight 09:43 Why "hotshot" means something different in Texas 10:35 What a top-tier carrier network really means 10:51 How Todd judges a carrier when something goes wrong 12:10 The wrong address delivery that created his biggest customer 13:33 The vetting process, and going deeper than the surface 16:17 Coast to coast coverage on one-off, time-critical freight 19:02 Two customers: the one paying us and the one we pay 20:17 "A diamond in the rough" 20:53 The On Air Gauntlet