Daniel Santos: Evotrux Creating A More Efficient And Sustainable Logistics Network
Written by: Nicole Blair - Made in CA https://madeinca.ca/daniel-santos-evotrux/
Evotrux is an all-in-one platform for shippers. With Evotrux, shippers can find, vet, book, track, and communicate with carriers all in one place, all online – no phone calls or emails. Our mission is to create a more efficient, sustainable logistics network where businesses, consumers, and the planet can thrive.
Tell us about yourself
I’ve spent my entire career (now over 25 years) in logistics. Prior to Evotrux, I had worked in operations for many years. Whether I was tasked with finding trucks to move freight or freight to fill trucks, I found myself managing hundreds of phone calls and emails daily.
It wasn’t sustainable or scalable, and I couldn’t service my customers the way they needed. This was the status quo for the whole industry, and I set out to try and do better.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Keep going. You just don’t know what you don’t know. It’s been a crazy journey to get here, but without all the bumps and challenges along the way, Evotrux wouldn’t be where it is.
As a secondary piece of advice, I would tell myself to spend more on marketing. We’ve never pushed hard enough to get Evotrux in front of enough people.
What problem does your business solve?
Businesses are suffering from overwhelmed logistics teams as a result of highly manual processes, too many systems to manage, and volatile freight rates. We provide them with an all-in-one platform that optimizes their processes so they can reduce stress, minimize errors, and achieve better outcomes.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
My inspiration comes from trying to support a growing family. When I go to the store and see an apple costing $3, I immediately ask myself, “How much of that cost is transportation?”
How can anyone afford $3 apples?!
There’s a lot of inefficiency in the trucking industry. Within Canada and the United States, semi-trucks drive roughly 20 billion empty miles (miles driven without freight) annually.
When you consider the financial and environmental costs of that, it’s staggering. At the end of the day, consumers, families, etc., pay for those inefficiencies. I believe we can do better and that a more efficient logistics network is the key to a prosperous and sustainable future.
What is your magic sauce?
We’re a SaaS product that empowers our customers to do better. We’re building a community where businesses thrive. Most of our competitors charge commissions and take power away from the customer. They’re building services where they thrive at the expense of the customer.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Continue to grow our membership across Canada and the United States. Develop industry-leading data tools to support our customers. Partner with industry leaders in key areas such as insurance, invoice factoring, customs clearance, and more to provide our members with everything they need to grow their businesses at affordable prices, all in one place.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The pandemic stopped us dead in our tracks. It completely flipped the logistics industry on its head for a couple of years, and we had to rethink how we solved the problem and who we were solving it for. In the end, it helped us clarify who our customers are and vastly improved our product/offering.
How can people get involved?
We help manufacturers streamline their shipping processes, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. To learn more, you can email info@evotrux.com, call 204-599-2756, or visit our website at www.evotrux.com.
Daniel Santos is the CEO and founder of Evotrux. Connect with him on LinkedIn.