Unboxing Logistics

EasyPost
  • 5.0 (1)
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This vodcast is for getting to know the fun side of our industry leaders, staying updated with the latest trends, and leveling up your shipping processes. If that sounds like your jam, this is the place for you. Every episode of Unboxing Logistics is stuffed full of insights, innovations, and real-life stories from the people who have been on the front line for years.

  1. 3d ago

    It’s Not Too Late To Add Carriers for Peak! With Joe Dieter From EasyPost - Unboxing Logistics Ep. 93

    Surviving peak season requires a multi-carrier approach. But what if you’re still using just one carrier? Is it too late to add a new one (or two)? According to Joe Dieter, the answer is no. It’s not too late to diversify your carrier portfolio—in fact, now is the perfect time to start testing new delivery partners. He joins Lori Boyer on this episode of Unboxing Logistics to talk through the multi-carrier concerns and questions on everyone’s mind in 2026. Shippers’ biggest concerns this peak seasonAs he’s talked to shippers this year, Joe has seen a pattern emerge: “People are concerned about cost. They always are, but this year it's not just paranoia. It's not just as usual. It's legitimate.” Part of the problem is that carriers have been raising their prices at unprecedented rates. For example, Joe shares that “ground rates are [up] 40% across major national carriers [from] where they were in 2018.” But base rates are only part of the problem. Shippers have also been facing higher surcharges and dimensional pricing, making it harder than ever to ship parcels affordably. Multi-carrier challenges and solutionsAdding a new carrier isn’t always simple. In fact, it can turn into months of nightmarish negotiations and integrations. As Joe puts it, “What does it mean to go direct to a carrier? … If you're not one of the biggest brands and sellers in the world, it means buckle up, because this may turn into a near full-time job.” EasyPost Wallet was designed to fix that problem. Shippers can add tried-and-true national and international carriers, plus new innovative carriers, through a single login and billing portal. The best part? No jumping through hoops for months on end. Joe explains, “We have shippers that come to us, [and] in a matter of days, they're up and running with multiple carriers, and they're getting great discounts. We have up to 88% discounts on certain service levels through Wallet.” Three innovative carriers to tryEasyPost Wallet has just added three new carriers: GOFO, UniUni, and Veho. Each offers attractive benefits like wide coverage areas, fast ground delivery, high on-time percentages, and surcharge-free shipping. Joe notes, “The savviest shippers we work with, [who] are about to save a lot of money on ground shipping, they're combining GOFO and UniUni and getting total United States coverage.” LinksConnect with Joe on LinkedInLearn more about EasyPost Wallet

  2. Aug 26

    Stop Your 3PL Profit Leaks With Ryan Frankenfield From Datex - Unboxing Logistics Ep. 92

    Third-party logistics margins are notoriously tight. And when you’re dealing with dozens of different business models, running multiple fulfillment centers, and coordinating a large team of workers, margins can shrink without anyone noticing. In this episode of Unboxing Logistics, Ryan Frankenfield, director of implementation at Datex, shares tried-and-tested advice for defining processes, learning where your time and money are going, and plugging any leaks. Do you know your margins?As Ryan has talked with 3PL operators throughout his career, he’s noticed a troubling pattern: a surprising number of them don’t know what their margins are. One problem? They don’t account for the complexity of the business model. Many 3PL operators assume the fulfillment process is handled the same way for each customer, but small exceptions happen all the time—and if you don’t charge for extra labor, you’re losing money. “Unless they're really looking at the customers with a magnifying glass, looking at the processes, looking at their rate cards to see if the rate cards match the actual labor, margins are sometimes unknown.” How a WMS helps plug the leaksBefore you can increase your margins, you need to find the leaks. That’s where a warehouse management system (WMS) comes in. Ryan says, “A spreadsheet can only go so far. … There's nothing there that is standardizing the way you input data. There's nothing that's going to catch those exceptions. And that's the value of having a WMS: the process is standardized.” He notes that a WMS won’t necessarily solve all your margin problems at once. But “But it helps expose those exceptions that become the norm.” The importance of standardized processesWhen you make the leap from spreadsheet to WMS, the best way to set yourself up for success is to have standardized processes. For 3PLs that aren’t quite there yet, Ryan’s advice is simple: “Sit in a room, lock the doors, and don't [leave] until everything is defined.” To get the full picture of your company’s operations, he recommends including people with various perspectives. “If you have a finance person in the room … [they can’t] tell you how you should be receiving, what are those exceptions, how do we handle those pallets. If I have an ops person that works on the floor … they're likely not going to be able to tell [you] how they should be billing for those things.” LinksConnect with Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanfrankenfield/ Visit Datex’s website: https://datexcorp.com/

  3. Jul 15

    Meet the Carrier: UniUni’s Flexible, Customizable Solution With Jax Zheng From UniUni - Unboxing Logistics Ep. 91

    In our Meet the Carrier series, we sit down with some of the most innovative transportation providers to learn what they’re doing differently. This week, host Lori Boyer talks with Jax Zheng, director of partnerships at UniUni, about the carrier’s mission to “democratize the landscape of last-mile logistics.” What problem does UniUni solve?Jax notes that “traditional carriers … [are] a lot more rigid,” and often struggle to keep up with market developments. UniUni was built to be the opposite: flexible and quick to adapt. According to Jax, they have “really focused on [developing] a tech-enabled solution to the last-mile problem.” For ecommerce businesses shipping lightweight packages (up to 25 pounds), UniUni is a great alternative to traditional carriers. What sets UniUni apart?For Jax, flexibility and customization are at the heart of what UniUni does. Rather than focusing on transactions, the carrier focuses on understanding their clients’ needs and “giving bespoke solutions.” The relationships are important too. As Jax puts it, “At the end of the day … this is a long-term company, it's a long-term goal. We're not here to be two, three years. We want our clients to be with us for their lifetime, as long as their business is running.” Is shipping to Canada worth it?UniUni has recently launched their cross-border service, allowing clients to ship from the U.S. to Canada. While this is an exciting opportunity, some businesses might hesitate when it comes to expanding internationally. Jax acknowledges their concerns, but he also points out that shipping to Canada isn’t as complicated as it seems—and it usually pays off. “Once you find a competent partner in Canada who can deliver and execute, you can grow that line of business, and it'll be a really stable line of business. … Once you get the process and the system down … it just starts running.” LinksConnect with Jax on LinkedInVisit UniUni’s website

  4. Jun 24

    What It Takes To Scale a 3PL With Krushna Patel From Awesome Solutions - Unboxing Logistics Ep. 90

    From dabbling in ecommerce as a teen to running a 3PL today, Krushna Patel, CEO at Awesome Solutions, has spent years building businesses—and he’s learned a lot about what sets the successful ones apart. In this Unboxing Logistics episode, he sits down with Lori Boyer to discuss how he discovered the world of fulfillment, his advice for those hoping to follow the same path, and what a thriving 3PL looks like behind the scenes. The secret to successful entrepreneurshipKrushna’s advice to prospective founders comes in two parts: start small, and think long-term. He explains, “There are ways to do everything at a smaller scale to test it out, get proof of concept. I think people spend too much time trying to get their version one to become the best final product ever. It's not going to be that way.” When making business goals, Krushna recommends looking to the future. “I'm setting a five-year horizon of what I want the company to look like, and then I'll shrink it down into a three-year, into a one-year, and then … monthly.” Why communication is criticalWhen asked what every 3PL should be doing from day one, Krushna answers without hesitation: “I would focus very much on communication.” He goes on to say that with so many 3PLs competing for clients, great communication is a huge differentiator. “The ones that show [they’re] reliable, [they’re] with you when you scale, that makes a huge difference. Because nobody wants to have an issue and then talk to an AI agent.” While Krushna acknowledges that simple requests can be automated with AI, he strongly believes that shippers should always have access to a human to discuss more complex issues. Clients want shipping flexibilityWhen it comes to shipping, Krushna emphasizes that flexibility is a must. 3PLs work with a wide range of clients—and each of them wants specific services. To cater to each shipper’s needs, 3PLs should offer a carrier portfolio with plenty of options. In Krushna’s words, “You want to have your net cast wide enough [to] have those different service levels for each client's requirements.” LinksConnect with Krushna on LinkedInVisit Awesome Solutions’ website

  5. Jun 18

    Automated Fulfillment: Changing the Ecommerce Game With Kevin Gibbon From Cytronic - Unboxing Logistics Ep. 89

    Kevin Gibbon, CEO and co-founder at Cytronic, has built a 3PL that makes DTC ecommerce fulfillment faster, cheaper, and better. The secret? Automation. In this episode of Unboxing Logistics, Kevin joins Lori Boyer to share Cytronic’s story and discuss why automation is such a game changer in the warehousing world. Where manual warehouses are losing time (and money)If you’re thinking of upgrading your warehouse (or partnering with a tech-oriented 3PL), Kevin recommends focusing on the two most time-consuming tasks: picking and packing. He explains, “Picking from the bins, getting [items] to a pick cart [and then] to the actual packing station, that takes by far the most time. And then it would be the actual packaging to get it into some sort of assembly line or into different carrier bins. [Automating] those will be your biggest time saver.” What does an automated warehouse look like?When asked about warehouse automation technology, Kevin describes one of the highest-impact robotics systems at Cytronic: the ASRS, or automated storage and retrieval system. With the ASRS, he says, “You could get a SKU every seven seconds. Just unheard of.” Kevin also notes that automation goes beyond robots. It involves every process, even the ones that humans have a hand in. “We speed up everything possible … within the warehouse. And so it's not just robotics, but it's a streamlined process throughout.” Does automated mean human-free?According to Kevin, “There’s no such thing as fully autonomous anything.” While some warehouse processes are totally automatic, others still need human supervision. Thankfully, technology and human workers actually complement each other. For example, Cytronic “still [has] people on the floor. … But our goal is to just make it a lot easier for them. So it's going to be a more lightweight kind of warehousing job [with more] opportunities to grow within the company and run these things.” LinksConnect with Kevin on LinkedInVisit Cytronic’s website

  6. Apr 22

    Creating an AI Strategy That Works With Dana Moffat From Acumatica - Unboxing Logistics Ep. 88

    Supply chain experts agree: businesses shouldn’t just throw AI at every problem that comes their way. But as Dana Moffat, product manager at Acumatica, points out in this week’s Unboxing Logistics episode, you can’t afford to ignore AI either. She explains that the success of AI strategies comes down to how well you identify problems, select technology, define KPIs, and measure results. How to create an AI strategy that worksAccording to Dana, the foundation for a successful AI implementation is understanding what you want to achieve and how you’ll measure the results. She says, “You have to have clear objectives and goals. … You need to know … what you want to accomplish and why.” She shares a few questions to guide you through this initial planning stage: Why do we think AI is the answer to this particular problem or challenge? How will we know that AI has helped us transform or achieve our objectives? How do we measure success or failure? Setting your AI up for successBefore introducing AI tools, it’s important to ensure your operating procedures are clearly defined. That’s because AI learns from patterns. And “if your procedures or workflows [are] constantly changing, or your processes vary by team or customer … it's hard for AI to learn … because you don't have patterns.” In addition to unpredictable processes, Dana shares another common pitfall when implementing an AI solution: inaccurate data. “AI can inherit bias from historical data, and [that] can reinforce bad patterns. … As much as possible, clean up your data before you start leveraging that AI.” Does AI replace human workers?Many people fear that AI will replace human workers, taking jobs and ruining livelihoods. But Lori and Dana have a far more optimistic perspective—they strongly believe that real people are still necessary in the logistics space. In Dana’s words, “There's still a very strong need for domain expertise, especially in shipping and enterprise resource planning. We have domain experts in these different functional areas, and they're very important, so AI cannot replace them.” LinksConnect with Dana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-moffat-94850a10/ Visit Acumatica’s website: https://www.acumatica.com/

  7. Apr 8

    Preparing for Freight Volatility With Chris Caplice From MIT and DAT Freight & Analytics - Unboxing Logistics Ep. 87

    In this Unboxing Logistics episode, Lori sits down with Chris Caplice, executive director at MIT Center for Transportation Logistics and chief scientist at DAT Freight and Analytics, to discuss the state of freight in 2026. The state of freight shipping in 2026Chris begins by laying out the two big forces shaping the freight market—supply and demand—and noting, “Because supply and demand are constantly shifting in this very volatile market, you're going to see prices going up and prices going down on a regular-ish basis.” He explains that while demand is holding fairly steady, the same can’t be said for supply. “A lot of the regulations that have come recently … [are ] increasing the cost of being a carrier. … It's increasing the barrier of entry, so it's constricting the supply of carriers.” The result? “We are going to see a tightening of the market throughout 2026.” Spot vs. contract pricingAccording to Chris, one of the biggest mistakes shippers make is using contract rates for every lane. Simply put, “It just doesn't make sense for certain lanes that are sporadic, low volume, things like that.” He warns that often, financial leaders prefer the perceived security of contracts, but contracting for everything actually “creates more problems than it fixes.” Fortunately, there’s a simple rule of thumb to know whether you’re balancing spot and contract pricing correctly. Chris says, “Thirty percent of your lanes will [probably] handle [about] 80% of your volume. But … 70% [of your lanes] will handle [about] 20%. So those ones, you don't want to put contract rates on.” In other words, “The vast majority of your volume will go under contract. The vast majority of your lanes will probably be spot.” Balancing cost and reliability in a tight marketChris acknowledges that saving money is a huge consideration when it comes to shipping. But he cautions logistics leaders to consider other factors, such as carrier availability and reliability. “There's so much excess capacity out there. It's tighter now. So little things can have big ripple effects. So I think the big concern now is not saving every dime. It's more about, okay, will my carriers be there when the market gets tighter, or if my demand shifts, or if the fuel price increases?” LinksConnect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-caplice-1839/ Visit the DAT Freight and Analytics website: https://www.dat.com/ Visit the MIT Center for Transportation Logistics website: https://ctl.mit.edu/

  8. Apr 1

    Unboxing the Trends: USPS Fuel Surcharges, FedEx 2-Hour Delivery, and the Rise of Amazon Shipping With Tim Ranagan and Lori Boyer From EasyPost - Unboxing Logistics Ep. 86

    Carrier changes are picking up speed—and starting to impact both costs and service expectations across the industry. In this episode, Tim Ranagan and Lori Boyer from EasyPost break down recent updates from USPS, FedEx, and Amazon. Their conversation focuses on rising surcharges, faster delivery options, and the growing role of Amazon Shipping. USPS introduces fuel surchargesUSPS is introducing its first-ever fuel surcharge, signaling a shift in how the carrier handles cost volatility. Lori explains that while the change is framed as temporary, it reflects broader pressure across the industry as fuel prices and geopolitical factors continue to fluctuate. She says, “I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more surcharges. … We're at the point where [carriers are] really struggling with costs. So we are seeing more of those costs being carried over to shippers in general.” FedEx offers two-hour deliveryFedEx’s new same-day service with two-hour delivery windows shows how major carriers are pushing toward faster fulfillment. These options are exciting, but they’re also expensive, and Lori reassures smaller businesses that they don’t necessarily need to offer customers same-day services. While buyers care a lot about reliability, she notes, they’re “not necessarily pushing speed as much as we sometimes think.” Amazon Shipping gains ground as a carrierAmazon is continuing to invest heavily in its logistics network, including a $4 billion push to expand rural delivery and reach more underserved areas. At the same time, Amazon Shipping is gaining traction as a carrier option within multi-carrier strategies. Lori explains that many businesses are testing it and seeing strong results, adding that “the data shows that Amazon Shipping is becoming a really big player in the carrier industry.” With tools like Luma AI that compare carrier performance across cost, speed, and reliability, more shippers are shifting volume based on what actually performs best. LinksConnect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loribboyer/ Connect with Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-ranagan-mba-2717bb125/ Visit EasyPost’s website: https://www.easypost.com/

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This vodcast is for getting to know the fun side of our industry leaders, staying updated with the latest trends, and leveling up your shipping processes. If that sounds like your jam, this is the place for you. Every episode of Unboxing Logistics is stuffed full of insights, innovations, and real-life stories from the people who have been on the front line for years.

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  • Creator
    EasyPost
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 EasyPost
  • Show Website
    Unboxing Logistics

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