FOSC chat: Harness transportation spend — and close your supply chain gaps

End-to-end visibility begins with transportation spend management, says Chris Cassidy with Trax Technologies

FreightWaves’ Mary O’Connell discusses TSM with Chris Cassidy. (Photo: John Gallagher/FreightWaves)

This fireside chat recap is from Day 1 of FreightWaves’ Future of Supply Chain live event in Rogers, Arkansas. For more information and content from the event, click here.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: End-to-end visibility in the supply chain.

DETAILS: Visibility is one of the hottest topics in logistics. Consumers can track their Amazon packages, but shippers struggle to know where their freight is at any given time. Chris Cassidy, head of global sales at Trax Technologies, discusses the leading causes of blind spots in the supply chain and what customers can do to ensure they have the best data on which to build a reliable transportation network.

SPEAKER: Chris Cassidy, EVP of global Sales and strategic partnerships, Trax

BIO: Before joining Trax, Cassidy served as a partner with Gartner, advising management in the health care and life sciences industry on supply chain strategies. He led the global health care logistics strategy for UPS, leading to the launch of a new dedicated UPS premier product. He also previously served as head of global logistics at GlaxoSmithKline, managing $1 billion transportation and warehouse spend among other various operations, IT and supply chain management and manufacturing strategy roles during his 12-year tenure.

KEY QUOTES FROM CHRIS CASSIDY

“The toughest thing that shippers deal with today is the multiple, complex technology systems that are at their fingertips — how do you evaluate that, how do you centralize it to get a single picture.”

“At Trax, when we think about transportation spend management, or TSM — which is close to TMS [transportation management system] — we feel like we’re an unbiased TSM platform that integrates into the TMS platforms of the world. We’re not there to disrupt that, we’re there to integrate.”

“Our goal is to get a handle on a customer’s freight spend and start to look how to forecast. Looking forward is going to help us with the next disruption. It’s not ‘if’ we’re going to have further supply chain disruption, it’s where.”

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Compliance

Brokerage Compliance Symposium

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Awards

F3 Awards Dinner

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
FreightTech

F3: Future of Freight Festival

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

John Gallagher

Based in Washington, D.C., John specializes in regulation and legislation affecting all sectors of freight transportation. He has covered rail, trucking and maritime issues since 1993 for a variety of publications based in the U.S. and the U.K. John began business reporting in 1993 at Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. He graduated from Florida State University majoring in English and business.