Nearly four decades running transportation and logistics networks — not studying them. Rail, intermodal, ocean, trucking, NVOCC, procurement, and supply chain technology. Every engagement ends with a concrete recommendation and a clear path forward — not a framework to be figured out later.
Most fall in the first category. IMS falls in the second — and unlike any other firm in this market, we deploy, not just advise.
We've run Class I rail, intermodal, ocean, procurement, and short lines. That changes what we can do for clients. We don't just advise on technology adoption — we get inside the deployment. We don't just recommend network changes — we build the commercial infrastructure to execute them.
And when a startup needs to reach the enterprise buyers we used to be, we open the door and walk them through it.
The transportation technology market is producing real tools and expensive failures in equal measure. The difference is operator judgment — knowing what a terminal looks like at 2am, what a rail contract actually says, and what a shipper needs before they'll sign. We bring that judgment to both sides.
Founder and Principal of IMS Advisory. Nearly four decades of practitioner experience across Class I rail, intermodal, ocean, trucking, and logistics technology — on both sides of the negotiating table.
JOC Contributor · Publisher, Signals & Switches · LP & Strategic Advisor, ASC/VC · Board Member, TDANA
Every IMS engagement ends with a deliverable a decision-maker can act on. Below are two examples of how that thinking gets applied — one to curriculum design, one to a commercial technology decision.
Slide-by-slide advisory feedback for an air freight technology startup — reviewed as a buyer would experience the deck in a real enterprise sales conversation. Identified the core narrative problem running through both decks and restructured the selling logic from first principles.
A five-play monetization framework for short line railroads to convert underutilized real estate into recurring revenue — leveraging truck parking demand, trailer storage, visibility technology, and strategic partnerships with emerging freight platforms.
A structured value and pricing proposal supporting an AI startup's negotiation with a major Class III railroad operator — quantifying 75,000+ admin hours saved annually, a 140,000+ hour crew productivity upside, and a gain-share mechanism tied directly to derailment cost reduction and operational KPIs.
A practitioner's note from the freight industry — applicable anywhere. Eleven pieces of operational advice on how to use AI well, grounded in four decades of experience across modes where the gap between people who learned the tool and people who waited to be taught plays out in real time.
More testimonials coming — reach out to learn more about how we work with clients.
Whether you're a carrier, shipper, technology company, or investor navigating a complex freight decision — IMS Advisory brings forty years of operator experience to the table. Principal-led, every engagement.
paul.tonsager@multimodalsolutions.ioTo request Parts Two or Three of the Who Owns the Customer? series, or to discuss an advisory engagement, email paul.tonsager@multimodalsolutions.io