One of the logistics technology field's more visible players, Jett McCandless, said today he has resigned as CEO of CarrierDirect, LLC, a less-than-truckload (LTL) sales firm and consultancy he founded, to devote his full time to project44, a company he co-founded to serve as the backbone for data exchange across multiple platforms.
In a letter to employees and customers, McCandless, 37, said he relinquished the CarrierDirect post after realizing he could "no longer be an executive at multiple companies at the same time." Peter Rentschler, CarrierDirect's managing director, will become its new CEO, McCandless said.
McCandless founded CarrierDirect in 2011, but stepped back from day-to-day management in 2014 after co-founding project44, whose automated programming interface (API) software connects shippers, LTL carriers, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs).
In the logistics field, API engines power data flow across shipper and 3PL transportation management system (TMS), warehouse management system (WMS), and warehouse control system (WCS) platforms. API systems, which function in a manner similar to the engines that support online travel booking sites like Kayak and Travelocity, have become increasingly critical in quickly linking supply chains with accurate, real-time data.
CarrierDirect and project44 are both based in Chicago.
At CarrierDirect, McCandless struck a deal with a California-based LTL carrier named Shift Freight to launch what was believed to be the first LTL model to work only with brokers and 3PLs.
Gartner, Inc.