Streamlining the Cold Chain: Jason McArthur on Our Descartes Technology Integration

Brian McBrayer
Oct 23
3 min read

Updated: Oct 31

Scaling a freight brokerage is challenging in any market. Scaling one that specializes in the high-stakes, time-sensitive world of cold-chain logistics? That requires another level of precision and control. As Lone Cypress Logistics grew from a two-person startup to the team we are today, it became clear that our initial manual processes wouldn't sustain the complexity and service demands of our niche.

Our co-founder, Jason McArthur, recently sat down with Descartes Systems Group to discuss this journey. In a published case study, Jason detailed the operational hurdles we faced and how integrating Descartes Aljex (our core TMS) and Descartes MacroPoint (for real-time visibility) became a cornerstone of our growth strategy.

The Challenge: Growing Pains in a Demanding Niche

As Jason explained, our early success, built on deep produce industry experience and strong relationships, brought rapid growth. But with that growth came significant operational friction:

Manual Overload: Relying on spreadsheets, emails, and phone calls for everything from load building to carrier updates became increasingly inefficient and prone to error.
Visibility Gaps: Tracking shipments, especially multi-stop cold-chain loads, was time-consuming and reactive. We needed proactive visibility to manage exceptions before they became problems.
Communication Bottlenecks: Onboarding carriers and providing timely updates to both carriers and customers required significant manual effort, diverting focus from higher-value service activities.
Scalability Concerns: We knew our existing methods couldn't support further expansion without compromising the high service levels our customers expect.

Jason summed up the need succinctly: we required a system that could centralize information, automate routine tasks, and provide the real-time visibility essential in the cold chain.

The Solution: An Integrated Platform Approach

After evaluating options, the decision was made to implement Descartes Aljex as our Transportation Management System (TMS) and integrate it with Descartes MacroPoint for freight visibility. Jason highlighted several reasons for this choice:

Familiarity & Ease of Use: Many on our team already had positive prior experience with the Aljex platform, reducing the learning curve and speeding up adoption.
Centralized Operations: Aljex provided a single source of truth for load management, carrier data, accounting, and reporting, eliminating information silos.
Real-Time Visibility: MacroPoint offered the automated, real-time tracking crucial for monitoring temperature-sensitive loads and managing ETAs proactively.
Seamless Integration: The ability of Aljex, MacroPoint, and integrated tools like MyCarrierPackets (for carrier onboarding) to work together smoothly was a major factor, creating a more unified workflow.

The Results: Efficiency, Visibility, and Scalability

The impact of this technology integration, as detailed by Jason, has been transformative:

Streamlined Workflows: Automating tasks like carrier onboarding, load tracking, and status updates significantly reduced manual work, freeing up our team's time.
Enhanced Visibility: Real-time tracking through MacroPoint allows us to monitor shipments closely, anticipate potential issues (like delays or temperature deviations), and communicate proactively with customers and carriers. This shifts us from reactive problem-solving to proactive management.
Improved Communication: Centralized data and automated updates mean faster, more accurate information flow internally and externally. Carriers appreciate the clarity, and customers value the timely updates.
Foundation for Growth: The integrated Descartes platform provided the scalable infrastructure needed to support our growth to 12 team members and beyond, allowing us to handle increasing load volumes without sacrificing service quality.
Data-Driven Decisions: Having reliable data centralized in the TMS enables better analysis, reporting, and strategic decision-making.

As Jason emphasized in the case study, the goal wasn't just efficiency for its own sake. It was about leveraging technology to empower our team to do what they do best: build strong relationships and provide exceptional, high-touch service in a demanding niche.

By automating the routine, we gained more capacity for the critical human elements of logistics.

Our journey highlights a key principle we often discuss internally: the right technology, thoughtfully implemented, is a crucial enabler of sustainable growth and service excellence. To learn more about how technology fits into our broader operational philosophy, check out our comprehensive guide: The Complete Blueprint: How to Build a Sustainable Freight Brokerage.

Read the full case study featuring Jason McArthur on the Descartes website to get more details on how Lone Cypress Logistics leverages technology to master the cold chain.

Move your perishable freight with a partner powered by precision.

📧 Email: sales@lonecypresslogistics.com

📞 Phone: (833) 317-5517

📍 MC Number: 1395266

Sales: Brent Walter

Join Our Team: Brian McBrayer

About the Author

Brian McBrayer is the Director of Business Development for Lone Cypress Logistics. With a proven background in sales leadership and scaling successful businesses across multiple industries, Brian is now focused on applying those same process-driven growth principles to the company's freight solutions. Connect with Brian on LinkedIn.