Josh Richards Named Logistics Employee-Owner of the Quarter for Q1

on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Awards & Recognition

As a Carrier Sales Specialist (CSS), Josh Richards has made a name for himself as a go-to resource on the Excess Team. Read on to learn more about Josh and why he was selected as the Employee-Owner of the Quarter.

Building Relationships and Making an Impact

Josh started as a Logistics intern in TMC’s Ames, IA, office in June 2020. Later that year, Josh transferred into the Excess Department at TMC’s Des Moines headquarters, where he truly began to make an impact as a CSS.

Excess serves as a bridge between the Asset and Logistics sides of TMC, helping long-term flatbed customers find the capacity they need with approved carriers when TMC’s Black and Chrome trucks are full, or not in position to service a customer’s load as required. “Because we deal with Asset customers,” says Andrew Fischer, General Manager of Excess, “there’s pressure to make sure everything goes right. Josh understands what TMC stands for, and he makes sure carriers follow through on that.”

In his role, Josh both builds relationships with other carriers and maintains existing relationships with TMC’s longstanding Asset customers. Andrew says that Josh succeeds thanks to his levelheadedness, his communication skills, and his self-motivation.

“He’s pretty mellow—he never gets upset or loses his temper. If he does, I know something is really wrong,” Andrew says. Andrew notes that Josh generally covers significantly more loads than what would usually be expected of a CSS, thanks to his easygoing personality and ability to handle whatever the job throws at him.

Josh is also well known for his great communication. He works closely with several customer service representatives (CSRs), and Andrew notes that they have come to trust Josh for guidance about the right carrier for each load. “He works really well with the CSRs, and he does a great job communicating with them. They all trust him—whatever he thinks is the right thing to do, they usually roll with it. He explains things and walks them through stuff, and they trust him,” Andrew says.

Customer Service Rep Crystal Belby agrees. “Josh makes it easy to give asset customers another avenue to move freight,” she says. “He is great at communicating with CSRs to ensure customers are informed every step of the way. Customers and carriers are in great hands with Josh!”

Josh has shown tremendous self-motivation as a CSS, Andrew says, even in the face of challenges outside of his control. When one of Josh’s major customers was knocked out of operation by Hurricane Helene, he took the opportunity to grow TMC’s relationships with other customers in the area. “He took the initiative, shifted to other shippers, and really grew that area,” Andrew notes.

“Josh doesn’t need a lot of input from me,” he continues. “I know I can count on him to get the job done.” And over the past five years, he has done exactly that, covering 7200 shipments, representing more than four million loaded miles.

‘He Keeps Asset Customers Healthy’

As part of the Excess Department, Josh works to ensure that Asset customers get the same level of service and excellence from our network of approved carriers as they would from a TMC Black and Chrome truck. He builds relationships with carriers to ensure that every truck that represents TMC is top-notch.

“He keeps Asset customers healthy,” Andrew says simply. “If Josh has good relationships, if he has people he trusts, it goes a long way to making sure customers get the same level of service as Asset.”

Customer Service Manager Victoria Moore says that Josh’s work has made a huge difference for the Customer Service team. “He has demonstrated a strong and positive work ethic over the years, and the relationships he has built with carriers have been a force multiplier for the Customer Service side. He has come to be someone that we can truly count on to get our customers’ loads covered. Josh is dependable, reliable, and consistent in everything he does. He is a true asset to TMC!”

Congratulations to Josh on being named Logistics Employee-Owner of the Quarter! Thank you for everything you do to help the Excess team support TMC’s customers.