HDT 2025 Truck Fleet Innovator Jerrin Martin fell in love with logistics in his first job out of college at J.B. Hunt.

Interviewing with the company as he was wrapping up his education, Martin says, “I was like, wow, this is a whole different concept of supply chain management that I wasn't necessarily familiar with.”

Meeting some of the people who make the business go, he says, “kind of struck a chord with me and I've been in [logistics] ever since.”

That early passion for logistics set Martin on a trajectory through increasingly complex operations roles, culminating in his current position at Lazer Logistics in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Martin has been with Lazer for seven years and is currently vice president of operations, North Division.

Lazer Logistics is a third-party logistics company specializing in yard management, operating yard tractors and day cabs.

The company has branched out from simple spotting into local shuttle runs and using technology to create more efficient yard management for customers. 

“We handle kind of the 360 view,” Martin explains.

Making Yard Management Efficient and Automated

Lazer Logistics works to make all this happen as efficiently as possible.

At one time, yard management was a pretty specialized area, Martin says. But in more recent years, major motor carriers have added it to their offerings, especially in their dedicated divisions.

Even when he was at J.B. Hunt, he says, yard management was part of what the company offered its dedicated customers. And that has only increased in the years since, with many of the major carriers involved in yard management.

He understands the appeal.

“There’s an opportunity for revenue, to create more stickiness in terms of telling customers, ‘We can handle your yard as well as the OTR portion.’”

Beyond Yard Management: Customized Solutions and Automation

As motor carriers increasingly add 3PL and yard management to their operations, Lazer Logistics has worked to go beyond that. It offers customized solutions including spotting, shuttling, trailer movements, gate operations, drayage, and integrated yard management systems.

For instance, the company has invested heavily in technology to make yard management more efficient.

NexusYMS is an innovative yard management solution from Lazer that provides real-time insights, inventory management, and improved efficiencies and safety.

Gone are the days of drivers wasting time searching the yard for specific trailers, back-and-forths over the radio, refrigerated trailers sitting idle and using fuel.

Now, using tablets in the truck, everything is at the fingertips of the drivers as well as the operators inside the warehouse.

Those greater efficiencies have led to longer-term contracts with customers, Martin says.

In the past, for each move, a driver would have to stop the yard tractor, go inside the shipping/receiving office and write down the numbers for the next few moves, go get a few of those done, then back inside to repeat the process.

Going from that kind of inefficiency to seeing everything work like clockwork is impressive, Martin says.

“As more companies are becoming more automated on the inside, it just means that we need to further advance on the outside as well," he says. 

"Because just as much as we look at shortage of truck drivers, warehouse workers are doing the same, and that’s where you see a lot of the automation is coming into play.”

One of the areas where Martin says the company has grown is its trailer operations.

The company explains on its website that a critical aspect of yard management that often goes overlooked is ensuring trailers’ safe and secure transportation within the yard.

Through meticulous planning and execution, yard managers can maneuver trailers in a more controlled way, improving efficiency while minimizing the risk of collisions, load shifts, and other accidents.

Electric Yard Tractors

The company is also a major adopter of battery-electric yard tractors. Its EV Spotter program has surpassed 1 million zero-emission miles.

The push toward electrification began with California regulations and grant programs, but customer enthusiasm soon drove expansion.

Yard jockeys have been identified as one of the best use cases for battery-electric heavy-duty trucks, according to the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.

And Martin says the units have improved driver retention for locations using the EVs.

Learning From Failure

Innovation comes with risk, and Martin isn’t afraid to let some experiments fail.

That’s what happened to Martin during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was difficult to get workers on-site. Lazer looked to outsource more, hiring additional carriers to support some of its overages.

“It was successful from a service standpoint, but from a cost standpoint, it just didn't work out very well," Martin says.

Instead, he and his team took a more transparent approach. They explained the realities of rising labor costs to customers and made the case for adjusted rates.

And it worked – with the help of some negotiating on other ways Lazer could save customers money.

Leadership and Team Development

Beyond his operational expertise, Martin is widely recognized for his leadership in process management and team-building.

“His ability to manage job profit analysis, metrics and improve process is beyond anything I have seen before,” said a colleague in their nomination for the HDT Truck Fleet Innovators award.

Martin considers himself a servant leader and says the success he’s most proud of is helping his team grow in their careers. One of his regional directors was recently promoted to a vice president role, and Martin says there are several others whose careers he’s helped advance.

Overseeing five regions, Martin empowers his directors with a high level of ownership over their operations. He trusts them to identify challenges and develop solutions tailored to their regions.

“My background is heavily in sports. Everybody has a part, whether it's blocking, tackling, so on and so forth,” he explains. “Everyone has a part to do to improve the bottom line in your region.

“I give them an opportunity to kind of look at their P&L and develop their own action items,” he says. That might mean focusing on overtime in one region, addressing equipment issues in another, or tackling safety or payroll problems elsewhere. Martin provides support and guidance, but he expects his team to take the lead.

“My biggest moments have been, ‘We've been able to put you in position to learn, develop, and then actually gain more as far as your growth,’” he says. 

“What I've been able to kind of give back to my employees is probably my proudest thing — putting in that personal time with these employees to help them grow.

“I’m never intended to be the smartest guy in the room,” Martin adds. “My job is to make this more efficient by bringing in those that specialize and create more focus [where it’s needed].

"Just being able to bring teams together, it’s been a strong suit of mine. And, you know, I think that's been a big part of my success.”

For Martin, innovation isn’t just about equipment or software. It’s about people.