At Estes Forwarding Worldwide (EFW), cross-border agility is a daily discipline. As vice president of transport, Matt Lacy oversees EFW’s asset and truckload network, planning as if every route, crossing, and contract could change tomorrow.

His approach blends flexible routing, customs coordination, and real-time visibility so safety, operations, and finance leaders can stay aligned. With Motive’s AI-powered Integrated Operations Platform as the foundation, his teams use shared data on drivers, vehicles, and equipment to reallocate capacity and keep freight moving when conditions change overnight.

“We have found success in keeping our options open,” Lacy said. “Whether it’s alternative routes or flexible contracts, with our customers specifically, giving them real-time data allows us to pivot quickly when things change overnight.”

Resilience that keeps freight moving

EFW runs multiple modes and routing options across its network, from expedited ground to full truckload and intermodal. The team uses that diversity to become more agile. When volumes, trade flows, and cross-border conditions change quickly, EFW already has alternatives in mind.That mindset shows up in the way EFW plans freight across Mexico and Canada. Lacy emphasized building flexibility into the network ahead of time. With Motive, leaders can see the end-to-end impact of choices like that in a single system.

Customs and real-time visibility at the border

No matter how strong the plan looks on paper, cross-border freight outcomes are often determined at the border. That’s where EFW manages bottlenecks proactively.

Lacy credits much of that edge to EFW’s senior vice president of international, Jay Wallach, a licensed customs broker who leads their cross-border strategy. His team maintains deep relationships with border authorities and trade partners, training operators involved with Mexico and Canada to know when to escalate and who to call when issues appear at the crossing.

Data-driven fleet management turns that expertise into agility. When conditions change at crossings like Eagle Pass, Laredo, McAllen, or El Paso, EFW can call customers with live information, propose alternatives, and show what each option means for timelines and cost. That transparency builds trust — and often earns EFW the role of sole provider when reliability matters most.

Motive strengthens that loop by giving teams:

  • 360°visibility into drivers, vehicles, equipment, and spend across safety, operations, and finance.
  • GPS fleet tracking for real‑time location, traffic, and weather overlays so managers spot delays before customers feel them.

Daily adjustments, not one-time plans

The common thread in EFW’s approach is cadence. Instead of treating cross-border agility as a quarterly initiative, Lacy’s teams adjust plans daily.They review volumes, trade flows, and route performance, incorporate new information from customers and customs authorities, and use real-time visibility to validate what’s happening on the ground. The Motive platform is built for exactly this kind of operation — helping cross-border operators shorten the distance between what’s happening at the border and how they respond.

See the full conversation

This article only scratches the surface of how EFW builds resilience during peak season. To hear Matt Lacy walk through EFW’s approach in more detail, watch the Peak Season Playbook webinar.