Robert Snowdale

Robert Snowdale is the founder and owner of Distribution Solutions, Inc. (DSi), a freight management consulting company launched in 1991 and headquartered in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He is also the founder and owner of DSI Freightways, LLC, a subsidiary that operates as a freight brokerage business. Over several decades, he has developed practical expertise across freight forwarding, freight consolidation, less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload transportation, and freight pricing. This long-term experience has guided his steady approach to building companies that focus on efficiency, cost control, and reliable carrier partnerships.

Robert is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston and spent many years working within the transportation and logistics industry before establishing his own businesses. During this period, he held a range of management roles with major motor freight transportation firms across the United States. These roles gave him a working understanding of carrier operations, customer needs, and the challenges faced by manufacturers and service providers. His later success as the founder of DSI Freightways was strongly influenced by this early exposure, as well as by his involvement in founding and operating one of the earliest freight brokerage firms in 1981, shortly after the passage of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980.

Today, Distribution Solutions, Inc. provides management services for manufacturers and service-based organizations seeking to select, evaluate, and partner with commercial freight carriers and interim warehousing service providers. In leading DSi, Snowdale played a central role in adopting a modern Transportation Management System (TMS). This system has been recognized for delivering freight savings of 20 percent or more while also improving operating efficiency and shipment visibility. By using this technology, clients are better positioned to manage transportation costs and respond to the demands of a competitive global logistics environment.

Shipping Services Sales Expert

Robert was raised in Cohasset, Massachusetts, on Turtle Island, and began working at an early age. From the age of 13, he held a variety of jobs that helped shape a strong work ethic. These roles included pumping gas, bagging groceries, masonry work, painting, and restaurant service. Over time, he advanced from dishwasher and bus staff to waiter at a well-known waterfront restaurant established decades earlier. These early experiences taught him responsibility, consistency, and the value of service.

In 1974, Snowdale accepted a position as a sales representative for a shipping company based in St. Louis, Missouri. This role marked the beginning of a long career in transportation and logistics. Through consistent performance, he earned a promotion to New England Regional Sales Manager, overseeing sales efforts from Maine to Virginia. This position required frequent travel, relationship building, and a detailed understanding of customer shipping needs.

In 1978, Robert joined a national less-than-truckload carrier as a sales representative. At the time, the company ranked among the largest LTL carriers in the country and specialized in small-lot shipments ranging from 150 to 20,000 pounds. In this role, he focused on inbound sales and worked closely with purchasing managers and receivers. His efforts supported a better balance between inbound and outbound freight, helping the carrier manage network efficiency and capacity utilization.

During this period, he also worked as a sales representative for a regional express carrier based in Massachusetts. This coincided with the passage of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, which deregulated the motor carrier industry and opened the market to new entrants. Recognizing the opportunity created by deregulation, he applied for a freight broker license from the ICC in 1980. The permit was granted in early 1981, allowing him to operate under the name Balanced Transport Systems, Inc.

Transportation and Logistics Executive

In 1981, Snowdale left his employer to become a full-time freight broker. He applied his industry experience and professional relationships to build a growing brokerage business that served manufacturing companies throughout New England. The business began in a home office and expanded steadily. As volume increased, he purchased a commercial building with shipping docks and hired salespeople, dispatchers, bookkeepers, and office managers to support operations.

A key element of this growth was the development of a simplified pricing schedule based on trailer space utilization. This approach offered clarity and predictability when compared to complex national LTL rating systems. The pricing model introduced a service concept called “Load to Ride” transportation, which enabled shippers to understand costs better and improve planning.

In 1991, Robert launched Distribution Solutions, Inc. as a freight management consulting company. Drawing on experience in freight forwarding, LTL, truckload, volume LTL, and pricing, he expanded the client base by working directly with business owners and executive leadership teams across New England. DSi now manages a growing number of client freight budgets through its proprietary Transportation Management System.

Compliance with DSi programs is achieved through routing instructions that require the use of designated program carriers for applicable shipments. To support this structure, the company developed a freight bill audit process to confirm that negotiated rates are correctly applied. These systems work together to help control transportation spend and ensure consistency across client shipping operations.

Today, DSi also provides direct freight brokerage and logistics services for truckload, volume, LTL, and expedited shipping needs. The company emphasizes rate negotiation, carrier procurement, and contract administration across transportation spend exceeding $50 million. Its services are designed to allow manufacturers, retailers, consumer goods companies, and wholesale distributors to remain focused on core business activities. The proprietary TMS continues to outperform many in-house systems, supporting ongoing improvement in routing design, contract negotiation, and freight cost benchmarking.

Personal Life

 Snowdale is married and has one child. He regularly attends church services in both Florida and Massachusetts, and his family supports these congregations through annual pledges. He is also involved in volunteer work with local organizations that focus on animal welfare and food assistance. While his primary residence is in Pocasset, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, he and his family spend the winter months at a home in Ocean Ridge, Florida.

Over the years, the family has also invested in short-term rental properties in New Hampshire. Outside of work, his interests include real estate investing, golfing, boating, and cooking. These activities provide balance and personal fulfillment alongside professional responsibilities. Robert Snowdale continues to approach both business and life with consistency, discipline, and a focus on long-term value.