How it started
Strong Tower Consulting began in 2008 with hands-on work: database migrations, Truckmate conversions, staff training, and go-live weeks. The earliest client letters describe exactly that. Desert Coastal Transport remembered Scott being assigned "to migrate our Database during a TMW/Maddocks software upgrade." Mid-Way Transportation described remote training and hardware setup followed by an on-site go-live week in January 2009.
That foundation still shapes the firm. Before we advise on strategy, we want to understand how the work really happens on the dispatch floor and in the back office. Much of what we know about freight technology was learned during cutovers, not in conference rooms. Today that experience is part of our TMS implementation and legacy TMS advisory practices.
Growing with our clients
Through the early 2010s, the work broadened from installations and upgrades into ongoing IT support, custom reporting, training, and project management. A.M. Transport Services wrote about their upgrade "from Truckmate 7.0 to 9.0." Ottery Transportation mentioned upgrades, mobile communications, and repair and maintenance. Hutt Trucking thanked us for 18 months of consulting services. The SAV Transportation Group described Scott as an adjunct employee and project manager who "kept our projects on time, on course and on budget." You can read all of these letters on our clients page.
We also kept clients informed about the industry. When Trimble agreed to acquire TMW Systems in 2012, we published our view of what it meant for Truckmate customers. In 2013 we announced plans to attend TransForum to meet carriers face to face.
Strong Tower operational milestones, systems evolution & carrier impact matrix (2008–Present)
The history of Strong Tower Consulting is documented by real dispatch floor cutovers, software version migrations, and continuous carrier client partnerships. Here is how our operational practice has evolved across nearly two decades of freight technology transitions:
| Era & Milestone Period | Core Systems & Technical Focus | Documented Carrier Engagements | Transportation Industry Context | Operational Legacy & Current Capability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 – 2009: Founding & Go-Live Execution | Scott Elliott establishes Strong Tower in Minnesota; named after Proverbs 18:10. On-site Truckmate cutovers and SQL database migrations. | Desert Coastal Transport (database migration), Mid-Way Transportation (Hewitt, TX on-site cutover and ongoing IT support). | Great Recession pressures motor carriers to cut administrative overhead and eliminate unbilled freight. | Establishes our core operating principle: hands-on dispatch floor presence during high-risk cutover windows. |
| 2010 – 2012: Fleet Modernization & Upgrade Wave | Enterprise TMS version upgrades (Truckmate 7.0 to 9.0), custom Crystal Reports development, and mobile telematics integration. | A.M. Transport Services, Hutt Trucking, The SAV Transportation Group, Ottery Transportation, Overnite Express, Royal Transportation. | Carriers begin transitioning from green-screen legacy systems to graphical Windows client-server environments. | Deepens our SQL forensic capabilities and establishes long-term multi-year advisory retainer models. |
| 2013 – 2015: Industry Thought Leadership & TransForum | Independent advisory on vendor acquisitions; participating at national conferences (TransForum Anaheim); EDI partner expansion. | Advising mid-market carriers on Trimble's acquisition of TMW Systems; multi-carrier EDI 204/214/210 compliance projects. | Consolidation in transportation software market; carriers seek independent guidance amidst vendor turnover. | Cements Strong Tower's reputation as a completely vendor-neutral voice protecting carrier interests. |
| 2016 – 2019: Software Ecosystem & Cloud Visibility | Sister company Exspeedite introduced on our website; development of CheckPoint app-less GPS tracking and Pipeline shipper portals. | Implementation of automated billing tariffs and API tracking portals for asset-based carriers and 3PL brokerages. | Shipper demands for real-time freight tracking and electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) accelerate rapidly. | Engineers deep code-level insights into cloud architecture, REST APIs, and automated rating algorithms. |
| 2020 – 2023: Pandemic Resilience & Cyber Defense | Remote dispatch continuity, cloud data migrations, SQL database indexing repairs, and 3-2-1-1-0 immutable disaster recovery. | Authoring freight technology impact analyses; managing emergency database rescues and remote workforce onboarding. | Supply chain volatility, severe freight market swings, and surging ransomware threats targeting motor carriers. | Standardizes carrier cybersecurity defenses and automated unbilled revenue recovery protocols. |
| 2024 – Present: Enterprise Advisory & Fractional CIO | 17 formalized practice areas across Strategy, Process Delivery, Data Mining, and Infrastructure; Fractional Freight CIO leadership. | Leading comprehensive vendor-neutral TMS RFPs, multi-fleet M&A due diligence audits, and legacy AS/400 database extractions. | Proliferation of VC-backed SaaS products; rising carrier demand for seasoned, ground-floor technology leadership. | Offers mid-market carriers tier-1 technology architecture and executive governance without full-time overhead. |
Where we are today
The firm now organizes its work into four practice groups, from IT strategy to on-site and remote support. Our sister company, Exspeedite, builds transportation software, and the two remain separately organized companies under common ownership. Our consulting never requires buying that software.
The name, the mission, and the values are the same ones we started with. Learn more on Our Companies and Mission & Values, or get in touch.
A note on this timeline
We include only milestones we can document from our own records, our published posts, and our clients' letters. As we confirm more dates, we will add them here.
Truckmate, TMW Systems, and Trimble are trademarks of their respective owners. Strong Tower Consulting is an independent consulting firm and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Trimble or TMW Systems.