Dylan Admire: The Legal Battle That Could Reshape the Freight Agent Model

In this week’s episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sit down with Dylan Admire, owner and CEO of Freight Essentials, a logistics firm specializing in freight and supply chain management. Known for growing his business to $40 million in revenue, Dylan now finds himself at the center of a legal battle against GlobalTranz and Worldwide Express that could reshape the freight agent model.

*Message from the FreightCaviar Team: The views and opinions expressed by our guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of this podcast, its hosts, or its affiliates. The information shared in this episode is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Additionally, we encourage listeners to remember that lawsuits and legal matters are often complex, and the information presented may not represent all sides of the issue. Listeners are encouraged to seek independent verification or consult legal professionals for further clarity.

Before diving into the lawsuit, Dylan shares his unique journey—from playing football at the University of Kansas and training athletes to earning an MBA at Kansas State University. He began his logistics career at Freight Quote in 2017, a Kansas City branch of C.H. Robinson, and later launched Freight Essentials in 2020 with just $900 to his name.

Business Growth

Over the next three and a half years, he was employed as an outside agent at GlobalTranz and grew the business to $40 million in 2023.

How did his agency rise to the top at GlobalTranz? By having the right mindset. For Dylan, success and numbers mean nothing. What is more important is being able to have difficult and uncomfortable conversations because only they truly make you become the best leader.

“When you have those hard conversations, that’s where you’re gonna differentiate the winners from the losers, the people who are willing to have those conversations, open and honest, moral and ethical.”

Leading a team has taught Dylan many things, one of which is the importance of putting yourself in the shoes of your employees to understand their experiences.

“I’ve done everything in between. I believe it’s massively important when you own a company, or when you want to be a leader, that you don’t ask your people to do things that you can’t do or haven’t done yourself.”

What is one thing he wishes he would have done differently at the beginning?

“I should have hired more people sooner. You don’t do it either selfishly or you doubt people can do a job better than you can, or you think they’ll screw it up. I think in life, or business, everything is a learning opportunity. A failure is never a failure of you can learn from it.”

Freight Essentials v. GlobalTranz & Worldwide Express: The Backstory

You might have heard of Freight Essentials not only for Dylan’s success running the company but also for their current involvement in a groundbreaking industry lawsuit.

Freight Essentials filed a federal lawsuit against GlobalTranz and its parent company, Worldwide Express (WWEX), alleging fraudulent business practices involving hidden fees, stolen customers, and unauthorized access to company email accounts and customer data.

In July 2021, Dylan was GlobalTranz’s top-performing agent when Worldwide Express and GlobalTranz Enterprises merged. According to Dylan, the merger marked a turning point. He describes the deal as a leveraged buyout that brought leadership changes and operational red flags.

By October 2022, following the tragic death of Rob Rose, then-president of Worldwide Express, Joel Clum stepped in as COO of WWEX. Dylan alleges that leadership changes further exacerbated the problems.

Dylan says he noticed many unethical practices, including:

Overstepping boundaries with Freight Essentials’ customers.
Restricting access to Freight Essentials’ email accounts.
Using GlobalTranz’s customer list without proper authorization.*

Dylan took it upon himself to bring the situation to light and filed a lawsuit in 2024. What, in his opinion, were the underlying causes of this issue?

“Ultimately I think a lot of the problems there stemmed from the leadership that had never actually done all of the things, they don’t know the intricacies and why they’re doing things versus when you have boots on the ground and you know exactly why you’re doing what you’re trying to do.”

This is a monumental case in the world of freight; if this goes to trial, it could change the agent model and industry forever.

Listen to the entire interview on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or watch it on our YouTube Channel.