Protect what runs your company.
Tested 3-2-1-1-0 backups, disaster recovery plans, rapid-response on-site and remote IT support, and STC University staff training.
Your Strong Tower in Freight Technology · Est. 2008
Strong Tower Consulting provides enterprise systems architecture, data engineering, and applied intelligent automation.
Strong Tower Consulting is a trucking and freight technology consulting firm. We deliver business management, IT strategy, and project leadership to carriers, brokers, and private fleets. We work with the systems you already have, and you never have to buy our software.
- Independent advisory
- No software purchase required
- Freight-only focus since 2008
Our Practices
What freight systems consulting services does Strong Tower provide?
Strong Tower delivers twenty-four specialized freight systems consulting and trucking IT consulting services across five practice groups, from boardroom IT strategy and 24/7 dispatch uptime to SQL lane profitability and go-live delivery.
Enterprise Advisory Architecture
Strong Tower 5-Practice Group Enterprise Advisory Architecture Matrix
How our five core practice groups operate together to eliminate technical debt, safeguard cash flow, and ensure mission-critical freight operational stability:
| Practice Group | Core Advisory Scope & Focus | Key Freight Deliverables & Artifacts | Direct Motor Carrier Operational Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 / Strategy & Alignment 7 Services · Executive Governance |
C-level technology roadmap, software vendor evaluation, IT capital allocation, M&A fleet due diligence, and fractional CIO leadership. | 3-Year Freight IT Roadmap, TMS Vendor Scoring Matrix, Technology Debt Audit, M&A Technical Risk Dossier. | Aligns IT expenditures directly with carrier profitability; stops costly software misbuys and ill-fitting vendor contracts. |
| 02 / Process & Project Delivery 6 Services · Operations & Cutover |
Workflow re-engineering, dispatch order-to-cash streamlining, legacy TMS modernization, end-to-end implementation governance, and database migration. | Swimlane Process Maps, Requirements Specification, 5-Phase TMS Data Migration Plan, Go-Live Cutover Runbook. | Eliminates terminal re-keying; ensures on-time, on-budget cutovers with zero lost dispatches or stranded revenue. |
| 03 / Data, Integration & Financial Systems 5 Services · Revenue & Telematics |
Tariff matrices, fuel surcharge automation, automated general ledger synchronization, SQL data mining, custom Crystal Reports, and ELD/EDI connectivity. | Dynamic Rate Matrix, QBO/Sage Intacct Real-Time Bridge, Lane Profitability Cubes, EDI 204/214/210/990 Specifications. | Shortens billing cycles from 14 days to same-day delivery; captures 100% of billable accessorials and eliminates unbilled revenue. |
| 04 / Infrastructure, Security & Support 3 Services · Resilience & Enablement |
3-2-1-1-0 immutable backups, ransomware defense, rapid-response carrier support SLAs, and role-based dispatcher/billing onboarding. | Disaster Recovery Runbook, Backup Verification Protocol, 15-Minute Critical Severity SLA, STC University Curriculum. | Guarantees near-zero unplanned downtime; protects enterprise transportation data against catastrophic ransomware and hardware failure. |
Commercial Freight Systems Architecture vs. Public DOT/ITS ARC-IT
When we speak of Commercial Freight Systems Architecture, we mean the private-sector enterprise technology stack that runs motor carriers, freight brokerages, and 3PLs, distinct from the public-sector USDOT/ITS Architecture Reference for Cooperative and Intelligent Transportation (ARC-IT) used for municipal traffic and highway infrastructure. Our freight systems consulting and trucking IT consulting practices focus on three non-negotiable carrier realities:
- 24/7 Dispatch Uptime & Disaster Recovery (DR): Immutable 3-2-1-1-0 backups, SQL failover readiness, and 15-minute Severity 1 escalation so dispatch boards and EDI tenders never stall.
- Driver PII & Ransomware Defense: Hardening CDL records, SSNs, medical certificates, and settlement ledgers against ransomware, credential compromise, and unvetted remote access.
- Lane Profitability & Margin Forensics: Direct SQL data mining across TMS, ELD, and fuel card tables to surface true revenue per mile, deadhead drag, and unbilled accessorials.
How We Work
How does Strong Tower deliver trucking IT consulting engagements?
Every engagement follows four disciplined phases, Analyze, Streamline, Deliver, and Sustain, built on the freight floor regardless of which TMS or accounting platform you run today.
Analyze
We assess your company through its technology, data, and workflows: what's working, what's costing you, and where the gaps are.
Streamline
We redesign processes and align technology to your business goals, with a clear roadmap your leadership can act on.
Deliver
We manage the project to completion: planning, cutover, go-live, and accountability on time, scope, and budget.
Sustain
Training, support, and ongoing advisory so the gains hold and your team gets the full value of its systems.
Our Independence
We are not here to sell you more software. We are here to make your business run better.
Our consulting never requires buying our software. We work with the platforms you have: legacy or modern, packaged or homegrown. Our sister company, Exspeedite, builds transportation software, but it operates as its own company. If you ever ask us about software, you'll get an honest answer, including when another product is the better fit.
Why Strong Tower
Why do motor carriers choose Strong Tower for commercial freight systems architecture?
Carriers choose Strong Tower because we combine builder-level database depth with strict advisor-level independence, with more than 18 years of field-proven execution since 2008.
Independent
Recommendations based on what's best for your company, never on a license sale.
Builder-level depth
We build transportation software, so we understand freight systems down to the database. That depth goes to work on your systems.
Field-proven since 2008
Conversions, upgrades, and go-live weeks on site with carriers across the country.
Integrity first
A Christian company built on integrity, service, and loyalty. We go the extra mile to earn long-term relationships.
Leadership
Led by people who have lived freight technology.
Scott Elliott
Founder & PresidentScott founded Strong Tower Consulting in 2008 after years on the ground floor of carrier software training, implementations, and project management. He leads the firm's advisory practice and is the architect behind Exspeedite.
Full profileDuncan Stickings
Head of DevelopmentDuncan brings 20+ years of software development, project management, and quality assurance. He formerly led Training & Installation at Maddocks Systems, coordinating installs and go-lives for carriers across North America.
Full profile
In Our Clients' Words
Trusted on the freight floor since 2008.
Carriers and brokers have trusted Strong Tower Consulting with conversions, upgrades, go-lives, and day-to-day support. These are excerpts from the letters they sent us.
Since you came aboard our staff now experiences an almost instant response to any Truckmate issues that may arise. The increase in our productivity has been dramatic.
I am very impressed with Scott Elliott and the depth of his knowledge as well as concerted effort to be a true business partner of ours.
Scott possesses the analytical and technical skills to diagnose problems and quickly arrive at solutions. He has the ability to extract essential information from others and has always kept our projects on time, on course and on budget.
Scott Elliott was the key to our successful software transition. He had a cool head and a never say die attitude which no doubt played a huge part in our conversion success. He truly knows how to get the job done.
Insights
Straight answers on freight technology.
Practical guides from the people who have run the go-lives, cleaned the data, and untangled the interfaces.
Technology Decisions
How to Choose a TMS Without Getting Sold
Requirements, scoring, demo scripts with your own data, and the contract questions that matter.
Read the guide Data & ReportingLane Profitability with SQL
Revenue per mile, deadhead, and margin by lane and customer from the data you already have.
Read the guide OperationsThe TMS Go-Live Checklist
From data conversion to the first settlement run, phase by phase.
Read the guide
Our Companies
Advisory and software under one roof.
Two companies, one ownership, one standard. Our consulting stands on its own; our software company is there if you ever want it.
Strong Tower
Strong Tower Consulting, LLC · Minnesota · Est. 2008
- Strategy & Alignment6 services
- Process & Project Delivery5 services
- Data & Intelligence3 services
- Infrastructure & Support3 services
Exspeedite
Exspeedite LLC · A Strong Tower company
- EXSPEEDITE TMSEnterprise transportation management
- Weekly BriefingFree 5-min market audio & fuel telemetry (exspeedite.com/briefing ↗)
- CheckPointApp-less outside carrier tracking (Console ↗)
- PipelineShipper & customer tracking portal
- TMS ArchitecturePlatform & rating evaluation (Evaluation Guide ↗)
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.”Proverbs 18:10
Our name is a promise. When systems fail, projects stall, or growth outpaces your technology, Strong Tower is the firm you can rely on: steady, honest, and there when it counts.
We are a Christian company. Our values of integrity, service and support, loyalty, teamwork, and work/life balance shape how we treat every client and every engagement.
The story behind our name
About Strong Tower
Strong Tower Consulting at a glance
What is Strong Tower?
Strong Tower (Strong Tower Consulting, LLC) is a freight transportation technology consulting firm founded in Minnesota in 2008. We help trucking companies, freight brokers, and private fleets get more out of their technology through IT strategy, business analysis, process optimization, project management, TMS selection and implementation, SQL data mining and reporting, data protection, support, and training. See our consulting practices.
What is Strong Tower Consulting?
Strong Tower Consulting, LLC is the legal entity name of Strong Tower, an independent freight technology consulting firm founded in Minnesota in 2008 by Scott Elliott.
Where is Strong Tower Consulting located?
We are based in Minnesota and serve freight companies across the United States, on site and remotely. Call 763-244-1373 or contact us.
Is this the Strong Tower Consulting in Washington State?
No. Several unrelated businesses use the Strong Tower name. Strong Tower Consulting, LLC of Minnesota (strongtoweronline.com) is the freight and trucking technology consulting firm founded by Scott Elliott in 2008.
How is Strong Tower related to Exspeedite?
Exspeedite is a Strong Tower company. Strong Tower Consulting, LLC and Exspeedite LLC are separately organized companies under common ownership. Exspeedite builds transportation management software. Strong Tower provides independent consulting, and our consulting never requires buying Exspeedite. Learn more about our companies.
Do you work with trucking companies that don't use Exspeedite?
Yes. Most of our consulting is on the systems clients already run, including Truckmate and other TMS, ELD, EDI, and accounting platforms. Our advice is vendor-neutral.
Why is the company called Strong Tower?
The name comes from Proverbs 18:10: "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe." It reminds us to be steady, honest, and reliable for every client. Read the story behind our name • Strong Tower profile →.
How does Commercial Freight Systems Architecture differ from public DOT/ITS ARC-IT?
Strong Tower Consulting practices Commercial Freight Systems Architecture for private-sector motor carriers, freight brokers, and 3PLs, covering TMS, ELD, EDI, SQL billing, 24/7 dispatch uptime, driver PII security, and lane profitability. It is distinct from public-sector USDOT/ITS ARC-IT highway and municipal traffic architecture.
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