Dedicated transportation leader Haroon Syed named a Rock Star of the Supply Chain

Schneider's Haroon Syed stands with his arms crossed and a large smile in front of a historical wall of Schneider truck photos
Award honors Schneider Vice President of Dedicated Services’ leadership and innovation in driving cold chain efficiency and reliability for food and beverage shippers 
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Published February 2026

GREEN BAY, Wis. (February 4, 2026) – Schneider Vice President of Dedicated Services Haroon Syed has been named a Rock Star of the Supply Chain, honoring his leadership in delivering innovative, reliable cold chain solutions for food and beverage shippers. 

Syed, a supply chain leader with more than 30 years of experience, has helped position Schneider National, Inc. (NYSE: SNDR), a premier multimodal provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services, as a top provider of temperature‑controlled, on‑time and visibility‑driven transportation solutions.  

With Syed at the helm of Schneider’s Dedicated growth, the refrigerated fleet has expanded significantly while maintaining an elite 99% on-time performance record. His commitment to precision-based logistics and network scale earned him the prestigious 2026 Rock Star of the Supply Chain award from Food Logistics. 

“When a grocer or manufacturer partners with Schneider, they’re not just hiring a carrier—they’re joining a network built to solve the toughest links in the supply chain,” Syed said. “This award proves that by designing smarter ecosystems, we can protect the cold chain and eliminate the 'empty miles' that lead to waste. We’re not just moving freight; we’re making the entire journey more efficient and sustainable.” 

Syed and his team leverage Schneider’s Refrigerated Center of Excellence, associates dedicated to temperature‑sensitive freight, to advance data‑driven solutions that support freshness, reduce variability and enhance visibility across a customer’s network. 

Refrigerated Center of Excellence initiatives include: 

  • Backhaul optimization
  • Customized equipment
  • Exploration of zero emission technologies
  • Fuel‑saving process improvements

These advancements reinforce Schneider’s commitment to building a flexible, technology‑enabled cold chain that supports the nation’s food and beverage supply. 

“Haroon exemplifies how we help food and beverage customers build stronger, more capable supply chains,” said Schneider Group Senior Vice President and General Manager of Van Truckload Erin Van Zeeland. “By partnering closely with customers and vendors, his team turns opportunity into execution that drives efficiency and long‑term value.” 

Syed stands out for having led collaborative initiatives focused on developing deep customer and vendor relationships to uncover optimization opportunities. For example, together with a refrigerated trailer vendor and grocery shipper, his team was able to significantly reduce the amount of reefer fuel consumed in the grocer’s supply chain. The team collaborated to increase visibility and implement fuel-saving process improvements, such as creating remote cooling solutions to meet loading times without wasting reefer fuel.  

Schneider operates one of North America’s largest refrigerated fleets, using real‑time visibility tools and easy‑to‑use temperature‑control technology to ensure consistency, reliability and transparency for food shippers. The company delivers 24/7/365 monitoring, flexible capacity and strong customer collaboration to support a safe, efficient and sustainable cold chain. 

To learn more about how Schneider’s Dedicated Services can optimize your cold supply chain, visit https://schneider.com/freight-shipping-solutions/refrigerated-freight.