Jason Roland

Professional profile

Senior Transportation Operations Analyst with experience across Grainger’s transportation organization and prior team leadership at FedEx. Lead cross-functional improvements, develop automation and analytical tools, and informally lead and mentor Supply Chain Rotational Development Program (SCRDP) analysts. Combine operational context, technical capability, and carrier relationship management to support world-class service and practical improvements across Grainger’s network.

Career progression

Third-party & freight-carrier management

• Build relationships & set expectations: Work closely with third-party carrier leaders, from terminal managers to chief operating officers, to set clear service expectations and keep lines of communication open and productive.
• Manage performance conversations: Use scorecards and business reviews to discuss carrier performance, address service gaps, and align on improvement expectations.
• Support issue resolution: Help carrier partners and internal teams work through shipment and service issues, clarify customer needs, and coordinate practical next steps toward resolution.

Selected contributions at Grainger

• Network Operating Plan: Recreated static PDF plans as an Excel system using owner-maintained tables, Power Query consolidation, and plant/carrier lookup functions. The system became a company standard.
• Project Maple (operations & automation): Rebuilt DFDC’s parcel operating plan for Project Maple, Grainger’s company-wide transition from UPS to FedEx as its primary parcel carrier. Connected Microsoft Forms intake, SharePoint tracking, and automated approval routing to support customer escalations as the transition expanded across DCs.
• Cross-functional standard work: Developed white-glove delivery standard work, including a detailed Help Phone intake script and a process for provider quotes, customer approval, and adding charges to orders.
• Later order cutoffs: Led cross-functional transportation work that extended ordering windows in selected markets while preserving next-day service commitments.

Additional project experience: carrier transitions, transportation visibility implementations, operating-process changes, and facility commissioning.

Leadership & communication

• Mentor SCRDP analysts during rotations and stay connected after the program. Draw on a network of senior professionals and leaders across Grainger for expertise, and help team members find answers regardless of title.
• Apply experience leading exempt and non-exempt team members and managing daily operations to set clear expectations and lead practical changes at Grainger.
• Serve as the longest-serving member of the Emergency Response Team (ERT). Developed transportation standard work to guide weekend on-call team members in carrying out their responsibilities.
• As a member of the Order Performance Metrics (OPM) Core Group, share supply chain metrics and insights in monthly cross-functional discussions that inform an executive summary shared with the GLT.
• Public speaking: Experience presenting to large internal audiences at Transportation University and a Transportation Town Hall.

Independent technical practice & learning

• JNET infrastructure lab: Designed and built a home infrastructure environment that I continue to operate, with over 300 TB of storage, on-site services, virtual private servers (VPS), virtual machines, and multiple VLANs. Manage the dependencies across networking, storage, virtualization, firewalling, DNS, and self-hosted services, building practical experience in system integration, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• Applied AI: More than 1,000 hours of hands-on AI learning and application across troubleshooting, development, documentation, and automation. Test outputs and apply human judgment.
• Independent technology practice: JNETX Technology Group: computer repair, networking, systems setup, websites, workflow improvement, and AI and automation services for homes and small businesses. Builds on thirty years of hands-on, self-directed technical experience.