James Hazelton

Sales Leader · Revenue Operations · GTM Strategy

James Hazelton

The rare commercial leader who closes enterprise deals and builds the systems his team runs on. 15+ years in trucking, logistics SaaS, and workforce tech.

$20M
P&L managed
240
hrs/week eliminated via AI
100K+
job postings scanned daily
15+
years in the industry

01 What I do differently

Most sales leaders manage a CRM. I build them. I've spent 15 years at the intersection of trucking operations, enterprise sales, and revenue systems — owning P&Ls, coaching teams, and closing accounts like Ryder, HEB, Maersk, Delek, Marathon, ENERVEST, and Total.

What sets me apart: I write the code. At FreeWorld I architected an AI-powered job-matching pipeline that scanned 100K+ postings daily, ran LLM-based analysis, and surfaced ranked opportunities for the team — eliminating 240 hours/week of manual work, built solo, no engineering support. I make build-vs-buy decisions, design ICP scoring models, and ship custom tooling when the vendor alternative costs $50K/year and delivers less.

I'm the person you hire when you need a sales leader who can design the GTM motion and build the infrastructure it runs on.

02 Experience

May 2024 – Apr 2026
FreeWorld
SaaS Platform / Workforce Tech — Remote
Head of Employer Partnerships
Led GTM strategy and built the employer partnerships function for a platform helping people with criminal records earn CDLs and enter trucking. $150K marketing budget, 20+ events/year, team of 3.
  • $0 to first revenue in under 90 days — designed and executed the company's initial monetization motion ($500/placement model).
  • Architected and shipped solo an AI job-matching pipeline scanning 100K+ postings daily via LLM analysis, eliminating 240 hrs/week of manual work across the org. No engineering support.
  • Built a multi-source lead intelligence engine: FMCSA data (2.4M-carrier database), 100K+ weekly job postings, hiring history — custom ICP scoring model with weighted signal stacking and tiered outreach playbooks.
  • Generated 250+ employer placements, then converted the partnership pipeline into a paid model — validating PMF.
Jan 2023 – May 2024
F|Staff
Logistics SaaS / On-Demand Driver Marketplace — Texas
Sales Leader, Carrier Partnerships
Led commercial growth for a platform enabling shippers to dispatch on-demand drivers in under an hour. Full sales cycle: prospecting, live demos, customer success, enterprise expansion. Team of 4.
  • Grew Ryder enterprise account 30% by mapping the full buying committee and executing targeted outreach via a custom LinkedIn scraping + data enrichment pipeline — zero tooling budget, no ZoomInfo.
  • Ran live SaaS demos where buyers placed real orders and watched drivers accept in real time. Closed deals.
  • Delivered enterprise onboarding and customer success post-sale, driving expansion revenue and retention.
Sep 2021 – Jan 2023
Casual Driver Leasing Services
Dallas–Fort Worth
Business Development Manager
First pure-sales role after years in operations and recruiting leadership. High-volume field territory across DFW. Managed 2 SDRs.
  • Closed enterprise deals with Ryder and HEB through disciplined territory coverage and relationship building.
  • Built a systematic territory map and field prospecting cadence — knocking 600+ target accounts per month in person.
Aug 2019 – Sep 2021
Empire Workforce
Recruiting Manager — Transportation Division
Built the transportation staffing division from the ground up. Led 4 recruiters + 1 processor through COVID-19 using scrappy, low-cost tactics.
  • Converted existing light-industrial client portfolio into a $5M revenue stream in Year 1.
  • Closed Maersk and other enterprise logistics accounts via cross-selling into existing relationships.
2017 – 2019
BCB Transport, LLC
350-truck fleet
Recruiting Manager
Led recruiting for a 350-truck fleet. Managed 2 recruiters and 1 processor. Tech stack: Tenstreet.
  • Cut $30K/month in recruiting costs by replacing expensive channels with a driver referral program and organic social strategy.
  • Kept the full fleet seated through high-volume recruiting and retention initiatives.
2015 – 2017
Duende Trucking LLC
50-truck fleet, ~100 employees
Regional Operations Manager
Full P&L responsibility. Oversaw operations, recruiting, dispatch, and field sales.
  • Closed enterprise accounts with Delek and Marathon Energy while managing full operations.
2013 – 2015
Premier Tanker Services, Ltd.
$20M P&L · 200+ employees · 150-truck fleet · 3 terminals
Regional Operations Manager
Largest leadership role to date. Direct reports: 3 Ops Managers, 9 Dispatchers, 15 Mechanics. 300 drivers and a full recruiting function.
  • Grew revenue 25% with no added trucks or headcount via aggressive customer repricing strategy.
  • Closed ENERVEST and Total through hands-on field sales while simultaneously managing full operations.

03 Technical Skills

Sales & RevOps

HubSpot CRM ✓ HubSpot Sales Hub ✓ HubSpot RevOps ✓ Tenstreet LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Engineering & Data

Python SQL PostgreSQL Web scraping REST APIs Custom ETL FMCSA data integration

AI & Automation

LLM workflow automation AI lead scoring & enrichment Prompt engineering Build-vs-buy analysis Custom tooling

04 Work with me

If you're building something in trucking, logistics, or workforce tech and need a commercial leader who can run the GTM and build the systems — let's talk.

Book a call

05 Connect

Let's Talk

Tell me about your project or role