Executive search firm and NPAworldwide member with transportation and logistics practices covering trucking, brokerage, 3PL and intermodal leadership roles, backed by a 180-day guarantee.
Services
Who it serves
Overview
Keller Executive Search is an executive search firm that recruits senior leaders across many industries, including transportation and logistics. It is a member of NPAworldwide, a global network of independent recruiting firms, and its site describes a presence in 71 countries through that network. Its consultants are described as industry specialists with more than 15 years of experience on average, each handling a limited number of clients.
The firm's transportation page names the segments freight companies care about: truckload, flatbed, LTL, brokerage, dedicated contract carriage, 3PL, freight forwarding, intermodal, rail, air cargo, warehousing, moving and storage, heavy haul, and crane and rigging. Its focus is leadership hiring, from directors up to the C-suite, rather than entry-level or high-volume roles.
Compare with other Recruiting providers: SCOPE Recruiting, Kimmel & Associates and JobsInLogistics.com, or see all Recruiting.
Services
Keller's core service is executive search. On the transportation side, its listed roles include CEOs, COOs, presidents and vice presidents, plus directors of logistics, fleet operations, safety and compliance, maintenance, sales and marketing, customer service, sustainability, government affairs, strategy and training. It also lists cargo and freight managers, airport, port and station managers, and transit planners and analysts.
Its logistics page covers logistics managers, analysts and planners, warehouse logistics staff, directors and VPs of logistics, COOs, purchasers and production managers, along with supply chain, procurement, distribution, operations and continuous improvement specialties.
Around the search itself, Keller describes candidate assessment (including personality, motivation and aptitude testing), background and reference checks, and help with offers, negotiations and drafting employment agreements. It also mentions organization support such as HR process guidance, engagement and retention advice, and compensation benchmarking.
Who it is for
Keller is a fit for carriers, brokerages, 3PLs and other transportation companies filling a director, vice president or C-level role, especially when the company wants a structured process with assessments and background checks. Its pages say clients range from mid-sized businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
Because the firm works across many industries, it can also help a freight company that needs a leader from outside transportation, such as a CFO or HR head. A small brokerage looking for a carrier sales rep or a single account manager would likely find a contingency recruiter that works front-line freight roles a closer match.
How working with them works
Keller publishes a seven-milestone approach. It begins with defining the role and organization requirements and building the search specification. The firm then develops a list of candidates and screens and pre-qualifies them. Candidates are interviewed by a Keller consultant with preliminary referencing. Next come assessments and checks, and the firm notes that a client's own assessment requirements take priority over its internal process. After a second Keller interview, it builds a shortlist and completes reference and background checks. Shortlisted candidates are then presented to the client for interviews, and the firm finishes by helping with offers, negotiations and employment agreements.
The firm says a shortlist is typically presented within two to three weeks, and a full search may take 30 to 60 days or longer. Sourcing includes job boards, social media, referrals and direct outreach to passive candidates.
Keller's industry pages state a 180-day guarantee: if the executive does not meet expectations within six months, the firm will redo the search at no additional cost. Its site also describes an off-limits policy under which it does not approach staff at current or recent clients, and it says candidates are presented to one client at a time. Fees are not published; the site describes its fee structures as transparent and value-driven.
Questions to ask before you sign
Is this a retained search, and how is the fee structured and paid? Keller's site does not say whether it works on retainer or contingency or list a percentage, so ask for the full fee schedule, including any upfront payment and expenses.
How does the 180-day guarantee work in practice? Ask who decides whether the executive met expectations and whether the guarantee covers a hire who resigns.
Which consultant will run our search, and what transportation searches have they completed in our segment, such as truckload, LTL, brokerage or intermodal?
If you recruit a brokerage executive or sales leader from a competitor, how will you surface any non-compete, non-solicit or confidentiality agreements early in the process? Leaders often carry the strictest restrictions, so have your attorney review them before an offer.
How long does your off-limits policy protect our staff after the search ends?
Will the search be run from a US office, or through an NPAworldwide partner firm, and who is our contracting party?
Company background
Keller Executive Search does not publish its founding year, headquarters address or leadership names on the pages reviewed for this report, so those fields are left blank here. Third-party business directories list differing locations and sizes for the firm, and those could not be confirmed against the company's own site.
What the firm does state is that it is a member of the NPAworldwide recruiting network, that its consultants average more than 15 years of experience, and that it reports a client retention rate above 85 percent, with most clients coming back for more than one search. Its industry pages also say the firm judges candidates on merit without bias related to gender, age, ethnicity or beliefs, and that it keeps client information confidential before, during and after a search. Buyers should confirm which office and which legal entity will handle their search before signing.
Sources
Information compiled from public sources. Last verified November 2026. Confirm details directly with the company.
