DHL Express has elevated Darryl Wettlaufer to CEO of its Canada division, a leadership change announced on October 20 that puts an operations-focused executive in charge as parcel networks enter peak season. Wettlaufer will be based in Brampton, Ontario, and report to Andrew Williams, CEO of DHL Express Americas. He succeeds Geoff Walsh, who moves to lead DHL Express Central Europe.
The move formalizes a swift transition at the top: Walsh’s tenure in Canada lasted roughly 18 months before his European promotion, underscoring the pace of reshuffling across DHL’s regional ranks this year.
Wettlaufer brings nearly two decades inside DHL’s express unit, starting in Canada in 2006 and rising to vice president of operations and a seat on the Canadian management board. Since 2022 he has run major Americas hubs—first Miami and Panama, then Atlanta—before most recently overseeing Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG), one of DHL’s three global superhubs. That résumé blends frontline facility leadership with network orchestration—experience that tends to translate directly into faster handoffs between aircraft, linehaul tractors and last-mile contractors.
In Canada, he inherits a footprint of about 2,700 employees serving more than 50,000 customers nationwide. Expect early attention on gateway-to-ground reliability and regional trucking flows that funnel imports through Ontario and Quebec, where time-definite SLAs can hinge on tight ramp turns and predictable highway linehaul.
Why it matters for trucking and fleet partners: DHL Express is an air-first carrier whose service promise ultimately rides on the performance of its contracted ground network. A CEO steeped in hub operations typically pushes for cleaner dock choreography, clearer tendering windows and more consistent trailer schedules—changes that can reduce detention at gateways and smooth weekend linehaul. For cross-border specialists and regional LTLs that feed and deconsolidate express volumes, that often means earlier forecast signals, steadier nightly pulls and fewer “rip-and-replace” dispatches when aircraft ETAs move.
Wettlaufer’s return also arrives as Canadian shippers tilt toward nearshoring and just-in-time replenishment on e-commerce SKUs. If DHL leans into his hub background, look for greater emphasis on predictable cutoffs at Canadian gateways and more granular communication to owner-operators and cartage providers during weather or air-traffic disruptions—practical levers that reduce missed connects without big capital outlays.
For carriers deciding where to allocate drivers and tractors through the holidays, the read-through is straightforward: DHL Express Canada is likely to prioritize on-time recovery of inbound flights and consistent nightline schedules over splashy network redesigns. That favors partners who can guarantee tight departure adherence, handle short-notice swaps and maintain surge-ready capacity near Toronto and Montreal. The upside for fleets is fewer idle hours around airport ramps and a more stable cadence of turns as peak volume crests.
Sources: FreightWaves, Truck News, AJOT
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