Bulkloads Podcast

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vMtf0ZtSbbA

Fleet maintenance isn't sexy — but it's one of the highest expenses in trucking, the most controllable, and by far the most ignored. Justin Brevik of Bosch FleetMe returns to the BulkLoads Podcast to break down exactly where fleets bleed money on maintenance and how to fix it, whether you run 3 trucks or 3,000.

Host Jared Flinn and Justin cover the real cost of letting a truck sit at a dealership, the oil-change myth costing you thousands, why tires are your #1 maintenance expense (and the cheap fix almost nobody does), and how to move your operation from reactive to preventative to predictive maintenance.

If you're an owner-operator, carrier, or fleet manager trying to protect your margins, this one pays for itself. Want to be featured on the BulkLoads Podcast? https://www.bulkloadsmedia.com/

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 Joining Bosch's Fleet Maintenance Team

05:23 Fleet maintenance strategies

09:55 360-degree DVIR integration

11:18 Streamlining fleet breakdown response

14:40 Evaluating and training technicians

19:00 Dealership repair and staffing insights

22:11 Tire maintenance and oil changes

23:45 Fleet management tools overview

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OUVacbL2k7g

For Matt and Sharon Kill, the goal was never to have the biggest fleet. But it took growing to 21 trucks — and nearly losing what mattered — to figure that out.

The family started with nothing: one truck, a borrowed belt trailer, and a 1950s pay loader that lost steering every time you let off the throttle. After Matt got let go from John Deere, they accidentally built a four-way ag operation — trucking, manure spreading, farming, and feed commodity trading out of Saint Mary's, Ohio.

🎙️ Brought to you by BulkLoads — the bulk freight marketplace built for carriers, brokers, and shippers. Matt and Sharon have been members since the very beginning. Find loads, grow your operation, and connect with the bulk trucking community at https://bulkloads.com

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⏱️ CHAPTERS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

00:00 Meeting the Kill family

01:00 From John Deere to a borrowed belt trailer: how it started

04:10 Four businesses under one roof

04:32 The roller coaster: scaling from 8 to 21 trucks

06:42 Inside Ohio's massive ag country

07:08 The poultry litter business explained

09:20 "We started from nothing" — the old equipment days

11:07 Buying totaled belt trailers for pennies

11:49 The hardest part of the job

13:15 "Maybe we should just give this up"

15:31 Matt's learning disabilities and building it anyway

16:26 Who runs what: the team behind the operation

18:27 Where the business goes from here

20:25 Why no two farming operations are the same

22:28 Best advice for someone starting in trucking

26:33 Building it together from day one

28:42 What they pull from the BulkLoads podcast

29:13 Thank you

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/n2-i0RKCoWs

Craig Broerman left a corporate mechanical engineering career, sold the money meant for his grandparents' farm, and bought a belt trailer in 2019. Six years later, he and his cousin Alan Lennartz are running 7–10 trucks across the Midwest hauling DDGs, soybean meal, cottonseed, and industrial products — and they did it before either of them turned 32.

In this episode, Jared sits down with Craig and Alan on location in Portland, Indiana to talk about the BulkLoads find that changed everything, the phone call in a North Carolina cornfield that made Craig get out of the truck for good, the mistakes they made buying "shiny" equipment, and the insurance and scaling realities nobody warns young carriers about.

If you're an owner-operator, small fleet, or thinking about getting into bulk trucking — this one's a roadmap.

⏱ TIMECODES

00:00 – On location in Portland, Indiana

00:43 – From mechanical engineer to belt trailer owner

02:25 – Finding BulkLoads and the first direct customer

03:25 – Retiring his wife from her corporate job

04:40 – Alan's path: asphalt, COVID, and "buy a truck"

06:00 – The conversation that split the businesses

06:30 – The cornfield phone call that changed everything

09:40 – How they funded the first truck (the farm gamble)

11:00 – Why posted loads = desperation (and opportunity)

13:30 – Reading the cottonseed market before it shifted

15:30 – Playing the long game on rates and relationships

17:15 – Why Craig thinks 5 years ahead, not 5 days

20:30 – What's actually moving in/out of Ohio–Indiana ag country

22:18 – Why they can't run hoppers in this region

24:40 – The real ROI of the BulkLoads Conference

27:30 – Trust, transparency, and family in business

28:00 – Biggest mistakes: overpriced trucks and hiring too soon

31:30 – How they decide when to scale (and when to wait)

36:50 – Spec'ing equipment: powertrains, trailers, and tonnage

39:00 – 48' vs 53' Conestoga — three months of research

42:30 – DDG market shifts and lane risk

44:00 – The insurance ceiling nobody talks about

47:20 – Advice for young people getting into trucking and logistics

51:30 – Why this part of the country looks the way it does

🚛 ABOUT BULKLOADS BulkLoads is the freight marketplace built for bulk carriers, brokers, and shippers. From the load board to Smart Freight Funding, Bulk Insurance, Permitting, and BulkTMS — we're the operating system for bulk trucking.

👉 Become a member: https://bulkloads.com?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=BNW+PODCAST

🎙 Subscribe for more carrier stories every week 🎤 Join us at the next BulkLoads Conference

Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xnLyii6krVg

What does it take to run a four-generation family business through cotton, cattle, pipeline restoration, AND a 7-truck hopper fleet — all at the same time?

This week we sat down with Bob Blackwell and his son-in-law Jared Reaves at Blackwell Trucking in Wayne, Oklahoma. Three generations of Blackwells have worked this land. Bob started chasing pipeline restoration jobs 25 years ago when one came across his field — and built Blackwell Trucking on the side just to keep his own equipment moving.

Then the last four years took a swing at them. Pipeline work went quiet. Solar customers walked off with over half a million dollars of unpaid work. Flatbed rates collapsed. And the family that had survived everything from boll weevils to a 1970s farm bankruptcy was looking for a way forward. Then Jared heard a podcast in his pig barn that changed everything. In this conversation we get into the full picture: how pipeline restoration actually works, why Bob won't buy stockers, the brutal economics of cattle and cotton, why he calls solar "a shell game," the wreck-truck rebuild, the engine that came apart in the shop, the role of faith in their business, and the very human moments behind the family's "GIG, GAP" philosophy — God Is Good, God Always Provides. If you're a carrier wondering whether there's a more consistent path than flatbed, a shipper looking for hard-working family operators, or a farm-and-ranch family trying to figure out the next chapter — this episode is for you.

▶ Find consistent hopper and bulk freight: https://bulkloads.com?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Blackwell+Podcast

▶ Are you a shipper looking for family carriers like the Blackwells? https://bulkloads.com?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Blackwell+Podcast

▶ Subscribe wherever you listen: Apple, Spotify, YouTube

CHAPTERS 00:00 — Meet the Blackwells: 3 Generations on the Same Land

00:55 — How a Pipeline Across Bob's Field Started Everything

02:30 — Why They Started Blackwell Trucking

03:00 — Today: 7 Trucks, Goal of 10

04:34 — The Podcast in the Pig Barn That Changed Everything

05:30 — Why Hoppers Are More Consistent Than Flatbed

06:00 — Working with Chris & Michael at RFG

06:50 — The End Game: Cutting Out the Middleman

07:30 — "It's a Turtle Race"

08:00 — Cattle, Wildfires, and What Bad Land Management Looks Like

09:30 — The Engine That Came Apart in the Shop

10:00 — What Pipeline Restoration Actually Is

12:53 — Inside a 100-Mile Pipeline Project

13:30 — The $500,000 Solar Disaster

14:30 — "Solar is a Shell Game"

17:30 — Three Generations of Blackwells

18:00 — Why Bob Won't Buy Stockers

20:40 — The 8-Cent Brangus Lesson That Changed His Cattle Operation

22:00 — When Bob Got Into Rodeo Stock

23:30 — Where He Markets His Cattle Today

25:40 — Cattle Prices: Then vs. Now

28:20 — Cotton Country: How an Entire Region Dried Up

29:30 — Milo, Sorghum, and Fallow-Ground Decisions

31:42 — "The Only Difference Between Farming and Vegas..."

32:30 — Why Weather Is 95% of the Business

33:30 — What They Do for Fun: Lake Murray

34:30 — How Jared Got Here: Saint Louis → Mizzou → Bartlett → Springfield

37:00 — Why Joplin Stockyards Surpassed Oklahoma City

38:30 — "The Wealthiest Companies Got Wealthy off the Backs of Farmers"

39:50 — Why Cotton Doesn't Pencil Anymore

41:00 — The Peanut Program and Government Subsidies

43:00 — The Soybean Crop That Paid for His Son's Birth

45:30 — Why Equipment Payments Don't Work Anymore

46:30 — Converting Cropland to Bermuda Grass

47:04 — How Faith Holds the Whole Operation Together

48:30 — "GIG. GAP. God Is Good. God Always Provides."

48:50 — The Check-in-the-Mail Moments

CONNECT WITH BLACKWELL TRUCKING Wayne, Oklahoma

CONNECT WITH BULKLOADS Website: https://bulkloads.com?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Blackwell+Podcast #BulkLoads #FamilyTrucking #HopperFreight #AgTrucking #PipelineRestoration #CattleBusiness #SmallBusinessAmerica #TruckingPodcast

Check this episode out on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/hc33VvhAS_I

In 1950, a teenager who'd dropped out of school to save the family farm bought one truck and started hauling gasoline. Today, Wayne Transports runs 750+ trucks, moves nearly 290,000 loads a year, and posts driver turnover rates a fraction of the industry average. In this episode, we sit down with the next generation of Wayne ownership to unpack the full story — the Korean War tragedy that almost ended the company before it started, the bank loan that gave it its name, the move from Milaca to Rosemount that unlocked decades of growth, and how the family handed the president's chair to a non-family member for the first time in company history… one month before COVID hit.

We also get into the operational side: the AI tools rebuilding their dispatch floor, the camera + safety stack keeping their fleet on the road, the acquisition playbook that's added 35 trucks a year, and why their turnover sits at 18% while the rest of the industry burns through drivers at 60-90%. If you run a fleet, drive for one, or want to understand how a real American trucking dynasty actually gets built — this one is for you.

🚛 Need freight? BulkLoads connects shippers and carriers across the bulk space — find your next load at https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Wayne+Podcast

⏱ TIMECODES / CHAPTERS

00:00 — Meet the next generation of Wayne ownership

00:35 — Handing the presidency to the first non-family member (Jason Bucci)

01:37 — One month in, COVID hits: 86 drivers laid off overnight

02:30 — "If you can't keep it in the black, I'm coming back" — Wayne's mandate

03:00 — Memories of Grandpa Wayne, cinder blocks, and card games

05:00 — The 8th-grade coin flip that started everything

06:30 — Hauling cattle to the South Saint Paul Stockyards

07:30 — The Korean War tragedy that almost ended the company

08:11 — The bank loan, the collateral form, and how "Wayne Transports" got its name

09:08 — Building the Malacca shop and the 1979 move to Rosemount

09:45 — Deregulation in 1980 and the growth that followed

10:24 — From 250 trucks (2007) to 750+ today

12:07 — Why Rosemount? The Flint Hills Resources advantage

13:30 — Fleet breakdown: petroleum, chemical, dry bulk, asphalt, ag

15:58 — Company drivers vs. independent contractors — the right ratio

17:30 — 40-year drivers and what loyalty actually looks like

18:50 — The tech stack: Samsara, TMW Suite, Avion AI, Idelic safety

21:16 — Why customer demand forced the technology shift

22:30 — The "Traction" book and building a real culture

23:29 — How Wayne keeps turnover at 18% while the industry runs 60-90%

26:01 — Beyond trucking: Miko Maintenance, real estate, renewables

28:36 — The acquisition playbook — 30+ trucks added in a single year

31:00 — How Wayne finds (and earns) acquisition deals

#Trucking #FamilyBusiness #BulkFreight #FleetManagement #BulkLoads #TruckingPodcast #TankerTrucking

What surprised you most — the coin flip that started it all, the Korean War twist, or the 18% turnover number? Drop a timestamp + reaction below 👇 🚛

Looking for loads? BulkLoads has you covered → https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Wayne+Podcast

Check out our companies! BulkLoads - https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Wayne+Podcast

Insurance - https://www.bulkinsurancegroup.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Wayne+Podcast

Factoring - https://www.smartfreightfunding.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Wayne+Podcast

Transportation Management (TMS) - https://www.bulktms.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Wayne+Podcast

Bulk Freight Insights: https://www.bulkfreightinsights.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Wayne+Podcast

Watch episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QILNrGk8Sfs

He started with one truck at 18 years old — and went bankrupt within a year. Most people would have quit. Kendal Mast didn't.

Today, KM Wood Products runs 60+ trucks, hauls some of the heaviest freight in the country, and has quietly become one of the biggest players in AI data center freight — with 65% of their entire fleet dedicated to it.

But the road here wasn't straight. Kendal rebuilt this company from zero multiple times, survived COVID with his family living in the truck, fired his entire driver pool to save key contracts, and learned million-dollar lessons the hard way.

This is one of the most raw, honest conversations we've had on the BulkLoads Podcast. If you're an owner-operator, a small fleet owner, or just someone trying to build something real — this one's for you.

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode

⏱ TIMECODES

00:00 — Starting with one log truck at 18

01:02 — Switching to wood chips and surviving early failure

01:33 — Going OTR, hiring owner operators, and pivoting to flatbed

02:24 — COVID hits — lays everyone off and starts over with his family in the truck

03:05 — How he rebuilt to 60 trucks

04:11 — The partner situation that nearly destroyed key contracts

07:01 — Fleet breakdown: RGN, step deck, tanks, and heavy haul

08:02 — The 99-load gas plant project that changed his entire strategy

09:32 — Why he only chases projects with 20+ loads

10:56 — Oversized and super load regulations explained

12:43 — How permitting works state to state

14:18 — Managing fuel costs and surcharges in heavy haul

16:16 — Why the freight market is finally turning in 2026

17:00 — AI data centers driving 65% of their freight volume

19:01 — Moving MARTA tram cars into Atlanta

20:19 — How he connected with Jesse Bounds and 10-4 Coaching

22:26 — The two biggest things he learned from coaching

24:33 — Growth mindset — the plan to reach 100+ trucks

26:24 — Trailer rental and freight brokerage as side revenue

27:26 — How word of mouth and showing up wins more business than load boards

29:36 — Faith, peace, and giving it to God

31:23 — His 5am morning routine: sauna, Bible app, and prayer

33:07 — His biggest weakness as a leader

34:39 — Biggest mistakes: wrong accountant and a million-dollar lease deal

About BulkLoads: BulkLoads is the #1 bulk freight marketplace connecting carriers and shippers across the country. Whether you're hauling grain, fertilizer, heavy haul, or anything in between — we help you find the freight that fits your operation.

👉 Start finding loads today at BulkLoads.com

#BulkLoads #Trucking #HeavyHaul #DataCenterFreight #OwnerOperator #TruckingPodcast #FreightMarket #Flatbed #KMWoodProducts

Check out our companies!

BulkLoads - https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KM+Podcast

Insurance - https://www.bulkinsurancegroup.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KM+Podcast

Factoring - https://www.smartfreightfunding.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KM+Podcast

Transportation Management (TMS) - https://www.bulktms.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KM+Podcast

Watch the YouTube Video Here: https://youtu.be/t4i4jJeppwM

Julie Andrich didn't grow up planning to run a trucking company. But when her father — a city kid who taught himself farming, failed his way into freight, and built Autumn Transport from a single truck in 1980 — passed away in 2015, Julie stepped into the seat. Now president of a 140-unit bulk carrier out of Woodbury, Minnesota, she shares the full story: where it started, how it grew, and what it means to carry on something bigger than yourself.

In this episode, Julie and Jared cover the gritty origin story, the owner-operator model that fueled four decades of growth, and the leadership lessons that still echo through the building today.

🔔 Subscribe for more bulk trucking stories, industry insight, and carrier spotlights.

📦 Learn more about BulkLoads → https://www.bulkloads.com

⏱️ Chapters:

• 0:00 – Intro
• 0:02 – How Autumn Transport Started: A City Kid Tries Farming
• 1:21 – One Truck, One Banker, One Chance
• 2:02 – From Harvest Trucking to a Real Business
• 3:09 – What Kind of Guy Was Lol Andrich?
• 4:40 – Julie's Path Into the Company (She Didn't Plan It)
• 8:55 – Dispatching, Max, and Getting Street Cred with Drivers
• 14:29 – Growth from 75 Units in '95 to 140 Today
• 16:57 – The Transition: When Julie Took the Helm
• 21:48 – Playing Offense, Not Defense
• 23:55 – Finding the Right People: Values Over Experience
• 26:13 – A Day in Julie's Life
• 29:36 – What the Next 20 Years Look Like
• 31:29 – What Keeps Her Up at Night (Nuclear Verdicts)
• 33:07 – Faith, Peace, and Running a Business
• 34:16 – Lol's Lolisms: Wisdom from Her Father
• 37:20 – Julie's Mom: Still Running Payroll

BulkLoads - https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Autumn+Podcast

BulkLoads Permitting - https://www.bulkloads.com/tools/permitting/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Autumn+Podcast

Bulk Insurance Group - https://www.bulkinsurancegroup.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Autumn+Podcast

Smart Freight Funding - https://www.smartfreightfunding.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Autumn+Podcast

BulkLoads TMS - https://www.bulktms.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Autumn+Podcast

Check out the episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Ow6f_ZQ813I

Eric Glidewell, owner of JP Transport, sits down to share the real story behind building a 45-truck cement hauling operation from scratch — with no trucking background and no blueprint to follow.

In this episode, Eric breaks down:

• The "$50K per truck" formula he uses to measure profitability
• How he grew from 2 trucks in 2009 to 45 trucks across the Midwest
• Why reputation in cement hauling is everything (and what "on time" actually means)
• The role faith played in how he leads his drivers and runs his business
• How bonus depreciation became a key tool for scaling fast
• What he'd tell his younger self if he could go back

Whether you're an owner operator, a small fleet owner, or just someone building something from nothing — Eric's story is one you don't want to miss.

🎧 Subscribe to BulkLoads for more real conversations with operators, owners, and industry veterans in the bulk trucking world.

#BulkHauling #TruckingBusiness #OwnerOperator #CementHauling #BulkLoads

Timestamp:

00:00 "Investing vs. Spending Perspective"

05:49 "New Cement Business Opportunity"

09:00 Scaling Success Through Reputation

09:53 Reliable Cement Hauling Reputation

14:41 Concrete Trucking Support Insights

16:17 Localized Pricing Strategies

22:12 Winter Challenges and Recovery

25:12 Switch to Buying New Trucks

26:19 Business Relationships and Loyalty

31:19 Faith and Resilience in Business

33:20 "Prioritizing God Over Business"

39:11 "Driver Pay and Customer Rates"

40:26 Building Pride Through Honest Work

45:50 "Put Christ First, Always"

47:48 "Still Fighting Like Everyone"

Watch the video on our YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Iv9GTvypqdc

109,000 new trucking companies entered the market in 12 months.

That's 300 new competitors per day. So the real question isn't "Is trucking competitive?" It's: How do you win anyway? This is the BEST trucking advice we've captured over the past few years — condensed into one powerful 30-minute masterclass for owner-operators and fleet owners who want to stay profitable, stay booked, and build something that lasts.

Inside this video, experienced operators break down:

✅ Why SAFETY must be the foundation of your company (or you're built on sand)

✅ How to avoid going out of business during slow freight markets

✅ The truth about cost per mile (most truckers calculate it wrong)

✅ Why cheap tires actually cost you MORE money

✅ How to manage cash flow before it's too late

✅ Why balancing your checkbook monthly could save your company

✅ The difference between being busy and being profitable

✅ How diversification protects you when a major customer disappears

✅ Why trust & reputation beat marketing

✅ The difference between a "driver" and a true professional

You'll also hear hard-earned lessons about:

Growing too fast Insurance mistakes

Underestimating accounting

Seasonal trucking challenges

Fuel efficiency strategies

Working on your business vs. just in it

This isn't theory. This is real-world trucking experience from operators who've survived downturns, fires, rate swings, and market crashes.

If you're serious about building a trucking company that lasts longer than the next freight cycle — this video is for you.

🔔 Subscribe for real-world trucking insights: We share stories, strategies, and lessons from the people actually building successful operations.

#trucking #owneroperator #smallfleet #truckingbusiness #dumptrucking #freight #logistics #cdldriver #truckerlife #businessadvice

Clip 1 - Sam Watts, 10-4 Truck Insurance https://youtu.be/n0LhfBtkgHE?si=0RnnEuAe9RVJzade

Clip 2 - Mike Bennet, Eagle Logistics https://youtu.be/MOqg_2ycTcI?si=M5ANI13XBkN9HO9D

Clip 3 - Evan Shelley, Truck Parking Club https://youtu.be/C4byWaQ3sy8?si=BJcL_aeEJDFQhbBB

Clip 4 - Steve Miller, Reliant Transportation https://youtu.be/umhF7BdpOZQ?si=ibkP2DVpmEG_cIr4

Clip 5 - Brian Kinsey, International Used Trucks https://youtu.be/jm5qACtGyAM?si=hQgKyV0IuKUec4y4

Clip 6 - Roger Zima, Foltz Trucking https://youtu.be/SKNaFnwK6go?si=oegWh058xEKtVp5B

Clip 7 - Mark Walker, Transland https://youtu.be/IZytshzWfcs?si=auCc2C_9cYSSUPKk

Clip 8 - Matt Gibbs, Ozarko Tire https://youtu.be/O33DuglTye8?si=EOfdEoKlwWiTV0hz

Clip 9 - Jesse Bounds, Bounda Hay https://youtu.be/D6bFidG8Tr8?si=WNQt2JKWsrvWo9GH

Clip 10 - Justin Sturgill, Justin Sturgill Trucking https://youtu.be/iVDGEBf-w5c?si=_y5dW6r_Fykn8g9i

Clip 11 - Jesse Runions, Ben R Brown Trucking https://youtu.be/L9FL7QckbVk?si=K0I08nAci1mXrOmF

Clip 12 - Earl Martin Jr., ERM Trucking https://youtu.be/7beLHlc1pGk?si=YMeBedkQQI3Yz7xj

Clip 13 - Brad & Jason Hammes, Hammes Trucking https://youtu.be/lHLKMYyEdRw?si=QpZtQsQIsQAUvwXu

Clip 14 - Austin Hammen, AH Trucking https://youtu.be/T1uMLzYvSP8?si=VfTvV_3WROyLmUR3

Clip 15 - Woody Bogler, Woody Bogler Trucking https://youtu.be/UaTIT9atRss?si=jLv8RhEDWmEKzF75

Timestamp:

00:00 "Trucking Success Starts with Safety"

04:47 "Planning Ahead for Efficiency"

08:15 "Efficient Used Truck Strategy"

10:13 "Truck Driver's Perspective"

14:06 "Tire Tracking for Cost Reduction"

16:57 "Challenges of Understanding Accrual Accounting"

22:12 DIY Truck Maintenance Tips

24:29 Building Trust in Business

27:36 "Working on the Business"

29:53 Family Farms Facing Decline

. . . Check out our companies! BulkLoads - https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Best_of_Trucking_Advice

Insurance - https://www.bulkinsurancegroup.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Best_of_Trucking_Advice

Factoring - https://www.smartfreightfunding.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Best_of_Trucking_Advice

Transportation Management (TMS) - https://www.bulktms.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Best_of_Trucking_Advice

Permitting- https://www.bulkloads.com/tools/permitting/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Best_of_Trucking_Advice

Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn joins Jared for a deep dive into the realities of modern farming, livestock operations, rural policy, and how government programs actually impact producers on the ground. Whether you're a farmer, livestock producer, trucker, ag student, grain hauler, or rural leader, this episode gives you a front-row seat to the conversations shaping agriculture today.

Chris shares her personal story of growing up in Missouri ag, running a diversified family farm, and balancing life between Jefferson City and the home operation. She breaks down federal aid programs, drought relief, weights & measures, livestock transportation rules, and how technology has transformed production agriculture in the last 20 years.

If you want to understand where Missouri agriculture is right now — and where it's headed — this episode is a must-watch.

• The role of the Missouri Department of Agriculture • How federal disaster & bridge payments actually work • Challenges facing today's farmers: land access, financing, regulations, labor • Missouri's diverse ag landscape: cattle, row crops, cotton, peanuts, poultry & more • The future of family farms and generational transition • Technology's impact on modern farming • How MoDOT & Ag collaborate on trucking weight limits and hauling regulations • Livestock transportation, inspections, and state-federal partnerships • How small farms can use "Missouri Grown" for marketing & business growth • The rising age of farmers — and what the next generation needs

✔️ Farmers & ranchers ✔️ Agriculture students (FFA & 4H shout-out!) ✔️ Truckers and bulk haulers serving the ag industry ✔️ Missouri rural advocates & policymakers ✔️ Anyone who wants to understand real-world agriculture

• Missouri Director of Agriculture since 2017 • Lifelong farmer & livestock producer • Operates a diversified hog, cattle, corn, soybean & hay operation • Advocate for rural communities, youth programs, and practical regulatory reform

Missouri Department of Agriculture 👉 https://agriculture.mo.gov

Missouri Grown Program 👉 https://agriculture.mo.gov/mogrown

Timestamp:

00:00 "Balancing Farm Life and Opportunity"

05:29 "Diverse Agriculture Across Regions"

09:11 Supporting Next-Gen Farmers' Access

10:19 "USDA Bridge Payments Explained"

14:29 "Missouri Transportation Collaboration Explained"

18:27 Balancing Controversy in Agriculture

23:00 Evolving Family Farm Legacy

24:36 "Missouri Grown: Supporting Local Farms"

Tickets for 2026 Bulk Freight Conference:

https://www.bulkfreightconference.com/?utm_source=Libsyn&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=MDA

BulkLoads: https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=Libsyn&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=MDA

Smart Freight Funding: https://www.bulkloads.com/tools/quick-pay/?utm_source=Libsyn&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=MDA

Bulk TMS: https://www.bulktms.com/?utm_source=Libsyn&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=MDA

Insurance: https://www.bulkloads.com/tools/insurance/?utm_source=Libsyn&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=MDA

Permitting: https://www.bulkloads.com/tools/permitting/?utm_source=Libsyn&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=MDA