FreightCasts

The domestic freight market continues to rip despite looming concerns around the economic fallout of the Iranian conflict. Dr. Zac Rogers joins the show to discuss the latest LMI reading.   

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Everyone keeps saying trucking is recovering.

So why are carriers still closing their doors?

Why are drivers still frustrated?

Why do brokers think the sky is falling?

And why does it feel like the people making money in freight are playing a completely different game than everyone else?

On this episode of Brake Check, we're cutting through the noise and exposing what's really happening inside trucking in 2026.

Michael Kroul, CEO of KTI, joins us to discuss freight markets, brokerage, shipper expectations, carrier relationships, technology, automation, and whether brokers will even exist in the next decade.

Julie Bernard of New Legend Inc. joins us to talk driver recruiting, retention, onboarding, company culture, new equipment, and what drivers are actually looking for in today's market.

We tackle:

 The real state of the freight market

 Why some companies are growing while others are disappearing

 The future of freight brokers and 3PLs

 Driver recruiting myths that need to die

 Why retention matters more than recruiting

 New trucks, technology, and the battle for driver talent

 What trucking may look like over the next 5 years

The freight market is changing.

The winners are adapting.

The losers are making excuses.

The question is simple:

Which one are you?

Sound off in the comments:

Who's under the most pressure right now .... Drivers, Carriers, or Brokers?

And if you're in trucking, logistics, freight, supply chain, or transportation...

Subscribe now because nobody is having these conversations like we are.

#Trucking #Freight #Logistics #TruckDriver #OwnerOperator #FreightBroker #SupplyChain #Transportation #CDL #FreightWaves #BrakeCheck

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In this episode, we kick things off with a grim warning from Wall Street about one of the industry's more specialized logistics players. S&P Global Ratings has slashed Odyssey Logistics' debt rating to CCC+ and warned of a possible default in 2027. The third-party logistics provider faces $125 million in revolving credit maturing in July 2027 and a massive $490 million term loan due that October, with S&P projecting the company will exhaust all available liquidity as utilization climbs to approximately $42 million by mid-2027.

Next, we discuss a major legal victory for the e-commerce giant in a case that could have fundamentally reshaped its delivery network. A National Labor Relations Board judge has approved a settlement ending the process that could have declared Amazon a joint employer with its Direct Service Providers. The original complaint centered on Amazon's relationship with Battle Tested Strategies, a DSP operating out of the DAX8 facility in Palmdale, California, believed to be the only DSP where workers voted for Teamsters representation. Under the settlement, which includes a nonadmission clause specifically disclaiming Amazon's joint employer status, workers at BTS are entitled to two weeks' pay.

Finally, we explore increasingly positive signals from a major bellwether for the less-than-truckload sector as Old Dominion Freight Line reported a 12.3% year-over-year revenue increase per day during May, significantly outpacing its previously reported 7.6% revenue increase in April. May tonnage declined just 3.8% year-over-year, a notable improvement from April's 6.1% decline, while yield increased approximately 16% during the month. The improving metrics are being bolstered by a broader industrial recovery, with the Purchasing Managers' Index registering a 54 reading for May, the highest in four years.

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Host Malcolm Harris rides "solo dolo" for a jam-packed Wednesday edition of What the Truck, touted as the fastest 45 minutes in freight. The episode covers breaking logistics headlines and features two insightful interviews focused on the future of freight technology, automation, and the operational realities of electric trucking.
• Global X Airlines Dispute: A look into an unusual internal battle where the airline has accused a shareholder of actively working against its growing cargo operations.
• CDL Updates in Texas and Ohio:
Texas has resumed issuing non-domiciled Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDLs) to temporary H-2A agricultural farmworkers following federal approval.
Ohio is reviewing roughly 5,000 nonresidential CDLs to ensure compliance with strict new federal standards and verification practices.

Travis Rhyan joins Malcolm in-studio to share lessons from his extensive background in FreightTech and discuss why he left his executive role at MyCarrier to build Carrier1 from scratch. Travis explains that carriers have historically been underserved by technology, noting that a shocking percentage still rely on outdated legacy systems (like IBM mainframes from 1995) or no TMS at all. His mission is to bring automation to carriers to ultimately eliminate the chaotic web of emails and phone calls for brokers.

Joining the show from Berlin, Germany, Manhattan-native Graham Major-Ex explains how Sennder has become a top-five full-truckload freight forwarder in Europe (generating $1 billion in revenue) through strategic acquisitions like Uber Freight Europe and C.H. Robinson's European surface transport division.

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In this episode, we kick things off with a major private equity play in the intermodal freight space. Open Road Ventures announced it has acquired Double-Stack Logistics, an intermodal freight broker with direct rail relationships and a fleet of over 150 containers. The company specializes in converting freight that typically moves over the road into intermodal shipments, and the backing will allow Double-Stack to expand its service offering and North American footprint.

Next, we explore a massive break for drivers hauling fertilizer as FMCSA grants hours-of-service waivers across 34 states to ease a critical squeeze on fertilizer supplies. Running from May 26 through August 26, the waiver allows drivers to operate for sixteen hours in a twenty-four-hour period—far beyond the standard eleven-hour limit—and eliminates the electronic logging device requirement, giving farmers the narrow window they need to get fertilizer applied during spring planting season.

Finally, we unpack a bitter legal battle in the air cargo charter market where GlobalX Airlines is suing Ascent Global Logistics for $30 million, alleging the former investment partner steered charter work to its own subsidiary. According to the complaint, Ascent assigned hundreds of charters per month worth up to $15 million to USA Jet Airlines while only referring about $1 million in flights to GlobalX over three years, a stark breach of their exclusive freight brokerage agreement.

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Today on Brake Check, we're tackling the two biggest threats facing trucking in 2026.

First, Matt Roherty from CarrierForge breaks down what it really takes to go from company driver to business owner. From MC authority and compliance headaches to startup costs, profitability, and avoiding the mistakes that kill most new carriers in their first year, this is the roadmap every aspiring owner-operator needs to hear.

Then Scott Cornell from Logistiq Insurance Solutions joins the show to expose the cargo theft epidemic sweeping through freight. Fictitious pickups. Identity fraud. Double brokering. Coverage gaps. Cyber-enabled theft. The threats have evolved—and many carriers and brokers don't realize how exposed they really are until it's too late.

If you're thinking about getting your own authority, running a small fleet, brokering freight, or protecting the business you've built, this episode is required listening.

#Trucking #OwnerOperator #CargoTheft #FreightFraud #TruckingBusiness #BrakeCheck #Freight #Logistics #TruckingIndustry

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In this episode, we kick things off with a major legal victory for shippers facing liability exposure in Texas. Just one day after Alabama's Supreme Court expanded broker liability in safety incidents, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Home Depot cannot be held liable for a fatal crash involving Werner Enterprises. The court determined that simply hiring an independent contractor to haul freight does not create tort liability for the shipper, effectively blocking sweeping safety claims untethered from control or conduct.

Next, we explore a blockbuster consolidation reshaping how small and midsize businesses access freight capacity. Dallas-based WWEX Group and shipping software provider Auctane have completed their merger to create ShipStation Global, a new logistics powerhouse serving over three million customers. Backed by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, the combined entity handles over three billion shipments annually and connects parcel, LTL, truckload and international services through a single technology platform.

Finally, we head across the Atlantic to examine how FedEx is investing heavily in European ground infrastructure to support its premium air cargo ambitions. The express giant is pouring fifty-four million dollars into expanding a major trucking hub in the Netherlands, increasing palletized freight capacity by over fifty percent. This strategic expansion supports FedEx's truck-fly-truck delivery model and its aggressive push to capture a larger share of the ninety billion dollar deferred air cargo market.

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Welcome to a Monday edition of What the Truck! Hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael “The Dude” Vincent are kicking off the month with an action-packed show breaking down the biggest headlines in freight including The massive border disruption as 3,200 truckers lose their US visas over cabotage violations, and CH Robinson purging carriers over safety scores, the reality of AI in fleet tech, and upcoming supply chain events you don’t want to miss.

Joe Feeney, President of the Chattanooga Supply Chain Association (& Taimen Transport), hits the studio to talk about leading the local logistics community, playing ice hockey for the UT Ice Vols, and their upcoming annual Golf Tournament on June 26th!

Charles Kriete, CEO of Zonar, joins the show to separate AI hype from reality. Learn how fleets are using video telematics for risk mitigation, pushing AI to the edge in truck cabs, and why technological shifts historically create more jobs (Jevons Paradox).

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