FreightCasts

In this episode, we kick things off by examining the severe financial pressures facing trailer manufacturer Wabash National as Moody's slashes its debt rating for the third time in twelve months, dropping the corporate family rating to B3 on May fifth. The rating agency warns that Wabash's credit metrics will remain at unsustainable levels as trailer shipments have collapsed from over thirteen thousand units quarterly in late 2022 to just over five thousand in Q1 2026, while cash reserves have plummeted from $144.5 million to only $31.9 million.

Next, we shift to the labor market, where April delivered a surprising surge of four thousand three hundred new trucking jobs, marking the largest one-month gain since September 2023. This jump is particularly significant following a twelve-month period where employment declined nine times, and industry experts say it reflects growing confidence driven by nearly six months of steady rate improvement and gradually tightening capacity.

Finally, we unpack the dramatic collapse at Forward Air, where shares plummeted over forty percent after the company disclosed it is losing a major customer representing approximately ten percent of its $2.5 billion in annual revenue. The customer cited risk management and logistics diversification as reasons for the change, and the loss derailed Forward's take-private efforts, forcing management to pivot toward selling its intermodal unit and two smaller legacy businesses to delever the balance sheet.

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In this Friday edition of What the Truck, hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent break down a pivotal week in freight, highlighted by an in-depth discussion with RXO’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jared Weisfeld. Weisfeld details RXO’s recent earnings and the successful integration of Coyote Logistics, describing the current market as a "supply-driven recovery" where regulatory pressures are forcing capacity out despite soft demand. A major focal point of the conversation is RXO's launch of Agentic AI, a technology designed to automate email spot quotes and increase broker productivity by decoupling volume growth from headcount.

The episode also features Kelly Martinez, President of ePost Global, who shares staggering data regarding a 2,400% surge in rerouting activity that has yet to return to baseline levels. Martinez explains how geopolitical tensions and shifting trade policies, particularly new European tariffs, are pushing shippers toward multi-carrier strategies and global drop-shipping to maintain resilience.

In the news bullpen, the hosts cover the sharp 40% drop in Forward Air shares following a failed strategic review and the potential loss of a major customer. They also analyze April’s trucking job gains of 4,300—noting these figures are influenced by former Yellow Corp employees finding new work—and discuss FedEx’s efforts to return MD-11 aircraft to service for short cargo flights. Finally, they highlight the FMCSA’s ongoing crackdown on non-compliant ELDs, with 67 devices removed from the registry since January 2025.

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In this episode of Brake Check, we're coming to you LIVE from day two of the Tenstreet User Conference, and we're tackling the massive elephant in the room: AI. Everybody is talking about it, but what does practical AI actually mean for the industry? Charles Gracey hits the showroom floor to cut through the buzzwords and sit down with the heavy hitters shaping the future of freight and driver recruiting.

First up, Charles is joined by Steve Brown, CRO of Tenstreet, to break down the highly-anticipated "Tenstreet Assistant." We're not talking about replacing the human element—we're talking about removing the mindless data entry and spreadsheet tracking so recruiters can get back to what matters: building real relationships with drivers.

Then, Linnette Torres, Director of Compliance and Recruiting at CPC Logistics, drops in to give us a boots-on-the-ground look at the private fleet sector. Linnette shares CPC's impressive driver benefits, the gritty reality of recruiting in today's unpredictable market, and what it's really like to beta-test these new AI tools.

Finally, Charles catches up with Kevin Hall, CEO of CDLLife. They dig into how data intelligence is mapping out the actual driver journey, the critical difference between passive and active job seekers, and why carrier recruiting budgets are finally starting to open back up as the market shifts.

No fluff. No spin. Just real conversations about:

No pie charts; No PowerPoints; No sanitized narratives. This is real trucking talk with real trucking people... calling out broken systems, asking uncomfortable questions, and demanding accountability where it's long overdue. If you care about the future of trucking, this is a conversation you can't afford to miss.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a major compliance crackdown that has shaken up the electronic logging device market. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration revealed that a staggering 67 devices have been revoked since January 2025, with two more manufacturers just added to the list for failing to meet minimum technical requirements. Carriers currently using these revoked devices face a tight deadline to switch to compliant ELDs or risk being placed out of service after the sixty-day grace period expires on July 7, 2026.

Next, we explore the electric vehicle sector where Tesla's long-awaited Semi has just landed a blockbuster deployment order. Listen in to learn how WattEV ordered 370 Tesla Semi trucks in what will become California's largest single electric truck deployment, with more than 300 units operating under a joint program with the Port of Oakland. To support this massive fleet, WattEV plans to open truck-charging stations equipped with Tesla's Megawatt Charging System chargers that can add 300 miles of range in about thirty minutes.

Finally, we unpack the Southeast's most ambitious infrastructure project as Georgia Ports outlined a nearly $5 billion self-financed investment plan to add five new big ship berths and support a projected 54 percent growth in container throughput. Researchers at Georgia Tech found that routing cargo through Savannah saves shippers more than $1,000 per container when delivering to key inland markets compared to West Coast gateways, cementing the port's dominance as the Southeast's logistics gateway of choice.

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Dr. Zac Rogers comes on to discuss the April LMI and the fastest expansion of the spread between transportation prices and capacity in the index’s history.

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Many small carriers think they have a driver problem.

They don’t.

They have a messaging problem… a positioning problem… and a clarity problem.

In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Elijah Cramer — who built his career inside driver recruiting before moving into tech and working directly with carriers to improve hiring and retention

This conversation breaks down:

If you’re struggling to hire or keep drivers… this one is going to challenge how you think.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a major freight broker navigating a brutally tough first quarter but projecting a significant turnaround ahead. RXO released its earnings Thursday morning, reporting a first-quarter adjusted EBITDA of just six million dollars, down sharply from twenty-two million dollars a year earlier. Despite compressed margins, the company aggressively shifted its strategy by increasing its spot mix to thirty-three percent of volume, helping produce what RXO described as the largest sequential increase in gross profit per load in more than three years. Looking ahead, the broker is forecasting a much stronger second quarter with adjusted EBITDA expected to land between twenty-seven million dollars and thirty-seven million dollars.

Next, we explore the trade sector where billions of dollars in tariff refunds are finally beginning to flow through a newly launched federal portal. U.S. Customs and Border Protection rolled out its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries tool, known as CAPE, on April twentieth within the Automated Commercial Environment portal. The digital platform is processing claims far more efficiently than anticipated, with refunds potentially arriving in early May. However, a massive readiness gap is emerging, as CBP estimates roughly forty-six billion dollars in refunds is currently stalled for importers that have not completed ACH refund authorization or established proper portal access.

Finally, we cover a controversial regulation governing commercial driver's licenses as a federal court denied a request to block the rule for non-domiciled drivers on Tuesday. A three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied a motion seeking to stay enforcement of FMCSA's rule, which became effective March sixteenth and specifies that non-domiciled CDLs are available only to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 visa holders, excluding asylum seekers, asylees, DACA recipients, refugees, and people with temporary protected status. While the stay was denied, the combined cases will move forward with petitioners' briefs due June fifteenth and oral arguments expected in September.

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Welcome to a packed Wednesday edition of What The Truck?!? Hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent are back on the set for a family reunion-style episode featuring industry heavyweights and groundbreaking tech.

First, the "Nostradamus" of freight, Ryan Schreiber (CGO of Metafora), joins the show to tackle a fascinating new trend: the Ozempic effect on logistics. We dive into whether GLP-1 medications are actually making truckloads lighter and how shifting consumer preferences—from "junk food" to whole foods—are fundamentally altering freight volumes and produce seasons.

Then, we welcome back a familiar face, Kaylee Nix, now Head of Communications at Bot Auto. Kaylee breaks down their historic achievement: delivering America’s first fully humanless commercial truckload on a public highway. We get into the nitty-gritty of "Transportation as a Service" and why they consider themselves a trucking company first and a tech company second.

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No studio. No script. No safe answers.

This episode of Brake Check went down LIVE at the Tenstreet User Conference in Las Vegas. Executives from all over freight came together to look at the latest industry trends and what is happening out on the road.

The freight recession might finally be over. But as rates climb and the market shifts to benefit carriers and drivers, the real challenges are just getting started. From drivers getting pushed into unregulated markets to well-intentioned laws making job hunting harder, we talk to the people building the tech and pulling the strings.

We break it all down with:

• Kevin Nadeau & Tom Resz (Tenstreet)The shifting market, the Job Store, and driver retention.

• Scott Fierman (HireRight)The DAC employment history file and building a better partnership with drivers.

• Meghan Gleason (⁠TruckersReport.com⁠) Job board traffic, the Hammer app, and finding the right fit.

• Carlo Solórzano (Driver IQ) – The Don't Get Played podcast and AI streamlining the industry.

This is what happens when you get everyone in the same room to talk about what's actually working—and what's broken.

Welcome to Brake Check.

Real trucking talk for real trucking people.

No fluff. No spin. Just the truth.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a critical early bellwether for the logistics sector as GXO Logistics posts double-digit revenue growth in the first quarter, easily topping Wall Street expectations. The Greenwich-based contract logistics giant reported revenue of three point three billion dollars, up nearly eleven percent year over year, while swinging back to profitability with five million dollars in net income compared to a ninety-five million dollar loss a year earlier. CEO Patrick Kelleher highlighted record commercial pipeline momentum and the company's aggressive push into AI, automation and robotics to drive efficiency across strategic growth sectors.

Next, we head to the mid-Atlantic port sector where Tradepoint Atlantic and MSC break ground on a massive Baltimore container terminal that developers hope will fundamentally reshape intermodal shipping in the region. The partners plan to invest one point two billion dollars to build the one hundred sixty-eight-acre Sparrows Point Container Terminal on the site of a former Bethlehem Steel mill, creating annual capacity of more than one million containers with berthing for two ultra-large vessels and seven ship-to-shore cranes. The terminal's first berth is scheduled for completion by two thousand twenty-eight, with full build-out targeted for two thousand thirty.

Finally, we explore the geopolitical battle brewing over strategic canal infrastructure as Panama's bidding process for seized container terminals appears stacked against U.S. companies, according to a source familiar with the matter. After Panama's Supreme Court invalidated Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's concessions to run terminals at Balboa and Cristobal—key transshipment hubs connecting Asia-Americas trade routes—the government seized control and assigned temporary operating rights to APM Terminals while preparing a new concessions process. Despite President Trump's stated intentions for significant U.S. presence at the canal, American companies like SSA Marine and Ports America are not expected to score well under Panama's evaluation criteria.

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