FreightCasts

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a high-stakes legal showdown as New York Attorney General Letitia James files a lawsuit against the Department of Transportation to block the withholding of approximately $73 million in federal highway funding from the state. The federal government claims New York improperly issued commercial driver's licenses to non-domiciled individuals and is demanding revocation, while Governor Kathy Hochul pushes back hard, calling the action political payback.

Next, we explore a major acquisition in the logistics technology sector as Descartes Systems Group announced it has acquired Pittsburgh-based fleet safety solutions provider Idelic for $28 million in cash. Idelic's AI-powered platform brings a massive dataset to the table, including over 40 billion miles of driving data and more than 400,000 accident reports, designed to predict driver risk and optimize safety training interventions across fleets.

Finally, we cover a strategic expansion in freight infrastructure leadership as the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors voted to add GATX Corporation's Wes Lujan to its board of directors for a three-year term. Lujan, vice president of Government and Industry Affairs for the railcar and locomotive lessor, will bring critical private-sector perspective as the coalition guides federal investment and policy decisions during the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization debates in Congress.

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In this fireside chat, Charles Gracey and CEO Marcia Taylor discuss Bennett Family Company’s journey from a 15-truck fleet with $500 to a global powerhouse. Marcia credits their success to a foundation of faith and the dedication of three generations of family. Growth was driven by niche specialization and listening to customers, such as expanding into the crane business to meet specific needs. Marcia advises small fleets to strictly know their costs and prioritize financial stability over aesthetics like "chrome," which doesn't pay the bills. She distinguishes building a "business" from just having a "job" through purpose and culture. Despite challenges like litigation and tight margins, Marcia remains bullish on the industry’s future

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It’s a Friday edition of What the Truck, and host Malcolm Harris is riding “solo dolo” to break down a massive week in freight, from the 2026 NFL draft excitement to the front lines of cargo security.

The Battle Against Freight Fraud: Dale Prax, Strategic Fraud Advisor at Truckstop and founder of FreightValidate, joins the studio to discuss a landmark shift in industry collaboration. Five months after Dale called for vetting platforms to stop operating in silos, he’s heading to the USDOT headquarters to meet with FMCSA leadership

Inventory Agility for SMBs: Barry Kukkuk, CTO and co-founder of Netstock, breaks down why small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are the backbone of the economy, yet often struggle with “dusty boxes”—having too much of what doesn’t sell and too little of what does.

The First National Portable Cold Storage Platform: James Armstrong, SVP of Emerging Business at Seacube Container Leasing, discusses their recent acquisition of Martin Container.

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Billie Tomic draws on her consulting background to help owner-operators and small carriers get a handle on the business side of things. From financial planning and compliance to building systems that actually hold up as you grow, she covers what they don't teach you in the cab.

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Most small carriers believe they’re compliant.

Until they’re not.

And by the time they find out… it’s already too late.

In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Brandon Wiseman of Trucksafe & Childress Law, a legal expert with nearly 20 years of experience in DOT safety, compliance, and accident exposure.

This isn’t a surface-level compliance conversation.

This is about what actually happens when things go wrong.We break down:

If you’re running trucks and treating compliance like a checklist, this episode may change how you look at your entire operation.

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Join FreightWaves’ John Kingston for an exclusive fireside chat with David Owen, President of the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC). In this engaging session, Owen pulls back the curtain on the state of the long-haul trucking industry, sharing exactly how the most resilient small carriers are surviving—and thriving—in a volatile economy.

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In today's episode, we discuss the recent surge of financial closures hitting small carriers and brokers across the country. Listen in to learn why Illinois has become a major hotspot for these trucking liquidations, driven by tight margins and elevated operating costs.

We also explore a concerning new cargo security threat that involves criminal networks infiltrating legitimate carriers rather than setting up fake companies. This elaborate scheme allows thieves to pass normal hiring checks and slowly gain access to high-value loads before orchestrating a routine-looking theft.

Finally, we cover the latest developments in autonomous trucking as a major technology developer cancels its plans to go public via a SPAC merger. Despite the deal falling apart due to market conditions, the company continues to project strong revenue and retains the backing of its high-profile investors.

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Ingrid Brown brings a unique perspective to the table as both a driver and an operations manager. She'll talk about what drivers actually need, what gets in their way, and how that firsthand experience leads to smarter decisions on the operations side.

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In this exclusive fireside chat, FreightWaves analyst Thomas Wasson sits down with OOIDA President Todd Spencer to confront the most pressing, and often controversial, legislative issues facing owner-operators today. Is the trucking industry truly suffering from a "driver shortage," or is the real crisis rooted in a broken training pipeline that prioritizes cheap labor over highway safety? Spencer sounds off on the controversial rise of "fly-by-night" CDL schools , the alarming safety impacts of selective English-language proficiency enforcement by authorities, and the urgent push for Delilah's Law to regulate non-domiciled drivers.

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Jason Schaftlein talks about how McLeod Express has built a reputation for reliability and driver loyalty. He'll share the leadership decisions, operational habits, and people-first mindset that separate thriving small carriers from those just getting by.

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