Haul Talk w/ Malcolm Smith

Your drivers might not be the problem. Your leadership might be.

You can own the trucks, book the loads, and outwork everybody in the industry—but if you can't lead people, how far can your business really grow?

On Episode 8 of Haul Talk host Malcolm Smith sits down with Dr. Vernard Jenkins, executive operations leader, Air Force veteran, entrepreneur, and leadership coach, to expose the leadership mistakes holding trucking businesses back.

In this episode:
- Why hard-nosed leadership could be driving your best employees away
- The soft skills most trucking owners overlook
- How to build loyalty when your drivers work at different job sites
- How to spot red flags before hiring the wrong driver
- When to coach an employee—and when to let them go
- How to lead your team through financial struggles
- Why becoming a better leader starts with confronting yourself

💡 **The biggest takeaway?** You can't build a stronger company without becoming a stronger leader.

Whether you're running one dump truck or managing an entire fleet, this conversation could change the way you lead, hire, and grow.

HAUL TALK | EPISODE 8

Hosted by Malcolm Smith | Featuring Dr. Vernard Jenkins

Your trucks are moving. But is your business actually making money?

In Episode 7 of Haul Talk, Malcolm Smith sits down with Mike Van Sickle, CEO and co-founder of Iron Sheepdog, to break down the hidden costs of paper tickets, empty miles, slow payments, and dispatching chaos.

Mike shares how one job used performance data to help haulers earn $20 MORE per hour while lowering the contractor’s costs.

In this episode:
• Why a busy dump truck doesn’t guarantee a profitable business
• How digital tickets reduce paperwork and simplify invoicing
• What “work today, get paid tomorrow” involves, including approvals and early withdrawal fees
• How owner-operators can grow through a broker network
• Where AI could take dump truck dispatching next

Whether you own one truck or manage a fleet, this conversation challenges you to look beyond how much you haul and start asking how much you actually keep.

What’s costing your business the most: paperwork, downtime, or waiting to get paid? Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe to Haul Talk for honest conversations about the work, the money, and the future of dump trucking.

#DumpTrucking #HaulTalk #OwnerOperator

Is the dump truck industry approaching its next gold rush?

Freight-market analyst Thomas Wasson joins Malcolm Smith on Haul Talk to explain why tightening capacity, stronger rates, infrastructure investment, and explosive data-center construction could create major opportunities for dump truck haulers over the next three to five years.

But opportunity alone doesn’t guarantee profit.

Thomas reveals why operators must understand their true costs, stop accepting underpriced work, maintain strong safety records, and use better data before expanding their fleets. He also explores rising insurance costs, nuclear verdicts, regulatory pressure, electric dump trucks, telematics, preventative maintenance, and practical ways small carriers can use AI to automate time-consuming back-office work.

Whether you operate one truck or an entire fleet, this episode offers a clear look at where demand may be heading—and what you must do now to compete for better-paying projects without growing yourself out of business.

The boom may be coming. The question is: will your business be ready?

Why Do 90% Fail in Trucking?

According to Nicole Ward, the answer is simple: too many trucking professionals wake up every day depending on the load board—competing for leftover freight instead of building the relationships, contracts, and diversified opportunities required to survive.

In this unfiltered conversation, host Malcolm Smith sits down with the President and Co-Founder of the African American Women Trucking Association to reveal why hardworking drivers and owner-operators still fail—and what successful haulers do differently.

They break down:

• The dangerous reality of relying entirely on load boards
• Why relationships drive the trucking business
• How to pursue dedicated lanes and direct contracts
• The importance of understanding procurement
• Why carriers must diversify their revenue
• How associations help small operators compete for bigger opportunities
• The roles of education, mentorship, insurance, and driver retention
• How women can help build trucking’s next generation

Owning a truck doesn’t automatically make you a successful trucking business. If you don’t understand contracts, relationships, cash flow, and opportunity, the road can end faster than you expect.

Before you buy another truck—or book another load—listen to this episode.

It could reveal exactly why 90% fail…and how you can avoid becoming one of them.

Stop Hauling Cheap Loads

If your dump truck is moving all day but the money still isn’t adding up, this episode is for you.

On this episode of Haul Talk with Malcolm Smith, Malcolm sits down with Jared Flinn of BulkLoads.com to talk about one of the biggest challenges in dump trucking: finding the right loads, getting paid enough for them, and making sure every truck is actually profitable.

They break down how dump truck owners can find better-paying loads, reduce deadhead, build direct customer relationships, and create repeat business instead of constantly chasing the next job.

Jared explains why company owners need to know exactly what it costs to run each truck every day — fuel, insurance, equipment, labor, maintenance, and everything in between — before deciding whether a load is actually worth taking.

They also get into:

• How to tell if a load is actually profitable
• Why staying busy doesn’t always mean making money
• How cheap loads can destroy your margins
• How to reduce deadhead and find better reload opportunities
• Why direct customers can be more valuable than one-off jobs
• How dump truck owners can diversify when construction slows down
• Opportunities in aggregates, salt, fertilizer, grain, and other bulk commodities
• How load boards can help dump truck companies find new work
• Why knowing your true daily operating cost is critical
• What a healthy trucking profit margin can look like
• How to research new hauling opportunities before buying more equipment
• Why some dump trucking companies grow while others stay stuck

Jared also talks about the bigger picture: the companies that win long term aren’t just looking for another load. They’re building relationships, understanding their numbers, finding multiple sources of work, and making smarter decisions about where their trucks run.

For dump truck drivers and company owners, the message is simple:

Don’t just keep the truck moving. Make sure the load is worth hauling.

If you’re trying to grow your dump trucking company, improve margins, find better customers, or stop running hard for thin profits, this is an episode you need to hear.

Stop hauling cheap loads. Start building a more profitable dump trucking business.

What happens when a construction company grows from two people in a basement to nearly $150 million a year — then builds technology to solve one of dump trucking’s biggest problems?

In this episode of Haul Talk, Malcolm Smith sits down with Andrew Lindsay, Founder & CEO of TruckIT, for a deep conversation about money, technology, risk, and where the hauling industry is headed.

Andrew shares how a single $30,000 paper-ticket problem helped spark the idea behind TruckIT — and why outdated ticketing, slow invoicing, and delayed payments can put serious pressure on dump truck companies.

They break down how digital ticketing and better technology can help haulers:
• Invoice faster
• Reduce ticketing errors
• Improve cash flow
• Streamline dispatch
• Verify loads more accurately
• Get paid sooner

They also explore one of the biggest opportunities in construction right now: the massive infrastructure and data-center buildout happening across the country.

Andrew describes parts of today’s construction market as a “gold rush” — and explains why dependable hauling companies can gain serious pricing power when demand is high and they consistently deliver.

In this episode:

• Why cash flow can make or break a hauling company
• How Net 30 and Net 60 payment terms impact operators
• Why reliable haulers have more negotiating leverage
• The liability risks involving brokers and sub-haulers
• Why insurance verification matters
• How technology is transforming dispatch and ticketing
• Where AI and automation could take construction next
• Why dump truck drivers are essential to billion-dollar infrastructure projects

If you own trucks, dispatch trucks, broker hauling, work in construction, or want to understand where the dump trucking industry is headed, this conversation is for you.

Haul Talk is part of the National Dump Trucking Association’s mission to deliver real-time industry intelligence and education to the dump truck community.

We break down:
• What’s happening right now in dump trucking
• Where work is tightening or opening up
• Compliance, insurance, and access challenges
• How haulers can position themselves for better, steadier work

The NDTA exists to protect, position, and connect dump truck owners nationwide.

Get access to verified hauling intel, compliance readiness, and real opportunities:
👉 https://HaulerConnect.org

Join the National Dump Trucking Association:
👉 https://TheNDTA.org

This channel is built for:
• Dump truck owner-operators
• Small fleet owners
• Contractors looking for qualified haulers
• Anyone serious about building a stronger, more profitable hauling business

Subscribe for weekly industry intel, education, and conversations built to inform, entertain, and elevate the dump truck community.

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Charles Gracey joins Haul Talk with Malcolm Smith to challenge the trucking industry’s driver shortage narrative and explore the real problems behind driver recruiting and retention.

They discuss why fleets struggle to attract qualified CDL drivers, what today’s drivers expect from employers, and how trucking companies can improve recruiting, retention, and workforce development.

Is trucking facing a driver shortage—or a recruiting problem?

In the premiere episode of Haul Talk with Malcolm Smith, Malcolm sits down with Jeremy Bell, President of Dirt Rocks, to discuss what it really takes to succeed in today's dump trucking industry.
From billion-dollar infrastructure projects to hauling strategy, compliance, technology, aggregates, and market trends, Jeremy shares an inside look at how major construction projects source materials, select qualified haulers, and what separates successful dump truck companies from everyone else.

Whether you're an owner-operator, fleet owner, contractor, or just getting started in dump trucking, this episode is packed with practical insights that can help you position your business for long-term success.

In this episode we discuss:

How major construction projects hire dump truck haulers
Where the biggest opportunities in dump trucking are today
Infrastructure spending, energy projects, LNG facilities, and data centers
Rail vs. dump trucks and how they work together
What contractors look for when selecting haulers
Compliance, insurance, COIs, and carrier qualifications
Technology transforming the dump trucking industry
Building relationships that lead to repeat business
Why dependability and professionalism matter more than ever
The future of dump trucking and construction logistics
This episode is part of NDTA's real-time dump trucking intelligence and education, helping owner-operators and fleet owners stay informed and competitive in a rapidly changing market.
The National Dump Trucking Association exists to:
Protect dump truck businesses
Position members for growth
Connect qualified haulers with real opportunities

Get access to verified hauling opportunities, compliance resources, and industry intelligence:

👉 https://HaulerConnect.org

Join the National Dump Trucking Association:

👉 https://TheNDTA.org

Haul Talk is for:

Dump truck owner-operators
Small and growing fleet owners
Independent haulers
Construction contractors
Aggregate suppliers
Anyone serious about building a successful dump trucking business
If you found this episode valuable, Like, Subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss new interviews, weekly industry updates, market intelligence, and business strategies from leaders across the dump trucking industry.

Connect with NDTA

🌐 https://TheNDTA.org
🌐 https://HaulerConnect.org

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