Industry Insights with Route Consultant

Happy Veterans Day. The uniform comes off after two decades of service, but the drive, the standards, and the need for a mission don’t.

On this episode of Industry Insights, Navy veterans Gary and Morgan, who each served more than 20 years, share what came next. Gary founded the Mandatum Foundation to help special operations veterans try on careers before committing to them. Morgan went from tinkering in his garage to building Precisian Medical Instruments, which landed global distribution and is paying its whole team in year one. They talk about leaving a steady paycheck, why so many veterans choose entrepreneurship, and how accountability and execution carry into civilian life.

Whether you’re counting down to retirement, just hung up the uniform, or want to support the veterans around you, the next mission is out there, and you’re more ready for it than you think.

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Army aviators Bryan Deuel, CEO and founder of Phoenix Aviation Solutions, and Matt Chancey, a retired chief warrant officer who now flies with Phoenix, explain why veterans bring unmatched resilience, adaptability, and mission focus to the private sector, and what it takes to make the transition after service.

They share their very different paths into Special Operations Aviation, from enlisting at 17 to losing 100 pounds to get in, and how a “don’t quit today, quit tomorrow” mindset shapes the way they lead and plan today. Drawing on decades of combined service, they cover what employers should know about hiring veterans, the culture gaps that can slow a transition, the sacrifices military families make, and practical advice for anyone leaving the military or starting a business of their own.

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In honor of Veterans Day coming up, Josh Gregory sits down with Alex Frum of Alpha Kilo Logistics to talk about what military service brings to contracting. Alex is a West Point graduate, former armor officer and former Wall Street trader. He now runs FedEx Linehaul operations across Memphis, Olive Branch, northern Kentucky, Nashville and Huntsville.

Alex explains the Army leadership principle he still runs his business on: task, conditions, standards. He covers why delegating to his managers matters more than knowing every detail, how he evaluates risk, and how he combined military leadership with Wall Street financial discipline once he started running his own company.

He also talks about the realities of hiring veterans as drivers, including the DD 214 verification problem he’s been pushing Congress to fix. He gives practical advice for enlisted soldiers and officers who are looking at a future in trucking or route ownership, and he talks about the “glorify being miserable” mindset that veterans may need to unlearn.

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In this episode of Industry Insights LIVE, host Josh Gregory from Route Consultant is joined by guest Amy Byers of Slicker Trucking for a final check-in before peak season 2026. Amy shares her takeaways from the FedEx Summit, including linehaul growth, large package pilot programs, and improving safety and service scores, then explains how Express rolling into nearly every terminal is changing the way her team plans routes and forecasts volume.

They discuss cost-saving moves like switching scanner data plans, fleet health checks, renting versus buying trucks, when to start hiring for peak, and how to calculate the staffing you actually need. Amy also breaks down how Slicker builds bulk routes to protect driver morale, her three keys to running a calm terminal, and what proximity really means under your contract.

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As a route business grows, payroll stops being a button you press and becomes one of the biggest back-office challenges you face. In this episode of Industry Insights, Josh Gregory sits down with Chris Roig, who leads the Sales Engineering and Solution Consulting team at Netchex, to unpack what route owners often miss about payroll, compliance, and the people side of scaling.

Chris explains why route-based pay (hourly rates, stop bonuses, mileage) gets complicated fast, what records FedEx, Amazon, and government agencies expect you to produce on demand, and the warning signs that your current process won’t scale. They also cover worker classification, early wage access and other financial wellness tools that help with driver retention, and how faster hiring and paperless onboarding keep good candidates from slipping away.

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Recorded live at the 2026 Route Consultant Expo, Dave and Amy Byers of Slicker Trucking explain why the FedEx Ground P&D space remains a strong opportunity for new and current contractors despite online negativity and day-to-day business pressures. 

They frame P&D as a proven entrepreneurship model with predictable weekly pay, no traditional marketing or accounts receivable, and the opportunity for quick scalability across routes and terminals. Drawing on their 20+ years of experience and expansion into linehaul, they share how network initiatives, 2.0, and future technology shifts strengthen contractor stability.

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Recorded live at the 2026 Route Consultant Expo, this special episode of Industry Insights features Amy Byers, COO of Slicker Trucking, sharing practical guidance on negotiating and renegotiating FedEx P&D contracts. 

Amy explains when to initiate renegotiation, why being in good standing matters, and how to build a credible case using FedEx’s key metric, stops per resource, rather than focusing on hours. She highlights common misconceptions around MEDALs comparisons, unique characteristics timing, and contract offers. Amy also introduces a calculator tool to compare current settlements, PCAT terms, and MISO offers to understand contract deltas and support data-driven conversations with negotiators.

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In this episode of Industry Insights LIVE, we’re joined by Alex Frum, owner of Alpha Kilo Logistics, to discuss how FedEx linehaul contractors should prepare for peak season.

They explain the typical peak timeframe, how linehaul differs from P&D in required volume, and why communication with FedEx and disciplined planning matter. Alex shares how he evaluates flex-ups, temp runs, and Schedule J, plus how peak threshold points work and how he allocates points for future bidding. 

They cover hiring and onboarding seasonal drivers, motivation and bonus structures, equipment readiness, hours-of-service constraints, route selection based on weather risk, and financial considerations around rentals, new vs. used tractors, warranties, and fuel efficiency.

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Recorded live at the 2026 Route Consultant Expo, this special Industry Insights episode features Alex Frum, owner of Alpha Kilo Logistics, on scaling a FedEx linehaul business from operator to true business owner. Alex outlines the core pillars for sustainable growth, safety, financial discipline, service, and availability, emphasizing that safety and compliance can make or break a contractor. 

He explains why understanding cash flow and managing the business in cents per mile matters, how to think about payroll targets, and how to pursue growth through both organic opportunities and acquisitions. Alex also shares how company culture, driver retention, preventative maintenance, recruiting, and contract knowledge help protect margins and build a dependable operation that can expand over time.

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Recorded live at the 2026 Route Consultant Expo, this special episode of Industry Insights features Butch Butler hosting a FedEx-focused Q&A with experienced linehaul contractors Steve Crawford, Randy Kurek, Alex Frum, and Jen Parrish. The panel shares practical guidance on building profitability through unassigned rotations, earning points toward dedicated routes, and the operational habits that keep contractors competitive. 

They discuss what strong infrastructure can look like as fleets grow, how to approach expanding from P&D into linehaul, and what newcomers should consider when buying versus starting organically. The conversation also touches on recruiting and retention realities for CDL drivers, key safety and documentation expectations during incidents, and how operating across states and adhering to contract language can impact long-term success.

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