During this episode of the podcast, Darius Uible takes us behind the scenes with Team UPS. A finalist to serve as an America’s Road Team Captain for 2026-27 and a veteran driver for UPS, Darius has become a fixture at the NTDC in recent years with his video work. Darius, an accomplished videographer who is a regular competitor at the State TDC in Kentucky, was asked by UPS a few years ago to photograph and video the efforts of the members of Team UPS as they compete at the Nationals.

As you will hear, Darius tells PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson how his NTDC video gig came together and what it means to him to be able to record company history while also sharing in the experience of his UPS teammates as they compete at the Nationals. During this episode, you will hear the feature interview that Darius conducted with UPS teammate Jeff Reed, reflecting on earning Rookie of the Year honors at NTDC 2026 while competing in the Twins Division.

In the closing section of the podcast, Greg talks with Darius about his experience this January going to Washington DC as a finalist this January to be a Captain for America’s Road Team. Darius also offers a window into the early preparation by Team UPS for the upcoming State TDC Season. You’ll hear Greg ask Darius about his thoughts on breaking through to become a State Champion in Kentucky this May and qualifying for NTDC 2026 in Pittsburgh.

OUR FRIEND OF THE PODCAST SPONSOR: Founded in 2007, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund is the only nationwide nonprofit that provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers suffering from an illness or injury that took them out of work within the last 365 days. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund also provides several free prevention health and wellness programs for OTR drivers in an effort to keep them on the road, including nicotine and smoking cessation, diabetes prevention, chronic disease management, at-home cancer screenings, and vaccine vouchers. To learn more about the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and all of the offerings available from SCF, including how you can support their important work to help professional drivers and their families, visit TruckersFund.org.

The post Spotlighting Darius Uible, Road Team Finalist and Man Behind The Camera For UPS  appeared first on PodWheels.

For our February episode of the podcast, we meet McCall Meany, who was recently invited to join the all-volunteer Board of Directors for the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund. SCF Highway To Hope Podcast Host Lindsey Bryan introduces our audience to McCall with a feature interview. As you will hear, McCall shares her background as the Marketing Manager at AMBEST, her journey into the marketing field that introduced her to trucking and the importance of storytelling in creating meaningful connections with  professional drivers.

McCall also discusses what inspired her to join the SCF board, her excitement about making a positive impact on the driver community and her vision for engaging a new generation of drivers through innovative marketing strategies. The conversation with Lindsey concludes with McCall sharing personal inspirations while emphasizing the importance of community and support for drivers.

This episode of the Highway To Hope closes by paying tribute to Dr. John McElligott, the physician and Vietnam-era Navy veteran who co-founded the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, serving as a true advocate for professional drivers and their families. Dr. John passed away on Feb. 15 at the age of 80, and our podcast shares a portion of the interview he did with us in July of 2022. To hear the full July 2022 episode featuring Dr. John and fellow SCF co-founder Dave Nemo, please click here. To learn more about SCF and you can support their important mission, please visit TruckersFund.org.

The post Getting To Know McCall Meany, The New Addition to SCF’s Board appeared first on PodWheels.

Grawe Group Founder & CEO Doug Grawe takes a look inside four topics that have come up quite often in the first weeks of 2026 during conversations with clients and professionals within the trucking and logistics industries. As you’ll hear, Doug opens the podcast by discussing the latest happenings related to broker liability. He notes an upcoming Supreme Court ruling that is expected to address whether or not brokers should be held liable or should face the potential for liability in motor vehicle accidents.

The second topic covered by Doug in this episode offers an update on the recent news that the Independent Contractor Rule from the U.S. Department of Labor could be on its way to the Office of Management and Budget, which means that we should expect the U.S. Department of Labor to issue its proposed rule for what it means to be an independent contractor.

The evolving role of AI and the considerations for trucking and logistics decision-makers around the implementation of TMS and HRIS infrastructure serves as the third topic covered in the episode. Doug closes the podcast by touching on considerations related to mergers and acquisitions in today’s market, noting key points for those “kicking the tires” on either buying or selling. To learn more about the Grawe Group, visit the firm’s website, TheGraweGroup.com.

The post Insights On Navigating Four Key Trucking and Logistics Issues In 2026 appeared first on PodWheels.

This episode of the series is highlighted by our feature interview with Heath Arnold, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for NTDC 2026. Heath joins the podcast about 26 minutes into the episode, providing us an update on the onsite visit that the NTDC Organizing Committee made earlier this month to Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Heath talks to us about the meticulous planning and hundreds of details that must be covered in preparation for this August and NTDC 2026. For instance, the committee measures the distance between the bullpens and the driving course as part of working to keep things running in a timely fashion during NTDC week. Heath also shares with us how the Organizing Committee works with the feedback they received from participants and attendees at NTDC 2025. It’s all part of the work that goes into seeking to enhance the experience for those who are a part of NTDC 2026. During the course of the interview, Heath breaks some news for us, noting that both the driving course and pre-trip segments of the competition in Pittsburgh will each have a new sub-committee chairman this year.

During this episode, PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson also talks with Eugene Mulero about his first blog post for 2026 in the RoadToNTDC.com section of the PodWheels website. Eugene will be sharing some notes and the inspiration behind his column that he is calling At The Top.

OUR FRIEND OF THE PODCAST SPONSOR: Founded in 2007, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund is the only nationwide nonprofit that provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers suffering from an illness or injury that took them out of work within the last 365 days. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund also provides several free prevention health and wellness programs for OTR drivers in an effort to keep them on the road, including nicotine and smoking cessation, diabetes prevention, chronic disease management, at-home cancer screenings, and vaccine vouchers. To learn more about the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and all of the offerings available from SCF, including how you can support their important work to help professional drivers and their families, visit TruckersFund.org.

The post NTDC 2026 Committee Chairman Heath Arnold Excited About Road To Pittsburgh appeared first on PodWheels.

Recorded shortly after the conclusion of the CTA’s Annual Membership Conference, Tim Pollock sat down to talk with Inside The Cab about what he sees on the horizon for his term as the President of the California Trucking Association in 2026. Tim addresses some of the current challenges facing the industry and CTA members, including regulatory concerns and other top issues.

Along with discussing his approach for being engaged with CTA members throughout this year, Tim looks back at his journey in the trucking industry and how he initially got involved with the CTA. Leading the conversation is Eric Sauer, the CEO of the California Trucking Association and your host for Inside The Cab. For the latest on what’s happening with the California Trucking Association, visit Caltrux.org.

The post Getting To Know Tim Pollock, CTA’s President For 2026 appeared first on PodWheels.

For this episode of the show, we open the vault once again to feature the interview that Eugene Mulero had with Carl Krites, the Grand Champion of NTDC 2010. Last year, as Eugene was developing the second edition of the From Roadeo To TDC history book with co-author Jacob Pierce, he caught up with Carl to look back on what even Carl admits was an unexpected run to a national championship in his vehicle class and the Grand Championship.

In the closing portion of this episode (at 32:51), PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson also spends some time discussing the NTDC career of Dan Shamrell, who collected 550 out of a possible 600 points in the two drives he made at NTDC 2025 en route to the 3-Axle National Title. Greg also talks with Eugene about Eugene’s first experience covering an NTDC back in 2017. You’ll hear Eugene look back on how his time on the ground in Orlando nine years ago served as the spark that eventually inspired the development of the NTDC History Book project. To buy a copy of the From Roadeo To TDC history book online, please click here.

OUR FRIEND OF THE PODCAST SPONSOR: Founded in 2007, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund is the only nationwide nonprofit that provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers suffering from an illness or injury that took them out of work within the last 365 days. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund also provides several free prevention health and wellness programs for OTR drivers in an effort to keep them on the road, including nicotine and smoking cessation, diabetes prevention, chronic disease management, at-home cancer screenings, and vaccine vouchers. To learn more about the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and all of the offerings available from SCF, including how you can support their important work to help professional drivers and their families, visit TruckersFund.org.

The post Rewinding To 2010: Recalling Carl Krites’ NTDC Grand Champion Run appeared first on PodWheels.

Our NTDC Podcast closes out our series of conversations with the 2025 Vehicle Class National Champions by sharing the inspiring story of Merle Ashbaugh. In winning the Sleeper Class Division at NTDC 2025, Merle not only earned his first National title, but he also wrote his name into the history books at DHL – becoming the carrier’s first-ever National Champion.

As you’ll hear in this episode of the podcast, it was quite poetic that Merle became the first to claim a first-place trophy at NTDC for DHL. Having enjoyed his experience in state TDCs and having qualified for the Nationals in 2017 at his previous company, Merle asked DHL about getting involved in the NTDC program at the state level shortly after joining the company. About a year later, Merle won his vehicle class at the Ohio TDC and went to Columbus for NTDC 2023.

Merle’s success at the state level created momentum, inspiring other drivers at DHL to get involved at the state level. Merle’s lone state and national participation in 2023 opened the door, showing what is possible. By 2025, DHL had 47 drivers enter State TDCs across the country. In addition to Merle qualifying in the Sleeper Class, DHL Team members Wally Mejia, 3-axle, and Ron Zoz, a finalist in 5-axle, were a part of NTDC 2025.

SAFETY DRIVE 2025 VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP: As we noted in the episode, Merle will be one of the 250 professional drivers participating in the 15th Annual Safety Drive For A Cure 2025, the benefit for the Pediatric Brain Cancer Foundation that is coming up on March 14th in Atlanta. The Safety Drive organizers are still looking for volunteers to help onsite March 13-14. You can sign up to become a volunteer by clicking here. There are a wide range of volunteer opportunities to support what will be the largest competitive field in the history of Safety Drive. You can also support the drivers who have entered the competition or the cause in general by making a donation. You can learn more by visiting Safety Drive event page by clicking here. To stay updated on what’s happening with Safety Drive you can visit the Safety Drive’s Facebook Page, by clicking here.

OUR FRIEND OF THE PODCAST SPONSOR: Founded in 2007, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund is the only nationwide nonprofit that provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers suffering from an illness or injury that took them out of work within the last 365 days. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund also provides several free prevention health and wellness programs for OTR drivers in an effort to keep them on the road, including nicotine and smoking cessation, diabetes prevention, chronic disease management, at-home cancer screenings, and vaccine vouchers. To learn more about the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and all of the offerings available from SCF, including how you can support their important work to help professional drivers and their families, visit TruckersFund.org.

The post Merle Ashbaugh’s First National Title Makes History For DHL appeared first on PodWheels.

Our guest for this Borderless Coverage edition of the Trucking Matters Podcast Series is Kenneth Smith Ramos, who served as the Chief Negotiator of USMCA for Mexico in 2018, playing a key role in the trade agreement’s ratification. In addition to his leadership on USMCA, Kenneth is the former Head of NAFTA from Mexico in Washington D.C. He currently serves as a partner at AGON in Mexico City, which is a full-service antitrust and regulatory group that focuses on the most complex issues in Mexico.

Your host for this edition of the podcast is Borderless Coverage Founder Mark Vickers, who is an Executive Vice President and the Head of International Logistics at Reliance Partners. Mark will be talking with Kenneth about the intricacies of cross-border trade, the evolution of trade agreements and the future of USMCA. Kenneth also shares his journey from a government intern to a key figure in international trade negotiations, discussing the opportunities and challenges that he sees on the road ahead for Mexico and the United States in the context of global trade dynamics.

RELIANCE CAN HELP: Are you in the market for cross-border insurance coverage? Borderless Coverage is a Reliance Partners‘ business that enables international companies to conduct safe and profitable business in North America and across North American borders. We provide cross-border insurance. Our team consists of business minded cross-border supply chain consultants, economists, insurance experts, lawyers and global trade agreement negotiators, including the most recent lead negotiators of USMCA from Mexico. To learn more about the offerings available through Borderless Coverage from Reliance Partners, please click here.

The post Exploring The Future of USMCA: Insights from Kenneth Smith Ramos appeared first on PodWheels.

To highlight the return of the NTDC to Pittsburgh this year, we continue our look back at NTDC 2019, the first time that PodWheels had the opportunity to cover the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships. This edition of the podcast revisits the 2019 retrospective that we produced from our time at NTDC 2019. The rewind portion of the show opens with PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson recalling the contributions that John Lex made to the coverage by the podcast in Pittsburgh. This section of the show is highlighted by the interview that Greg did with John, a little more than three years before John passed away following his battle with cancer. A Captain with America’s Road Team, John, who had more than three million accident-free miles during his 32-year career, was the recipient of the Mike Russell Trucking Image Award in 2016 and he earned the Trucking Cares Foundation Premier Achievement Award in 2021.

For this return to 2019, Greg is joined once again by Barry Courter, the co-founder and co-host of The What Podcast, which covers Bonnaroo and other music festivals. Along with sharing highlights from Championship Saturday, Greg and Barry share their thoughts about being onsite for the Parade of Champions and the Awards Ceremony. The retrospective also features interviews with back-to-back NTDC Grand Champion Scott Woodrome as well as the family of Nebraska State Patrol Sergeant Benjamin Schropfer, the CVSA’s North America Inspectors Challenge Grand Champion.

SAFETY DRIVE 2025 VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP: As we mentioned in this episode, the 15th Annual Safety Drive For A Cure 2025 is coming up on March 14th in Atlanta. While all 250 spots for competitors are filled for this event that benefits the Pediatric Brain Cancer Foundation, Safety Drive organizers are still looking for volunteers to help onsite March 13-14. You can sign up to become a volunteer by clicking here. There are a wide range of volunteer opportunities to support what will be the largest competitive field in the history of Safety Drive. You can also support the drivers who have entered the competition or the cause in general by making a donation. You can learn more by visiting Safety Drive event page by clicking here. To stay updated on what’s happening with Safety Drive you can visit the Safety Drive’s Facebook Page, by clicking here.

OUR FRIEND OF THE PODCAST SPONSOR: Founded in 2007, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund is the only nationwide nonprofit that provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers suffering from an illness or injury that took them out of work within the last 365 days. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund also provides several free prevention health and wellness programs for OTR drivers in an effort to keep them on the road, including nicotine and smoking cessation, diabetes prevention, chronic disease management, at-home cancer screenings, and vaccine vouchers. To learn more about the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and all of the offerings available from SCF, including how you can support their important work to help professional drivers and their families, visit TruckersFund.org.

The post Recalling The Great John Lex and Memories of NTDC 2019 in Pittsburgh appeared first on PodWheels.

As we countdown the days to the first State TDC that serve as the first miles on this year’s Road To Pittsburgh, our series would like to take our listeners back to NTDC 2019, the last time the NTDC was held in the Steel City. NTDC 2019 also marked the first time that PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson attended and covered the National Championships.

In this episode of our series, Greg brings us the retrospective the PodWheels Team put together from seven years ago. You’ll also hear the story of how Greg was first introduced to the NTDC Program through a memorable experience at the Tennessee State TDC. As you’ll hear, Greg is joined on this retrospective edition by Barry Courter, the co-founder and co-host of The What Podcast, which covers Bonnaroo and other music festivals. Highlights of the retrospective episode originally produced in August of 2019 include interviews with 2007 NTDC Grand Champion Alphonso Lewis and his wife Regina. Alphonso made the runoff in 2019 and Regina was leading his cheering section.

OUR FRIEND OF THE PODCAST SPONSOR: Founded in 2007, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund is the only nationwide nonprofit that provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers suffering from an illness or injury that took them out of work within the last 365 days. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund also provides several free prevention health and wellness programs for OTR drivers in an effort to keep them on the road, including nicotine and smoking cessation, diabetes prevention, chronic disease management, at-home cancer screenings, and vaccine vouchers. To learn more about the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and all of the offerings available from SCF, including how you can support their important work to help professional drivers and their families, visit TruckersFund.org.

The post Taking A Trip Back In Time To Pittsburgh and NTDC 2019 appeared first on PodWheels.