Liner Notes

In honor of Giving Tuesday, we would like to introduce you to Rob Duda, the newest member of the all-volunteer SCF Board of Directors. As you will hear in this interview with Rob, he has been supporting the work and mission of SCF for many years through giving of his time and talents to the organization. Rob is an accomplished communications professional who had been introduced to the trucking industry several years ago while working on a client initiative. Part of Rob’s work on behalf of the client brought him to the Mid-America Trucking Show.

It was during his first trip to MATS that Rob paid a visit to the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund booth. Rob was so impressed with the work and mission of SCF that he talked to his company’s leadership about finding ways to help SCF. From crafting press releases to contributing his expertise on other communications efforts, Rob has become an invaluable resource for SCF. This year, Rob was asked to serve on the SCF Board of Directors. SCF Health Wellness Manager Lindsey Bryan catches up with Rob as he shares his career journey, what SCF means to him and the important lessons he learned from a memorable mentor.

To learn more about the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and to find out how you can support their important work, please visit TruckersFund.org.

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Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega from the Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team serve as our guides for a look inside the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. This Safety Matters episode of our series continues our exploration of the Seven Basics that are part of the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability Enforcement Program. In addition to being our subject-matter experts as we talk through the top violations related to Vehicle Maintenance, Mark and Daniel also shared recommendations to reduce out of service violations found within this BASIC. Thom Albrecht, the Chief Revenue Officer at Reliance Partners, is your host and moderator for this edition of the podcast, which is an edited release from the live webinar event hosted by Reliance Partners on November 13th.

To learn more about Reliance Partners, please visit the company’s website by clicking here.

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With the debut episode of our Trucking Matters Borderless Coverage Series, Reliance Partners welcomes Werner Enterprises Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers to discuss a host of topics related to the company’s cross-border operations while exploring the evolution of trade with Mexico since the days of NAFTA. Mark Vickers, an Executive Vice President and the Head of International Logistics at Reliance Partners, is your host of the Borderless Coverage Series. Mark’s conversation with Derek takes us back to the early days of Derek’s career and how he joined Werner when the company was beginning to build its cross-border operation.

As you’ll hear, Mark and Derek discuss the changes that have taken place with US-Mexico trade from NAFTA through USMCA, including how Werner has continued to adapt with the market. Mark also gets Derek’s perspective on the key topics that have been in the news in recent months, including English Language Proficiency requirements, B1 Drivers and Non-Domicled CDL holders. Derek offers a collection of valuable insights throughout the conversation while noting Werner’s continued commitment to cross-border operations and the importance of Mexico as a trading partner with the United States.

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.

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Would you like to hear how the fire hydrant became part of the semifinal driving course at NTDC 2025? Would you like to go inside some of the processes involved when it comes to deciding the challenges that are included for the driving courses at the Nationals? Frank Ems, who oversees the work of the NTDC committee responsible for the driving course layout, joins PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson as we look back at NTDC 2025. It’s a fun conversation that highlights the thought and care Frank and the Driving Course Committee take in doing their work over many months before actually arriving onsite at the Nationals.

Friend Of The Podcast: JoyRide Logistics is serving as our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode. JoyRide Logistics is focused on being a world-class, customer-focused business. JoyRide is driven by its people and their dedication to provide valuable solutions to meet the challenges of today’s supply chain. To learn more about JoyRide Logistics, visit JoyRideLogistics.com.

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In this Safety Matters edition of our podcast, Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team Members Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega take listeners through a comprehensive look at the Hours of Service regulations as we continue our series examining the Seven BASICS that are part of the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability Enforcement Program. Through their presentation, Mark and Daniel will offer insightful perspectives on the most common HOS violations encountered by law enforcement. They will also share the key steps drivers and fleets can take to stay compliant with the Hours of Service. The podcast will open with a brief look at what’s happening with English Language Proficiency and Non-Domiciled CDL enforcement. 

As you will hear, this episode was originally presented as a webinar by Reliance Partners, and Fleetworthy served as the sponsor of the live webinar event. To learn more about Fleetworthy, please visit Fleetworthy.com. Trucking Matters is a production of Reliance Partners in collaboration with PodWheels. To learn more about Reliance Partners, please visit ReliancePartners.com.

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October can provide trucking and logistics company leaders the opportunity to ask larger, strategic questions centered around how your organization can adjust to make next year better than the year you are closing out. In this episode of the Grawe Pod, we will be addressing a number of forward-thinking questions, including: What’s going to be different about the year ahead? What are you going to do differently to adjust to opportunities in the market? How are you going to look at your company critically? In particular, what will you be looking at every day that tells you whether or not you can win today or what you need to do today to win?

Doug Grawe, the Founder and CEO of the Grawe Group, will be exploring these questions and much more with Grawe Group Executive Business Partner Gary Randall, a trucking management veteran with decades of expertise in leading Operations Departments. While acknowledging the ongoing challenges in the freight market, Doug and Gary discuss the success that they have seen Grawe Group clients realize in focusing on the fundamentals of trucking, exploring processes and examining the data around what works well within the opportunities available in today’s market.

In sharing a couple of oral case studies from the Grawe Group’s work with clients, Gary and Doug note how trucking and logistics operations, through understanding their data and strengthening communication between departments, can proactively plan utilization by focusing on the opportunity hours available on trucks in the fleet vs. using a traditional models that can place tight restrictions on deadhead miles. If your company is beginning to look at strategic plans for 2026 and what you can do differently within today’s trucking market, this episode offers important insights to help in your evaluation process. To learn more about the Grawe Group, visit the firm’s website, TheGraweGroup.com.

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We are thrilled to launch our NTDC 2025 Champions Series by welcoming Dan Shamrell, who met the challenge of winning a National Championship in his final appearance at an NTDC. Prior to arriving in Minneapolis for NTDC 2025, Dan had shared his plans to retire before the end of 2025 after 38 years on the road with FedEx Freight.

Dan, an 11-time State Grand Champion from Oregon, had reached the Nationals 19 times over his career. He knew the 3-Axle field would once again be a gauntlet just to make it to Championship Saturday and driving in the finals. Yet, as Dan shares on this episode of the podcast, he felt an inner peace during his time in Minneapolis that kept a sense of calm that opened the doors to his 3-Axle Championship victory. Dan looks back with us on his final NTDC and a sterling career that is marked by his daily excellence on the road and within the field of precision driving.

Our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode of the NTDC 2025 Series is PROJECT 61. Driving health. Fueling life. Supporting the heroes behind the wheel — that’s what PROJECT 61 is all about. Project-61.org is the web address where the change begins. If you’re a driver — or if you care about someone who is — head over to Project-61.org. You’ll find resources to get started, including access to a free mobile app built specifically for life on the road — plus a chance to take the Trucker Health Pledge and show your support for the men and women behind the wheel. You can even make a donation to help PROJECT 61 keep doing this important work across the industry.

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Shaun Lezer, one of the Driver Ambassadors for the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, is our featured guest in this edition of the podcast. As you will hear, Shaun shares his inspiring personal story of how he found the health and wellness resources available from SCF and how he began to utilize SCF’s programs and services to help improve his quality of life on the road and at home. Shaun also addresses the importance of maintaining your mental health, especially in those moments of isolation and loneliness that can come up while you are on the road.

SCF Health and Wellness Manager Lindsey Bryan is your host for this edition of the podcast, and Lindsey talks with Shaun about a pilot program that SCF has started with the Telechap Service provided through the Corporate Chaplains of America. As Lindsey and Shaun note in their conversation, the 24-hour Telechap Service is free of charge and it offers a friendly resource available to listen and provide helpful perspectives during life’s challenging times.  To learn more about the health and wellness programs available from SCF, please visit TruckersFund.org.

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In this edition of the podcast, Trucking Matters continues our look into the Unsafe Driving BASIC that is part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability enforcement program. Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team members Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega discuss approaches that safety managers and fleet leadership can utilize in working with drivers in preventing violations related to the Unsafe Driving BASIC. The discussion includes DataQ Challenges and how they can be utilized. Thom Albrecht, the Chief Revenue Officer at Reliance Partners, will serve as your host and moderator for this episode of the series.

Trucking Matters is a production of Reliance Partners in collaboration with PodWheels. To learn more about Reliance Partners, please visit ReliancePartners.com.

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David Crocker, the Tanker State Champion from Maine, had just finished his first-ever run on the driving course when our podcast caught up with him in Minneapolis during the second day of NTDC Week. David’s interview is part of the collection of chats that we recorded onsite at NTDC 2025, and it’s one we decided to save to close out our Rewind Series that is part of our ongoing post-event coverage that will extend through the end of the year.

David, part of a large rookie class at NTDC 2025, was in a vehicle class that featured the past two National Grand Champions, Gragg Wilson (2023) and Jackie Reed (2024). As you will hear in our interview, David found the experience quite memorable and inspiring.

Friend Of The Podcast: JoyRide Logistics is serving as our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode. JoyRide Logistics is focused on being a world-class, customer-focused business. JoyRide is driven by its people and their dedication to provide valuable solutions to meet the challenges of today’s supply chain. To learn more about JoyRide Logistics, visit JoyRideLogistics.com.

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