The Freight Coach Podcast

Tired of making the wrong hires in your freight brokerage? What does it take to build a winning team and scale your transportation business from the ground up?

Adrian Chapman from Cover 3 Consulting shares the hard truths of freight recruiting, talent development, and what it genuinely takes to be a successful founder in today's competitive market!

We break down the stark differences between true sales "hunters" who build a book of business from scratch and "maintainers" who simply manage existing accounts, emphasizing why realistic expectations, consistent discipline, and a "self-employed mindset" are mandatory for long-term success.

If you want to start taking extreme ownership of your business growth, sales strategy, and hiring processes, tune in to hear exactly how to spot purebred talent and develop a talent pipeline that actually works!

About Adrian Chapman

Adrian is the founder and CEO of Cover 3 Consulting, a recruiting firm that focuses on the transportation and logistics industry since 2019. He also is the founder and host of the "Recruiting Stories" podcast which has interviewed leaders around the country about how recruiting has impacted their journey.

An athlete his whole life, Adrian Chapman learned the value of recruiting early. Adrian was a college football and track athlete graduating from Minnesota State University and had a chance to compete with the United States Bobsled team's developmental squad. Competing with world class athletes taught him that it takes more not just passion to win at a high level, but unparalleled talent.

With 10 years of experience recruiting and a lifetime of competing, Adrian's goal is to help transportation organizations build championship teams for a higher purpose.

Connect with Adrian

• Website: https://cov3consulting.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/achaps/

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

I am thrilled to welcome Shelli Austin from InTek Logistics to the show today to break down her unique career pivot from the theater into the freight industry.

We get straight to the heavy-hitting topics, unpacking the true synergy between intermodal freight and truckload logistics and why shippers need to treat intermodal as a consistent, long-term supply chain strategy rather than a temporary backup plan when truck rates skyrocket.

Shelli gives us a look at the complexities of managing drayage capacity, navigating the unrealistic shipping expectations driven by the Amazon effect, and why building genuine, year-round loyalty with railroads pays massive dividends for your network.

If you want to optimize your freight management and build a sustainable shipping operation, you need to hear this episode!

Connect with Shelli

• Website: https://www.inteklogistics.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intek-logistics/ / https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelli-austin-1a40641/

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

Third-generation freight broker Connor Miller joins us to talk about the realities of scaling a freight agency and developing genuine technology in logistics!

Connor breaks down his journey of taking his previous brokerage from $40 million to $130 million during the massive COVID surge, stepping away to build a self-sustaining nonprofit clinic in Uganda, and ultimately returning to the industry to found FreightScout.

We also discuss practical freight broker automation, emphasizing the need for building workflow solutions that solve operational problems rather than forcing unproven software onto end users.

Above all, we hammer home the point that no matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes in the transportation sector, bulletproof customer relationships and the human element will always remain the true backbone of the freight business!

Connect with Connor

• Website: https://freightscout.ai/ / https://connormiller.ai/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realconnormiller/
• X: https://x.com/realconnormill

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

Are we going to let bad actors keep hijacking our freight, or is it time we use AI to bulletproof the supply chain?

We're still live from the NMFTA Cybersecurity Conference in Long Beach to bring you an absolute powerhouse of an interview with Vishal, a Marine Corps veteran and the founder of Spades Institute!

We're completely cutting through the fluff to tackle the massive rise in freight fraud, double brokering, and cargo theft that is bleeding the trucking industry dry right now.

Vishal lays out exactly why our supply chain is our biggest physical vulnerability and how we need to start weaponizing artificial intelligence to fight back.

It is all about giving our real frontline workers the modern tech tools and context they need to shut down these digital and physical threats before they ever happen. Stop guessing about transportation cybersecurity and dive into this episode to learn how to secure your network the right way!

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

Today, we're live from the NMFTA Cybersecurity Conference in Long Beach, an absolute must-attend event for anyone moving freight!

I just wrapped up a frank conversation with Mike Zupon regarding the glaring supply chain security blind spots that trucking companies are ignoring, especially with the massive surge in AI-driven cyber threats and freight fraud.

The harsh reality is that criminal organizations are outpacing us by taking advantage of our old-school, relationship-based business models and our industry's stubborn lack of communication.

We cannot afford to be naive anymore and assume that cargo theft or a devastating cyber attack only happens to the mega-carriers.

It is time to step up, aggressively lock down our trucking cybersecurity, and actually collaborate with tech vendors and competitors to eliminate these vulnerabilities before bad actors completely shut our operations down!

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

DAT experts Josh Hanselman and Tamir Dov dive straight into the real side of freight today by breaking down the absolute best strategies for navigating volatile freight market trends and replacing outdated gut feelings with hard, actionable data!

Josh and Tamir explore exactly how you can leverage advanced DAT freight tools—like RateView, Trendlines, and the new Rate Strength Score—to accurately forecast truckload pricing and gauge carrier capacity before market shifts catch you off guard.

Are you still relying on a simple historical rate average when your specific lane is tightening up, or are you actively using real-time market conditions to secure your margins and protect your business?

Learn why understanding granular lane data and regional seasonality—such as the end of flatbed season or the outbound surge in harvest freight—is absolutely critical to building stronger, long-term carrier relationships and avoiding the trap of operating blindly in today's highly transactional freight market!

Connect with Josh and Tamir

• Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuahanselman/ / https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamir-dov-a75b3b11b/

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

Are you tired of the fake hustle and ready to hear what actually goes into building a successful freight business from the ground up, and what makes a freight brokerage fail?

Garrett Bowers of SPI Logistics is back to break down the honest truths of freight entrepreneurship and why specializing in a specific niche—like dominating the Western 11 and Texas flatbed market—beats dabbling in LTL freight every single time!

We cut right to the chase to discuss the heavy lifting required to actually scale a logistics operation, from navigating unexpected LTL reweigh fees to the reality of why you should never just roll the dice on the cheapest open deck carrier.

If you are ready to build solid and foundational carrier relationships without compromising your service standards or your cash flow, tune in to this episode!

Connect with Garrett

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrett-bowers-7a2b9186/

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

Today, my good friend Nate Shutes of Ballast gets straightforward about the gritty reality of bootstrapping a business in the transportation industry!

We are cutting through the venture-capital noise to focus on the hard work, humility, and resilience it actually takes to build a successful freight company from the ground up.

Nate opens up about his own journey and why he created his Ballast community to bring independent supply chain founders together for real support and shared knowledge.

If you want a look at freight entrepreneurship, the unmatched value of maintaining your independence, and why betting on yourself is always the right move, you need to tune into this one!

Connect with Nate

• Website: https://joinballast.com/ / https://refoundadvisory.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-shutes/ / https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinballast/

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

In this episode, we discuss the reality of recent court rulings and why C.H. Robinson is taking the fight directly to Capitol Hill to demand clear carrier selection standards from the FMCSA and the DOT!

We are breaking down the truth about these massive nuclear verdicts and what an unclear legal landscape means for the survival of the industry.

Think you can just rely on automation to vet your carriers and protect your margins? Think again, because we're also covering Beth Carroll's insights on why AI in freight is actually going to make human brokers more valuable than ever.

If your only defense in a courtroom is that your AI tech stack booked an unsafe, unrated truck, a prosecuting attorney is not going to buy it, and you will lose that lawsuit. You need actual human oversight and rock-solid SOPs to navigate this chaos, because putting your entire risk management strategy on autopilot without federal clarity is a massive liability.

Tune in as we give you the actionable facts you need to protect your brokerage and thrive in today's market!

Resources / References

• https://www.ttnews.com/articles/ch-robinson-capitol-hill
• https://www.freightwaves.com/news/another-aspect-of-montgomery-it-might-make-human-brokers-more-valuable

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/

Let's get straight to the real side of the transportation industry with today's guest, Cori Eckley-Ritchards from NATCO (North American Transport Concepts)!

Cori breaks down the daily chaos of open-deck heavy haul freight, what it truly takes to build a reputable freight brokerage, the rising threats of double brokering, widespread freight fraud, and the massive divide between ethical TIA brokers and fly-by-night chameleon operators.

Bringing 23 years of hands-on logistics experience to the table, Cori emphasizes that absolute transparency, open communication with shippers and carriers, and tackling problems head-on are the only ways to separate a legitimate business from the bad actors tarnishing our market.

If you want to know how top-tier professionals manage daily capacity risks, handle complex 14-foot-wide freight, and elevate industry standards without making excuses, you need to hear this episode!

Connect with Cori

• Website: https://natcotransport.com/
• Email: [email protected]

📊📉 Don't miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎

🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!

To Find Out More About My Freight Services

Visit https://freightcoachlogistics.com/

🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇

• SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
• Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
• NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
• DAT Freight & Analytics | https://www.dat.com/
• Transportation Intermediaries Association | https://www.tianet.org/

Donate to support Stacy and her family: https://tinyurl.com/36xmxcmr

🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw

📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/

🕊️ https://twitter.com/thefr8coach

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jolly-a183aa6a/