The Long Haul

In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with tire expert Kamard Johnson to talk about one of the most overlooked — and most expensive — parts of a small fleet’s operation: tires.
From hidden fuel losses to downtime disasters, Kamard breaks down the real cost of running the wrong tires, buying from the wrong places, and ignoring what’s right in front of your truck. This episode is packed with tactical advice for owner-operators who want to stop bleeding margin and start treating tires like a business decision, not an afterthought.
You’ll learn when cheap is smart, when it’s not, how to inspect like a pro, and what a tire buying strategy looks like for fleets trying to stay in the game long-term.
This isn’t just about rubber — it’s about money, uptime, and survival.

When the market feels like it’s 3rd and Long every damn day, you need real voices in the huddle. In this special episode, Adam sits down with Kaylee Nix for a laid-back, wide-ranging conversation about what’s really going on in freight. From English testing crackdowns to used truck trends and questionable tariff policies, nothing’s off-limits. Buckle up — we’re calling an audible and going for it on this one.

In this solo episode of The Long Haul, Adam tackles one of the freight industry’s most loaded topics — the crackdown on English Language Proficiency and the targeting of non-domicile CDL holders. What starts as a safety policy is revealing deeper issues around bias, access, and who gets to belong in trucking. If you're ready for a raw, honest conversation about what’s really happening, this one's a must-listen.

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In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Jessica Dotson, Director of Business Development at Multi Service Fuel Card, Vice Chair of the Women in Trucking Foundation Board, and Chair of the BCS Women in Logistics Events Committee.

Jessica’s story didn’t start in an office—it started at home, supporting her husband on the road as a trucker’s wife. That experience gave her a firsthand view of the challenges families face in this industry and set her on a 15+ year journey across operations, sales, and strategy.

Today, Jessica is focused on giving back—through her work with the Women in Trucking Foundation and initiatives like the Brittany Traylor Scholarship—all designed to create opportunities and open doors for the next generation of women in transportation.

In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Tapan Chaudhari, Founder and CEO of Bubba AI, to talk about what happens when artificial intelligence stops being a buzzword and starts booking freight.

Tapan isn’t a tech outsider—he’s the founder of TruckX and has spent years building tools for small carriers and owner-operators. Now with Bubba AI, he’s tackling the one thing that eats up most of a driver’s day: dispatching and back-office work. From negotiating rates to optimizing loads and handling paperwork, Bubba is built to run the lanes while you run the miles.

If you’ve ever wondered whether AI could actually make your trucking business more profitable—or just replace the human dispatcher—this is the conversation you need to hear.

In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Todd Waldron, Vice President of Carrier Experience at Truckstop and former CEO of Q Carriers, to unpack what the next chapter of load boards really looks like.

This isn’t a fluff piece about digital freight. Todd’s sat in the chair, run the trucks, and now helps shape one of the industry’s most-used platforms. The conversation digs into Truckstop’s 30th Anniversary Carrier Survey—what the data really says about where things are going—and explores new features like Private Loads, the Authority Age Filter, and Load Popularity designed to help small carriers win smarter.

If you’ve ever felt like the load board game was stacked against you, this episode shows you what’s changing—and how to use it to your advantage.

In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Nick Klingensmith—freight industry veteran, endurance athlete, motivational speaker, and author of Selling, Inspired!—to talk about what it really takes to finish the year strong. If your goals slipped somewhere between rate dips and long weeks on the road, Nick’s bringing the mindset and mental discipline to get you back in gear. From sales strategy to personal accountability, this episode is packed with real-life takeaways to help you lead your business with more clarity, confidence, and control—starting today.

In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Mike Ernst, President of Expedite All and a 25-year freight industry veteran, to talk about one of the most slept-on opportunities in trucking: Small Truckload (STL). From cargo vans to box trucks and straight trucks, STL is on the rise—driven by tight delivery windows, high-value freight, and a shift away from one-size-fits-all shipping. Mike breaks down what STL really is, why it’s not just a local play, and how smart carriers can step in now and build consistency in a volatile market. If you’re running under CDL or thinking about diversifying your equipment—this episode is your blueprint.

In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam chops it up with Robert McCutcheon, VP of Strategy and Growth at TAFS, to dig into the stuff that keeps small carriers afloat—or breaks them down. We’re talking factoring terms most folks overlook, the real cost of fuel cards, and how to make smarter money moves in a market that’s already tight. Rob brings years of experience across finance, logistics, and trucking and lays it out plain: if you don’t understand your numbers, you’re rolling backwards. If you’ve ever signed a factoring deal or swiped a fuel card, this one’s for you.

In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Dale Prax—Marine Corps veteran, 30-year freight insider, and founder of FreightValidate—to expose the freight fraud epidemic that’s hitting small carriers the hardest. From ghost carriers and fake dispatchers to double brokering rings that steal freight and wreck reputations, Dale breaks down exactly how these scams work—and why the FMCSA isn’t doing enough to stop them. You’ll also hear how Platinum Verified and FreightClub are building a wall of trust around the good actors in this industry. If you’ve ever said “That would never happen to me”—you need to hear this episode.