The freight market is finally cooling after an unexpectedly tight July, but that does not mean rates are returning to their old lows.

This week, Jenni Ruiz and NFI market expert Justin Maze unpack the late-summer slowdown, including how tariff-driven import front-loading, persistent driver constraints, rising fuel costs, and elevated tender rejections are shaping the market heading into Labor Day.

They break down where rates are falling fastest across the Southeast, Coastal and Southern regions, why the Northeast continues to tighten, and what shifting import volumes could mean for the West Coast. Plus, Justin looks back at July’s surprises and forecasts how much further the market could decline before holiday volatility enters the picture.

In this episode:

• Why July stayed tighter longer than expected

• How tariff deadlines fueled a surge in imports

• Why capacity remains constrained despite falling rates

• Where regional spot rates are rising and falling

• What elevated tender rejections signal for the months ahead

• Justin’s forecast for August and the approach to Labor Day

The summer slump may be arriving, but the freight market is far from quiet.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

What does more than six decades in freight brokerage teach you about navigating today’s most pressing risks?

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni Ruiz sits down with Jeff Tucker, third-generation CEO of Tucker Company Worldwide, to explore how freight brokerage has evolved from index cards and towering tariff books to sophisticated, data-driven operations supporting pharmaceuticals, aerospace missions, and some of the largest shipments moving on wheels.

Jeff shares the history behind TIA’s carrier selection framework, why the recent Montgomery decision should be treated as a wake-up call rather than an entirely new risk, and what brokers, forwarders, and shippers need to understand about documented carrier-selection procedures, organizational accountability, and insurance coverage.

The conversation also goes inside the rarefied world of pharmaceutical cold chain, where Tucker Company relies on just 27 carefully vetted carriers and where one temperature excursion, security failure, or operational shortcut can carry life-altering consequences.

Plus, Jeff explains why the future of independent brokerage belongs to companies willing to specialize, customize, and become exceptional at solving a defined set of problems, rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

In this episode:

• How freight brokerage has changed since 1961

• What the Montgomery ruling actually means for the industry

• Why written carrier-selection procedures must be consistently followed

• The operational realities of pharmaceutical cold chain

• Why incentives and safety decisions should remain separate

• The growing importance of specialization and customization

• How internal silos quietly undermine supply chain performance

This is a master class in institutional knowledge, operational discipline, and building a brokerage designed to withstand both industry cycles and courtroom scrutiny.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

This week on The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and NFI's Justin Maze unpack a freight market that's holding steady on the surface, but showing signs of change underneath.

With shippers rushing to front-load inventory ahead of looming tariff deadlines, import volumes climbing, and uncertainty surrounding the future of the USMCA, the conversation explores where those pressures could begin showing up across the domestic freight market in the weeks ahead.

They also break down this week's jump in diesel prices, why tender rejections continue to hover around 16%, what flat national rates really signal, and how seasonality is shaping conditions across every major U.S. region. Plus, what brokers should be watching on the West Coast as imports rise, why the Southeast continues to loosen, and how California's soaring fuel costs could ripple through capacity and the spot market.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

The Fourth of July freight market is here, and capacity is doing most of the talking.

In this week’s episode of The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and Justin Maze break down a holiday market that is moving faster than many expected. Fuel is finally easing, with the national diesel average down to $4.66, but linehaul rates are still climbing, tender rejections remain elevated around 18%, and spot market pressure is building ahead of the long weekend.

Justin walks through what carriers, brokers, and shippers should expect across every major region, from tightening in California and the southern border markets to continued holiday-driven volatility in the Southeast, Coastal region, Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast. The team also covers how extreme heat is impacting freight operations, including reefer demand, cooling breaks, rail speed restrictions, and fuel usage.

Plus, Jenni and Justin discuss why the market is still sitting firmly in the carrier’s favor, why shippers may need to rethink contract acceptance and repricing, and how July 4th can create added exposure to freight fraud if teams are rushing to cover loads.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

Everyone in sales is looking for the silver bullet: the one tool, tactic, sequence, or AI shortcut that will unlock growth. But according to Holly LaBoda, founder and Chief Growth Officer of Formula L, the real “silver bullet” is not a trick at all. It is strategy, process, discipline, and a deep understanding of the buyer.

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni sits down with Holly to unpack what logistics companies often get wrong about growth, from misaligned sales and marketing teams to copy-paste AI outreach that buyers can smell from a mile away. They dig into why cold calling still matters, how AI can help sellers scale without turning them into robots, and why the best sales process starts with being genuinely useful. Holly also breaks down the “forgetting curve,” the idea that buyers forget most of what they hear faster than sellers would like to admit.

From sharper ICPs to better buyer follow-ups, AI guardrails, and the lost art of being helpful, this conversation is a reset for anyone trying to grow in freight, logistics, or supply chain without relying on gimmicks.

To learn more about Holly and Formula L, you can visit https://www.formulal4.com/home

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

Capacity is tightening, rates are holding, and the Fourth of July freight market is shaping up to hit harder than it has in recent years.

In this week’s episode of The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and Justin Maze break down what carriers, owner-operators, brokers, and shippers need to know heading into the holiday week. Diesel finally dipped below $5, offering some much-needed relief, but capacity remains under pressure as carriers continue to hold onto rate gains from DOT Week and Memorial Day.

Justin walks through the latest regional shifts across the Southeast, Coastal markets, South, Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast, including why California is starting to tighten, why border markets like Laredo and McAllen remain ones to watch, and why flatbed rates may still have more room to climb.

The episode also covers the launch of the CAVRA Standard for carrier selection, the ongoing impact of FMCSA enforcement, non-domicile CDL pauses in California and New York, and why today’s market is being driven less by explosive demand and more by shrinking available capacity.

For anyone watching spot rates, tender rejections, regional capacity, or holiday freight disruption, this is the market pulse to catch before July 4th.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

Venture capital changed the freight tech conversation, but did it actually make the industry better?

On this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni Ruiz sits down with Jennifer Morris, founder of Ship Happens, for a sharp, funny, and refreshingly honest conversation about the messy relationship between logistics, funding, AI, and the stories investors choose to believe.

Jenn and Jenni unpack what freight looked like before the pandemic, why supply chain suddenly became the center of the mainstream conversation, and how companies like Flexport helped turn logistics into something venture capital could finally understand, or at least wanted to understand. They also dig into the harder questions: why female founders still receive only a sliver of VC dollars, why “AI” has become one of the industry’s most overused shortcuts, and why the next wave of freight tech needs to lead with the problem it solves instead of the buzzwords it can stack.

From Convoy lessons and vanity metrics to AI agents, due diligence, and the danger of confusing automation with intelligence, this episode is a clear-eyed look at what happens when outside capital meets an industry built on nuance, volatility, and constant firefighting.

And in true Decoded fashion, Jenn closes with one thing supply chain gets wrong: we move too quickly from one fire to the next without asking why the fire keeps starting.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

The carrier side of freight is often discussed in terms of rates, assets, and capacity, but Zach Schuchart wants the industry to remember what sits underneath all of it: people.

On this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni Ruiz sits down with Zach, SVP and Head of Sales at Optimal Dynamics, for a candid conversation about carrier profitability, meaningful automation, and why treating carriers and drivers like true partners is not just the right thing to do, it is good business.

Zach brings more than two decades of experience across UPS, Chainalytics, XPO, and Optimal Dynamics, giving him a rare view into the shipper, broker, and carrier sides of the market. Together, he and Jenni unpack how carrier networks have evolved, why “getting the right freight in the network” matters, and how advanced optimization can help carriers make smarter, more profitable decisions without stripping the human knowledge out of the operation.

They also dig into the emotional side of change management, the difference between useful automation and automation for automation’s sake, and why the shipper-carrier relationship has become more distant over time. From driver experience at facilities to liability indemnification and the overuse of non-asset providers, Zach isn't afraid to initiate the tough conversations freight needs to have.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

The freight market is not easing quietly.

On this week’s episode of The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and Maze break down a fast-moving week across transportation, from the fallout of C.H. Robinson’s carrier purge to a national rate environment that is starting to feel uncomfortably familiar. With linehaul rates climbing to $2.36 per mile, tender rejections sitting at 17%, and spot market activity hitting levels not seen since the COVID-era peaks, brokers and shippers are once again being forced to make decisions quickly.

Here’s what we cover:

• C.H. Robinson’s carrier purge signals a major shift in broker risk management following the Montgomery v. Karibe Transport II decision.

• Diesel offered some relief, dropping 17 cents to $5.35 per gallon, but rates are still climbing fast.

• National linehaul rates are up nearly 20% in roughly three weeks, putting serious pressure on shippers.

• Tender rejections are sitting at 17%, higher than they were during DOT Week.

• The Southeast remains the toughest region for capacity, with Savannah especially tight and rates to Atlanta jumping sharply.

• The Coastal and Southern regions are still seeing pressure, especially on freight moving into the Northeast and Midwest.

• The Northeast is showing seasonal easing, while the West Coast is beginning to tighten, particularly on long-haul lanes out of California.

• The spot market remains extremely volatile, with both rates and volume reaching highs not seen in years.

With July 4th approaching and regional capacity still shifting, this is a market that demands close attention and faster decision-making.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.

DOT Blitz Week didn’t just shake the freight market. It may have reset it.

On this week’s episode of The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and Justin “Maze” Maze break down one of the most volatile weeks the freight market has seen in years. Coming out of DOT Blitz Week and heading straight into Memorial Day weekend, rates are climbing fast, capacity is tightening in key regions, and brokers are feeling pressure from every direction.

Maze walks through the latest national and regional market movement, including a 13% jump in national average linehaul rates, major spikes across the Southeast and Midwest, continued diesel pressure, and why the West Coast remained comparatively stable. The episode also touches on the Supreme Court’s recent ruling around broker liability and negligent hiring, a decision that could reshape how brokers think about carrier vetting moving forward.

If you are pricing freight, covering loads, managing capacity, or trying to understand whether this is a short-term holiday spike or the beginning of a broader market shift, this episode is one to watch closely.

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Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Transfix, Inc. or any parent companies or affiliates or the companies with which the participants are affiliated, and may have been previously disseminated by them. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are based upon information considered reliable, but neither Transfix, Inc. nor its affiliates, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. All such views and opinions are subject to change.