In this episode, we sit down with Drew Herpich, a freight industry veteran with nearly two decades of experience scaling brokerages and leading carrier sales teams. Drew brings a wealth of knowledge from the trenches, sharing insights on navigating today's challenging market conditions and what it takes to build successful freight operations.

Key Topics Discussed:

Market Analysis & Forecasting

• Why 2024 spot rate predictions missed the mark (forecast: 13-30% growth, reality: ~0%)
• The flattening of traditional freight cycles and what's driving it
• How real-time data and mini-bids are making shippers more nimble
• The shift from annual RFPs to continuous procurement strategies

Shipper Expectations & Procurement

• The growing influence of procurement teams in freight decisions
• Rising fraud concerns and carrier vetting priorities
• The balance between cost consciousness and service quality
• Why payment terms and pricing have become critical differentiators

Building High-Performing Carrier Sales Teams

• The essential traits that technology can't replace: work ethic and relationship-building
• Why AI agents won't replace human brokers for Fortune 500 accounts
• The evolving motivations of younger sales reps (hint: they're choosing time off over money)
• The importance of understanding truck drivers' experiences and challenges

Scaling a Brokerage

• Financial discipline required to scale from $50M to $1B in revenue
• The critical difference between booking loads and solving problems when things go wrong
• Buy-sell vs. cradle-to-grave models and when each makes sense
• Key metrics beyond margin: understanding cost per load in context

Industry Evolution

• Drew's hands-on approach: visiting truck stops and understanding driver life
• Why relationships and face-to-face interactions remain irreplaceable
• The role of AI and automation in streamlining operations
• Retention strategies and identifying A, B, C, and D players

Notable Quotes:

• "The rockstar is going to be the one that's able to build relationships at the end of the day. An AI agent is never going to be able to get $10 million per day out of a Fortune 500 customer."
• "Booking the load is the easiest part of our industry. The hard part is when you've got two extra pallets on the truck, or the seal's broken, or there's no appointment for four days."
• "If you're doing the easy task or looking for the easiest approach, those are things AI will replace."

Guest: Drew Herpich - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewherpich/

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Vooma, the back office automation platform built for freight brokerages and 3PLs - https://www.vooma.com/