FreightCasts

This Monday edition of What The Truck?!? focuses on the critical intersections of equipment capital, supply chain security, and the rising tide of freight fraud. Hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent break down the latest industry headlines before diving into deep-bench interviews with experts in leasing and security.

Hooman Yazhari, CEO of TEN, joins the show to discuss why the real story underneath excess trucking capacity is actually about capital efficiency. He explains how leasing allows carriers to move assets off their balance sheets to maintain flexibility in a volatile market while utilizing technology for predictive maintenance.

Scott Cornell (LogistIQ Specialist Solutions) and Andrej Drotenko (Verified Carrier) tackle the “asymmetrical warfare” of modern cargo theft.

Industry News:


The Hantavirus “Clickbait”: The guys debunk recent headlines regarding a hantavirus outbreak, noting its historical context and extremely low case numbers in the U.S..


Oregon’s Port Project: A look at the $2.3 billion proposed box hub in Coos Bay and whether it makes logistical sense.


Georgia’s $5B Bet: Discussion on the Port of Savannah’s massive self-financed expansion.


The O’Hare Mystery: A bizarre report on the confiscation of thousands of pounds of “mystery meat” and illegal animal carcasses at Chicago O’Hare.

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This week on Freight Expectations, Craig Fuller and Matthew Leffler dive into the hidden forces reshaping the freight industry — from International Roadcheck Week and unsafe equipment on America’s highways to the growing legal exposure facing brokers, carriers, and trailer manufacturers.

They break down the FMCSA’s evolving enforcement priorities, the reality behind trailer maintenance and out-of-service violations, and why one in five inspected trucks still fails safety inspections. The conversation also explores the massive implications of the Montgomery broker liability case, nuclear verdicts against manufacturers like Wabash, and why many freight companies may be dangerously unprepared for what comes next.

Plus: AI-powered freight research, GLP-1 drugs reshaping consumer behavior, industrial real estate optimism, and why trailer manufacturers may be the most bearish players in transportation today.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining the severe financial pressures facing trailer manufacturer Wabash National as Moody's slashes its debt rating for the third time in twelve months, dropping the corporate family rating to B3 on May fifth. The rating agency warns that Wabash's credit metrics will remain at unsustainable levels as trailer shipments have collapsed from over thirteen thousand units quarterly in late 2022 to just over five thousand in Q1 2026, while cash reserves have plummeted from $144.5 million to only $31.9 million.

Next, we shift to the labor market, where April delivered a surprising surge of four thousand three hundred new trucking jobs, marking the largest one-month gain since September 2023. This jump is particularly significant following a twelve-month period where employment declined nine times, and industry experts say it reflects growing confidence driven by nearly six months of steady rate improvement and gradually tightening capacity.

Finally, we unpack the dramatic collapse at Forward Air, where shares plummeted over forty percent after the company disclosed it is losing a major customer representing approximately ten percent of its $2.5 billion in annual revenue. The customer cited risk management and logistics diversification as reasons for the change, and the loss derailed Forward's take-private efforts, forcing management to pivot toward selling its intermodal unit and two smaller legacy businesses to delever the balance sheet.

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In this Friday edition of What the Truck, hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent break down a pivotal week in freight, highlighted by an in-depth discussion with RXO’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jared Weisfeld. Weisfeld details RXO’s recent earnings and the successful integration of Coyote Logistics, describing the current market as a "supply-driven recovery" where regulatory pressures are forcing capacity out despite soft demand. A major focal point of the conversation is RXO's launch of Agentic AI, a technology designed to automate email spot quotes and increase broker productivity by decoupling volume growth from headcount.

The episode also features Kelly Martinez, President of ePost Global, who shares staggering data regarding a 2,400% surge in rerouting activity that has yet to return to baseline levels. Martinez explains how geopolitical tensions and shifting trade policies, particularly new European tariffs, are pushing shippers toward multi-carrier strategies and global drop-shipping to maintain resilience.

In the news bullpen, the hosts cover the sharp 40% drop in Forward Air shares following a failed strategic review and the potential loss of a major customer. They also analyze April’s trucking job gains of 4,300—noting these figures are influenced by former Yellow Corp employees finding new work—and discuss FedEx’s efforts to return MD-11 aircraft to service for short cargo flights. Finally, they highlight the FMCSA’s ongoing crackdown on non-compliant ELDs, with 67 devices removed from the registry since January 2025.

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In this episode of Brake Check, we're coming to you LIVE from day two of the Tenstreet User Conference, and we're tackling the massive elephant in the room: AI. Everybody is talking about it, but what does practical AI actually mean for the industry? Charles Gracey hits the showroom floor to cut through the buzzwords and sit down with the heavy hitters shaping the future of freight and driver recruiting.

First up, Charles is joined by Steve Brown, CRO of Tenstreet, to break down the highly-anticipated "Tenstreet Assistant." We're not talking about replacing the human element—we're talking about removing the mindless data entry and spreadsheet tracking so recruiters can get back to what matters: building real relationships with drivers.

Then, Linnette Torres, Director of Compliance and Recruiting at CPC Logistics, drops in to give us a boots-on-the-ground look at the private fleet sector. Linnette shares CPC's impressive driver benefits, the gritty reality of recruiting in today's unpredictable market, and what it's really like to beta-test these new AI tools.

Finally, Charles catches up with Kevin Hall, CEO of CDLLife. They dig into how data intelligence is mapping out the actual driver journey, the critical difference between passive and active job seekers, and why carrier recruiting budgets are finally starting to open back up as the market shifts.

No fluff. No spin. Just real conversations about:

What "real AI" actually looks like for carriers in 2026

Why the human touch will never be replaced in trucking

Surviving the unpredictability of today's driver market

No pie charts; No PowerPoints; No sanitized narratives. This is real trucking talk with real trucking people... calling out broken systems, asking uncomfortable questions, and demanding accountability where it's long overdue. If you care about the future of trucking, this is a conversation you can't afford to miss.

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