FreightCasts

Former General Mills Transportation Procurement Manager Ben Peterson joins the show to discuss how the market looks from a shipper’s point of view and what strategies are available to them in easy and tough markets.

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This episode of FreightWaves Today features a comprehensive breakdown of the major industry earnings reports that shook the market, with a primary focus on JB Hunt’s impressive quarterly performance.

Key discussion topics include:

Earnings Analysis: Beyond JB Hunt, the hosts discuss the bullish outlook from Prologis and the tightness in industrial warehouse capacity, indicating a shift in supply chain geography toward the center of the country.

M&A in Freight: Eddie Zakowski and Spencer Tenney provide expert insight into the current mergers and acquisitions landscape. They debate the challenges private equity faces when entering the asset-heavy trucking market versus the relative success found in specialized freight niches (e.g., bulk, chemical).

Industry Trends: The segment covers the impact of the Montgomery decision on carrier liability, the state of the spot market, and how capacity constraints are influencing shipper behavior and carrier recruitment.

Freightonomics: Zach Strickland and Ben Peterson conclude the show by analyzing the Pricing Power Index (PPI), discussing how shippers can improve their "shipper of choice" status through facility efficiency, load leveling, and improved payment strategies.

Viral Coverage: The hosts touch on recent real-world disruptions, including the harrowing video of a CN Rail train crew escaping wildfires in Ontario, Canada, and the broader impact of extreme weather on air quality and logistics operations.

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Jerry Murphy has a felony on his record. He was a raging alcoholic — his words, not mine. Working part-time to drink full-time. He had his own motorcycle shop once and drank it into the ground, and he'll tell you straight up whose fault that was.

Then he got sober. Six years now.

He built a trucking company out of Circleville, Ohio from two trucks scraping by on the load board into an operation his drivers call home. And this past June, he closed on something most small carriers only talk about — he bought a trucking company that's been running for 40 years, from an owner who chose Jerry over every bigger check he could've taken, because he trusted Jerry to take care of his people.

But here's what nobody watching from the outside knew. While that deal was sitting in limbo, Jerry lost his brother. And the man who had rebuilt his whole life found himself in the darkest place he'd been since he put the bottle down. Sleeping past his alarm for the first time in years. Walking away from the jiu-jitsu classes he loved to teach. Carrying something he couldn't name.

He didn't drink. Not once. He didn't even think about it.

Months later, he signed the papers on the biggest move of his life.This is a conversation about what rock bottom actually looks like, what it takes to climb out more than once, and why the hardest fight isn't building the business — it's believing you deserve what you built.

If you're carrying something right now and telling everybody you're fine, this episode is for you.

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What's really happening inside FMCSA?

In this exclusive episode of Brake Check, FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs joins us for a candid conversation about the issues shaping trucking today.

No press releases.

No prepared statements.

Just the questions America's truckers and carriers have been asking.

We discuss MOTUS....why FMCSA believed the industry needed it, the challenges during rollout, what went wrong, what's been fixed, and where the platform is headed next.

We also tackle freight fraud, identity verification, randomized MC numbers, enforcement, recent high-profile commercial vehicle crashes, and what FMCSA believes the industry must do to improve safety while protecting legitimate carriers.

Inside this episode:

Why FMCSA built MOTUS in the first place

The real story behind the rollout

What FMCSA learned from early issues

What's been fixed—and what's still improving

How MOTUS is changing freight fraud prevention

Identity verification vs. authority verification

Recent truck crashes and the future of safety enforcement

What truckers and carriers should expect from FMCSA moving forward

Whether you're an owner-operator, fleet owner, safety director, broker, or professional driver, this conversation offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from the person leading the agency responsible for commercial motor vehicle safety in America.

If you want honest conversations with the people shaping the future of trucking, subscribe to FreightWaves and never miss an episode of Brake Check.

Because understanding the rules is one thing...

Understanding where they're headed is another.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining the powerful momentum shift toward the rails that's creating massive growth opportunities for the nation's largest intermodal player. J.B. Hunt Transport Services just reported a blockbuster second quarter, with intermodal volumes jumping ten percent year-over-year and significantly outpacing the broader market. Eastern intermodal volumes surged sixteen percent year-over-year, driven by conversion activity at levels the company has not seen in more than a decade, while revenue of three point five billion dollars crushed analyst expectations.

Next, we explore a high-stakes legal battle in federal court where truck manufacturer Navistar defeated a sixteen point five million dollar lawsuit over delayed deliveries during the pandemic-era supply crunch. A Michigan jury sided with Navistar on Monday, rejecting breach of contract and fraud claims brought by GLS LeasCo and Central Transport, and concluding the company was not liable for damages related to the delayed delivery of one thousand one hundred International tractors ordered in twenty twenty-two.

Finally, we head to the Midwest where a major Wisconsin carrier is partnering with Tesla to evaluate the electric Semi in dedicated Chicago operations. De Pere-based Paper Transport Inc., which has logged over eighty-seven million miles using compressed and renewable natural gas, is assessing the battery-electric truck in an environment where predictable routes and consistent mileage provide ideal conditions for real-world testing as Tesla ramps toward volume production this year.

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J.B. Hunt Intermodal Surge, Navistar Wins Delivery Lawsuit, & Tesla Semi Chicago Pilot | The Morning Minute

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