FreightCasts

In this episode of Freight Expectations, Craig Fuller, Matt Leffler, and Max Fuller dive into one of the biggest shifts the trucking industry has ever faced. From the controversial driver shortage debate to federal regulations, fleet adoption, maintenance challenges, and the future of autonomous trucking, this conversation explores what's coming next for freight.

Follow the Freight Expectations Podcast

Other FreightWaves Shows
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this packed episode of FreightWaves Today, Craig Fuller, Malcolm Wilson, and the FreightWaves team break down one of the most important weeks of the year for trucking: the lead-up to the July 4th freight surge — often called trucking’s “Super Bowl.”

They discuss tightening capacity, rising spot rates, driver shortages, and why many large carriers believe the freight market has officially turned. The conversation also explores the future of autonomous trucks, AI in logistics, and how brokers and shippers are preparing for a potentially volatile peak season.

This episode features insights from industry leaders and experts, including:

Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics at Ease Logistics and former DAT executive

Dr. Jason Miller, supply chain economist and professor at Michigan State University

Max Fuller, transportation industry veteran and founder of U.S. Xpress

Fabrizio Alvear, Co-Founder and President of ePost Global

⁠Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to What The Truck?! In this Friday edition, Malcolm Harris breaks down the biggest stories shaping freight, transportation, and supply chain.

This episode covers the latest headlines, including the Teamsters' legal victory against Amazon, new estimates showing cargo theft now costs U.S. businesses $35 billion annually, FreightTech 100 nominations opening for 2027, and a roundup of recent transportation and warehouse bankruptcies.

Then, Malcolm sits down with Chad Lindholm, SVP of Sales at Clean Energy, for an in-depth conversation about renewable natural gas (RNG), the Cummins X15N engine, fuel cost stability, and why more fleets are considering alternative fuels as a practical business decision—not just an environmental one.

Later, Netstock's Chief Marketing Officer Jefferson Barr and VP of Product Management Ryan Bavery discuss why companies continue to lose money through inefficient inventory planning and underutilized shipping containers. They explain how AI-driven inventory optimization, smarter container utilization, and better planning tools can help businesses improve margins in an increasingly volatile supply chain environment.

Watch on YouTube

Visit our sponsor - KOONER FLEET MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

Subscribe to the WTT newsletter

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

More FreightWaves Podcasts

#WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off in California, where warehouse workers launched the first ILWU strike against a major sugar producer in decades. The walkout at C&H Sugar's massive Bay Area refinery involves roughly ninety to one hundred unionized employees fighting over healthcare, retiree benefits, sick leave, and overtime rules. While American Sugar Refining offered a twenty percent wage increase, workers say the company proposed slashing half their annual sick days, ending retiree medical coverage, and limiting premium overtime pay.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration quietly suspended its biennial update requirement for entities that missed their deadline since June first, a clear signal that the Motus registration portal rollout continues to struggle. Despite FMCSA leadership characterizing the technical issues as minor, industry consultants report that conflicting government data is preventing carriers from operating, creating serious compliance headaches across the sector.

Finally, we examine how the U.S. Postal Service has delayed a shutdown until the early 2030s through accounting maneuvers, but the fundamental liquidity crisis remains unresolved. Postmaster General David Steiner warned senators that USPS carries nearly thirty-one billion dollars in debt against just eight point nine billion in unrestricted cash, as mail volume has plummeted by more than half since two thousand while delivery addresses continue growing by one million annually.

Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast

Other FreightWaves Shows
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Trucking About to Repeat Its Biggest Mistake Again?

Everyone is talking about the next trucking "super cycle." But who benefits  most from selling such a narrative?

Higher rates.

Tighter capacity.

A new golden era.

But haven't we heard this before?

On this episode of Brake Check, we're asking the question many in trucking are afraid to ask:

Is the industry chasing another hype cycle... or is this time actually different?

Joining Charles are three guests with completely different perspectives on the freight market.

Tyler Johnston: Mercer Transportation

Operations leader at one of America's most respected owner-operator carriers, discussing what disciplined fleets are actually seeing on the ground.

Tommy Valenzuela:  Recruiting Professional of the Year, One of trucking's leading carrier advocates, sharing what drivers and fleets are experiencing as hiring, retention, and capacity begin to shift.

Sage Outcast: Broker, insurance expert, and one of trucking's biggest pot stirrers

Never afraid to challenge conventional wisdom, Sage brings his unfiltered take on freight rates, insurance, broker dynamics, and whether the "super cycle" narrative is fact or fantasy.

We tackle:

Is the trucking super cycle real?

Are freight rates telling the whole story?

Why freight rates can rise while freight volume falls.

The biggest mistakes carriers made the last time everyone trusted "industry voices"

Why costs still threaten profitability.

Capacity, recruiting, insurance, and the market signals nobody should ignore.

What owner-operators, fleets, brokers, and executives should be watching next.

No corporate talking points.

No hype.

No echo chamber.

Just real conversations backed by experience from every side of the trucking industry.

If you're a truck driver, owner-operator, fleet owner, carrier executive, freight broker, logistics professional, or simply trying to understand where trucking is headed next, this episode is for you.

Subscribe for weekly conversations that challenge conventional wisdom and tackle the biggest issues in trucking, freight, logistics, regulation, and the supply chain.

#Trucking #Freight #Logistics #OwnerOperator #TruckDriver #FreightMarket #SupplyChain #MercerTransportation #Broker #Insurance #BrakeCheck #FreightWaves #Transportation #CDL #OwnerOperators #FreightRates

⁠Follow the Brake Check Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices