FreightCasts

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The trucking industry keeps talking about a “driver shortage”…

But what if the real problem is the industry itself?

On this episode of Brake Check, Charles Gracey dives headfirst into the recruiting and retention crisis ripping through trucking right now — why drivers are leaving, why some fleets can’t keep seats filled, and why the companies winning in 2026 are doing things very differently than the rest of the industry.

We also tackle the shifting legal and operational pressure hitting freight as carriers, brokers, and fleets try to survive one of the most volatile eras trucking has seen in years.

Featuring:

Tim Norlin from ⁠Roehl Transport⁠

David Lowry from ⁠Bennett Family of Companies⁠

The truth about the “driver shortage”

Why trucking struggles to retain drivers

The recruiting tactics fleets still get wrong

Why lead-gen culture changed trucking

Flatbed demand & the freight market outlook

The growing pressure on brokers and carriers

What fleets MUST do to survive the next phase of trucking

Topics include:

No fluff.

No corporate spin.

Just real trucking talk for real trucking people.If you’re a driver, carrier, broker, dispatcher, recruiter, or fleet owner… this is the conversation the industry needs right now.

#Trucking #DriverShortage #TruckDrivers #Freight #OwnerOperator #CDL #BrakeCheck  #Recruiting #Retention

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Most trucking companies don’t fail because freight disappears.

They fail because cash flow breaks first.

In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Michael Bunton to discuss one of the most overlooked realities in trucking: cash flow management.

Michael’s background is unique — from professional baseball with the Chicago Cubs organization to human performance coaching before entering transportation finance and working directly with small carriers across the Southeast.

This conversation breaks down:

Why profitable carriers still go out of business

The dangerous cash flow cycle many small fleets ignore

Why emotional decision-making destroys margins

The hidden operational costs small carriers overlook

What owner-operators misunderstand about factoring

And why discipline matters more than revenue

This episode is not about promoting factoring.

It’s about understanding how trucking businesses survive.

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In this episode, we kick things off with a massive compliance crackdown hitting the trucking industry, as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration added twelve electronic logging devices to the revoked list in the largest single-day event since May 2025. All twelve failed to meet minimum technical requirements, bringing the total to seventy-nine devices removed since January 2025 at an aggressive pace of nearly five per month. If you're running any of these devices, you have until July 20th to replace them with a compliant ELD or face citations and out-of-service violations.

Over in the ocean shipping sector, we explore how ZIM Integrated Shipping Services posted a net loss of $86 million in the first quarter, a massive reversal from $296 million in net income one year earlier. The Israeli liner, set to be acquired by Germany's Hapag-Lloyd, saw revenues slump 30 percent to $1.4 billion as its average freight rate per TEU crashed 26 percent to just $1,310, reflecting a softer freight rate environment and weaker demand.

Finally, we cover the evolving world of fleet technology as Fleetworthy unveiled three major platform enhancements at its Customer Roadshow event in Austin, including a unified cross-platform login, Centralized Vehicle Management, and the debut of the FleetworthyGO mobile app. These upgrades create a single source of truth for vehicle information across Fleetworthy's various products, allowing fleets to manage compliance, toll management, permitting, and weigh station bypass activities from one centralized platform.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining autonomous trucking's major geographic expansion as Einride deploys cabless electric trucks in Ohio in partnership with EASE Logistics. This proof-of-concept deployment represents a significant shift beyond the Sun Belt, bringing SAE Level 4 autonomous technology to the industrial Midwest for the first time. Operating between warehouses in Marysville, the project is part of Ohio and Indiana's Truck Automation Corridor initiative to evaluate real-world impacts on safety and freight efficiency.

Next, we explore the equipment sector where Volvo Trucks North America has unveiled a completely redesigned D13 engine engineered to meet 2027 EPA standards taking effect January 1st. The next-generation powerplant slashes nitrogen oxide emissions by a staggering eighty-three percent and particulate matter by fifty percent, making it Volvo's cleanest engine ever. With compacted graphite iron block construction, a higher compression ratio, and innovative fourteen-wave piston design, the engine delivers up to 540 horsepower while fundamentally redefining heavy-duty performance and environmental compliance.

Finally, we cover a sudden leadership shakeup at the western Class I railroad as BNSF's chief operations officer departed after just five months in the top operations role. Matt Garland, a twenty-five-year BNSF veteran who took the COO position on January 1st, has been replaced by Craig Morehouse, who will now oversee the entire operations organization. The abrupt transition comes as Berkshire Hathaway's new leadership pushes BNSF to further improve its operating ratio and operational performance.

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