Transfix

In a male-dominated industry that often rewards polish over honesty, Amber Romando shows up with zero filters and total heart. From her beginnings as a dispatcher at UPS to becoming COO of Spartan Logistics and President of CSCMP Chicago Roundtable, Amber has carved out a career defined by grit, grace, and guts. In this conversation with host Jenni Ruiz, Amber opens up about betting on herself bef...

This week on The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and market expert Justin Maze break down the latest trends as Q4 2025 kicks off. Rates are holding steady, but regional shifts and a few policy curveballs are keeping things interesting. Here’s what’s moving the market: • A return to seasonal norms after weeks of volatility • Flatbed load-to-truck ratios up 8.4%, signaling tightening in project and constr...

It’s been a volatile two weeks in freight, and Maze and Jenni are breaking it all down on this week’s Transfix Take. As the national average line haul rate spikes and dry van load posts climb 6%, a perfect storm of factors — from end-of-quarter pressures to severe weather and a major CDL ruling — has carriers and shippers feeling the heat. Maze unpacks the non-domicile CDL regulation and what it c...

After more than a year, The Transfix Take is officially back! Justin Maze, market expert at NFI Industries, joins Jenni Ruiz to break down the last seven days in freight, starting with a stagnant national average rate per mile of $1.61. From severe storms in the Midwest to Tropical Storm Mario hitting Southern California, weather made its mark, while seasonal patterns echo what we saw throughout 2...

Supply Chain Decoded kicks off Season Two with Diane Hutsell, Director of Philanthropy at the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund. Diane shares her unexpected journey into trucking, how the Fund has provided over $5.2 million in aid, and the health challenges drivers face on the road. From innovative health programs to a fantasy football fundraiser and National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, thi...

Insurance might not be the sexiest topic in freight—but it should be. In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Taylor Walker, Chief Insurance Officer at Loadsure, and Michael Kennedy, VP of Partnerships, to unpack one of the most misunderstood (and mission-critical) aspects of logistics: cargo insurance. Together, they decode the difference between hard and soft insu...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Corey Abbott, Chief Growth Officer at PortPro, to dive into one of the most overlooked yet essential links in the supply chain: drayage. From his early days in corporate IT at XPO to leading AI transformation at PortPro, Corey brings a rare blend of technical fluency and logistics expertise. He explains why drayage—long plague...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Jesse Buckingham, co-founder of Vooma—the platform that’s redefining what it means to scale a freight business with AI. Jesse’s no stranger to the logistics industry, having previously led companies like Trucker Tools and Record360. Now, he’s building AI agents that slot directly into the workflows of logistics teams, taking o...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, we sit down with Sean Smith, VP of Product and Client Services at Denim, for a candid look into what it really takes to build meaningful, transparent products in freight fintech. From his early days in management consulting to scaling a dump truck marketplace, Sean shares how he found his way into freight — and why he's here to stay. Sean unpacks how Denim...

From Ad Exec to the King of Tricky Ship: Paul Jarrett on Reinventing Fulfillment for the Modern Brand In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Paul Jarrett, co-founder and CEO of Bulu—a 3PL that’s anything but traditional. From growing up in a trailer park to co-founding one of the first subscription box companies, Paul shares the unexpected path that led him from Ma...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Ken Beyer, CEO of Transportation Insight and Nolan Transportation Group, to unpack what it takes to lead two powerhouse logistics organizations through economic shifts, technological transformation, and cultural growth. With more than $15 billion in freight under management and 20,000 loads moved daily, Ken shares how the Beon...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Kara Smith Brown, founder and CRO of LeadCoverage, and author of the Amazon bestseller The Revenue Engine to break down what most supply chain companies get wrong about marketing and go-to-market strategies. Kara shares how getting fired (and making babies) sparked her entrepreneurial journey, and how a kismet collaboration wi...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, we’re zooming out from inland trucking and straight into the ports with Tom Zeis, brand ambassador and founding team member at Port X Logistics. From launching a company with zero VC funding to navigating the chaos of the pandemic, Tom shares how Port X went from 10 trucks to a $200 million business in just five years. We dive into what it takes to build a...

What if the secret to solving logistics’ biggest challenges isn’t in tech, but in trust? In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni Ruiz sits down with Brian Asher, SVP of Logistics at Hyway Transportation, a subsidiary of FST Logistics. From courtside beginnings in the NBA to the high-stakes world of freight, Brian takes us through his journey into logistics, leadership lessons that shaped hi...

Is freight brokering really passive income? (Spoiler alert: Absolutely not.) In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni Ruiz sits down with Shimmi Munson, Business Development at Strategic Transport Inc. (STI), LinkedIn freight personality, and unapologetic logistics nerd. With 15 years in the game, Shimmi gets real about what it means to build lasting relationships with both carriers and cust...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Dan Lindsey—founder and president of the Broker Carrier Summit—for a raw, no-BS conversation about what’s really broken in freight, and how his grassroots movement is setting out to fix it. From the Marines to the freight trenches, Dan shares the parallels between military structure and logistics chaos, and how a deep hatred o...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Eileen Dabrowski, Founder and CEO of Apex Tide Consulting, for her very first interview under her new title. Eileen opens up about her unconventional journey from academia to logistics, how she built a learning and development empire at ReedTMS and Werner Enterprises, and why she believes training, culture, and DEI aren’t just...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni Ruiz sits down with Spencer Piland, CFO and COO of SONAR, for a timely conversation about the freight economy—and what every broker needs to watch as the landscape shifts. Recorded weeks ago but more relevant than ever, Spencer’s warning about tariffs rings loud and clear: They’re already affecting prices, whether we see it yet or not. Together, they...

You know the voice - you know the face! We sat down with Lori Boyer of EasyPost and host of the "Unboxing Logistics" podcast who shared her bold predictions for 2025, and they’re already playing out in real time. From shifts in carrier strategies to the growing role of automation and AI in logistics, Lori’s insights weren’t just educated guesses; they were a blueprint for what’s happening now. In...

The freight industry is evolving fast—so how do we keep it secure, innovative, and people-focused? In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, we sit down with two powerhouse leaders from DAT Freight & Analytics: Kary Jablonski, VP & GM of Trucker Tools and Broker Growth, and Dr. Erika Voss, VP of Information Security. We dive into everything from tackling fraud and cybersecurity threats to driving i...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Kameel Gaines, founder and CEO of Rig on Wheels. Celebrating 15 years in business, Kameel shares her journey from corporate sales to building a driver recruitment powerhouse. She opens up about the challenges of navigating the trucking industry, the importance of learning from failure, and her powerful insights on DEI (Diversi...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, we sit down with Kendra Phillips, VP and GM of Global Transportation Management at Ryder, to explore her remarkable career journey. From her early days as a chemical engineer to her impactful leadership at Ryder, Kendra shares insights on navigating a male-dominated industry, empowering women in logistics, and the mindset shifts she brought back from her ti...

In the world of power logistics, the stakes are high, and the challenges are unique. In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni Ruiz sits down with Agustin Harriague, VP of Logistics, Inventory, and Warehousing at Mitsubishi Power Americas, to unpack the biggest misconceptions around cost, carrier relationships, and RFP strategies in the industry. Agustin shares his insights on why logistics i...

To kick off our month-long celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re bringing you a powerhouse panel of women leading the charge in supply chain at Henkel! From inventory management to transportation, logistics, and customer excellence, these leaders take us inside the end-to-end supply chain—breaking down challenges, sharing career lessons, and decoding common industry myths. Join Emily Aktar (...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni Ruiz sits down with Shane Duncan, VP of Managed Transportation Sales at FreightPlus, to break down why managed transportation is about more than just securing the lowest rate. They explore the biggest challenges shippers face today—lack of visibility, rising customer expectations, and the need for smarter, tech-enabled solutions. Shane shares how AI,...