The Intermodal Logistics Podcast

One factor that has many shippers shying away from using intermodal is a worry about protecting their cargo from damage. But proper blocking and bracing - along with packing - helps thousands of loads arrive intact every day. Kelsey Even, Manager - Closed Car Loading Rules with MxV Rail joins The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to go over the considerations for safely securing containerized freight:...

It's an interesting time to be a 3PL (third party logistics provider), and an interesting time to cover the industry. Marina Mayer, IronMarkets Content Director and Editor in Chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazines joins us on The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to discuss how she came to cover the industry and how it's evolved - and take us through her rec...

Ports are vital links in the global supply chain, but those responsible for running key U.S. trade hubs say they need an equipment upgrade. National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE) President Carl Bentzel joins The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to discuss a survey of 25 port executives NAWE released in May. Carl tells us how those member executives agreed on a need for $6.7 billion in new...

The concept of autonomous vehicles has been around for years, but just as taxis are beginning to take off, a new entrant in trucking is ready to hit the ground running - the Humble Hauler. Humble Robotics Founder/CEO Eyal Cohen joins us on The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to discuss his young company and why, after several years in the space, he chose to focus on freight. Eyal explains how the Hum...

Robust homebuilding offers a tremendous lift to freight volumes, so on this episode, we put new home starts (and the general housing market) in focus with Kevin Oakley, Managing Partner with Do You Convert. Kevin takes us through the positives and negatives of the marketplace, where public and private builders diverge in terms of inventory and flexibility, how much building is taking place now - a...

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that may be true of the freight environment, which includes vast swathes of land, a wide variety of goods and commodities, the Gulf Coast, and the U.S.-Mexico border. But keeping it all moving isn't just reserved for big carriers, short-line railroads and shallow water ports like those operated by TNW Corporation also play a vital role.  TNW Directo...

Just a couple of weeks after a gathering of industry pros at the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) Capital Ideas Conference, President & CEO Chris Burroughs joins us again on The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to share a recap of the Phoenix gathering, the hot topics covered there (and still percolating), and the general mood he's seeing in the freight world today. Atop the li...

Plenty is happening in (and to) the trucking market of late, so we welcome back an old friend to The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to check on where it stands. ACT Research VP and Senior Analyst Tim Denoyer joins us as our first ever in-studio guest, to go over truck production and the state of the fleet, and what that signals for capacity and activity going forward. Plus, we address FMCSA enforcem...

Whether it's domestic, import or export, shipping agricultural products involves unique challenges - challenges that the co-founder and Executive Director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) Peter Friedmann has been tackling on behalf of membership for many years. Peter joins us on this edition of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to offer an overview of the organization, what g...

The spike in diesel prices is starting to show up in the trucking market - with implications for intermodal as well. That's according to DAT iQ Principal Analyst Dean Croke, our guest on this episode of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast. In a wide-ranging conversation, Dean goes over how the sudden increase in fuel related to the Iran conflict has changed the equation for trucking carriers, es...

Less than three months into 2026, the ocean cargo outlook for the year has been thrown a major curveball with the U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran. Xeneta Chief Analyst Peter Sand returns to The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to go over both what was expected and what's changed in the ocean freight space now and for the next several months because of the Iranian situation. We go over the s...

When it comes to sustainability, there's long been a thought that in the corporate arena it was all for show. However, the 2026 State of Transportation Report by Breakthrough paints a different picture - at least when it comes to the freight industry. On this edition of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast, Breakthrough COO Jenny Vander Zanden joins us to go over the report, which shows a strong...

While intermodal is our focus, it's important to remember how all forms of freight transportation around the globe tie together to make supply chains go. On this episode, we welcome Cathy Morrow Roberson, Founder and Head Analyst of Logistics Trends & Insights, to give us a fuller picture. Cathy takes us through a number of major supply chain stories - touching on the railroad merger betw...

Retail is the final link in supply chains getting finished products to consumers. So how did the industry do for the crown jewel period of the holiday season (and last year overall), and what are the expectations for 2026? For those answers and more, we welcome Jonathan Gold, Vice President, Supply Chain and Customs Policy with the National Retail Federation (NRF) to The Intermodal Logistics Podca...

Just over a year after taking over as President and CEO of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), Anne Reinke joins us on The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to both look back at her first 12 months on the job, and look forward to how IANA aims to tackle the biggest challenge facing intermodal - increasing market share. Anne gives an overview of IANA's 2025, which included a focus o...

Truckload and intermodal rate and volume trends - along with market conditions - are shaping shipper and broker strategy for 2026. For the first episode of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast of the new year, we discuss all that and more as we offer our 2026 outlook. InTek Logistics President Shelli Austin and InTek Logistics CEO Rick LaGore have you covered, looking at how transportation operations...

While traditional forward logistics gets most of the attention, reverse logistics (in essence, returns) is a significant part of business as well. And our guest on this episode of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast explains how doing it right means a circular approach.  Rich Bulger is the Founder of All Things Circular and author of "Going Circular: The Evolution of Reverse Logistics Into a Com...

On this edition of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast, we cover a variety of bases with Port X Logistics Founder and CEO Brian Kempisty - joining us from his home in Montana. We start by learning about his background and the founding of Port X in 2017, then we get into the company itself - the areas it covers and services it provides. Next, we bounce around a few key issues, as Brian explains the si...

Almost all the way through year one of the second Trump administration, it's possible to assess the effects of some major policies on freight. On this edition of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast, we welcome Arizona State University Professor Dr. Dale Rogers to discuss three key initiatives that relate to supply chains: The English language requirement for truck drivers Ramped up immigration e...

With an undoubtedly changed international trade environment along with differing priorities on sustainability, two key freight factors went from somewhat predictable to up in the air this year. On the latest edition of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast, we explore two surveys commissioned by Sphera that take the pulse of those logistics decision-makers: one on the effects of new trade policy and th...

As with any industry, transportation requires standards to operate at maximum efficiency. And the organization behind setting those standards for LTL, truckload and more, is the National Motor Freight Traffic Association or NMFTA. NMFTA VP of Operations Keith Peterson joins us on The Intermodal Logistics Podcast to discuss not only those standards, but an initiative that combines them with digitiz...

With cargo theft taking a step further into the forefront of consciousness after the recent story on Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar's disappearing loads of Santo Tequila, the spotlight also goes on solutions to prevent it in the future. That's where Curtis Spencer, CEO of Bloodhound Tracking Device, comes in, as he joins us on The Intermodal Logistics Podcast. Curtis tells us how the origins...

Railroad is likely the first form of transportation that comes to mind when considering intermodal, but trucks play a vital role in getting freight delivered door-to-door. Drayage trucking takes the spotlight on the last of our episodes of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast recorded at IANA's Intermodal EXPO, as we welcome Kevin Lhotak, President of Reliable Transportation Specialists (RTSI). K...

While there are only a select few Class 1 Railroads in the U.S., there are hundreds of so-called short-line railroads. And our guest on this edition of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast from IANA's Intermodal EXPO in Long Beach, California has worked with both. Iowa Interstate Railroad Director of Intermodal Andy Bradfield explains the differences between smaller and larger railroads. He also...

Intermodal is not just a long-haul option. CSX Director Sales, Rail Assets Lauren Eskew joined The Intermodal Logistics Podcast from IANA's Intermodal EXPO in Long Beach, California to outline the class 1 railroad's Rail Plus program and their various shorter distance offerings east of the Mississippi. Lauren points out the surprising speed of intermodal on these shorter lanes, debunking...