RoadSigns A Transport Topics Podcast

Are you asking yourself: Will autonomous truck technology really improve efficiency in the transportation industry? Will self-driving trucks really take over and replace truck drivers? Let's ask a leading expert on autonomous trucking, Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO of Torc Robotics. With his experience in this field, he has a keen understanding of the potential that autonomous technology holds for fr...

Autonomous trucks are still in the early days. Tech companies, startups, and companies like Daimler, TuSimple, Paccar, Aurora, Waymo, and Volvo continue to invest — making this transformative technology a reality. For this technology to succeed, however, it must integrate into real-world freight operations. In this episode, host Seth Clevenger wonders how autonomous trucks can fit into the freight...

C.H. Robinson CEO steps down, potential recession looms, and House Republicans focus on an in-depth examination of the Biden administration’s infrastructure funding priorities. With uncertainty in the air, what is the outlook for trucking in 2023? How will the industry change with the current government, economic and business trends? To guide you through this spate of trucking news, host Michael F...

One hundred episodes. Over one hundred guests. And, most importantly, one hundred critical trucking questions... answered. The first episode of RoadSigns asked, "Autonomous: Who's Behind the Wheel of Tomorrow?" To answer, Seth Clevenger brought in Alex Rodrigues of Embark who was just starting off in the autonomous trucking sector. Two rookies tackling the biggest question of their time and settin...

"I always tell people, driving a truck is either for you, or it is not for you. You either have it, or you don’t have it.” In 2002, Rahmel Wattley realized driving a truck wasn't for him. Trucking, however, was. He started dispatching and quickly climbed the corporate ladder. Then, he asked himself, "what if I started my own company?" The trucking business guru answered with a driver-staffing comp...

On February 17, 2020 a privately-owned transportation and supply chain management company was attacked by malware. The company was a notable trucking industry for-hire company player with a strong IT team and plentiful resources. And, yet, even this well-oiled company was not cyber-attack proof. If cyber security threats can take down these digital systems, what will they do to yours? Can you prep...

This Thanksgiving meet the truck-driver-turned-writer whose book, Overcoming Challenge: The Tar Billy Way, is helping thousands of everyday people lead with positivity. Then, break bread with the philanthropist whose truck-driver-focused charity seeks to ensure that drivers who need help, get it. In this heartwarming episode of RoadSigns, Ernest Hamilton and Etienne Hightower will remind you that...

Randy Obermeyer is flipping the script on finding new diesel technicians. The newest Technology and Maintenance Council chair knows that being a truck mechanic is much more than a dirty job. Today, it requires a deep understanding of diagnostics, electric truck software, circuit boards, telematics and control modules. He also knows this multi-faceted type of talent is hard to come by, but for the...

After spending the past two years contending with supply-chain disruptions and severe port congestion, the world’s largest freight transportation providers now face high inflation and economic uncertainty heading into 2023. In this episode we examine how international shippers and their freight transportation providers have been reevaluating their supply-chains and preparing for an uncertain futur...

The latest generation of advanced driver-assist systems are introducing new features to further enhance safety in the trucking industry. But these safety gains can only be realized if fleets choose to adopt these systems and professional drivers accept the technology. Will the trucking industry embrace these next-generation driver-assist capabilities? ZF’s Julien Plenchette thinks the answer is ye...

With midterm elections season in full swing, both parties are promoting infrastructure proposals as they each pursue control of Congress. On one side of the aisle, Democrats are reminding voters of the passed infrastructure bill, supply chain semiconductor bill, and COVID-19 relief. While on the other side, Republicans are telling voters that they will reduce inflation, supply chain bottlenecks an...

Meet Larry Fowler – a man whose "focus on the process" makes him one of the nation's top heavy-duty technician trainers and good inspiration for anyone struggling to create the best-possible shop environment. Fowler teaches technicians how to cultivate strong troubleshooting skills and gives maintenance bay managers pragmatic advice for managing their shops, their people, and 3rd party services. I...

Winter is coming. Fleet owners know that a little bit of gas tank condensation is no big deal in summer months, but come December – this means breakdowns. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to winterizing your fleet. So what is your preventive maintenance plan for the upcoming winter season? How can you plan and avoid critical hiccups that wouldn't surface in the warmer months? This...

80,000 drivers. Trucking companies say that they need that many drivers this year to keep up with demand. But, despite increases in pay and recruitment budgets, these companies are worried that 80,000 is an impossible goal. So, what else can you do? In this episode, Tamara Jalving, VP of safety and talent acquisition at Yellow, helps us see solutions through fleet eyes, while Connor Wolf, TT's res...

When will supply chain issues end? The sheer number of recent seismic events has put enormous strain on all of us who need things. The global food shortages, skyrocketing commodity prices, severed supply lines have made modern life difficult. But when you run a business whose core focus is keeping goods moving, the strain of backlogs and breakdowns might just break you. In this episode, host Seth...

Private carriers play a pivotal role in freight transportation across many sectors of the economy. Nowhere is that fact clearer than in the food service sector. During the past year, grocery chains, food service distributors, and beverage delivery fleets grew in shipping prowess and power units. What factors contributed to this growth? What does this reveal about the supply chain in 2022? And what...

Siamak Azmoudeh knows you and your drivers don't want to waste time finding the right trailer. And he knows your fleet needs to maximize trailer utilization to get the most out of those assets. In this episode, Azmoudeh, vice president of product lifecycle management and business development at Skybitz, discusses the rise of the smart trailer and why the industry standard is shifting toward more s...

Jason Gies knows that you don’t want your new electric medium-duty truck to run out of juice just because your route took it out of range distance. So, he’s talking to truck stop operators, shippers, regulators, policy makers, and people at the local power company to help architect a sustainable charging infrastructure - one that makes 600-kilowatt battery charging just as easy as plugging in that...

With U.S. unemployment at 3.6% some are left wondering - is the 'labor shortage' a lie? What logical reason is there for a labor shortage? For trucking, there are many reasons. In this special roundabout episode, host Michael Freeze looks back on the first half of 2022 and unveils why trucking companies are still struggling to find the workers they need to be successful. Tune in. For more informat...

Are supply chain woes being exaggerated? Not if you ask transportation industry experts. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, inflation, surging fuel prices and the ongoing war in Ukraine, the logistics environment has been extremely volatile and customer management is tricky at best. In this episode, we talk to 3PL problem-solvers who make it their mission to stabilize this volatile environment wi...

Do you ever wonder what it takes for a trucking company to rise to the top? Or what successful operations look like from the inside? The Transport Topics Top 100 For-Hire Carriers list ranks the largest players in the trucking industry. In this episode, the makers of this year’s Top 100 list uncover the roots of top-player revenue and success – and what it means for the supply chain. Tune in. For...

Turnover for a single driver can cost trucking businesses up to $15,000 in replacement costs. Even worse, only 35% of new drivers make it through the first 90 days. In this episode we ask, how can trucking companies persuade new drivers to stay? What onboarding practices actually work? For answers, host Mike Freeze brings in onboarding expert Anthony Pellegrino, president and chief operations offi...

The truck maintenance bay is about to get a... shock. Now that the industry has accepted an EV reality and fleets plan for a comprehensive shift to the new fueling technology, questions pile up concerning the new maintenance shop: What does the EV maintenance cycle look like? How are technicians being trained to repair these new machines? For answers, host Michael Freeze turns to one of the younge...

According to the latest American Transportation Research Institute report, 90% of carriers saw their insurance premiums increase between 2018 and 2020 — per-mile costs jumping from 59 cents to 87 cents. As a fleet owner, high rates put a squeeze on operational costs, profits, and employee salaries. So, what can fleets do to compete against insurance costs? Can new technology provide relief to risi...

The new proposed NOx standard, announced March 28 of this year, is set to reduce emissions of smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides from heavy-duty gasoline and diesel engines by 60-percent. Sounds great, right? Not quite, truck manufactures are now burdened to meet the rule stipulations— in this episode, host Michael Freeze asks, what are the realities and challenges of the NOx ruling? And, how...