The Long Haul

Debon Sims — DJ — got his CDL in 2018 and bought his first semi-truck in 2019 after getting out of a lease-purchase program. What the intake form doesn't say is what came before that. DJ has been incarcerated. He knows what it feels like to have the system count you out. He also knows what it feels like to decide that the count doesn't matter. He landed an Amazon contract early on. Lost it. Spent...

Factoring might be the most argued-about topic in small carrier Facebook groups. Half the comments say it saved their business. The other half say it nearly destroyed it. And everybody's got a story about a contract they didn't read closely enough, a reserve they couldn't get back, or a fee they didn't see coming until it was too late. The frustration is real. And it's earned. But here's the part...

Thousands of people enter trucking every year looking for a better future. Many are chasing freedom. Some are trying to build wealth. Others are leaving careers they have spent decades building in hopes of creating something of their own. Some make it. Many don't. In this episode, Adam sits down with Victor "Bigg Vic" Newton, founder of Bigg Vic TV and one of the most recognized voices in trucking...

Military freight is one of the most misunderstood corners of trucking. Most owner-operators hear about Department of Defense freight and immediately assume: it’s impossible to access, only big fleets can get it, or the system is too complicated to understand. But the reality is deeper than that. In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Philip Nenadov, CEO of Military Freight C...

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 ente...

Everybody wants somebody to blame. Brokers. ELDs. Immigration. Mega carriers. The government. The spot market. But what if the problems facing trucking today go much deeper than social media talking points? In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Stephen Ruhe — third-generation trucking operator, Navy veteran, brokerage leader, and trucking history enthusiast — to break down...

Many small carriers think they have a driver problem. They don’t. They have a messaging problem… a positioning problem… and a clarity problem. In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Elijah Cramer — who built his career inside driver recruiting before moving into tech and working directly with carriers to improve hiring and retention This conversation breaks down: Why driver...

Everyone wants to own a truck. Very few understand what comes after. In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Pamela Polyak — a third-generation transportation owner who took over her family’s asset-based operation at the start of 2020 and has spent years helping small carriers navigate compliance, operations, and growth This conversation breaks down: Why most new authorities...

Most small carriers believe they’re compliant. Until they’re not. And by the time they find out… it’s already too late. In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Brandon Wiseman of Trucksafe & Childress Law, a legal expert with nearly 20 years of experience in DOT safety, compliance, and accident exposure. This isn’t a surface-level compliance conversation. This is about what a...

In this special on-location episode of The Long Haul, host Adam Wingfield takes listeners directly onto the floor of the 54th Annual Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky. Recorded from within the exhibits and custom trailers that define the industry’s biggest event, this episode moves past the equipment to focus on the "human element" of trucking. Follow The Long Haul Podcast O...

In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam Wingfield sits down with Jorge Rivera, a longtime truck driver and DACA recipient caught in the middle of a growing regulatory battle. As new rules around non-domiciled CDLs take center stage, Jorge shares how drivers like him—fully vetted, experienced, and deeply rooted in the U.S.—are being unintentionally pushed out of the industry. From viral moments and...

In this special edition of The Long Haul, live from the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) 2026, host Adam Wingfield sits down with Ilya, the founder of ICV Express, to discuss a masterclass in trucking resilience and unconventional strategy. Ilya shares his unique transition from the high-pressure world of the restaurant industry—where he managed kitchens at Chipotle and opened fast-casual brands i...

Every year thousands of drivers and trucking companies head to the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky. And every year… most of them make the same mistake. They spend three days looking at custom trucks, collecting free hats, and walking the floor without a plan. But for small carriers and owner-operators, MATS can be one of the most valuable business opportunities of the enti...

Cargo theft is evolving — and most small carriers aren’t prepared for it. In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, Adam sits down with Jillian Kossman, Chief Operations Officer at IDScan.net, to break down one of the fastest-growing threats in logistics: identity fraud and fictitious pickups. Modern fake IDs are no longer obvious — and many small carriers, brokers, and shippers simply don’t have...

Freight markets are sending mixed signals right now. Spot rates are ticking up. Tender rejection pockets are appearing across the country. Port volumes are surging in some areas. But underneath those numbers, the broader economy is flashing warning signs. Credit card debt has reached a record $1.28 trillion. Unemployment among college graduates is rising. Consumer spending — especially in big-tick...

Truckers are sold to 24/7 — by brokers, shippers, insurance companies, fuel programs, tech apps, dispatchers, and every “solution” in the industry. But here’s the truth most won’t say out loud: small carriers aren’t failing because they don’t know how to drive… they’re failing because they’re misinformed, misled, or marketed to in ways that have nothing to do with reality. In this episode of The L...

After 35 years in transportation — from helping build Leonard’s Express into a $350M logistics powerhouse to leading the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) — Michael Riccio has seen this industry from every angle. In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Riccio to talk about leadership, growth, and what’s next for the broker-carrier relationship. They dig into how small c...

Aftertreatment failures don’t usually show up as one big catastrophic bill — they show up as downtime, repeat derates, misdiagnosed parts, and decisions made under financial stress. In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, I sit down with RJ Bordner to break down the real-world economics of aftertreatment from the perspective small carriers actually live with. We talk about post-warranty realitie...

Broker transparency has become one of the most emotionally charged topics in trucking — and for good reason. Small carriers feel boxed out, brokers feel misunderstood, and the conversation often collapses into extremes instead of solutions. In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, I sit down with Chris Jolly, better known as The Freight Coach, to slow the conversation down and unpack what transpa...

Credit isn’t the problem in trucking—misunderstanding it is. In this episode of The Long Haul Podcast, I sit down with Gerri Detweiler, to break down how credit really works for owner-operators and small fleets. This isn’t a conversation about products or approvals. It’s about how personal credit, business credit, and cash flow collide in real life—and why too many carriers end up trapped instead...

Small carriers already know why this market hurts — rates are tight, fuel moves fast, and freight isn’t forgiving mistakes. What most don’t fully understand is how small daily decisions quietly compound into big financial outcomes. In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Mike Hossted, VP of Sales and Marketing at ATBS, who has spent more than a decade working directly with owner-oper...

Fuel prices just jumped again — up nine cents this week — and for small carriers, that’s not a market trend, that’s a problem. In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Zach Buckner, Senior VP of Sales at OTR Solutions, to dig into what really separates good financial partners from the ones who quietly drain your margins. Zach shares his journey from sales executive to senior leadershi...

The debate over non-domiciled CDLs has become one of the most heated and misunderstood conversations in trucking. Court filings, enforcement changes, and political rhetoric dominate the headlines — but rarely do we hear from the drivers whose lives are directly affected. In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Jorge Rivera Lujan, an owner-operator with more than a decade in trucking...

Truck drivers don’t need another feel-good message. They want honesty. In this episode of The Long Haul, Adam sits down with Harvey Beech, co-founder of American Truckers United, a third-generation trucking operator who has lived every side of this industry — company driver, small fleet owner, and long-haul carrier. Harvey speaks plainly about what many drivers feel but few are willing to say out...

As 2025 comes to a close, The Long Haul host Adam Wingfield looks back on a year that tested small carriers and owner-operators like never before. This special Year in Review episode features powerful clips and insights from 15 guests, covering the challenges, lessons, and wins that shaped the trucking industry. It’s a reflection on progress, resilience, and what it really takes to keep moving for...