Transfix

The year 2026 is off to a volatile start, and this week on the Transfix Take podcast, we’re breaking down the perfect storm of record-breaking weather, shifting rate cycles, and a major regulatory crackdown in California. If you’re a freight broker or transportation professional trying to navigate the "capacity red zone," this episode is your essential guide to staying ahead of the game. Inside Th...

The final Transfix Take of the year arrives at the peak of chaos — and opportunity — in the freight market. This week, Jenni Ruiz and NFI’s market expert Justin Maze break down one of the most volatile December surges we’ve seen since the pandemic era. With spot rates spiking, winter weather wreaking havoc, and carriers finally regaining the upper hand, Maze walks listeners through what’s driving...

Winter weather is here — and so is the first major freight shock of December. This week on The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and market expert Justin Maze break down the impact of a sweeping nor’easter, early-season snow across the Midwest and Northeast, and the stunning closure of 10 Roads Trucking, the largest carrier shutdown since Yellow. With more than 2,500 trucks leaving the road, Maze explains...

The Thanksgiving surge is officially here — and for the first time in weeks, every region in the U.S. saw rates climb. This week on The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and market expert Justin Maze break down why the holiday push is giving carriers the upper hand, even as consumer demand remains muted and freight volumes stay historically low. With Black Friday on deck and winter weather circling parts...

In this episode of Supply Chain Decoded, Jenni sits down with longtime friend and former Transfixer, Jack Pendergast, now Associate Director of Logistics at City Harvest, New York City’s first and largest food rescue organization. Together, they trace Jack’s journey from brokerages and fine art freight to purpose-driven logistics—moving millions of pounds of food and essentials to New Yorkers who...

In this very special edition of Supply Chain Decoded, we are honored to sit down with not one, but three titans of the industry: Eddie, David, and Kenny Lund. Recorded during their annual family hunting trip, the brothers join Jenni to pull back the curtain on the legacy of their father, Allen Lund, and the groundbreaking values that shaped a freight empire. We dive deep into their new book, Be Go...

The freight market is cooling just as the temperatures drop — and with Thanksgiving around the corner, things are about to get interesting. This week on The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and market expert Justin Maze break down the state of the freight market as we hit the midpoint of November. The national average rate per mile dips slightly to $1.66, and while capacity remains loose, early winter we...

It’s the calm before the holiday chaos — or is it? This week on The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and market expert Justin Maze break down how October closed out and what to expect as we roll into November. Despite a government shutdown entering its fourth week and tender volumes hitting an all-time low for October, the national average rate per mile held its ground with a modest 2 % month-over-month...

This week on Supply Chain Decoded, host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Ryan Goodwin, Senior Director of Advanced Supply Chain at Trinity Industries and Adjunct Professor of Supply Chain Management at TCU — a leader whose approach to automation and change management is reshaping how the rail industry thinks about data, technology, and people. Ryan’s face recently appeared on the NASDAQ billboard in Time...

The freight market may look steady, but don’t let that fool you — subtle shifts are already setting the stage for a volatile November. This week on The Transfix Take, Jenni Ruiz and NFI’s Justin Maze break down what’s happening across every region as Q4 heats up. From weather disruptions to policy curveballs, here’s where things stand — and where they’re headed next. In this episode: • Minimal wee...

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...