WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

On episode 754 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is back from Labor Day with FreightWaves’ Kyle Taylor to break down the post-holiday freight market. Was Labor Day a peak season catalyst or have rates failed to gain momentum?  Pilot Flying J is celebrating truck driver appreciation week with their Pilot Flying J 2024 Road Warrior Contest. Jordan Spradling stops by to talk about how drivers can win and w...

On episode 753 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by supply chain super consultant Brittain Ladd to talk about how Costco leveraged its supply chain to become the third largest retailer in the world. Nearly one third of Americans count themselves as members and the company is now expanding into East Asia. Ladd shares how Costco is using tech to scale the business even further.   MoLo co-founder...

On episode 752 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is joined by Titan Casket CEO Scott Ginsberg. He’s here to show off the company’s revolutionary new casket and to talk about the logistics of the ultimate final mile: death. We’re getting a temperature check on the economy and the freight market with Reliance Partners’ Thom Albrecht.  Another freight magician stops by the show in an attempt to prove a su...

On episode 751 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is talking about the Canadian government's order for striking union workers to get back on the job. That trains may be back on track but Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference says that the decision is, “disastrous for labor.”  Kansas Highway Patrol’s Trooper Ben Gardner stops by the show to talk about staying safe on the highway....

On Episode 750 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about the Canadian government ordering an end to the rail lockout. CN has ended its lockout, but CPKC is continuing its work stoppage. Scammers are targeting zero-emission fleets in California by offering them bogus Telsa Semi reservations. Talon Logistics Inc.’s Mike Bush talks about how it works and why his company didn’t fall victim to it. ...

On Episode 749 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about a potential rail strike in Canada that could begin this week and how it would disrupt freight for months. What are the logistics of publishing a book? “Theft of Fire” author Devon Eriksen stops by the studio to talk about his latest novel involving a deep-space trucker and an intergalactic cargo heist. We’ll find out what it’s about and...

On Episode 748 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner welcomes Super Trucker Justin Martin back to the show. They’re talking about whether Kamala Harris should price-cap spot rates; truck driver pranks that go too far; a harrowing video of a UPS driver; and the merits of truck stop sushi. Freight Science’s Intelligent Decision Automation platform helped with rerouting shipments automatically right after the...

On episode 747 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by GCaptain’s John Konrad V to talk all about the Red Sea conflict, America’s need for shipbuilding; and the decimation of the U.S. merchant marine. What happens when a driver dies on the road? It can be incredibly challenging for surviving family members. That’s why Robert Palm started Truckers Final Mile, a charity dedicated to helping truckin...

On Episode 746 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking to OOIDA’s Jay Grimes about his organization’s pushback against AI and autonomous trucks. OOIDA has urged DOT to develop AV standards that are based on documented research and testing data. We’ll find out all about their concerns. How do hotshot loads work? We’re getting a crash course in Hotshot Trucking 101 from Diligent Delivery Systems’ Ri...

On Episode 745 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is looking at what inventory levels have to say about peak season in trucking. Netstock’s Barry Kukkuk breaks down their latest report. Truck Tech’s Alan Adler is in New York for Cummins’ latest event. We’ll find out what the word on the scene is. Adler also talks about Kodiak’s latest autonomous trucking pivot and Nikola’s financials.  NXTStep Vets’ Chr...

On episode 744 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is talking about an explosion in Ningbo aboard Yang Ming’s YM Mobility. Are lithium ion batteries to blame again?  Korber’s Rik Schrader talks about their big deal for MercuryGate.  WeatherOptics’ Scott Pecoriello looks at fallout from Hurricane Debby and looks ahead to how the rest of the storm season could impact freight.  Verified Carrier’s Andrey Drot...

On Episode 743 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about August’s red-hot FreightTech M&A. This week, Korber acquired MercuryGate and Bestpass grabbed Drivewyze. What’s driving the deals, and what company will be scooped up next? Leonard’s Express is teaming up with Optimal Dynamics to enhance driver experience and asset utilization.  We’ll find out from Mike McGovern how they’re using tech an...

On Episode 742 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is looking at the impact that global unrest and a tanking stock market are having on rates. FreightWaves’ Kyle Taylor breaks down the data and sentiment driving the market. He’ll also tell us the 10 best lanes to run right now.  Truckstop’s Brent Hutto shares a new report his firm has conducted with Bloomberg to gauge carrier sentiment. With 44% of carri...

On Episode 741 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about a battery fire in California that left drivers stranded for hours. Corey at Dad of Two Roadside talks about how the towing industry acts as a first responder when America’s road warriors are trapped.  We’ll also learn about the dangers tow drivers face, how to get out of a jam without needing a tow and why semitruck towing costs so much,...

On Episode 740 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about a pair of trucking companies in Miami that have filed for bankruptcy protection. Also in headlines, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says its hands are tied when it comes to fighting double brokering. Warehouse training enters the cybersphere with virtual reality training stations. Abel Womack’s Jim Hennemann talks about h...

On Episode 739 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking to Metafora’s Ryan Schreiber about hard truths in freight and tech. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Schreiber is here to deliver a dose of reality to the industry. DOTsfty wants to evolve driver training and usher it into the AI era. We’ll hear from a driver and a supervisor who are using the tool to learn if it is helping their fleet...

On Episode 737 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about a Microsoft outage that has grounded flights nationwide, closed shipping ports and shuttered trucking terminals. What happened, who is impacted and when will things get back to normal? FreightWaves’ Eric Kulisch gets us the latest news. It takes a flatbed expert to truly rate the strap work. So, I invited J and R Transfer’s Josue Ramos o...

On Episode 738 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about President Joe Biden’s sudden withdrawal from the race. Supply chains are on the line this election season as both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have much different plans for tariffs, electrification and more. It’s a market of pain and gain in trucking. FreightPlus’ Tanner DeHart breaks down the data and s...

On Episode 736 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is coming to you live from FreightWaves’ Enterprise Fleet Summit.  Covenant’s Matt McLelland stops by the studio to share impressions of his new Cybertruck and to let us know what it is teaching him about electrifying fleets. Estes and Optym partnered on LTL optimization and solutions for a few years now. Now, Kory Harb from Optym and Joshua Newton from...

On episode 735 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is talking to Travelers Rehman Kahn about how cargo thieves are using AI to steal your freight. We’ll learn what they’re doing and how you can protect yourself.  Is the 2019 freight market a blueprint for the rest of 2024? FreightWaves’ Kyle Taylor breaks down the latest data in SONAR to see what it is signaling about freight rates.  The 7th Annual Relian...

On episode 734 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is talking about a freight ransom ring that is rocking the brokerage industry. Twenty-two brokerages allege Agility Express Inc is holding 36 loads hostage.  Super Trucker Justin Martin is back and he’s here to talk about freight fraud, murder and mistress and one trucking company. We’ll also hear about a heroic driver who saved a 1-year old during Beryl....

On episode 733 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by Transfix co-founder Drew McElroy. Transfix rode the FreightTech wave from the top to the bottom and came out the other side as a different company. McElroy talks about the company’s latest pivot and why it moved away from being a digital freight marketplace by selling its brokerage unit to NFI.  While the news may be trying to gaslight you in...

On Episode 732 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about Hurricane Beryl making landfall in Houston. The storm has already knocked out power for over 2 million people. Could it trigger carriers’ revenge? With a 75% increase in truck crash fatalities since 2009, is it time to rethink safety? Descartes’ Jerry Veres talks about successful safety culture transformation. Riteload’s loadboard platfo...

On Episode 731 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is sending you into the Fourth of July with news about C.H. Robinson slashing 50% of its U.S. sales staff. The company is betting big on AI, but will it pay off? They’re the first major broker to really find out if this is a business of human relationship or not. A month ago, Offshift’s Mark Manera and I teamed up to get the industry moving with Squats A...

On Episode 730 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking to trucker and social media influencer Trucking With Tay about fatherhood on the road. We’ll get into the challenges and wins of parenting while over the road. We may also learn the keys to perfectly strapping a load. Cargo theft is a near-billion-dollar problem. Gego’s Joseph Daniel talks about how shippers are using tech to fight back and pr...