The Daily Freight Caviar Podcast

Michael Grace, Chief Compliance Officer at FreightFlex, explains how freight fraud evolved from double brokering into organized cargo theft, why so much freight theft is preventable, and how carrier vetting has changed over the past decade. He also shares why freight brokers are facing greater compliance and liability risks, how stricter carrier selection standards are changing the market, and why shippers are increasingly looking for brokers with documented compliance processes. The conversation also covers non-domiciled carriers, and the one rule Michael believes every freight broker should follow.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Goodship, Highway, and TrackFlo.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Andrew Leto, Founder of Emerge, GlobalTranz, and Felix AI, explains why bringing AI to carriers could be one of the biggest opportunities in trucking and logistics, and why digitizing the carrier side of freight could reshape how the entire market operates.Andrew also breaks down how AI agents could help carriers access more loads, negotiate better rates, and improve yield, why so much of trucking still runs manually, and why carriers have been slower than brokers to adopt new technology. He also shares why freight brokerage margins could fall from 12–13% to 8–9%, what that means for hiring and headcount, and how AI could change the structure of freight brokerage without necessarily triggering mass layoffs.The conversation also covers why carrier data remains a major competitive advantage for large brokers, whether AI could create more freight brokerages instead of fewer, the risks brokers take on for shippers, and why Andrew believes the next major wave of freight technology will be built around carriers.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Bitfreighter, FreightFlex, and TrackFlo.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com 

What does it take to make brokerage growth look easy?Join Epay Manager for a discussion on how freight brokerages are using automation to handle more volume without building a bigger back-office team. We will share real client growth stories, including how River City Logistics increased load volume by approximately 70% without adding back-office headcount.Then, we are settling the freight industry's greatest debates. What is the GOAT freight snack? Freight phrase? Acronym? Logistics movie? Come ready to share your picks.

Freight brokerage founder John Ferguson breaks down how Pivot Supply Chain Solutions grew to $50M, why cold calling and customer service still win in logistics, and where AI fits into the future of freight brokerage.John also opens up about how freight brokering changed his life, from spending time in foster care and struggling as a young adult to building a career, a family, and his own company. Now, after checking off many of the milestones he set for himself, he says the next thing left to chase is a $1B freight brokerage.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Goodship, Highway, and Bitfreighter.

Lev Krasnopolskiy, Co-Founder of Everest Transportation Systems and Founder of Alpha Staffing and Recruiting, shares how he went from immigrating to the U.S. from Moscow at five years old to building a career in freight, co-founding Everest, and using offshore talent in Ukraine to help the brokerage compete and scale.Lev also breaks down how chess shaped his approach to sales and negotiation, how speaking Russian helped him build relationships with carriers, why he believed Ukraine could give Everest more firepower for less money, and why he thinks freight offshoring isn't going away. He also shares his views on offshore fraud, building a global logistics workforce, launching Alpha after Everest, and combining offshore staffing with domestic recruiting.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Highway, Bitfreighter, and Chain.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.comCHAPTERS:0:00 Intro1:09 Meet Lev Krasnopolskiy2:38 From Moscow to America4:58 Geography, History, and Early Ambition7:43 Chess and Learning to Sell11:57 Breaking Into Freight at Echo14:05 Building Carrier Relationships15:55 From Echo to Custom19:22 Founding Everest Transportation Systems21:18 Learning Customer Sales24:49 The Ukraine Staffing Experiment30:42 Moving the Team to Ukraine34:04 How Ukraine Helped Everest Scale37:49 What Held Everest Back40:12 Why Freight Offshoring Won't Stop43:19 Freight Becomes a Global Industry45:03 Offshore Fraud and Regulation48:25 Starting Alpha Staffing and Recruiting52:22 Offshore and Domestic Recruiting56:02 The Future of Alpha57:33 Lev's Formula for Success58:49 The Four-Hour Workweek1:01:05 Final Thoughts

Ted Alling, Managing Partner at Dynamo Ventures, and Co-Founder of Access America, joined Reed Loustalot on the FreightCaviar Podcast to discuss how he helped build a freight brokerage from a startup into a $500 million business without outside capital, the early days of Access America and the culture that fueled its growth, and how Dynamo is backing the next generation of freight founders.Ted also breaks down the early days of Access America, the culture and training that helped it scale, the logistics flywheel that transformed Chattanooga, why investors underestimated the size of logistics, and the long-term mindset behind building companies, communities, and talent.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, GoodShip, Bitfreighter, and TrackFlow.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.CHAPTERS:0:00 Intro0:42 Brickyard and Lamp Post Origins3:03 Ted's Background and Move to Chattanooga4:51 Starting Access America7:54 Landing the First Customers9:08 Scaling Access and Building Culture11:07 The Chattanooga Logistics Flywheel14:58 Making Freight Brokerage Cool16:42 Selling Access and Reinvesting Locally18:58 Creating More Wealth in Chattanooga22:37 Why Ted Started Dynamo Ventures25:00 Long-Term Games and Compound Interest26:37 Building Chattanooga Prep30:16 Why Founders Should Build in Chattanooga32:17 Final Thoughts

Tim Higham, Founder of AscendTMS, shares his journey from building a fintech company, to launching a freight brokerage, to creating a cloud-based TMS platform, and more.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Highway, Chain, and Resolve Logistics.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at ⁠pbj@freightcaviar.com⁠.

Serge Raducan, the Founder & CEO at Kovin Group, breaks down the rise of Moldova's dispatch workforce, the challenges of managing U.S. freight abroad, and more.This week's episode is sponsored by: Epay Manager, Chain, Bitfreighter, and Freight Flex.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Yuri from Easy Truck Shop traveled state-by-state to build software around the hidden bottleneck of trucking: managing repairs, parts, and shop data.This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, Resolve Logistics, Bitfreighter, and TrackFlo.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Mario Torres, Terminal Manager at Erives Enterprises, explains why cross-border freight remains a steady bet despite tariffs, diesel volatility, and capacity swings, and more.This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, Goodship,FreightFlex and TrackFlo.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Salvador Munoz is the CEO and Owner of Best Express Inc., a trucking company based in El Paso. He breaks down the mechanics of the Juárez freight economy, from maquiladoras and tariffs to driver shortages and rising operating costs.This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, Goodship, Chain, and Highway.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Lynn Gravley, Founder of NTG and TIA's incoming Chairman, on why brokers who cut shipments instead of chasing them win the freight game, and more.This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, Highway, Goodship, BitfreighterInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Jayne Bart-Plange is a transportation attorney. This pre-ruling conversation explores why brokers became litigation targets, where liability begins, and why enforcement gaps leave the industry exposed.This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, FreightFlexInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Rob Liss is Vice President at MAKA Logistics, one of the largest independent agencies in Armstrong Transport Group. He explains why a proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger could shift freight from trucks to rail and reshape competition across North America, and more.This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, Augment Technologies Inc, Goodship.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Kevin Coomes, Chief Revenue Officer at Chain and George Schergen, Chief Client Officer (CCO) at Dynamic Logistix, explain how Kansas City evolved from a railroad crossroads into one of freight's most important warehouse and logistics hubs. They also break down why AI won't replace freight operators, and which companies are best positioned to benefit from the next wave of automation.This week's episode is sponsored by  Levity, HighwayInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Jordan Graft is the Founder & CEO of Highway. He explains why the PDF rate confirmation in your inbox is on its way out and why the high-trust days of brokerage are over. This week's episode is sponsored by Rapido and Chain.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Reed Rivers is the President & CEO of Freight Flex, a freight brokerage and logistics provider helping freight agents grow. He shares his take on why email needs to die in freight, VC money inflows, and non-competes.  This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, Goodship, Augument Technologies Inc.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Thomas Mella, Co-Founder of TrackFlo, breaks down why freight tech buying decisions are shaped more by integration limits and relationship density than AI capability, and more.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Augment Technologies Inc, GoodshipInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Ryan Soskin helped build Convoy's contract pricing team. Now, as Co-Founder and CEO at GoodShip, he's giving carriers AI context on lanes, lead times, where contracts quietly fail.This week's episode is sponsored by Rapido Solutions Group and Highway.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Will Hopkins is the Co-Founder of Blackbox Logistics, a Birmingham-based freight brokerage nearing a $70M run rate, built through post-COVID cycle swings and open-deck volatility.This week's episode is sponsored by Levity and ChainInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Jonathan McCormack and Brent Evens from OTR Solutions break down their newest platform, OTR Select, a tool built from carrier data, that helps brokers search a lane, origin, destination and equipment type, while also giving you visibility into the full freight footprint of the carrier.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, CtrlChain, FreightFlexInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Craig Fuller, Founder & CEO at SONAR & FreightWaves, maps how deregulation, family dynamics, and brokerage culture built Chattanooga into a talent-dense freight capital driven by incentives and churn.The full interview is available to FreightCaviar Magazine subscribers inside our private Circle community.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager and Augment Technologies Inc.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Jonathan Salama, Co-Founder &  CEO at Transfix.io, on why automation should not compromise margin,  why Transfix split its brokerage and TMS, and how years of brokerage pain shaped their pricing, scheduling, and carrier selection systems.This week's episode is sponsored by  Rapido, Highway, GoodshipInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Sunbelt Drayage CEO, Pavel Botev, breaks down the realities of trucking in 2026—fraud risks, insurance gaps, and uneven accountability shaping who survives in freight. This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Chain, Levity.ai.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

David Parker built Covenant in Chattanooga, surviving busts, brokers, and shifting freight networks while watching the city become a central logistics hub.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, CtrlChain, Freight FlexInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.The full interview is available to FreightCaviar Magazine subscribers inside our private Circle community.Subscribe to the print magazine to unlock it at ⁠Print.FreightCaviar.com⁠.

We sat down with Max Fuller, Founder of U.S. Xpress.At its peak, his company had nearly 10,000 trucks. He has been in trucking for over 50 years and has seen every cycle from regulation to deregulation to today's market.In this conversation, he explains how trucking actually worked before deregulation, how companies were growing 70 to 80 percent per year, and how early technology gave certain carriers a real edge.“The OTR market is almost decimated… brokers have taken over.”This is a preview of the full interview.We cut this right before the most important part, where Max explains what happens next in freight and what it means for brokers.That part is not public.The full interview is available to FreightCaviar Magazine subscribers inside our private Circle community.Subscribe to the print magazine to unlock it at Print.FreightCaviar.com.

Kara Smith-Brown, Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at LeadCoverage, discusses why, in freight, the next edge isn't branding—it's owning the data. Intent signals, CRM hygiene, and niche market indexes quietly decide who gets the first call.This week's episode is sponsored by  Levity.ai and Freight Flex.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Freight tech offers optionality, but leverage comes only when strategy identifies the right problems before buying the tools.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Augment TechnologiesInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Drivers used to lose an hour a day to parking. Truck Parking Club built an app that made that search unnecessary.This week's episode is sponsored by CloneOps.ai, CtrlChain, GoodshipInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Freight's AI winners won't be the flashiest tools but the firms that survive integrations, politics, and trust gaps—most companies will standardize on one or two models.This week's episode is sponsored by Augment Technologies Inc., Highway, FreightFlex, GoodshipInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Pull California's licensing authority and you don't solve a driver problem—you scatter it nationwide, disrupting produce lanes and exposing how fragile trucking's labor pipeline really is.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, CtrlChain, FreightFlex, Augment.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

When a motor carrier crashes or tariffs are imposed, who holds the power—and how will the Supreme Court decide? Matthew Leffler, Armchair Attorney, breaks it all down.This week's episode is sponsored by CloneOps.ai, Rapido Solutions, Goodship, HighwayInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

From covert ops to open roads, Ryan Joyce, CEO & Founder of GenLogs, walks through how GenLogs uncovers fraud and tracks carriers that vanish from the system.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Levity.ai, and Chain.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

Why Garrett Allen, Founder at SearchCarriers.com, left big teams and crowded freight tech to run a carrier intelligence platform brokers rely on daily.This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, CtrlChain, CloneOps.ai.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

David Spencer discusses how markets, contract rates, and AI signals reveal the hidden rhythms of freight cycles this year.This week's episode is sponsored by CloneOps.ai and Rapido Solutions GroupInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Ryan Rogers, Founder at TextLocate to discuss his start in logistics, the impact it's had on the city, and more.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, Levity, and Chain.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Grace Maher, Chief Operating Officer at OTR Solutions, to discuss FreightCaviar's week-long trip to Chattanooga & Atlanta, our magazine launch, and current challenges in trucking.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, CloneOps.ai, Rapido Solutions Group, and GenLogs.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Clayton Griffin, President at OTR Solutions, and Reed Loustalot, Chief Marketing Officer at Truck Parking Club,  to recap 2025, discuss how to protect yourself against fraud in the coming year, and highlight why slowing down and staying cautious matters more than ever.This week's episode is sponsored by  Epay Manager, FreightFlex, Levity.ai, GenLogs.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with David Radom, Group CEO at ETS-Simple, to discuss the pre-LinkedIn logistics era, his market outlook, the critical role of team alignment in achieving success, and why he believes there's never been a better time to be a broker.This week's episode is sponsored by Epay Manager, GenLogs, CtrlChain, and Levity.aiInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com. (edited) 

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Per Højland, Executive Director of Network Operation at Saudia Airlines Cargo Company, to discuss their key trade lanes, the growing talent gap in aviation, tips for breaking into the industry, and more.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Ty Schroeder, Account Specialist at BBI Logistics, to discuss where the market is headed, how BBI stays ahead of cargo theft, and what he believes brokers need to understand to build stronger relationships with carriers.This week's episode is sponsored by Levity, Rapido Solutions Group, and Highway.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down Demi Ramon, Operations Director at Highway, and Michael Caney, Chief Commercial Officer at Highway, along with Reed Loustalot, Chief Marketing Officer at Truck Parking Club, to examine Highway's recently released report on Q3 freight fraud trends, today's risk environment, and outline how brokers, carriers, and shippers can each contribute to stronger protection measures.This week's episode is sponsored by FreightFlex, Augment Technologies Inc., and Highway.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Sushanth Raman, Founder and CEO, and Andrew Geisse, Chief Revenue Officer at Pallet. They bring us behind the scenes of their company, share their outlook on the future of the industry, and explain exactly how Pallet helps you focus on what differentiates your service.This week's episode is sponsored by EpayManager, GenLogs, CtrlChainInterested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Mike Carter and Jesse Buckingham, Founders at Vooma, an AI automation platform for the logistics and freight industry, designed to act as an "AI agent" for freight brokers and carriers. They bring us behind the scenes of their company, share their take on the future of artificial intelligence, and explain how they're helping transform businesses with it.This week's episode is sponsored by ShipperCRM, Rapido Solutions Group, and GenLogs.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

In this week's episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Paul Singer, Co-Founder and CEO at FleetWorks and Former Product Manager at Uber Freight. He discusses his predictions for AI, the future of the logistics scene, and why VC investments are not the end-all-be-all.This week's episode is sponsored by FreightFlex, GenLogs, and Shipper CRM.Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com.

On this week's FreightCaviar Podcast, we sit down with Atul Raghunathan, Founder and CRO at Hyperbound, and Sriharsha Guduguntla, CEO at Hyperbound, an AI sales coaching platform. They explore how it's transforming sales training through conversational AI, offer bold predictions for the future of B2B sales, and explain why they believe traditional cold outbound calling will soon become obsolete.

On this week's FreightCaviar Podcast, we sit down with the team behind HappyRobot, an AI-native operating system that understands your business and powers real-time autonomous operations. We dive into how their platform bridges humans and autonomous workers, explore Bridge — their new AI-powered control panel for teams — and discuss the company's long-term vision for the future of logistics.

On this week's FreightCaviar Podcast, we sit down with Samir Burdzovic, Founder at Elysium Enterprise. He recently launched GetDrivers.ai, an AI-powered platform transforming how trucking companies hire and retain drivers. In our conversation, he shares how it helps save time, money, and effort, how their team handles the setup for you, and what's next for the company.This video is sponsored by CloneOps, Rapido, Highway and Freighflex.

On this week's FreightCaviar Podcast, we sit down with Dan Kao, Co-Founder & CEO at TruckSmarter, a platform designed to enable truck drivers and owner-operators to streamline their operations. He talks about his journey from Uber Freight to creating his own load board, what today's tech investors want, and his outlook on the industry's future.

On this week's FreightCaviar Podcast, Krystian Gebis sits down with Santosh Sankar, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Dynamo Ventures, a supply chain and mobility investor. He shares his thoughts on why he values earned insight over decades of experience, explains why AI shouldn't be seen as a threat, and reveals what he looks for as an investor.This video is sponsored by WireBee, Epay Manager and CtrlChain.Subscribe for more!

On this week's FreightCaviar Podcast, Krystian Gebis and Will Jenkins sit down with Kevin Novak, Managing Partner & Founder at Rackhouse Venture Capital and ex-Uber Head of Data. He reflects on his path from machine learning to the world of freight, his take on the future of custom software in the industry, as well as AI's transformative potential and its limitations.This video is sponsored by WireBee, GenLogs and Highway.Subscribe for more!