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Freightvine: Daily Summaries Delivered
by DAT Freight and Analytics, Chris Caplice
Hear the latest in freight transportation, supply chain and logistics from the Freightvine podcast.
Latest Episodes
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- 6 days ago48 min
Mike Roeth, NACFE | The Cost of the Messy Middle
The freight industry’s transition to alternative power is firmly in the “messy middle”This week, Chris Caplice is joined by Mike Roeth, Executive Director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, to unpack what that actually means for carriers, shippers, and the broader supply chain.Mike has been leading NACFE since its early days and brings insights from years of work plus the latest “Run on Less” demonstration and cost analysis on how fleets are navigating this evolving landscape.In this conversation, they cover:Why diesel, BEV, hydrogen, natural gas, and biodiesel will continue to coexistWhere battery electric vehicles are gaining traction first (regional + drayage)What NACFE’s latest “Run on Less” data reveals about real-world adoptionWhy there’s no single “winner” in the near-term transitionHow carriers and shippers can make practical decisions amid uncertaintyIf you’re trying to make sense of where freight energy is headed next, this one’s worth a listen.For previous episodes and to subscribe to our newsletter, visit: dat.com/podcast/freightvine
- 2 weeks ago44 min
Ken Adamo | The End of Broker Preemption
A unanimous Supreme Court decision could have major implications for freight brokerages🚨 Chris Caplice is joined by Ken Adamo, Chief Strategy Officer at Ease Logistics, to break down the Montgomery case and what it means now that brokers can be held liable for negligent carrier hiring.⚖️ Why this ruling could reshape broker liability📈 The potential impact on insurance costs🚛 How small and mid-sized brokers may be affected most🔍 Why carrier vetting is now under a bigger spotlight🛠️ The tools and practices brokers may need moving forwardIf you work in brokerage, shipping, or carrier operations, this is a conversation worth paying attention to.Find previous episodes 👉 https://bit.ly/42HyzRg
- 2 weeks ago47 min
Peter Swartz | Navigating the New Global Trade Landscape
Chris Caplice sits down with Peter Swartz, CEO and co-founder of Altana, to talk about what it takes to navigate today’s fragmented global supply chain landscape.🌎 Why multi-tier supply chain visibility matters more than ever📑 Managing tariffs, trade regulations, and compliance at scale🤖 How AI is helping businesses respond faster to disruption📦 Understanding the full value chain from raw materials to finished goodsAs global trade grows more complex, visibility is becoming a competitive advantage.Find previous episodes 👉 https://bit.ly/42HyzRg#Freightvine #SupplyChain #Logistics #GlobalTrade
- Apr 30, 202644 min
Bill Cassidy | Fuel, Freight, and the Resilience of LTL Markets
In this Freightvine podcast episode, Chief Scientist Chris Caplice interviews Bill Cassidy, Senior Editor for Trucking and Domestic Transportation at the Journal of Commerce and a transportation expert. They discuss the current "diesel squeeze," where costs jumped 32% in one month, reaching $5 per gallon instead of the expected $3.70—a devastating "black swan" event for small carriers. The collapse of Yellow allowed surviving LTL carriers to maintain pricing discipline with trending rate increases. Data center construction booms create new opportunities for flatbed and LTL carriers. Finally, they explore AI as an enabling sub-technology helping humans solve complex logistics problems faster than standalone products. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Apr 2, 202658 min
Eric Johnson | Diesel, Disruption, and Disappearing Capacity
Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor at the Journal of Commerce (JOC), part of S&P Global, is the guest on this episode of the Freightvine podcast. Eric leads coverage and analysis of technology's impact on global logistics and trade. He is co-chair of the annual Inland Distribution Conference and founder of TPM Tech, the technology-focused event held in conjunction with TPM - the Transpacific Maritime conference. Our conversation covers many different converging pressures currently affecting freight markets and global supply chains. First, we analyze how fuel cost pressures impact domestic supply chains, and the particular vulnerability of small carriers operating without long-term contract protections or fuel surcharge mechanisms comparable to larger fleets. Second, we explore the broader economic implications of energy supply constraints beyond diesel pricing, including the effects on raw materials, manufacturing inputs, and less visible supply chain dependencies. Third, we examine the ongoing uncertainty surrounding US tariff policy, including the sometimes hidden or mostly forgotten operational burden this creates for customs compliance. This has become even more complex with the looming and currently undefined tariff refund processes. We also address structural questions about freight contracting practices, the role of technology in market efficiency, and current applications and limitations of artificial intelligence in logistics operations. Throughout the conversation, Eric provides context on how current market dynamics compare to previous cycles, and what patterns suggest about medium-term industry trajectories. Whether you work in carrier operations, shipper logistics, or policy development, this episode offers substantive analysis of factors affecting your operations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Jan 22, 202650 min
Larry Gross | The Intermodal Industry – Past, Present, and Future
In this podcast, Larry Gross, a long-time industry expert and 2024 Silver Kingpin Award winner, reflects on a career that began before the deregulation of the transportation industry in 1980. Gross spent over two decades developing Road Railer technology, which featured reinforced 53-foot trailers that could act as rail cars through the attachment of detachable rail running gear. Although this innovation was eventually supplanted by the 53-foot domestic container on double-stack rail, Gross notes that "ignorance is the mother of innovation," as he likely would never have started the project had he known the true nature of the obstacles ahead. Gross describes the current relationship between freight modes by stating that truckload is the "dog" and intermodal is the "tail," meaning the health and movements of the trucking market inevitably govern the domestic intermodal sector. Currently, the industry is split between international ISO containers and domestic 53-foot containers, with approximately 60% to 65% of all U.S. intermodal volume tied directly to international trade. While intermodal service is currently as good as it has ever been, its market share has remained stuck in the 6% range for domestic moves. This stagnation is partly due to Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), a strategy focused on reducing costs and operating massive trains, which often restricts intermodal service to only the largest, longest-haul markets. Looking toward the future, Gross is excited by autonomous, battery-powered rail cars that move in platoons. This technology could allow intermodal to reach shorter-haul markets by removing the need to accumulate giant trainloads. However, he warns that autonomous trucking poses a significant threat to rail; by removing the driver, trucking could offer team-driver service levels at costs lower than a single driver, making it even harder for intermodal to compete. Ultimately, Gross views intermodal as a "good enough story," where the service must be reliable and roughly 15% cheaper than trucking to remain an attractive alternative for shippers. Top Three Takeaways 1. The Two-Thirds Rule of Competitiveness: As a practical rule of thumb, intermodal can typically compete with trucking if the rail portion of the trip represents at least two-thirds of the total door-to-door miles. This ratio determines the "drainage area" around a terminal where rail remains economically viable despite drayage costs. 2. Diversified Port Strategies: Importers have shifted from a West Coast-centric model to a "four-corner" or "five-corner" strategy, diversifying volume across the Pacific Northwest, Southern California, the Gulf, the Southeast, and the Northeast. This shift has hurt intermodal because the shorter lengths of haul from East Coast ports naturally favor trucking. 3. The Tension Between PSR and Growth: While Precision Scheduled Railroading has significantly improved railroad profitability and operating ratios, its focus on cost-cutting and large-scale operations acts as an impediment to gaining market share. By restricting service to major long-haul corridors, the railroads may be hitting a ceiling for potential growth. Larry Gross suggests that major shifts in the supply chain are like tectonic plate movements: they are incredibly slow and inexorable, meaning you cannot fight them but must simply learn to accommodate them. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Dec 4, 202544 min
Corey Klujsza | Inside the Truckload Business Cycle
In this episode, we’re joined by Corey Klujsza, VP of Pricing and Procurement Strategy at RXO. With experience spanning Coyote Logistics, UPS, and now RXO, Corey brings deep insight into how the truckload market works. He walks us through RXO’s quarterly market analysis framework—the RXO Curve—which tracks year-over-year truckload rate changes to understand market cycles and risk.We dig into the logistics business cycle from equilibrium to peak and through the downturn, examine current market conditions, and discuss factors like tariff uncertainty, the flat market since Q2 2023, and the ongoing gap between spot and contract rates. Corey also weighs in on whether technology and faster information flow are changing the fundamentals of supply and demand or simply speeding up how the market reacts.If you work in freight procurement, carrier relations, or market analysis, this episode offers valuable perspective on today’s truckload market. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Aug 21, 202545 min
Vishal Jadhav | AI in Supply Chain: From Rules to Reasoning
This week’s guest is Vishal Jadhav, Product Director at Blue Yonder. Everyone listening to this podcast knows of Blue Yonder. It is a company with a long history, from I2 to JDA, that has consistently been on the cutting edge of supply chain management software. Vishal has spent almost 20 years at Blue Yonder. His recent work and writings have delved into the evolution of Large Language Models (LLMs) and how they are being incorporated into supply chain solutions. Our conversation explores the differences between traditional Operations Research (OR) techniques and modern AI. Vishal highlights how these technologies can enhance optimization and decision-making by mimicking human reasoning and learning from experience. We also address the challenges of explainability in AI and the emerging concept of agentic AI, which suggests a future of more proactive and autonomous systems within the supply chain. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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