

WHAT THE TRUCK?!?
FreightWaves
WHAT THE TRUCK?!? is FreightWaves' irreverent award-winning podcast breaking down the biggest stories in transportation and logistics. WTT?!? is all about the people that make freight move. On the show you'll hear from founders, CEOs, VCs, truckers, brokers, and influencers. Join the industry three times a week on FreightWavesTV and podcast players everywhere.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 28, 2025 • 46min
Trump’s tariffs are coming March 4th…or are they?
On episode 808 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is talking about Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada that are set to begin on March 4. Will they happen and will reciprocal tariffs happen in April? We get into the latest news on the trade war.The World Trade Bridge is celebrating its 25th anniversary and we’re celebrating it with Port Laredo. Kent Richard smartens us up on how this crucial gateway works.Truck Parking Club has been scaling rapidly and building an all-star team. Brent Hutto jumped ship from Truckstop to Truck Parking Club early this week and we’ll find out why he made the big move. We’ll also get into the road to the Mid-America Trucking Show where we’re teaming up. What FreightTech trends will dominate logistics and trucking in 2025? Trigent Software’s Nagendra Rao breaks down their latest report.Plus, is it a good idea to get drunk in a semi truck trailer? Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 26, 2025 • 47min
3PL Summit: Truckstop’s state of the spot market
On episode 807 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is coming to you live from FreightWaves’ 3PL Summit. He’s talking to Truckstop’s Sean Dehan about the state of the spot market. Did the freight recession recovery see its shadow? Is political uncertainty destabilizing or helping rates? We’ll also look at how Truckstop is integrating AI into their platform.CloneOps’ David Bell is fully on board with always-on AI agents. Can they fill the customer service and brokerage gaps where reps may be lacking? What happens when an AI agent calls another AI agent? And can tech solve the growing fraud problem in freight?It’s about to be hot trucker summer so time to get in shape, drivers. 160 Driving Academy’s Steve Gold talks about the importance of driver health to a functioning supply chain. Plus, freight theft strikes again; truckers with goats as pets; and Trump reveals AI generated plan for Gaza.Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 21, 2025 • 46min
Mid America Trucking show preview; what the truck is up with plane crashes?
On episode 806 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is catching up with Mid-America Trucking Show event organizer Toby Young! We’ll find out what’s going to go down when over 50,000 truckers and industry professionals descend upon Kentucky next month.Supertrucker Justin Martin returns to the show to talk about trucking’s biggest and most controversial issues, like immigration hiring by fleets, cleaning snow off a trailer, parking and more.What the truck is up with all these plane crashes? AirlineGeeks founder Ryan Ewing tells us everything we need to know about what’s going wrong with these commercial airline crashes.Plus, we just got back from Kennedy Space Center and we’ll take our first look at what we were doing over there. Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 17, 2025 • 46min
Daytona 500 brought to you by a truck; terror in I-80 tunnel; AI trucking teams
On Episode 805 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking about meeting Daytona 500 winner William Byron and what he learned from his trucking team about what it takes to take the checkered flag. Terror in Wyoming as a truck crash leaves three dead in the Green River Tunnel. We take a look at what happened in this horrible incident. We’ll meet Pando CEO and co-founder Nitin Jayakrishnan. Pando has secured $36 million across two funding rounds to create AI teammates for supply chain. Their focus? Invoicing errors and procurement inefficiencies. FreightWaves’ Tony Mulvey breaks down the latest truckload market data in SONAR. Has the market recovery stalled out?Ever have a claim filed against you by a shipper? Travelers’ Craig Leinauer shares everything we need to know about claims best practices.Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts#WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 14, 2025 • 46min
Trucking love stories; Trump’s reciprocal tariffs; Response’s $4M seed round
On Episode 804 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is celebrating Valentine’s Day in the supply chain by sharing your best trucking love stories. Trump writes a love letter to the world by slapping every country with reciprocal tariffs. What you need to know before April 1.Response raised $4 million to simplify spend and procurement management. We’ll meet CEO and co-founder Keivan Shahida.Before you head out on a date, you may want to know whose car you’re getting in. If you’re shipping freight, you want to know who is hauling that load. J. J. Keller’s Mark Schedler talks all about background checks and MVR reports.Stephenson & Co. founder John Stephenson shares insights from their latest industry benchmarks.LTL signup form – Free Introductory Session - February 18, 2025https://stephenson-co.com/2025-ltl-industry/Truckload signup form – Free Introductory Session – February 25, 2025https://stephenson-co.com/truckload-industry/Small Package Delivery Industry – Free Introductory Session – February 20, 2025https://stephenson-co.com/small-package-delivery/Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 12, 2025 • 46min
Can Big Balls and Capt. John Konrad save America?
On Episode 803 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking to gCaptain CEO John Konrad about the local and global impacts of Trump’s recent executive orders and actions. Capt. Konrad will break down the Gulf of America name change; the push for Greenland; trade wars with Canada and Mexico; Gaza; the Red Sea conflict; whether DOGE will audit agencies like the Federal Maritime Commission and the Department of Transportation; and more. Plus, “Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2” review, how much it costs when a truck hits a traffic light and more.Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 10, 2025 • 46min
Spot rates slip 10%; licensed customs broker talks tariffs; stolen chassis ring
On episode 802 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is trying to make sense of a series of whiplash tariff and de minimis rulings. Licensed customs broker, Ernesto Hernandez Jr., lets us know how the rulings will work, when they’ll go into effect, and what else we need to watch for in global trade. In headlines, spot rates slip 10% from holiday peak; Super Bowl hangovers cost businesses $3B; and a stolen chassis ring in Los Angeles gets busted. Supply chain goes to college. MAKA Logistics’ Rob Liss talks about his appointment to Loyola University Chicago Supply Chain and Sustainability Advisory Board 2025. FLS Transportation’s Justin Ross shares his knowledge on 3PL corporate training. RIP Wojtek. Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 7, 2025 • 46min
Super Bowl was brought to you by a truck; best fleets to drive for in ‘25
On episode 801 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is talking about how the Super Bowl was brought to you by a truck. From stadium infrastructure to food, beverages, and high-priority event shipments. New data from Truckstop reveals key freight trends shaping Big Game logistics.What are the best fleets to drive for? CarriersEdge CEO Jane Jazrawy has the list. Did your fleet make it? The original king of comedy from the cab, Larry Cothran talks trucking and influencing. With over 100k followers on TikTok, he got 3.5 million likes before he even got 1 million miles behind the wheel. Some call him “The Voice of the American Trucker”, owner-operator Taylor Barker stops by to talk about his POV on freight from behind the wheel. He also talks about the ‘Truck the Vote’ movement and if it helped tip the election. Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 5, 2025 • 45min
Trump and trade: Method to the madness?; moving the world’s largest trainset
Trump and trade: Method to the madness?; moving the world’s largest trainsetOn Episode 800 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking to Fortis Analysis’ Ross Kennedy about Trump’s early trade moves. From delayed tariffs to the death of de minimis shipments out of China, we’ll cover it all. We’ll also look at Trump saying that the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip. Is it America first?FreightWaves and Elizabeth’s Moving & Storage have teamed up to move the world’s largest trainset. Dooner went up to Cincinnati to check out the logistics of this 20-trailer megashipment and rode along in a semi with one of the loads and driver Donny. Journey’s Morgan MacDermaid stops by the studio to talk about recruiting in Q1 and how the job market is looking.Wattsmen Diesel House’s Sam Watts has the top 10 Critical and top 10 Acute violations for 2024.Plus, MLB Truck Day is the first sign of spring; UPS delivers in North Carolina; and more. Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 3, 2025 • 46min
Mexico tariffs see their shadow: delayed; are load boards listening to truckers?
On episode 799 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by GenLog’s CEO Ryan Joyce to talk about their $14.6M Series A. We’ll find out how this will help them in their fight against freight theft and fraud.Owner-operator Jayme Anderson says that load boards like DAT aren’t doing enough to prevent scammers. He’ll talk about his heated debates with the DAT and will tell us why he doesn’t think they’re listening to owner-operators. It’s also A1 vs Heinz 57 and Jayme and me chug our favorite steak sauces. Counteract’s Simon Martin and Daniel LeBlanc are all about tire maxing. They say that when it comes to tires it’s all about balance.BlueYonder’s Ann Maire Jonkman shares LSP strategy. Over the weekend the world was flipped on its head with tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China. Where do we move from here?Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.Watch on YouTubeCheck out the WTT merch storeSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts#WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


