Episodes

  • Jason Miller, MSU | The Capacity Driven TL Cycle and the ROI of AI

    Jason Miller, MSU | The Capacity Driven TL Cycle and the ROI of AI
    Jun 25 2026

    This week, Chris Caplice is joined by Dr. Jason Miller, Professor of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business, for his fifth appearance on Freightvine.

    Chris and Jason break down why they believe the current truckload cycle began in December 2025, why it took a few months to confirm the shift, and why this expansion looks different from past freight cycles.

    In this conversation, they cover:

    • Why this cycle appears to be supply-driven, not demand-driven
    • What spot and contract rate spreads can tell us about market shifts
    • How capacity exits, Class 8 orders, and routing guide failures are shaping the market
    • Whether the AI boom can deliver real ROI or if the market is getting ahead of itself
    • What Michigan’s logistics and supply chain work can tell us about manufacturing, food production, and trade

    If you’re trying to understand where truckload pricing, capacity, and freight demand may be headed next, this is a timely conversation with one of the industry’s sharpest data-driven voices.

    For previous episodes and to subscribe to our newsletter, visit: dat.com/podcast/freightvine

    Chapters

    • 00:00 Introduction
    • 02:55 Identifying the Current Truckload Cycle
    • 04:16 Market Signals and Transition Points
    • 05:53 Comparing Cycles: 2017-2018 vs. 2025
    • 09:00 Supply vs. Demand Driven Cycles
    • 12:15 Routing Guide Compliance and Market Dynamics
    • 16:15 Spot vs. Contract Rates: Current Trends
    • 20:38 Economic Factors Influencing Freight Rates
    • 22:47 AI and Memory Chip Demand: Future Implications
    • 26:10 The Future of AI and Profitability
    • 27:23 Electricity Infrastructure and AI's Role
    • 29:03 The Cost of AI and Model Maintenance
    • 31:28 AI's Impact on Labor and Employment
    • 34:04 AI in Academia and Content Creation
    • 38:04 The Economics of AI and Cost Structures
    • 45:33 Logistics and Supply Chain in Michigan
    • 51:09 Freightvine Market Update
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    56 mins
  • Mike Roeth, NACFE | The Cost of the Messy Middle

    Mike Roeth, NACFE | The Cost of the Messy Middle
    Jun 11 2026

    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 coexist
    • Where battery electric vehicles are gaining traction first (regional + drayage)
    • What NACFE’s latest “Run on Less” data reveals about real-world adoption
    • Why there’s no single “winner” in the near-term transition
    • How carriers and shippers can make practical decisions amid uncertainty

    If 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
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    48 mins
  • Ken Adamo | The End of Broker Preemption

    Ken Adamo | The End of Broker Preemption
    Jun 3 2026

    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 forward

    If you work in brokerage, shipping, or carrier operations, this is a conversation worth paying attention to.

    Find previous episodes 👉 https://bit.ly/42HyzRg
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    44 mins
  • Peter Swartz | Navigating the New Global Trade Landscape

    Peter Swartz | Navigating the New Global Trade Landscape
    Jun 3 2026

    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 goods

    As global trade grows more complex, visibility is becoming a competitive advantage.

    Find previous episodes 👉 https://bit.ly/42HyzRg

    #Freightvine #SupplyChain #Logistics #GlobalTrade
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    48 mins
  • [Bonus] The Past, Present & Future of Transportation Benchmarking

    [Bonus] The Past, Present & Future of Transportation Benchmarking
    Dec 12 2019

    FMIC is getting predictive, and we’re excited to give our Freightvine listeners a sneak peek at the future of transportation benchmarking at Chainalytics.

    In this episode, Dr. Chris Caplice (Chief Scientist at Chainalytics & Executive Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics) recaps the origin of the “Model-Based Benchmarking Consortium” which was one of the first large-scale applications of machine learning techniques to understand the underlying drivers of transportation rates. He goes on to briefly explain its evolution over the last 15 years into what we know today as the Freight Market Intelligence Consortium (FMIC).

    Chris is joined by Chad Kennedy (Sr. Product Manager, FMIC Pulse at Chainalytics) to discuss the many use cases of FMIC Pulse — our real-time solution for understanding current market dynamics and long-term inflationary views which was introduced in 2017. Chris then lays out what to expect with Chainalytics’ soon-to-be-released freight rate forecasting solution which will include monthly forecasts for Active Contract Rates, Spot Premium Ratio, and New Rate Differential as well as a 15-month forward-looking market estimate. All of this is being launched in early 2020 to Chainalytics’ FMIC members. Wanna join? Email fmic@chainalytics.com to learn more.


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    22 mins
  • Larry Gross | The Intermodal Industry – Past, Present, and Future

    Larry Gross | The Intermodal Industry – Past, Present, and Future
    Jan 22 2026
    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.
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    50 mins
  • Mike Roeth | Crossing the Muddy Middle

    Mike Roeth | Crossing the Muddy Middle
    Mar 20 2025

    This week’s guest is Mike Roeth, Executive Director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency or NACFE. NACFE has been around for over 15 years - originating from a workshop run by the Rocky Mountain Institute in 2009. Their objective is to drive the development and adoption of efficiency enhancing, environmentally beneficial, and cost-effective technologies, services, and operational practices in the movement of goods across North America. Mike has been leading NACFE in these efforts pretty much since its inception. In the conversation, Mike discusses the concept of the “Messy MIddle” - a term that NACFE introduced to the industry. The Messy Middle is the period between the trucking industry transitioning from a well established and known technology (that would be diesel internal combustion engines) to a future technology (zero emission battery electric vehicles). Major technology transitions are never simple or clean, and NACFE recognizes this and analyzes how different powertrain technologies (to include Renewable diesel, Biodiesel, Natural Gas, Green Hydrogen, and battery electric) can be employed to bridge this middle ground. In the podcast, Mike discusses how different trucking operations (payload, duty cycle, required range) are better suited to different powertrain technologies, highlights the challenges and hurdles to the adoption of these powertrain technologies, and outlines the roles that the various stakeholders play.


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    47 mins
  • Focusing on the Driver | Leah Shaver

    Focusing on the Driver | Leah Shaver
    Aug 11 2022

    Get a 360-view of freight markets with the deepest, broadest and most accurate data on rates, capacity, performance and more. Visit DAT iQ


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    49 mins