This week, Andrew has a candid conversation with Jett McCandless, CEO and founder of project44, about his freight journey, from making $12 an hour at Roadway Express to building a global supply chain network that powers more than 1 billion shipments across 180+ countries each year. Jett opens up about growing up on food stamps in Section 8 housing, the hard-earned lessons from his exit at GlobalTranz, and the bold vision behind project44’s next frontier: Movement, its Decision Intelligence Platf...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 70
This week, Andrew sits down with Harish Abbott, CEO and cofounder of Augment, the AI teammate for logistics. Harish says, “Logistics is broken,” and in this episode, he goes deep into just how broken, talking about the inefficient ways information is shared between numerous parties on any given shipment. He talks about how overwhelmed operators are by emails and manual processes, leading to costly inefficiencies, a lack of time for creative work, high turnover, and burnout. The former CEO and co...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 69
This week, Andrew is joined by Sean Henry, CEO and founder of Stord, a major player in omnichannel fulfillment and supply chain technology. In this episode, Sean shares his incredible entrepreneurial journey, which started by selling Christmas presents on eBay at age seven to launching Stord in 2015 as a student at Georgia Tech. In this episode, he reflects on the company’s early days, turning points, and what’s next following Stord’s recent $200 million fundraise and major acquisition of Ware2G...
Jun 03, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 68
Andrew welcomes Clay Curran, CEO and cofounder of FreshX, a young company tackling the tricky reefer LTL space. Clay shares his entrepreneurial journey, marked by a willingness to pivot that has shaped both his personal career trajectory and the FreshX business model. Today, FreshX is a marketplace that connects brokers with more than 80 reefer LTL carriers. In this episode, Clay also covers: His path to entrepreneurship and early lessons learned from his entrepreneurial parents. The evolution o...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 67
This week, The Freight Pod flips the mic as host and former MoLo Solutions CEO Andrew Silver becomes the guest. Hosted by colleague and friend Derek Zetlin, this candid conversation dives deep into Andrew’s journey through freight, including growing up around logistics, learning the ropes at Coyote, and ultimately founding, scaling, and selling MoLo. In this episode, you’ll hear Andrew talk about: His early experiences and pivotal moments at Coyote Logistics, from being a high school-aged intern...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 66
In this episode, Andrew welcomes Matt O’Mara, CEO and founder of Whimsy Intermodal and Whimsy Trucking. Matt’s journey into the transportation industry began in 1994 when he worked as an owner-operator for a trucking company. When that company was acquired and its drivers let go, Matt seized the opportunity to start Whimsy Intermodal in 1996 and hired many of those drivers. Today, Whimsy has about 50 company drivers, 145 owner-operators, and 150 trucks. Andrew and Matt also cover: Whimsy’s organ...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 65
In this episode, Andrew welcomes three seasoned logistics leaders with a unique perspective, having all started on the brokerage world before transitioning to the shipper side: Nicole Schuman, transportation procurement manager at Reser’s Fine Foods; Marco Vargas-Avila, director of U.S. logistics at Dole Packaged Foods; and Andrew Dafnos, director of supply chain at KeHE Distributors. Andrew and the panel cover: Balancing cost vs. service, the importance of understanding different provider model...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 64
In this roundtable-style episode, Andrew brings together a panel of industry experts at the center of cross-border shipping and trade compliance: Matt Silver, CEO and cofounder of Cargado; Emil Stefanutti, CEO and cofounder of Gaia Dynamics; and Justin Sherlock, CEO & cofounder of Caspian. These leaders break down how complex, ever-changing global trade regulations are impacting shippers, brokers, and carriers and how AI is being used to bring order to the chaos. From tariff classifications ...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 63
In this episode, Andrew welcomes Charley Dehoney, CEO and cofounder of Upwell. Charley has worked at brokerages like Worldwide Express. He bootstrapped his own brokerage, Dehoney Transportation Management. He bought and sold the 50-year-old Mannings Truck Brokerage. He’s worked for a digital freight startup, a supply chain accelerator, and a container shipping company. And that’s not even all of it. Across every chapter, one thread stands out: Charley’s intimate understanding of freight payments...
Apr 15, 2025•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 62
In this episode, Andrew sits down with Greg Paulson, CEO of Giltner Transportation, a transportation and logistics company based in Jerome, Idaho. Greg’s journey with Giltner began in 1999 when, as an accountant, he worked closely with then-owner Doug Blevins, who eventually offered him a job. Now, 26 years later, Greg and his wife, Shawna, own and lead the company. Giltner started in 1980 as a milk tanker transporter and has since expanded into a 300-truck reefer fleet, a $250M brokerage, a $10...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 61
Andrew sits down with Jin Stedge, CEO and cofounder of TrueNorth. Jin grew up in a family of owner-operators, including her dad, uncles, and grandparents, but didn’t see herself in the family business. Instead, she headed to MIT, earned an aeronautical engineering degree, and built her career in consulting, HR tech, and — autonomous trucking. But Jin knew truckers had more immediate needs and that's how the industry pulled her in. In this episode, Jin also talks about: The evolution of TrueNorth...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 60
In this episode, Andrew welcomes Dan Manshaem, CEO and founder of Ally Logistics, for his first podcast appearance ever. In 2012, Dan and his cofounder Jeff Chidester started Ally — they quit their jobs, put $2,500 in the bank, and signed a lease for $300 a month for some office space. He calls that time, “One part exhilarating, one part terrifying.” Today, Ally has grown to a team of 95 with a projected top-line revenue of $145M in 2025. In this episode, Dan shares: How his initial finance care...
Mar 25, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 59
Andrew welcomes Krenar Komoni, CEO and founder of Tive, to The Freight Pod. Krenar left Kosovo at 17 years old to pursue his education in the U.S., but the aspiring entrepreneur knew he’d be back one day to create jobs in his home country. Krenar went on to earn degrees in computer engineering, math, and electrical engineering and discovered a passion for radio frequencies and wireless communication systems. But it was his father-in-law's trucking company and the constant tracking calls — where’...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 58
In part two of this special two-part episode, Andrew continues his conversation with his dad, Jeff Silver, CEO and founder of Mastery Logistics Systems. Part two picks up with the founding and rapid growth of Coyote Logistics, a company that redefined the industry's expectation of service with its "No Excuses" mentality. Jeff says the experience was “magical the whole time.” After UPS acquired Coyote in 2015, Jeff could have easily retired, but as he says, he doesn’t like golf. In 2019, Jeff sta...
Mar 11, 2025•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 57
In this special two-part episode, Andrew sits down with his dad, Jeff Silver, CEO and founder of Mastery Logistics Systems. This is part one, beginning with Jeff’s life in 1980 at the University of Michigan. In 1984, Jeff joined Paul Loeb and others in building what became American Backhaulers, one of the industry’s first and most successful freight brokerages. C.H. Robinson acquired American Backhaulers in 1999, and a key driver of that industry-changing deal was Express, the technology system ...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 57
Andrew welcomes Paul Singer, CEO and cofounder of FleetWorks, a carrier-facing voice AI agent. It’s been a year and a half since Paul and his cofounder Quang Tran tested the idea for FleetWorks. They signed up for a load board, posted an attractive load, and to their surprise, three carriers responded and negotiated with their AI agent — a product Paul calls “janky” compared to what they have today. “Ever since those three calls, we’ve been off to the races.” On this episode, Andrew and Paul cov...
Feb 25, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 56
On this episode, recorded live from Manifest: The Future of Supply Chain & Logistics, Andrew interviews nine founders about their budding startups: Ed Burns with TruSygnal, a connection platform for shippers and carriers Tom Curee with Qued, automated appointment scheduling through AI Omar Singh with Get Real Rates, an API pricing tool Chip Reeves with Enablers, logistics human and AI staffing Alex Bezzubets with myMechanic Inc., a roadside assistance platform Shan Wu with Forward Labs, a br...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 55
Andrew welcomes Jim Berlin, CEO and founder of Logistics Plus, a company he founded in 1996 and has built into a global logistics powerhouse in more than 50 countries, with $600M in revenue, customers like GE and WeWork, and a HQ within Erie, Pennsylvania’s Union Station. But success didn’t come without taking risks — and learning from failures. “I dive in with both feet without checking the depth of the water.” In this episode, Jim and Andrew cover: The journey of how Jim built his company from...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 54
Andrew welcomes Grace Maher, COO of OTR Solutions, one of the industry’s top factoring companies. Grace graduated from Georgia Tech with a business degree and an accounting certificate and went on to be an auditor for five years. But she felt she was meant for something else. In 2011, Grace got her first job in freight at Nolan Transportation; a year later, Nolan founder Kevin Nolan was starting OTR Solutions, and Grace found the opportunity she was looking for. In this episode, Andrew and Grace...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 53
In this episode, Andrew welcomes Cole Stevens, chief strategy officer at Stevens Trucking, a family-owned trucking company based in Oklahoma. Cole’s dad, Kenney, founded the business in 1979 with a single hotshot pickup truck in an Oklahoma oil patch. Today, they operate 400 tractors and 1,800 dry van trailers across the U.S. Andrew and Cole cover: The founding story of Stevens Trucking and how the Stevens family uniquely runs the business. All that Cole has learned from his dad about business a...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 52
Andrew welcomes David Bell, CEO and founder of CloneOps.ai. David has been in the logistics industry for more than 30 years. He once had a vision to make Lean Solutions Group a 10,000-employee organization — he and his team accomplished that. Now, with his new voice AI business, CloneOps.ai, he plans to hit 1 billion talking minutes for his customers in three years. In this episode, David shares: How he founded his early LTL brokerage business and the challenges of LTL. How he and cofounder Robe...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 51
For the 50th episode of The Freight Pod, Andrew welcomes Dhruv Gupta, CEO and cofounder of Drumkit. Dhruv shares his journey from studying transportation planning at Harvard to founding Drumkit, an innovative AI-driven workflow solution for logistics companies. In this episode, Andrew and Dhruv talk about: Dhruv’s experience of dealing with failure — calling his first business a “faceplant” — and what he learned that he still carries with him today. The importance of leading with confidence, esp...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 50
In this episode, Andrew talks to Brad Perling, CEO and co-founder of Bitfreighter. Brad was an aerospace major waiting to get into air traffic control school when he became an early employee at Calvary Logistics. He says that’s where he got his freight MBA, working up from carrier rep to general manager. Frustrated by the lack of options when it came to EDI technology, this former broker is now building another cost-saving option for integration technology in Bitfreighter, named to FreightWaves’...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 49
In this episode, Andrew is joined by Jesse Buckingham, CEO and cofounder of Vooma. Jesse studied law and economics at the University of Sydney and got his MBA from Stanford. Before Vooma, he was CEO at ASG LogisTech, whose businesses included Trucker Tools, Record360, e-Courier, and PackageRoute. He was also a consultant at Bain & Company. Now, Jesse’s leading the Vooma team in building AI tools that will automate the shipment lifecycle and help brokerage teams enhance productivity and reduc...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 48
For the last episode of 2024, we welcome our first driver to the show: Chad Boblett. He created the longstanding Rate Per Mile Masters Facebook group, which, in its 11 years, has grown to be a vibrant community of close to 37,000 owner-ops, carriers, brokers, and agents. In this episode, we go back even further — 13 years — to how Chad got started in trucking, when a severe injury caused him to lose just about everything in his life — including his job and his house. He was living in a motel. Bu...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 47
In a special episode to announce the acquisition of Trucker Tools by DAT, we are joined by Trucker Tools CEO Kary Jablonski to break down the deal. She walks us through why now was the time for Trucker Tools to go to market, why DAT makes the most sense as the long term home for the TT platform, and what the future looks like for Kary and her team. This move helps further DAT's position as the premiere freight marketplace and rate analytics platform, enhancing their product pipeline and capabili...
Dec 17, 2024•42 min
Andrew is joined by Jonathan Salama, the CEO and co-founder of Transfix, a logistics technology company. He discusses Transfix's origins, starting as a freight brokerage business that he and his co-founder Drew built from the ground up. They focused on automating key functions like pricing, scheduling, and carrier management using machine learning models. When the pandemic hit, Transfix's technology proved invaluable in navigating the volatility. However, Transfix later had to pivot away from be...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 28 min
In this captivating episode, Andrew sits down with Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport, for an insightful and candid conversation about leadership, personal growth, and business. Ryan shares his journey of self-discovery, discussing how he reevaluated his values after a challenging period in China and the profound impact of mentors like Tony Robbins on his life and leadership style. The discussion delves into Flexport's operational processes challenges, including the impact of COVID-19 on their Net P...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 58 min
FreightVana has acquired the brokerage operations of Loadsmith. We are joined this week for a special episode breaking down the making of the merger between these two organizations. FreightVana CEO Shannon Breen and Loadsmith CEO Brett Suma join the show to break down the deal, explaining why Loadsmith is divesting it's brokerage operations and why FreightVana is the perfect complementary partner. With mutual backgrounds at Knight, it was easy for Shannon and Brett to see eye to eye on how a dea...
Dec 04, 2024•55 min
The episode features an in-depth conversation with Ryan Joyce, the CEO of freight intelligence startup GenLogs. Ryan shares his unique background, having previously worked as an undercover CIA officer, a path he unknowingly would find himself on after a frightening situation with his father working in the Pentagon during 9/11. He discusses how that experience shaped his empathetic approach to problem-solving and his desire to make a positive impact. Ryan explains GenLogs' mission to bring unprec...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 42 min
