The Lombard Trucking Show

On Friday April 5th, myself, Gord, and Chris went live to give a little MATS recap, we touch on Gord's recent appearance on Tucker Carlson and go into his recent article published in the American Compass. If it's one thing truckers can do, it's talk, and we just sent it for a couple hours on a Friday night reiterating our narrative on what the problems are in the industry, how to fix them, and beyond. Thank you to all the live viewers who tuned in. Stay tuned for more live episodes! More to come. You can find Gord's article here: https://americancompass.org/crash-and-churn/ And subscribe to his substack at autonomoustruckers.substack.com Chris Thomas is every where on social media @indietrucker --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Trey Griggs is born and raised in Kansas City, from a little bit of a hard scrabbled background, sports became his escape growing up. Becoming a sort of Jack of All trades, from being a Youth Pastor, Basketball Coach, and Teacher, Trey eventually wound up in door to door sales. Mastering the skill of sales led him to the renowned load board app we know as DAT, and so his journey into logistics has begun. Listen to Trey's story, why good coaches are important, and the upcoming Broker/Carrier summit in Kansas City going on 4/22-24 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Michael Rodriguez is born and raised in San Antonio. After high school he went to college, but then took a detour into the Marines. Serving on multiple deployments, he eventually crossdecked into the Army, and later the Texas National Guard. We talk about military equipment movement across Europe, and the Texas response to the Covid19 pandemic where he served on the ground when it came to testing and vaccination sites. Eventually he became disenfranchised by the current Representative from Texas' 35th District, and decided to step into the Political Arena. He joins he show to tell his story, and why he is the best fit to lead Texas' 35th. You can contact him directly at email@rodriguezforcongress.info Visit his website at www.rodriguezforcongress.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Kary Jablonski is the current CEO of TruckerTools, the first load board to develop an app for smart phones in 2009. Hungry for entrepreneurship, her introduction into transportation and logistics began with Uber, and her drive and passion for solving problems brought her to the helm of TruckerTools. Listen to her story, how TruckerTools uses their technology to leverage themselves to stay ahead of their competition, why doubling down in a down market has helped them succeed, and what they do in the fight against freight fraud. For any carrier or driver out there who wants to voice their concerns to someone who truly cares about the industry, down to the one truck owner operator you can email her directly at kjablonski@truckertools.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder Patrick Visintainer, along with a piece of his Operations Team, Tucker Been join the show to talk about REPOWR. A FreightTech company founded in 2019 that can only be described as the AirBnB of the freight industries underutilized assets. From the largest fleets in the nation, to single truck Motor Carrier, Repowr is solving problems, and creating opportunities for everyone. Right from their bio on LinkedIn, "REPOWR is a community of networks where logistics companies seamlessly share assets to reduce waste & underutilization. The company connects shippers, carriers, 3PL's, leasing companies, and OEM's to a collaborative platform for interconnected asset-visibility. REPOWR brings visibility and value to the supply chain's normally inaccessible assets and aggregates that capacity to its Universal Trailer Network." Want to get your sitting trailers moving? Looking for an empty trailer to keep your units hauling freight? Go to www.repowr.com to get started --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

James Year rejoins the show along with Will Cook, the Founder of America Without Drivers, and Scott Douglas, the President of America Without Drivers. We go back into the details about the dangers of Autonomous, and why this conversation needs to continue to happen. The technology that's coming should not really be stopped, but there has to be a better way to implement it then how it currently is. Currently Indiana has legislation that would only allow autonomous trucks to be operated if a licensed CDL holder is within the vehicle, this legislation defeats the business models of companies like Aurora who want fully driver out capabilities. We go into details on why voters need to know, and should be more involved. A correction to the podcast is HB1022 is a House bill in Indiana that is a co bill to SB57 in the Indiana Senate, not federal legislation. For more information on America Without Drivers go to https://americawithoutdrivers.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Happy New Year everyone! Wanted to kick off the year to drive home a message regarding health and wellness. The idea of "new year new me" has been meme'd so hard, that people don't even want to try it anymore. No excuses, let's get moving. I'm going to go into detail about the 1stPhorm Transformation Challenge as well as OrangeTheory's challenge. Both are 8 weeks, and in 8 weeks you can accomplish a lot and build a lot of habits. To download the 1sphorm App you can use this link. https://www.1stphorm.app/Lombardtrucking --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Interstate Avocado is a driver who came on the show back in August to tell his trucking story. A soft market was getting his miles cut at one company, so he took a risk with going to drive for a carrier based in Florida owned by a Russian man named Igor. The promise of essentially unlimited miles, and a little fooling around with their ELD's was alluring, but eventually it almost broke him. He rejoins the show to tell all on the problems he has had the last few months. For anyone listening to this, just know that if a trucking opportunity looks too good to be true, most of the time it is because it is. To all of my freight friends, the MC talked about in this episode is MC1007299, do not do business with him, and if you can file any complaint, or know how we can run this fraud out of town, please reach out --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

On today's episode I went live from the bedroom I grew up in to touch on Vivek Ramaswamy's summit that happened at Iowa 80 on 12/21. A Historic event that is driving many of the conversations we have on this show to the forefront of national politics. Listen until the end for a positive Christmas message on how to control what we can control, and spread light and love heading into 2024 Merry Christmas to all! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Anthony Hudson is an owner/operator of a small trucking company outside Detroit. Like many in trucking, especially within these last few years, he's become discouraged by the current state of American politics. Instead of sitting and complaining, Anthony Hudson decided to take action. In the summer of 2022, he launched his campaign to run as a non-partisan candidate for President of the United States. He joins the show to tell his story, and about his campaign. His campaign is run just like an owner/operator would run it, the most minimalist way possible. He still continues to work and haul freight during his campaign, and has still been to 27 states, including multiple visits to the border. He has challenged all truckers in America to donate $1 to his campaign. You can support Anthony Hudson by going to his website of anthonyhudson2k24.com His venmo/cashapp is @Hudson2k24 Follow his campaign on tiktok @anthonyhudson4pre --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Jake Hoffman is the Chief Technology Officer of Gnosis Freight based in Charleston, SC. Gnosis is an industry leader in providing what they call Container Lifecycle Management. Jake joins the show to tell his story as well as Gnosis. Unlike America's highways, Earth's oceans are a lawless frontier, and a deep dive into the absolute magic of how we get products across such vast areas is something I think everyone takes for granted. We go into detail about how Gnosis is on the forefront of solving problems within the supply chain like reducing demurrage and detention costs. Their technology has a trickle down effect that even ease some of the issues truck drivers face. For more information on Gnosis go to www.gnosisfreight.com They are always looking to hire professionals hungry to get involved in the industry as well. You can connect with Jake Hoffman on Linkedin and Twitter @jake_hoffman19 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Meghann Erhart is currently the Executive VP of Relay Payments, a FreightTech company that has streamlined how Motor Carriers conduct fuel transactions, and in the process, eliminate the rampant fraud which has costed the industry millions of dollars. With nearly 20 years in the transportation industry, Meghann has worn several hats, from fleet management of fuel trucks, to going out to the oil field, her passion in the industry grew from the connections she has made with America's truck drivers. She joins the show to tell her story, and what Relay Payments is all about. For more information on Relay, go to relaypayments.com Meghann also keeps herself open to any/all feedback, especially from drivers. To contact her you can connect with her on LinkedIn --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Drew Ellefsen is the CEO of Benefits Management Team, a Health Insurance agency that aims to provide affordable healthcare to those who need it the most. When it comes to truckers, 25% of truckers, especially those small/independent owner/operators, go without health insurance. However even on the company driver side, employer sponsored healthcare can be steep for someone being paid by the mile, and those deductions can add up, especially if you have a family. Drew joins to show to tell his story, and why his company has teamed up with our organization CDL Drivers Unlimited. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Getting to 100 episodes was definitely a milestone I knew I would reach, but whatever happened in between I had no clue what it would be or what it would look like. I bring on some dear friends of mine I've made simply because I started making/posting freight related content. We go into what this show is starting to mean, we recap our time at the F3 Future of Supply Chain Conference, how we can really make an impact on changing the industry, and some insight on what the next 100 episodes will look like. I'll continue to tell my story, but also what's important is the stories of the men and women who work in this insane industry, especially the people who drive the freight. Thank you to everyone who has ever lended me their ear. We're just getting started Follow along with the guests: Billy - @freight_bandit Justin - @supertrucker Dom - @Dominick_Tullo Reed - @lostisreed/@lostfr8 Gord - Find him on LinkedIn, Gord Magill, and subscribe to his substack https://autonomoustruckers.substack.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Dani and I crossed paths on tiktok, she makes a lot of videos about her day to day life, especially as she has become a gosh darn professional flatbedder. A fascinating story, motivated by her uncle to start driving she jumped behind the wheel in 2020. Her story resonates with all this show stands for in regards to activism. Her first company started out rough with a few trainers but got better. She goes into her time with JB Hunt and USXpress, and how she landed in just the right sweet spot of that small family owned carrier who takes care of their drivers. Despite how much she loves the industry, we dive into why speed limiters would make her quit, and I know she isn't alone. Follow along with her on tiktok @truckinwithdani --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Nathaniel Ebel is the Director of Business Strategy with FreightValidate. Born and raised in the Kansas City area, he got into real estate after college, but was lured into the world of logistics by landing himself working as a dispatcher for Universal Truckload. From there his career took him to the brokerage side, and by then was fully immersed. Partnering with Dale Prax, they're launching FreightValidate, a new tool to help better vet carriers, brokers, and shippers. Truly a tool that unite the good guys within the supply chain, and to put the bad guys out of business. Follow along with FreightValidate on LinkedIn and connect with Nathaniel on there as well. They're set to launch in October --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

James Year is an Airforce veteran who spent six years as a loadmaster for C-130's. After his time in service he attended Iowa and then on to Syracuse for his Master's. During a stint with the USPS he opened up his ears to a lot of new information and audiobooks, a lot of which was about the rise of Artificial Intelligence and what its implications might be, especially in transportation. James embarked on his Master's project which is the overall impact of what AI means for the trucking industry, but the more he peeled the layers back of this onion, he learned a lot about how this complex issue is truly something all Americans need to be made aware of. We have a candid conversation about all things mentioned above. You can find James on Instagram @yearjames and visit his website at Jamesyear.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Brett is a 22 year old trucker from Central Florida, living in Tennessee now. I came across Brett on my fyp on tiktok where I he was sharing his disdain for lumper services, so I thought why not talk about it a little bit more! Brett talks about his journey into trucking which is a remarkable story that includes the birth of his child WHILE he was in CDL School. We talk about some issues with new trucks, and journeys over the road! You can follow Brett's journey on tiktok @TN.r3dn3ck --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Driver Eddie aka the Interstate Avocado comes on the show to talk his journey into the trucking industry. We go into some awesome detail regarding his CDL school experience, and what he has crammed into just over 3 years. From some horror stories at CRST to how he now works for an outfit that operates somewhat outside the rule of law. Eddie is a fantastic person, and driver who truly has a passion for the trucking lifestyle. This is an interview you don't want to miss. You can find him on youtube @ Trucker Avocado, and on tiktok/IG @interstateavocado --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Earlier this summer I made the goal of transitioning off OTR by at least this fall, or by next summer. Getting backed into back in May essentially expedited that process. The time has come for me to get off the road, and I will be selling my truck. The first reason is family, and the second is truly the market. I got into business to grow something, not fight for the status quo. Unfortunately for the ATA and the establishment, I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be working in transportation, AND in fitness. So they should still check under their beds at night before they go to sleep. This was a hard episode for me to record, and I probably left out some things I wanted to say, but oh well! There is some raw emotion here, and I think that's what listeners, and our country deserve more of, authenticity. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support