FreightCasts Weekly Recap (4/20-4/26)

• What do plant shutdowns mean for the food supply chain?
  • We talk about the economic impact that COVID-19 is having on freight and the transportation industry. Viewers are encouraged to comment and call-in during broadcasts Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon ET on FreightWaves Linkedin, Facebook and YouTube channels.
  • This episode features Andy Berke, Principal and Senior Director of Strategic Ventures at Blue Grace Logistics, and FreightWaves market experts Andrew Cox, Anthony Smith and Zach Strickland.
• Is the freight market ready for a rebound?
  • Michael Vincent and Kevin Hill talk about the economic impact that COVID-19 is having on freight and the transportation industry. 
  • This episode features FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller, Market Experts Zach Strickland, Anthony Smith, Andrew Cox and Executive Vice President of Content Emily Szink.

WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

• Truckers vs brokers: Battle of the bottoming spot market
  • Dooner and The Dude talk about the conflict between truckers and brokers as they battle for dollars in a bottoming spot market. What market forces are at play and how do you get ahead?
  • We’ll talk to Nicole Folz, a trucker who shares her story of contracting and recovering from COVID-19 as well as her efforts to get PPE to drivers. Hope White, CEO of H.D. White Logistics, LLC will talk about operating during a pandemic and she’ll shed light on how big box retail is reacting. George Abernathy, President at FreightWaves, will give us his take on the market, talk about working with remote teams, and hint at what he’ll be up to at FreightWaves LIVE @Home.
  • And – latest headlines, Good News Bad News concerning PPP, Comment Section Rodeo and more.
• COVID-19 survivor speaks and the importance of PPE for truckers
  • Dooner and The Dude talk about the challenges truckers face when contracting COVID-19 on the road, Covenant cutting staff after closing SRT terminal, and C.H. Robinson slashing executive pay. 
  • We’ll talk to Michelle Halkerston, Owner, President & CEO at Hassett Express, LLC; Chris Wire, CEO, at Real Art and Founder of Proto BuildBar; and Eric Goodman of BNSF Railway Economic Development. 
  • Plus, a SONAR-powered breakdown of the freight market as we dive deeper into where rates and volumes will be headed this week.
  • And, Emily Szink on this week’s big and little deals concerning a trucking PPE czar, Amazon effect and LTL, lockdown protests, One World, and more!

Put That Coffee Down

• How do you avoid falling into the pricing trap?
  • Dooner and Hill talk about traps… pricing traps. How do you defend your pricing and avoid sliding into a low-margin transactional business? The broker vs. trucker rate battle is at a fever pitch – we’ll talk about protecting your margins without sacrificing your partnerships. 
  • They’ll be joined by special guest, Ryan Schreiber, Director of Engagement, at CarrierDirect.
  • Plus listener feedback, advice and community building!

Freightonomics

• Not so fast, my friend
  • Anthony and Zach break down the Knight-Swift and Heartland earnings; the slowing decline of freight rates and volumes; and what the rise in imports means for the recovery.

Great Quarter, Guys

• Is 2020 already a lost year for trucking and logistics?
  • Andrew and Kevin discuss the first few transportation companies reporting earnings during the COVID-19 outbreak and what it means for the rest of the industry. Also, we weigh in on the freight volume debate and question whether oil prices will ever fully recover.
  • Thanks as always to the research contributions from our friends at CarrierDirect.

Fuller Speed Ahead

• Air freight and COVID-19 with Brandon Fried, Executive Director of The Airforwarders Association
  • The Executive Director of The Airforwarders Association, Brandon Fried, speaks with FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller on the importance of the air freight industry and how it has adapted to accommodate the needs of a nation in crisis.

FreightWaves Insiders

• CHEP and sustainability: the invisible backbone of freight
  • George Brehovsky, Director of Customer Solutions, and Grant Arnold, Supply Chain Solutions Manager of CHEP North America both know pallets carry the global supply chain. Listen in to this engaging conversation about the invisible backbone of freight.

Drilling Deep

• What is the post-pandemic future of pricey truck insurance?
  • In the week that saw crude prices turn negative, host John Kingston on the Drilling Deep podcast tries to translate that once-in-a-lifetime occurrence into what it says about diesel prices. He also discusses the impact on the trucking sector that services the oil patch and how the negatives from that are going to outweigh the positives of cheaper diesel.
  • In addition, John is joined by Dan Cook, Principal and Practice Leader of True North, to analyze the crisis that was a crisis before the pandemic – insurance costs. What happens to the already significant issue of insurance costs after the pandemic eases? Are they going to continue to rise or does the industry get a break? Dan discusses the new reality in the insurance business as a result of the upheaval.

On The Spot

• Did the freight market bottom out this week?
  • Zach Strickland and JP Hampstead discuss volumes flattening this week and whether the freight market has hit a bottom. They also discuss earnings from trucking companies before and after COVID-19.

FreightWaves Morning Minute — (Monday-Friday)

• The fastest minute in freight.

• The top headlines from freightwaves.com every weekday morning. Available on FreightWaves.com/podcasts, your favorite podcasts player and Alexa by adding the skill “FreightWaves.”