SPI Logistics CFO James Lemon joins to cut through the noise on agent and brokerage finances in a tough market. We cover the real signals your brokerage is in trouble, what healthy margins look like now, how to set up your money from day one as an agent, and where AI is actually paying off (hint: 42% of SPI invoices now auto-approve without a human).

You’ll learn:
— The first red flag: carriers calling about late pay—what it really means for your book of business
— How slipping “days to pay” crushes carrier trust on DAT/Truckstop and pushes you back to the spot market
— Today’s margin reality (8–30%), why 15–18% is harder, and what to target
— W2 vs. agent life: taxes, cash-flow risk, and the simple system to avoid the “surprise” tax bill
— The overlooked first-year expenses (and the bare-minimum tech setup that won’t choke under load)
— Why a 30–60 day cash cushion matters when customers and vendor onboarding drag
— AI that’s worth it: document imaging, scheduling, and keeping a human in the loop
— What shippers now expect: real-time visibility, API/EDI ties, and proof you’re fighting fraud
— Conferences and ROI: how one five-minute tool can pay for the trip
— 2026 outlook: why disruption favors prepared agents who keep relationships tight and processes sharp

Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know.

-----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.

CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.

Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

In a special episode of Freight Friends, Grace and Blythe dress up in style to discuss the Halloween supply chain, conference ROI, and logistics podcasts along with diving deep into the rare earth mineral supply chain that impacts everyone, including Le Creuset cookware.

Links from the show:

• Grace’s work at Orderful
• Cargorex’s creators category link
• Blythe’s Podcasters Guide
• Ship Happens Le Creuset Story

Watch the live version of this episode: https://youtube.com/live/5ATXb50-FcA

Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know.

-----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.

CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.

Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

In sports merch, the clock is the boss. Fanatics SVP of Operations Wayne “Skip” Lee walks through a hot-market playbook where championship buzz turns into next-morning deliveries

We hear about sunrise delivery in the winning city and why the first 72 hours/7 days decide the season’s biggest sales. Skip breaks down how they stage inventory, make halftime calls on what to print and where to ship, and use AI to set size curves, place inventory, and block bad customizations before they hit a press.

• Watch the livestream of this episode on YouTube

Takeaways:

• Why “speed is the product” is an operating metric, not a motto
• The hot-market window: 72 hours → 7 days that drive outsized revenue
• How sunrise delivery works and when it’s worth the cost
• Network design that beats distance (local presses, nearshore partners)
• Halftime adjustments as real-time ops: re-printing, re-routing, redeploying
• Where AI actually helps: size curves, placement, and QC before print
• The fate of “loser merch” and lessons for responsible excess inventory

Links mentioned:

• The Logistics of the NFL
• Championship/Loser Merchandise

Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know.

-----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.

CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.

Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

Hiring is one of the hardest parts of running a logistics company, and Jake Brown has built his career solving that problem.

As Managing Partner at Brown & Pierce Consulting, Jake brings his experience from the Marine Corps and manufacturing recruitment to the world of freight, helping logistics companies find and retain the people who drive their business forward.

Recorded live at the Florida Supply Chain Summit, this conversation covers what is really going on in the freight job market, what makes a great hire, and how recruiters are navigating the balance between authenticity and AI.

Key takeaways:

• Why authentic human connection still wins in a world full of AI-generated job posts.
• The roles in logistics that are hardest to fill and where the pay is rising fastest.
• How federal rate cuts could signal the next hiring boom in transportation.
• What makes a “safe hire” versus a transformational one.
• Why soft skills matter as much as technical ability in leadership roles.

LINKS:

• Jake's LinkedIn
• Florida Supply Chain Summit Website

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE

Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know.

-----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.

CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.

Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

From the Keys to the coastlines, Florida’s logistics legacy runs on rails, and few know that better than Spencer Jury, Director of Domestic Intermodal at Florida East Coast Railway.

In this episode, recorded live at the Florida Supply Chain Summit, Spencer shares how FEC connects Florida’s freight economy, the company’s 1800s origins with Henry Flagler, and how technology and awareness are shaping the future of intermodal shipping.

He and Blythe discuss everything from hurricane-proof infrastructure to the modern rail fan community, keeping the Sunshine Express spirit alive.

LINKS:

• Spencer's LinkedIn
• Florida Supply Chain Summit Website

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE

Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know.

-----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.

CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.

Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

When freight gets tough, the toughest lean into resilience. In this episode of Everything is Logistics, Krystina Booker, Founder of Booker Transport Solutions, shares her journey from launching her own brokerage to navigating challenges with grit, creativity, and purpose. Her perspective blends business savvy with a personal mission to make the industry more sustainable for brokers, carriers, and shippers alike.

Key takeaways:

• Why resilience is a critical skill for building a freight business
• How Booker Transport Solutions approaches broker-carrier relationships
• Lessons learned from starting a brokerage in a volatile market
• The role of trust, transparency, and adaptability in long-term growth

LINKS:

• Krystina's LinkedIn
• Booker Transport Solution's Website

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE

Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know.

-----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.

CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.

Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

When a truck breaks down, time isn’t just money. It’s survival. Fleets lose thousands for every day a vehicle is sidelined, while drivers are left frustrated and in the dark. That’s the reality Alex Bezzubets, Founder and CEO of myMechanic, set out to fix.

In this episode, Alex shares how myMechanic is tackling the technician shortage, cutting wasted calls, and giving fleets, drivers, and service providers the real-time coordination they’ve been missing.

Key takeaways:

• Roadside downtime can cost fleets thousands per day, making response speed critical.
• myMechanic eliminates up to 90% of the phone calls typically required during a breakdown.
• Fleets, drivers, and mechanics see the same updates, photos, and approvals in real time.
• The platform is agnostic, connecting providers and fleets without bias or ownership conflicts.
• Connectivity, not just technician supply, is the real bottleneck in roadside repairs.

LINKS:

• Alex's LinkedIn
• myMechanic's Website

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE

Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know.

-----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.

CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.

Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

What happens when a trucking kid grows up to become the industry’s “Armchair Attorney”? Matthew Leffler is a third-generation trucking professional turned lawyer who has made it his mission to explain freight’s most complicated legal battles in plain English.

From nuclear verdicts to AB5 fallout, broker transparency fights to chassis choice rulings—he translates court cases into actionable strategies carriers and brokers can actually use. If you’ve ever felt lost in the legal jargon but know your business depends on getting it right, this conversation is for you.

Key takeaways:

• Broker transparency debates will reshape contracts, workflows, and margins.
• Carriers can mitigate nuclear verdict risks by controlling safety and documentation.
• AB5 compliance requires pragmatic playbooks for carriers and owner-operators.
• Chassis choice rulings are a rare legal win, lowering costs for motor carriers.
• Non-compete clauses often stifle careers more than they protect brokerages.

LINKS:

• Matthew's LinkedIn
• Lord of the Rings Logistics with Matthew Leffler Armchair Attorney

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE

Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know.

-----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.

CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.

Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.