Freight doesn’t just shape careers; it shapes character. We sit down with a 20-year logistician who went from forklifts to brokerage to leading teams, and he brings the receipts: why hiring for grit beats hiring for polish, how personal non-negotiables create better business decisions, and what it takes to build trust that outlasts a cycle. The conversation moves from origin stories to high-stakes realities—market enforcement against chameleon carriers and non-domiciled CDL abuse, how “riding dirty” distorted pricing, and why safety and legality must be table stakes.

We dig into the freight recession with clear-eyed honesty. Enforcement can clean up the board, but demand still decides direction. Instead of waiting for a turn, we lay out executable plays: pivot to project freight, flatbed and heavy haul, and the booming data center supply chain—racks, cooling, specialized equipment—where budgets hold and expertise wins. On the relationship side, we get specific about defending incumbency: walk the floor, fix exceptions fast, and tell shippers something about their network they don’t know. That’s how you stay sticky when voicemails pile up every three minutes.

Fraud and safety get a sober treatment. ELD tampering, identity spoofing, and AI voice scams demand layered verification, trained teams, and callbacks to known-good contacts. Protect the road, protect the brand. For new talent, the roadmap is simple and demanding: ask more questions, take meticulous notes, immerse yourself in trade media, and give the craft enough time for the game to slow down. We close on community and gratitude—Rotary, family, faith—and the reminder that in a small industry, reputation compounds like interest. Subscribe, share with a teammate who needs a reset, and drop a comment: what niche are you betting on next?