Driving Forward Podcast

In this episode of Driving Forward, Chris DeMillo of Leonard’s Express and host Nate Johnson, fresh off their panel at the Trimble Insight User Conference in New Orleans, break down one of the toughest challenges in transportation technology: getting executive buy-in.Nate and Chris revisit their session, “Selling the Vision: Communicating Tech ROI to Win Executive Buy-In,” and expand on how transportation leaders can move beyond fe...

Trucking stands at a crossroads with shifting markets, tightening regulations, and new technology redefining how freight moves. ATRI’s newly released Top 10 Industry Issues for 2025 lays out the biggest challenges facing trucking leaders, and this episode of Driving Forward tackles them head on. Host Nate Johnson sits down with three powerhouse voices from the field, Pamela Polyak Polyak (Owner, Polyak Trucking, Logistics & Con...

This week on Driving Forward, we’re honoring our nation’s heroes ahead of Veterans Day with Wreaths Across America - a year-round mission to Remember. Honor. Teach.Guests: • Courtney George, WAA Director of Transportation & Industry Relations • Graig Morin, WAA Board Member & President of Brown Dog Carriers & LogisticsTopics include: 🔷 The upcoming Dec 13th Wreaths Across America Day and its nationwide impact 🔷 How to...

Every logistics team trains. The best ones turn that training into results.

This Halloween, join Nate Johnson, CEO of GLCS, for a special Friday episode of Driving Forward featuring Dr. Gina Anderson, CEO of Luma Brighter Learning, a 3-time Inc. 5000 honoree and leading expert in learning science for the supply chain.

Together, they dig into how real learning happens and why it’s the backbone of today’s most successful logist...

Freight fraud is evolving fast and so are the ways to stop it.Join host Nate Johnson for a live Driving Forward panel with:

• Dale Prax : Founder, FreightValidate
• Steve Vest: Owner, Nationwide Equipment Transportation Inc.
• Pop-in: Special Guests

• The newest freight-fraud patterns & data
• Practical advice to prevent cargo theft at the dock, on the road, and in your back office
• How to harden your operation against cargo theft ...

We’re back for Take 2! Last time, the conversation was too good to let internet issues get in the way so we’re bringing back Melanie Patterson, Founder & Managing Director of Integrity Global Logistics and Team Integrity Knowledge Center, for a fresh round on Driving Forward.Melanie has built her business by winning and delivering on government contracts and teaching others how to do the same. Government contracts can be a powe...

Kristy Knichel, second-generation CEO of Knichel Logistics, Inc., returns to Driving Forward for a timely conversation with host Nate Johnson on the challenges and opportunities shaping freight today.They’ll cover:

🔷 Freight fraud: Red flags and how brokers & carriers can protect themselves.🔷 Recession lessons: how Knichel Logistics is navigating the downcycle and how a focus on fundamentals is helping them thrive.🔷 Tech bets...

• Proposed Hours of Service (HOS) changes and what they could mean for drivers
• The push for more transparency across brokers, carriers, and shippers
• Market challenges and ho...

We made it to 100! 🚛🎙️On September 18th, join us for a special episode of Driving Forward as we celebrate this milestone. Nate Johnson and Robert Bain will be co-hosting, and a few of our past guests will be stopping by to join the conversation.We’ll be talking about:🔷 What’s on everyone’s mind in freight today🔷 Stories and moments from the first 100 episodes🔷 Some laughs, a few surprises, and a look back at favorite memoriesA...

Trucking is never steady. Markets rise and fall, freight rates shift, and regulations change. For small and mid-sized fleets, the challenge is building a business that can grow while staying steady through the volatility.Nate Johnson talks with Perry Olson, CEO/Owner of Fortune Transportation, about how a family-owned fleet scaled “one truck and a dream” while keeping its drivers, customers, and culture strong.They’ll discuss:🔷 Sm...

As AI takes a bigger role in freight, how do brokers and carriers keep trust front and center? Todd Waldron, VP of Carrier Experience at Truckstop, joins Driving Forward host Nate Johnson into a candid look into where technology helps and where relationships still win. With nearly 20 years in trucking, including leading Q Carriers as CEO, Todd now guides carrier strategy and innovation at Truckstop. Together they cover ✅ AI in Frei...

What does it take to run a truck that averages 10 MPG when most hit 6.5? Jamie Hagen, owner of Hell Bent Xpress, joins Nate on Driving Forward to share how he built a South Dakota fleet known for its all-Mack lineup, impressive fuel efficiency, and driver-first culture. Jamie’s trucking story started early riding with his dad at 3, getting his CDL at 18, and buying his first truck at 21. Today, he runs a growing fleet that’s “hellb...

The freight market is full of challenges right now—but with the right marketing strategy, carriers, brokers, and freight tech companies can steady the ride and set themselves apart.In this episode of Driving Forward, host Nate Johnson sits down with Whitney Cowell and Jennie Malafarina of Virago Marketing to talk about how smarter marketing can fuel growth, even in a tough season for trucking and logistics.Together, they dig into:

When the freight slows and the pressure mounts, how do you keep moving forward?In this episode of Driving Forward, host Nate Johnson sits down with Nick Klingensmith - four-time cancer survivor, Type 1 diabetic, recovering alcoholic, and former logistics executive with 20+ years leading high-performing sales teams in transportation and supply chain.Nick’s story is one of grit, ownership, and refusing to live as a victim. From survi...

“This industry is in my blood.” That’s how Steve Vest, owner of Nationwide Equipment Transportation (@ntwdequiptrans), describes his journey in freight. Raised by truck drivers and introduced to the business side of logistics in college, Steve has spent his career learning the industry from the inside out.Today, he’s not just running a successful brokerage, he’s leading the charge for more transparency in a system plagued by double...

In a market this brutal, survival isn’t guaranteed. But the smartest fleets are already planning for the rebound.At the MTA Annual Conference, we heard firsthand how carriers are adapting, investing, and leading through uncertainty and we’re breaking it all down in this episode.In this episode, Nate Johnson is joined by GLCS’ Susan Mayo and Pete Mata for a boots-on-the-ground recap of the MTA Annual Conference in Alexandria, MN.🎙️...

When the freight market won’t let up, you listen to the folks who’ve lived it. Nate Johnson sits down with Kyle Kottke, General Manager and third-generation co-owner of Kottke Trucking, for a real, unscripted conversation between two industry veterans who’ve seen it all.Kyle stepped into leadership at just 18 and has spent decades helping steer his family’s nearly 90-year-old company through shifting markets, economic pressure, and...

On this July 17 episode of Driving Forward, Nate Johnson sits down with one of LTL’s original tech pioneers: Lance Healy, Co-Founder & CEO of Freight Facts and the mind behind some of the most transformative innovations in freight.From launching Banyan Technology in the early 2000s (pioneering API connections to LTL carriers) to holding a U.S. patent on LTL dynamic pricing, Lance has spent his career pushing the industry forwar...

Join Nate Johnson and Robert Bain (aka the strongest man in logistics) for a special Driving Forward broadcast straight from the heart of the Truckers Jamboree at Iowa 80 in Walcott, IA.This isn’t your average podcast, we’re going live from the FR8MVMT booth, surrounded by chrome, diesel, and some of the hardest-working people in America.Tune in as we talk:

• What makes the Truckers Jamboree a must-see

• The sights, sounds, ...