WHAT THE TRUCK?!?
WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

FreightWaves

Overview
Episodes

Details

WHAT THE TRUCK?!? is FreightWaves' irreverent award-winning podcast breaking down the biggest stories in transportation and logistics. WTT?!? is all about the people that make freight move. On the show you'll hear from founders, CEOs, VCs, truckers, brokers, and influencers. Join the industry three times a week on FreightWavesTV and podcast players everywhere.

Recent Episodes

He Wasn’t a FedEx Driver: The Truth Behind the Athena Strand Case
APR 15, 2026
He Wasn’t a FedEx Driver: The Truth Behind the Athena Strand Case
On this Wednesday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, host Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent dive into the high-stakes world of freight fraud, industry bankruptcies, and the evolving landscape of international trade. Industry Headlines • Market Contraction: Small trucking firms like Liberty Carriers Inc. and NAS Logistics have recently filed for bankruptcy as the industry struggles in a post-COVID down cycle. • Trade & Ports: Mexico remains the U.S.’s top trading partner, with Port Laredo handling over $29 billion in trade in February alone. Meanwhile, the Port of LA maintains consistent volume despite global economic uncertainty. • Weather Alerts: Tornado season has arrived early, with 39 tornadoes already reported in Wisconsin this year, significantly higher than the annual average. Expert Spotlight • Phil Brink (FreightWaves): Warns that over 50% of brokers and carriers are not vetting partners, leaving them vulnerable to an average cargo theft loss of $300,000 per load. • Rob Carpenter (Investigator): Fresh off his 60 Minutes appearance, Carpenter discusses the Athena Strand tragedy, emphasizing that carriers in delivery modes must implement stricter criminal background checks beyond basic regulations. Watch on YouTube Visit our sponsor - TRUCKSTOP Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
play-circle icon
46 MIN
Amazon's $500 Million Package Drone Gamble
APR 13, 2026
Amazon's $500 Million Package Drone Gamble
Welcome to a Monday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?. Coming off a masterful weekend in Chattanooga, hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent are back to break down the biggest headlines in freight, from the "sexiness" of cargo theft stats to the reality of Amazon’s drone ambitions. While headlines are buzzing with $1,000,000 Lego heists and stolen Kit Kats, the guys look at the actual math. Statistically, freight fraud and theft account for only 0.0036% of freight moved in North America. We discuss why this "sexy" topic gets so much airtime and how technology from companies like Highway is driving necessary trust factors in the industry. Amazon is ramping up Prime Air, aiming to deliver 500 million packages annually by the end of the decade. Michael Vincent isn't buying the hype, questioning the efficiency and safety of "dropping a fragile vase 20 feet out of the ass of a drone" just to satisfy consumer demand for faster delivery Anna Falcon, VP of Customer Experience at MCA Connect, joins the show to discuss why manufacturers must move beyond "boring widgets" to holistic customer strategy. David Long, VP of Product Management at Fleetworthy, pulls back the curtain on the "illusion of data". Many fleets think they have a handle on accidents, but fragmented spreadsheets won't stand up in court. David introduces Legal Lock, a feature that creates an immutable, time-stamped record of an accident to protect a fleet's credibility during litigation. Watch on YouTube Visit our sponsor - TRUCKSTOP Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
play-circle icon
45 MIN
The $1M Lego Heist & Why the USPS is a Financial Blackhole
APR 10, 2026
The $1M Lego Heist & Why the USPS is a Financial Blackhole
On today’s packed episode of What the Truck?!?, hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent are bringing you the highest-signal news and interviews in the freight industry. The Headlines A massive $1M stolen Lego heist gets stopped in its tracks. Mexican truckers end their strike following clashes with authorities. The troubled USPS moves to raise stamp prices to conserve cash as it faces a “financial blackhole”. project44 acquires LunaPath.ai to accelerate AI agent orchestration. A deep dive into freight fraud: how a load booked completely right still went wrong. Jake Papa (Co-Founder & CRO, Carrier1): Jake pitches “Vault,” a new product built to replace broken email tendering with database-to-database connectivity to protect brokers from fraud. Stefan Heck (CEO, Nauto): Stefan explains how Nauto’s AI safety technology predicts and prevents collisions before they happen using data from billions of real-world driving miles. Chase Osborne (Demand Generation Lead, Cargado): Chase shares his experience at the Freight Caviar documentary watch party and discusses the realities of cross-border freight and nearshoring. Join the Freight Fraud Symposium this May in Cleveland, Ohio, to debate threat intelligence and establish the new gold standard for transaction security. Watch on YouTube Visit our sponsor - TRUCKSTOP Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
play-circle icon
46 MIN
Why Trump Is Betting $65B On Battleships Over Ports
APR 8, 2026
Why Trump Is Betting $65B On Battleships Over Ports
Buckle up for a massive Wednesday edition of What The Truck?!? with your hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent, MD (The Dude). We’re diving deep into the geopolitical ripples affecting oil, the ongoing crackdown on non-domiciled CDLs, and the future of medium-duty electrification.Description On Today’s Show:• Geopolitics & Oil Speculation: We break down the latest 4 PM deadline involving President Trump and Iran. Despite a two-week buffer for peace talks, we discuss why oil prices are moving 20% on “sentiment, fear, and tweets” rather than just infrastructure.• The CDL Crackdown: Jason McArthur from Lone Cypress Logistics joins us to discuss the “slow bleed” of driver capacity. With approximately 13,000 to 14,000 licenses already canceled in California and a potential 194,000 more at risk, we explore how this is driving up driver pay and straining produce season capacity.• A Shipbuilding Revival: President Trump’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget includes a 242% increase in naval shipbuilding. We look at the $65.8 billion set for battleships and submarines—and why only a fraction is trickling down to commercial port development.• The Future of Work Trucks: Fred DePerez, SVP at Harbinger, introduces the HC Series Cab. Learn how this “best-in-class” electric platform is taking on diesel competitors with better turning radius, payload, and price parity.• Oil Trading Insights: Baron Idriss Lamarre brings three decades of experience with Shell and ExxonMobil to explain why we should “separate the noise from the fundamental” in today’s energy market. Watch on YouTube Visit our sponsor - TRUCKSTOP Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
play-circle icon
61 MIN
Why Organized Crime is Stealing F1 Kit Kats and $150K UPS Buyouts are Being Capped
APR 6, 2026
Why Organized Crime is Stealing F1 Kit Kats and $150K UPS Buyouts are Being Capped
On today’s episode of What the Truck?!?, Malcolm and “The Dude” break down a wild weekend in freight, from high-speed chocolate heists in Europe to massive cargo busts in Los Angeles. We also dive deep into how real-world data is beating simulations in the race for autonomous vehicle safety.Inside This Episode:• The $1M SKIMS & Alo Bust: Authorities in LA just uncovered a massive theft ring moving over 50 pallets of high-end apparel through resale channels before the shippers even knew it was gone.• The Great Kit Kat Heist: Danny Ramon from Overhaul joins us to discuss a “fake police” hijacking of a truckload of Formula 1-shaped Kit Kat bars in Europe.• The Missing Piece of Autonomy: Nexar CEO Zach Greenberger explains why “messy” real-world driving data is the only way to truly solve the “last mile” of autonomous trucking.• UPS & Teamsters Update: A new deal caps driver buyouts at 7,500 people, ending a weeks-long tug-of-war over labor contracts.• Fuel Relief: CH Robinson is waiving fees to help owner-operators survive rising diesel costs.• Geopolitics at the Canal: Senator Marco Rubio calls out China for “bullying” Panama-flagged ships as supply chain tensions rise. Watch on YouTube Visit our sponsor - TRUCKSTOP Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
play-circle icon
46 MIN