What is up everybody, welcome back to What the Truck?!? The freight recession is officially over as demand builds into the summer, but a tightening market means the old procurement playbook is completely broken.

In this episode of WTT for May 1, 2026 , we sit down with Ciaran Doherty, Founder and CEO of Loadar, to expose a hard truth: the era of shipper leverage is ending. He breaks down why traditional RFP cycles are failing in a tight market and how capacity exiting and rising fuel costs are forcing a massive shift. If you are a shipper still relying on a loose-market strategy, you are going to bleed cash.

Then, we uncover the silent margin killer draining fleets dry: bad routing. Ronak Amin from HERE Technologies drops in to reveal how static maps and inefficient routes are causing extra miles, wasted fuel, and blown ETAs. He brings the math to prove it, including a real-world example of how a 200-van fleet in Chicago could uncover nearly $100,000 in potential savings just by optimizing their location data.

Plus, we are diving into the latest industry headlines:• The FBI is late to the cargo theft epidemic, but the industry isn't.• A Kentucky congressman is pushing the FAA to permanently shut down MD-11 aircraft.• The STB chairman and industry leaders headline the Future of Rail Symposium to discuss the supply chain rail network.

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