episodes - Everything is Logistics

Unlocking Freight Capacity on Inland Waterways with OpenTug

Barges move over 70 percent of U.S. grain and can carry the equivalent of 4,000 truckloads with a single tugboat. Yet this massive freight channel has remained invisible to most supply chains due to outdated systems and zero visibility. In this episode, OpenTug CEO Jason Aristides shares how his team is digitizing barge and tug operations with GPS tracking, AI-powered automation, and a modern marketplace experience. By unlocking real-time visibility and booking capabilities, OpenTug is helping shippers tap into a cleaner and more efficient way to move freight across America’s 12,000 miles of inland waterways. Key takeaways: Barges are one of the most fuel-efficient and underused freight modes in North America A single barge move can replace thousands of truckloads with a fraction of the labor OpenTug brings real-time GPS and predictive ETAs to an industry that ran on email chains Ports like New Orleans are investing heavily in container barge terminals More visibility and automation will help eliminate empty miles and reduce emissionsLINKS:Jason’s LinkedInOpenTug’s LinkedInOpenTug on CargoRexWATCH THE FULL EPISODE HEREFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. —————————————–THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Are you experienced in freight sales or already an independent freight agent? Listen to our Freight Agent Trenches interview series powered by SPI Logistics to hear from the company’s agents on how they took the leap and found a home with SPI freight agent program. CloneOps AI-powered phone operations for inbound and outbound calls with speed, scale, and efficiency. Our virtual agents handle high-volume interactions, automate workflows, and deliver real-time insights, freeing your team to focus on growth. Designed for logistics, retail, and beyond—seamless communication, smarter conversations, faster resolutions. CargoRex – Your Logistics Hub. Explore, discover, and evolve with the all-in-one platform connecting you to the top logistics tools, services, and industry voices. Whether you’re a leader, researcher, or creator, CargoRex helps you stay ahead. Explore Now Digital Dispatch maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. Check out our website services her…

Making Sense of Tariffs: What Every Logistics Pro Should Know

Tariffs and global supply chains can feel overwhelming, but understanding them is part of the job. After 15 years in logistics, host Blythe Milligan still found the topic of tariffs and global trade tensions intimidating. In this episode, she breaks down how she prepared for a talk on the subject, the sources she used, and […]

Freight Benchmarks, AI & Why Your Routing Guide Fails

How do you future-proof freight procurement? In this episode of Everything is Logistics, Chris Caplice, Chief Scientist at DAT Freight & Analytics and founder of MIT’s FreightLab, unpacks why traditional RFPs fall short, the rise of dynamic routing, and how AI is helping shippers make smarter decisions faster. He shares real-world examples from paper manufacturers, […]

Why Your Routing Guide Is Failing

The freight market doesn’t work the way most people think it does, and Chris Caplice is here to explain why. As the Chief Scientist at DAT Freight & Analytics and Executive Director of MIT’s FreightLab, Chris has spent years studying the breakdowns in routing guides, the myth of economies of scale, and why AI isn’t a magic bullet for bad freight strategy. In this episode, we’re diving deep into how shippers, brokers, and carriers can use benchmarking and dynamic tools to build more resilient freight networks and avoid the common traps in RFP season. Key takeaways: Freight contracts often fail because they’re built around ghost lanes that never move freight. AI works best when applied to unstructured transportation data, not generic pricing models. Dynamic routing guides and benchmarking tools help reduce failure points in traditional RFPs. Economies of scale don’t really exist in truckload—scope and flexibility matter more. Smart freight strategy comes down to understanding your network’s quirks, not copying someone else’s.LINKS:Chris’ LinkedInDAT Freight & Analytics WebsiteDAT Freight & Analytics on CargoRexWATCH THE FULL EPISODE HEREFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. —————————————–THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Are you experienced in freight sales or already an independent freight agent? Listen to our Freight Agent Trenches interview series powered by SPI Logistics to hear from the company’s agents on how they took the leap and found a home with SPI freight agent program. CloneOps AI-powered phone operations for inbound and outbound calls with speed, scale, and efficiency. Our virtual agents handle high-volume interactions, automate workflows, and deliver real-time insights, freeing your team to focus on growth. Designed for logistics, retail, and beyond—seamless communication, smarter conversations, faster resolutions. CargoRex – Your Logistics Hub. Explore, discover, and evolve with the all-in-one platform connecting you to the top logistics tools, services, and industry voices. Whether you’re a leader, researcher, or creator, CargoRex helps you stay ahead. Explore Now Digital Dispatch maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. Check out our website services her…

How Freight Agent Dave Gulas Turns Podcasting Into a Lead Generation Machine

In this episode of Everything is Logistics, host Blythe Brumleve chats with Dave Gulas, business owner, SPI Logistics freight agent, and the Beyond Fulfillment podcast host. Dave shares how podcasting has helped him build stronger relationships with customers, create educational content that drives engagement, and stay top of mind with prospects. You’ll learn how Dave […]

Using Podcasting for Customer Education

Business owner, podcast host, and SPI Logistics freight agent Dave Gulas is back on the show to talk about how he uses podcasting to create content for his customers and leads. By using education, he’s able to stay top of mind and earn future opportunities by delivering value long before the sale. From sharing entrepreneurial stories to building lead pipelines, Dave breaks down why consistency is the secret weapon most folks overlook.Key Takeaways:Podcasting isn’t just for downloads, it’s a long-game strategy for building relationships and trust. Creating educational content can double as lead generation when you stay consistent. The best episodes feature real stories of wins, losses, and lessons from entrepreneurs. Sales today is about storytelling, not cold pitching, and your content is your proof. Success in podcasting comes from starting scrappy, staying consistent, and learning as you go.LINKS:Dave’s LinkedInEZDC 3PL on CargoRexDave’s WebsiteBeyond Fulfillment PodcastFreight By DaveWATCH THE FULL EPISODE HEREFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. —————————————–THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Are you experienced in freight sales or already an independent freight agent? Listen to our Freight Agent Trenches interview series powered by SPI Logistics to hear from the company’s agents on how they took the leap and found a home with SPI freight agent program. CloneOps AI-powered phone operations for inbound and outbound calls with speed, scale, and efficiency. Our virtual agents handle high-volume interactions, automate workflows, and deliver real-time insights, freeing your team to focus on growth. Designed for logistics, retail, and beyond—seamless communication, smarter conversations, faster resolutions. CargoRex – Your Logistics Hub. Explore, discover, and evolve with the all-in-one platform connecting you to the top logistics tools, services, and industry voices. Whether you’re a leader, researcher, or creator, CargoRex helps you stay ahead. Explore Now Digital Dispatch maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. Check out our website services her…

How I Used AI to Break Down Tariff Drama and Prep for a Freight Talk

Struggling to keep up with tariffs, global trade shifts, and what it all means for logistics? That’s exactly why I built an AI-powered workflow to help research, prep, and explain the madness in under a week. In this video, I’m sharing: • The exact AI tools I used (Grok, ChatGPT, NotebookLM) • How I organized […]

How I Used AI to Decode Tariff Chaos

Tariff news changes by the hour, and freight pros can’t afford to fall behind. In this solo episode, Blythe shares how she used AI tools to get smart on global trade policy fast and prep for a talk on tariffs with real confidence. From building a research system to generating a podcast from her notes, Blythe walks through the AI workflows that helped her synthesize thousands of data points, spot trends, and understand what global trade shifts actually mean for the industry. Key takeaways: Tariff policy is evolving fast, and freight professionals need a plan to keep up AI tools like Grok, ChatGPT, and NotebookLM help filter, summarize, and structure complex research Building a central repository of information is key to staying informed and ready to act AI won’t replace your job, but someone using AI will Turning research into shareable content helps you become the go-to resource in your nicheListen to learn how to use AI to understand and explain global trade chaos before it impacts your business.LINKS:GPU Loopholes, Mexico Supply Chain Shift, Wafer Fab Equipment Vulnerabilities, Optical Module Pricing Surge, Datacenter EquipmentTariff Shockwave: US Import Bookings Collapse After Q1 SurgeFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. —————————————–THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Are you experienced in freight sales or already an independent freight agent? Listen to our Freight Agent Trenches interview series powered by SPI Logistics to hear from the company’s agents on how they took the leap and found a home with SPI freight agent program. CloneOps AI-powered phone operations for inbound and outbound calls with speed, scale, and efficiency. Our virtual agents handle high-volume interactions, automate workflows, and deliver real-time insights, freeing your team to focus on growth. Designed for logistics, retail, and beyond—seamless communication, smarter conversations, faster resolutions. CargoRex – Your Logistics Hub. Explore, discover, and evolve with the all-in-one platform connecting you to the top logistics tools, services, and industry voices. Whether you’re a leader, researcher, or creator, CargoRex helps you stay ahead. Explore Now Digital Dispatch maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. Check out our website services her…

How Tariffs Are Changing E-Commerce Fulfillment Strategy with Harshida Acharya

Tariff shifts are no longer just policy updates—they’re actively reshaping how e-commerce fulfillment works. With changes to the de minimis rule and growing scrutiny on Chinese imports, brands are being forced to rethink their logistics strategy from top to bottom. Harshida Acharya, Chief Strategy Officer at Fulfillment IQ, breaks down what these trade changes really […]

How Tariff Shifts Are Rewriting the E-Commerce Logistics Playbook

From de minimis drama to geopolitical trade shakeups, tariffs are doing more than raising prices, they’re forcing a full rewrite of how e-commerce logistics gets done. Harshida Acharya, Chief Strategy Officer at Fulfillment IQ and host of the eCOM Logistics Podcast, joins the show to explain what these policy changes really mean for brands. If you’re still relying on one warehouse, one fulfillment model, or one country, consider this your wake-up call.Key Takeaways:Tariff shifts and de minimis changes are disrupting the global cost structure for e-commerce brands. Brands overly reliant on Chinese imports or DTC fulfillment models are the most exposed. U.S. regulatory changes are pushing a long-term shift toward nearshoring and diversified supply chains. Fulfillment strategy must align with evolving trade rules to remain sustainable. Strategic investments now will separate the survivors from the reactive.LINKS:Harshida’s LinkedIneCOM LOGISTICS PodcastFulfillment IQ on CargoRexTariff Shockwave: US Import Bookings Collapse After Q1 Surge (Vizion & Dun & Bradstreet)Ladies Who Logistic LinkedIn GroupHow To Handle Supply Chain and Logistics Masterfully with Sandra MacQuillanWATCH THE FULL EPISODE HEREFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. —————————————–THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Are you experienced in freight sales or already an independent freight agent? Listen to our Freight Agent Trenches interview series powered by SPI Logistics to hear from the company’s agents on how they took the leap and found a home with SPI freight agent program. CloneOps AI-powered phone operations for inbound and outbound calls with speed, scale, and efficiency. Our virtual agents handle high-volume interactions, automate workflows, and deliver real-time insights, freeing your team to focus on growth. Designed for logistics, retail, and beyond—seamless communication, smarter conversations, faster resolutions. CargoRex – Your Logistics Hub. Explore, discover, and evolve with the all-in-one platform connecting you to the top logistics tools, services, and industry voices. Whether you’re a leader, researcher, or creator, CargoRex helps you stay ahead. Explore Now Digital Dispatch maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. Check out our website services her…

David Bell on Why AI in Supply Chains Fails Without the Right Infrastructure

David Bell, CEO of Cloneops.ai, joins Blythe Brumleve on Everything is Logistics to talk about the real roadblocks to AI success in supply chains. Forget the hype—this conversation dives into what’s really required to get AI working in complex logistics environments, especially in the face of nearshoring, fragmented data systems, and operational chaos. Key takeaways: […]

How Logistics Veterans Should Be Thinking About AI with David Bell

AI is being hyped as the magic bullet for supply chains—but what happens when your infrastructure isn’t ready to support it? In this episode, Blythe Brumleve chats with David Bell, CEO of Cloneops.ai, about the cold, hard realities of deploying AI in logistics. From unreliable data pipelines to the complexity of nearshoring, David breaks down what’s broken, what’s fixable, and what’s still wildly misunderstood.Whether you’re trying to optimize costs or just figure out how to prep your backend systems, this episode delivers the technical insights and strategy talk you didn’t know you needed.Key takeaways:Most companies overestimate their AI readiness due to poor data infrastructure.Nearshoring challenges can be solved, but not without multi-tier supply visibility.AI needs structured, reliable, and real-time data to be effective.Cost optimization often breaks down without proper freight data standardization.Internal champions for AI projects must bridge both tech and ops.LINKS:David’s LinkedInCloneOps WebsiteCloneOps LogisticsAndrew Silver Interview on The Freight PodWATCH THE FULL EPISODE HEREFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. —————————————–THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Are you experienced in freight sales or already an independent freight agent? Listen to our Freight Agent Trenches interview series powered by SPI Logistics to hear from the company’s agents on how they took the leap and found a home with SPI freight agent program. CloneOps AI-powered phone operations for inbound and outbound calls with speed, scale, and efficiency. Our virtual agents handle high-volume interactions, automate workflows, and deliver real-time insights, freeing your team to focus on growth. Designed for logistics, retail, and beyond—seamless communication, smarter conversations, faster resolutions. CargoRex – Your Logistics Hub. Explore, discover, and evolve with the all-in-one platform connecting you to the top logistics tools, services, and industry voices. Whether you’re a leader, researcher, or creator, CargoRex helps you stay ahead. Explore Now Digital Dispatch maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. Check out our website services her…