Industry Insights with Route Consultant

Route Consultant
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Industry Insights is the leading podcast for logistics professionals, brought to you by the team of industry experts at Route Consultant.

  1. 6d ago

    Do Veterans Have an Edge in Business?

    In honor of Veterans Day coming up, Josh Gregory sits down with Alex Frum of Alpha Kilo Logistics to talk about what military service brings to contracting. Alex is a West Point graduate, former armor officer and former Wall Street trader. He now runs FedEx Linehaul operations across Memphis, Olive Branch, northern Kentucky, Nashville and Huntsville. Alex explains the Army leadership principle he still runs his business on: task, conditions, standards. He covers why delegating to his managers matters more than knowing every detail, how he evaluates risk, and how he combined military leadership with Wall Street financial discipline once he started running his own company. He also talks about the realities of hiring veterans as drivers, including the DD 214 verification problem he’s been pushing Congress to fix. He gives practical advice for enlisted soldiers and officers who are looking at a future in trucking or route ownership, and he talks about the “glorify being miserable” mindset that veterans may need to unlearn. • Learn more about route-based businesses: routeconsultant.com/learn • Register for a free event: routeconsultant.com/events • Contact our team: routeconsultant.com/contact

    Do Veterans Have an Edge in Business?

  2. Oct 22

    Don’t Wait on Peak Season: What to Do Before Volume Hits

    In this episode of Industry Insights LIVE, host Josh Gregory from Route Consultant is joined by guest Amy Byers of Slicker Trucking for a final check-in before peak season 2026. Amy shares her takeaways from the FedEx Summit, including linehaul growth, large package pilot programs, and improving safety and service scores, then explains how Express rolling into nearly every terminal is changing the way her team plans routes and forecasts volume. They discuss cost-saving moves like switching scanner data plans, fleet health checks, renting versus buying trucks, when to start hiring for peak, and how to calculate the staffing you actually need. Amy also breaks down how Slicker builds bulk routes to protect driver morale, her three keys to running a calm terminal, and what proximity really means under your contract. • Learn more about route-based businesses: routeconsultant.com/learn • Register for a free event: routeconsultant.com/events • Contact our team: routeconsultant.com/contact

    Don’t Wait on Peak Season: What to Do Before Volume Hits

  3. Oct 14

    How to Scale Payroll and Compliance for Your Route Business with Netchex

    As a route business grows, payroll stops being a button you press and becomes one of the biggest back-office challenges you face. In this episode of Industry Insights, Josh Gregory sits down with Chris Roig, who leads the Sales Engineering and Solution Consulting team at Netchex, to unpack what route owners often miss about payroll, compliance, and the people side of scaling. Chris explains why route-based pay (hourly rates, stop bonuses, mileage) gets complicated fast, what records FedEx, Amazon, and government agencies expect you to produce on demand, and the warning signs that your current process won’t scale. They also cover worker classification, early wage access and other financial wellness tools that help with driver retention, and how faster hiring and paperless onboarding keep good candidates from slipping away. • Learn more about route-based businesses: routeconsultant.com/learn • Register for a free event: routeconsultant.com/events • Contact our team: routeconsultant.com/contact

    How to Scale Payroll and Compliance for Your Route Business with Netchex

  4. Oct 7

    Is FedEx P&D Still Worth the Investment?

    Recorded live at the 2026 Route Consultant Expo, Dave and Amy Byers of Slicker Trucking explain why the FedEx Ground P&D space remains a strong opportunity for new and current contractors despite online negativity and day-to-day business pressures.  They frame P&D as a proven entrepreneurship model with predictable weekly pay, no traditional marketing or accounts receivable, and the opportunity for quick scalability across routes and terminals. Drawing on their 20+ years of experience and expansion into linehaul, they share how network initiatives, 2.0, and future technology shifts strengthen contractor stability. • Learn more about route-based businesses: routeconsultant.com/learn • Register for a free event: routeconsultant.com/events • Contact our team: routeconsultant.com/contact

    Is FedEx P&D Still Worth the Investment?

  5. Oct 1

    Contract Negotiation Tips for FedEx P&D Contractors

    Recorded live at the 2026 Route Consultant Expo, this special episode of Industry Insights features Amy Byers, COO of Slicker Trucking, sharing practical guidance on negotiating and renegotiating FedEx P&D contracts.  Amy explains when to initiate renegotiation, why being in good standing matters, and how to build a credible case using FedEx’s key metric, stops per resource, rather than focusing on hours. She highlights common misconceptions around MEDALs comparisons, unique characteristics timing, and contract offers. Amy also introduces a calculator tool to compare current settlements, PCAT terms, and MISO offers to understand contract deltas and support data-driven conversations with negotiators. • Learn more about route-based businesses: routeconsultant.com/learn • Register for a free event: routeconsultant.com/events • Contact our team: routeconsultant.com/contact

    Contract Negotiation Tips for FedEx P&D Contractors

  6. Sep 25

    Linehaul Peak Season 2026: Drivers, Equipment, Incentives, and Points

    In this episode of Industry Insights LIVE, we’re joined by Alex Frum, owner of Alpha Kilo Logistics, to discuss how FedEx linehaul contractors should prepare for peak season. They explain the typical peak timeframe, how linehaul differs from P&D in required volume, and why communication with FedEx and disciplined planning matter. Alex shares how he evaluates flex-ups, temp runs, and Schedule J, plus how peak threshold points work and how he allocates points for future bidding.  They cover hiring and onboarding seasonal drivers, motivation and bonus structures, equipment readiness, hours-of-service constraints, route selection based on weather risk, and financial considerations around rentals, new vs. used tractors, warranties, and fuel efficiency. • Learn more about route-based businesses: routeconsultant.com/learn • Register for a free event: routeconsultant.com/events • Contact our team: routeconsultant.com/contact

    Linehaul Peak Season 2026: Drivers, Equipment, Incentives, and Points

  7. Sep 17

    Scaling Up: From Small Business Operator to True Business Owner

    Recorded live at the 2026 Route Consultant Expo, this special Industry Insights episode features Alex Frum, owner of Alpha Kilo Logistics, on scaling a FedEx linehaul business from operator to true business owner. Alex outlines the core pillars for sustainable growth, safety, financial discipline, service, and availability, emphasizing that safety and compliance can make or break a contractor.  He explains why understanding cash flow and managing the business in cents per mile matters, how to think about payroll targets, and how to pursue growth through both organic opportunities and acquisitions. Alex also shares how company culture, driver retention, preventative maintenance, recruiting, and contract knowledge help protect margins and build a dependable operation that can expand over time. • Learn more about route-based businesses: routeconsultant.com/learn • Register for a free event: routeconsultant.com/events • Contact our team: routeconsultant.com/contact

    Scaling Up: From Small Business Operator to True Business Owner

  8. Sep 9

    FedEx Linehaul Q&A: Contractor Strategies from Route Consultant Expo 2026

    Recorded live at the 2026 Route Consultant Expo, this special episode of Industry Insights features Butch Butler hosting a FedEx-focused Q&A with experienced linehaul contractors Steve Crawford, Randy Kurek, Alex Frum, and Jen Parrish. The panel shares practical guidance on building profitability through unassigned rotations, earning points toward dedicated routes, and the operational habits that keep contractors competitive.  They discuss what strong infrastructure can look like as fleets grow, how to approach expanding from P&D into linehaul, and what newcomers should consider when buying versus starting organically. The conversation also touches on recruiting and retention realities for CDL drivers, key safety and documentation expectations during incidents, and how operating across states and adhering to contract language can impact long-term success. • Learn more about route-based businesses: routeconsultant.com/learn • Register for a free event: routeconsultant.com/events • Contact our team: routeconsultant.com/contact

    FedEx Linehaul Q&A: Contractor Strategies from Route Consultant Expo 2026
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4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

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Industry Insights is the leading podcast for logistics professionals, brought to you by the team of industry experts at Route Consultant.

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