Freight People Podcast

Ava Barnes
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Automotive
  • Monthly

Honest Conversations & Practical Advice for Succeeding in Trucking Hosted by Ava Barnes, VP of Brand & Community at Alvys, Freight People is more than just a podcast — it's a platform to spotlight the real stories behind the freight industry’s most resilient leaders. Each episode features unfiltered conversations with trucking company owners, dispatchers, fleet managers, and brokers who are out there moving freight and making things happen. These are the voices of the industry — and we’re handing them the mic. What to Expect: Real-world strategies that help fleets grow and stay compliantLessons learned the hard way — and how to avoid themTools and tech that streamline dispatch, billing, and operationsBehind-the-scenes insights into running a successful trucking businessOur Mission: We’re here to uplift the freight community — especially our customers — by showcasing them as the leaders they are. When you're a guest on Freight People, you're the star. And with distribution across YouTube, LinkedIn, IG, Facebook, X, and more, your story gets amplified to thousands of Alvys followers and potential new customers.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Pick a Lane and Own It: Former NFL Player Desmond Clark on Scaling a Brokerage to $8M

    Desmond Clark spent 12 years in the NFL, including a run with the Chicago Bears. He started Bear Down Logistics as a pure brokerage in 2021. He’s scaled it to $8 million in yearly revenue, with deep expertise in heavy haul. Bear Down has run on Alvys TMS since 2023. In this episode: (01:41) Standards over feelings: how Desmond paid every carrier after a customer refused to pay(07:21) Vetting past the packet: no VoIP phones, direct calls, and ID checks at pickup(09:51) Why Bear Down switched to Alvys, and how a new agent learned it in 30 minutes(15:21) Pick a lane: how heavy haul gave customers a reason to call(18:27) Sell the service, not the price, and stop losing 3% on credit cards(23:35) SEO and AI search: turning 5 to 15 inbound leads a day into customers

    Pick a Lane and Own It: Former NFL Player Desmond Clark on Scaling a Brokerage to $8M

  2. Sep 25

    Autonomous Trucks and the Future of the Trucking Company | Mike Vincent, FreightWaves founding team

    Mike Vincent has spent nearly 40 years in freight. Founding team at FreightWaves. Seven years hosting WHAT THE TRUCK?!?. Today he's EVP of Strategic Growth at Spartan Carrier Group and runs its media arm, 146 Media. In this episode: (02:07) Why the driver shortage finally turned real(05:47) What happens when the tractor and trailer become the operating system(10:44) Why grey fleets may replace the trucking company itself(13:18) Where a carrier should actually start with AI(15:49) What Alvys Foundry Agentic Platform gives carriers who want to build their own tools(25:49) The logistics problem hiding inside plastic recycling ___ Full chapter list: 00:00 A hundred years from now00:49 Autonomous trucks: what's real and what isn't 02:07 Why the driver shortage finally turned real 03:21 9,500 CDL mills shut down 03:42 The Louisiana bribery scandal 04:22 Why Spartan's driver turnover runs lower 05:16 Aurora, Fort Worth, and the Alvys integration 05:47 When the truck and trailer know everything 06:21 "Eventually you're not going to need a trucking company" 06:59 Outrider, yard automation, and running a yard in 1991 07:50 Brick phones and why the curve doesn't stop 08:58 One connected network: Qued, CarrierSource, Sonar, APIs 10:44 Grey fleets and why FreightVana already has trailers 11:33 What carriers should be doing today 12:23 Disruption, and the IBM guy who called the laptop a fad 13:18 Where to actually start with AI 14:09 AI is a tool, not the solution 14:52 The blockchain lesson 15:49 Alvys Foundry, in Mike's words 18:33 Choose your adventure: prebuilt agents or build your own 19:17 Where humans fit as AI advances 20:22 AI video silliness, good intentions and bad 22:09 Knowledge versus intelligence 22:18 The dead internet theory 23:14 Human-made as the new organic 24:35 The driver as exception manager 25:49 Guitar picks, ocean plastic, and a logistics problem 26:24 Micro recycling plants in a 40 foot container 27:32 Six cents a pound to 47 cents a pound 30:50 Stewardship without the politics 32:00 Nothing is unrecyclable, the infrastructure just isn't there 32:21 Plastic bags and backhaul logic

    Autonomous Trucks and the Future of the Trucking Company | Mike Vincent, FreightWaves founding team

  3. Aug 21

    4X the Miles, Same Headcount: How Spartan Carrier Group Runs 650 Trucks with AI Agents

    We're back and we're talking AI in Trucking. Ava Barnes Davis sits down with Kendrick Dawson, VP of Operations at Spartan Carrier Group to hear exactly how Spartan is using AI to automate operations for their 650 truck fleet. He is also the person who actually set up Spartan's AI workflows. In his own words, "Tech is not my first language by any means." Everything he describes in this episode he set up himself, with support from the Alvys team. Spartan Carrier Group is a $75 million asset carrier running 650 assets across 12 locations in the US, Mexico and Canada. Spartan was one of the first fleets to put Alvys Foundry, an agentic AI platform built inside the TMS, into live operations. The results Kendrick reports 3X to 4X more miles driven per year on the same headcountRoughly an hour per shift given back on customer reporting aloneZero added back-office hires as volume growsUse case 1: Automated customer tracking reports Every customer wants a different template on a different cadence. Customer A wants one data set. Customer B wants similar data laid out differently, every 30 minutes instead of every hour. Foundry pulls live ETAs, arrival and departure times, and last known location straight out of Alvys TMS and sends each customer their own format on their own schedule. Use case 2: Automatic coverage requests when a driver calls off Spartan's network runs on W-2 company drivers. When one calls off, someone has to cover the route. Foundry watches for any route with no driver assigned inside a four-hour buffer before dispatch. At that mark it fires an email to every carrier in the system that has run a similar route or originated near that pickup. No one has to notice the route that needs coverage, no one has to send the email. Use case 3: Detention pay calculated per customer policy Detention terms vary by shipper. One is $50 an hour after two hours. Another is $35 an hour after one hour. There are too many combinations for a team to memorize, and the SOPs live buried in a drawer or a Teams chat. Foundry already has the shippers, the routes and the times, so it applies the right policy and flags what's owed. Kendrick reviews a report at the end of the week. Nobody has to do the math, and drivers don't lose money to a missed calculation. Use case 4: Custom references as a translation layer Spartan uses Alvys custom references to make one event mean the right thing to every department. Example: when they have to buy external capacity instead of running internal drivers, field ops describes the reason one way and dispatch describes it another. Finance and the C-suite need to know why unplanned outside capacity is being used. Foundry reads both inputs and resolves them into the answer finance actually understands. The same custom references push route detail, fuel info and daily specifics to the driver app, so drivers get the full picture up front instead of calling in and waiting on hold. Why inside the TMS instead of bolted on Kendrick's build-versus-buy take: you can probably bolt an external AI platform onto your TMS. The question is whether you want to hand another company access to your customer rates and your contact list. He describes Foundry as a sandbox. What's in there stays in there, nothing leaks out and no false data comes in. Alvys runs SOC 2 compliant infrastructure and holds enterprise agreements with multiple LLM providers, so customer data stays protected. What they will not automate Kendrick is direct about the human element at Spartan never going away. The point of automating the mundane work is to give dispatchers time to actually take care of drivers, think through hard problems and grow into bigger roles. Spartan's driver retention is a competitive advantage and they're not trading it for efficiency.

    4X the Miles, Same Headcount: How Spartan Carrier Group Runs 650 Trucks with AI Agents

  4. 08/15/2025

    Beating Freight Fraud: Adam Goes to Congress + His $65M Asset-Brokerage Playbook

    Take the guesswork out of fighting freight fraud and scaling profitably. CEO Adam Blanchard (Tanager Logistics, Double Diamond Transport) breaks down the exact tech stack, hiring system, and operating rhythms behind his $65M asset-based brokerage. You’ll learn how to protect your company against double brokering and identity spoofing, a secret unlock for building a nearshore team, and align asset and brokerage ops without blowing margin.What you’ll get:• A layered anti-fraud framework you can deploy this quarter.• The asset/brokerage tech stack that actually moves the needle• Field notes from Capitol Hill: what policy shifts mean for carriers and brokers today.Perfect for carriers and brokers who want to grow, stay paid, and sleep at night.

    Beating Freight Fraud: Adam Goes to Congress + His $65M Asset-Brokerage Playbook

  5. 08/05/2025

    From Hotshot to 400 Truck Drop-and-Hook: Cole Stevens Shares the Tech Stack That Changed the Game

    Before they even found Alvys, Stevens Trucking discovered a tech-driven strategy that changed everything for their drop-and-hook efficiency, and in this episode of Freight People, Cole Stevens breaks it all down. It’s the exact move that helped them reduce idle time, optimize trailer pools, and scale like a tech-first fleet. Host Ava Barnes sits down with Cole Stevens, the Chief Strategy Officer of Stevens Trucking, to unpack the full journey from a hotshot in the Oklahoma oilfields to a 400-truck powerhouse named one of the Top 10 Workplaces in Oklahoma. “We’re a 46-year-old startup.” “If I wouldn’t drive for us, how can we expect anyone else to?” You’ll hear the founding story, the family values that still drive operations, and how smart tech layered with old-school grit has made Stevens a standout in freight. Biggest takeaway: The drop-and-hook playbook that changed the game

    From Hotshot to 400 Truck Drop-and-Hook: Cole Stevens Shares the Tech Stack That Changed the Game

  6. 07/08/2025

    He Walked Away from a Corporate Job—and Built a $54M Empire in 3.5 years

    From Combat to CEO: The Grit, Faith & Vision Behind Spartan Carrier Group | Freight People Podcast In this episode of the Freight People Podcast, host Ava Barnes sits down with Carlos Llanes Jr., CEO and founder of Spartan Carrier Group—a man whose story will stick with you long after the episode ends. Carlos walks us through his bold journey from musician to Marine to multi-million-dollar logistics founder—growing Spartan Carrier from $0 to $54M in just over 3 years, with no outside funding. But this isn't just a business success story. It’s a story of purpose, grit, faith, and building something bigger than money. You'll hear how Carlos landed Toyota as one of Spartan’s first clients, what it really takes to scale with integrity, and how he views automation not as an end—but as a means to serve people better. He also shares the powerful love story with his wife, the moment he found his faith, and how he's using his business as a platform for impact—from driver retention to AI and CDL schools. If you're a freight leader, entrepreneur, or just someone craving purpose-driven inspiration, this one’s for you. Listen to how Spartan is flipping the industry on its head—one mission-led decision at a time. Timestamps 0:00 — Why automation only matters if it improves people’s lives 1:00 — From musician to Marine to logistics founder 3:30 — Winning Toyota with no backing 8:00 — Walking away from corporate America 14:00 — Carlos's love story + faith journey 27:00 — Building a driver-first company 30:00 — Why Spartan chose Alvys as their TMS 33:30 — Advice for freight founders 35:00 — Carlos’s final message on peace, leadership, and letting go of worry Learn more about Spartan Carrier Group: https://spartcargroup.com Follow Spartan on Instagram: @spartancarriergroup Want tech that grows with you? Check out alvys.com Subscribe for more raw, real conversations with the people moving freight forward. #FreightPeople #LogisticsLeadership #SpartanCarrierGroup #Alvys #FaithInBusiness #FreightPodcast #TruckingTransformation

    He Walked Away from a Corporate Job—and Built a $54M Empire in 3.5 years

  7. 06/06/2025

    Who is Alvys — and Why Should Freight People Care?

    In episode 2 of Freight People Podcast, we’re kicking things off with a bang: What is a TMS, and why should freight people actually care? Host Ava Barnes sits down with two Alvys veterans — Jordan Kidd and Lucas Allasia — who’ve both done it all in trucking: dispatch, recruiting, brokerage, you name it. They’ve lived the chaos and now help carriers run smarter with modern tech. We break down: What a TMS really is When it’s time to upgrade from spreadsheets or legacy tools How AI is quietly changing freight workflows Why Alvys was built by freight people, not just software folks Whether you’re running five trucks or five hundred, this episode gives you a no-BS look at the systems behind the scenes that can make or break your day.

    Who is Alvys — and Why Should Freight People Care?

  8. 06/02/2025

    Building a Cross-Border Powerhouse: The Central Coast Transport Story

    Episode 1 – Building a Cross-Border Powerhouse: The Central Coast Transport Story In this episode, we sit down with the family behind Central Coast Transport — a thriving cross-border refrigerated carrier that’s redefining how fleets operate across the U.S. and Mexico. Join Gustavo, Carmen, Cesar, and Abijail as they share how they scaled their family-run operation, overcame the complexities of cross-border logistics, and embraced tech like Alvys to drive growth and efficiency. You’ll hear: How they built a fast-scaling fleet while keeping operations in the family The biggest operational challenges in cross-border freight (and how they solved them) The impact of switching to Alvys — and why they say, “We’re having Alvys for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” Real advice for family-run fleets navigating today’s freight market Whether you’re a small fleet owner, a dispatcher, or someone exploring cross-border expansion, this episode is packed with firsthand insights you won’t want to miss. 👉 Subscribe and follow for more honest convos from the people moving freight forward.

    Building a Cross-Border Powerhouse: The Central Coast Transport Story
  • 8 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

About

Honest Conversations & Practical Advice for Succeeding in Trucking Hosted by Ava Barnes, VP of Brand & Community at Alvys, Freight People is more than just a podcast — it's a platform to spotlight the real stories behind the freight industry’s most resilient leaders. Each episode features unfiltered conversations with trucking company owners, dispatchers, fleet managers, and brokers who are out there moving freight and making things happen. These are the voices of the industry — and we’re handing them the mic. What to Expect: Real-world strategies that help fleets grow and stay compliantLessons learned the hard way — and how to avoid themTools and tech that streamline dispatch, billing, and operationsBehind-the-scenes insights into running a successful trucking businessOur Mission: We’re here to uplift the freight community — especially our customers — by showcasing them as the leaders they are. When you're a guest on Freight People, you're the star. And with distribution across YouTube, LinkedIn, IG, Facebook, X, and more, your story gets amplified to thousands of Alvys followers and potential new customers.

Information

  • Creator
    Ava Barnes
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ava Barnes
  • Show Website
    Freight People Podcast