Last2First Podcast

Jason Burns
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Weekly

Welcome to Last 2 First, the podcast dedicated to exploring the final mile in logistics and the unique challenges faced by business owners in this vital industry. Each episode features insightful conversations with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who share their experiences, strategies, and innovations shaping the future of final mile delivery. Join us as we dive into topics like optimizing delivery routes, enhancing customer satisfaction, navigating regulatory hurdles, and leveraging technology for efficiency. Whether you're a seasoned logistics professional or a business owner looking to improve your operations, Last 2 First offers valuable insights and actionable advice to help you lead your business to success. Tune in and discover how to turn the last mile into your first priority!

  1. 1d ago

    How a Third-Generation Owner Built a Warehouse Business After Losing Amazon | Kaitlyn Sherry | L2F

    Most last-mile companies spend their whole life as someone else’s delivery arm. Kaitlyn Sherry decided that was not going to be the ending for hers. Kaitlyn is the third-generation president of ABC Package Express, a New England last-mile and warehousing company her family has run since 1975. Before she took it over, she spent nine years in the Air National Guard as a search-and-extraction medic, and she came back carrying the one thing the business had never really had: structure. The turning point was Amazon. At the peak of its DSP program, ABC was running roughly 800 employees and 300 vehicles across multiple stations, 24 hours a day, 363 days a year, for six years straight. When Amazon restructured and phased out multi-station operators, ABC was not renewed, and there was nothing to sell, because in that model you never own the assets. Kaitlyn calls the exit a blessing, and in this conversation she explains why. It forced the company to stop depending on one giant customer and start building something it actually owns. What it built was a warehouse business. Kaitlyn walks Jason Burns through the full reinvention: turning a pure courier operation into 60,000 square feet of warehousing and 200,000 square feet of rack storage, trading spreadsheets for a WMS that holds order accuracy near 99.8 percent, and installing the kind of SOPs and reporting she learned in the military. Under her leadership, the warehousing side has more than doubled. She also opens up about the parts most family businesses never say out loud: the board vote that made her president over her older brother, the imposter syndrome that came with the seat, and the hardest operational lesson of all, learning to stop firefighting and trust a trained team to run the day to day. This one is for anyone in last mile, final mile, DSP, courier, or warehousing who wants to build a company that outlasts its biggest customer.

    How a Third-Generation Owner Built a Warehouse Business After Losing Amazon | Kaitlyn Sherry | L2F

  2. Oct 27

    17-State Last-Mile Operator: How a Family Company Beats Billion-Dollar Carriers | Eddie Valdez | L2F

    Last-mile appliance delivery has been commoditized to the point where price, not service, usually wins the contract. In this episode Eddie Valdez explains why the small operators doing the best work are the ones who refuse to compete on price. Eddie is the President of Mega Brothers Logistics, a family-owned white-glove appliance delivery company his father founded in 2012 and grew from a handful of trucks in South Florida into an operation spanning 17 states, 30 cities, and Puerto Rico. Eddie has spent nearly two decades in last-mile logistics. He came up through FSA Logistix, the same network his father worked in, spent years in operations and management at large carriers including XPO, and then left a stable corporate position to go all-in on the family business when it was five trucks deep and could not yet afford to pay him. He came to the United States from the Dominican Republic at 16, never went to college, and learned the operation from the truck up. The argument at the center of the conversation is that last mile has been devalued by billion-dollar public carriers that buy up small companies, control close to 70 percent of the retailers, and price every stop to nothing because they move more than a million deliveries a day. Eddie’s position is that scale is not the only way to win. Mega Brothers survives and grows by doing what the giants will not: owning every mistake instead of passing the blame, taking the claim headache off the retailer and the client, and being completely transparent with contractors about margins and pay, to the point of losing money on a route to keep a good installer. He makes the case that the delivery driver is the last and most important part of every transaction, the person who closes the deal inside the customer’s home, and that retaining those people is the real competitive advantage in this business. He breaks down how a small bench of certified master installers protects the company on 30,000 dollar built-in luxury jobs most companies avoid for the liability, why a pre-site measure beats guessing, and how honesty keeps his best contractors loyal for eight years and more. This one is for anyone operating, contracting, or building in last mile, final mile, appliance delivery, and white-glove logistics.

    17-State Last-Mile Operator: How a Family Company Beats Billion-Dollar Carriers | Eddie Valdez | L2F

  3. Oct 20

    Why Robots And EVs Are About To Change Last Mile Forever | Angela Strand | Last2First

    Robots are already unloading trailers by themselves. Warehouses are starting to run 24 hours a day with nobody on the floor. And most people in logistics are barely paying attention. That’s the warning at the center of this episode. Jason Burns sits down with Angela Strand, a 15-year veteran of the electric truck world, to talk about the two forces about to reshape last mile: automation and electrification, and what they mean for the operators who’ll either get ahead of them or get run over. She describes a robot in Austin that unloads an entire trailer on its own, so the warehouse never stops, no shifts, no callouts, no injuries. Delivery vans with a robot inside that walks the package to your door. Shipyards overseas running full tilt without a single human in sight. Her blunt take: it’s only a matter of time before the machines are as good as we are, if not better. Then they get into the money. Why going electric isn’t a someday bet anymore and can save an operator from day one with fuel prices where they are. The three things that actually decide whether electrifying a fleet works. Where the industry really sits on the adoption curve. And why the people who bet early on technology everyone calls too expensive and too soon are usually the ones who end up ahead. If you run a fleet or work anywhere in last mile, this is a look at where the whole industry is heading, before it gets there. Guest: Angela Strand, Board Chair of Gateway FleetConnect with Angela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/astrand14/ Host: Jason BurnsConnect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonburns-last2first About Last2First:Last2First is the podcast for the people moving the last mile forward. Host Jason Burns sits down with the operators, founders, and innovators shaping the future of transportation and logistics, from freight and final mile to the technology changing how it all works. Real conversations, hard-won lessons, and the strategies behind going from last to first. Listen to more episodes of the Last2First Podcast, and find the full video version on the Last2First YouTube channel.

    Why Robots And EVs Are About To Change Last Mile Forever | Angela Strand | Last2First

  4. Sep 29

    Why Cutting Back-Office Costs Is The Only Lever Logistics Owners Have Left (Part 3) | Remotely+

    Labor is one of the biggest costs in this industry, and in Part 3 of the Remotely+ series, Jason Burns and the team get to the heart of it: trust, and the strategic reason nearshore talent is the one cost a logistics owner can still cut. Learn more or find talent: https://www.remotelyplus.com As Matt puts it, a mid-sized logistics owner is stuck. You can't get your trucks any cheaper, you can't pay your drivers any less, and you can't raise your prices. The only lever left is the back office, and that's exactly where this model works. For this final part, they brought in Michael Frankel, a mid-sized logistics owner who started as a Remotely+ client and was so convinced by the results he became an owner in the business. He shares what happened after COVID sent frontline wages soaring, why paying more wasn't getting him better people, and how one remote hire grew into a full team across multiple positions. Steve Schoeffler and Matt Cohen walk through the trust factor: the vetting and English-proficiency assessment every candidate goes through, why retention runs significantly higher with nearshore talent from Central and South America, and the honest answer on what happens when a placement isn't the right fit. They also cover how remote and in-office staff build culture together, where AI actually fits alongside a human team, and why there's no upfront cost and no long-term contract, you don't spend a dime until you've interviewed the finalists and picked one. Guests: Steve Schoeffler and Matt Cohen, co-founders of Remotely+, with Michael Frankel, logistics owner and Remotely+ investor Watch more on the Last2First YouTube channel. #Last2First #Remotely+ #NearshoreStaffing #RemoteTalent #BackOffice #Logistics #LastMile #Staffing #Outsourcing #BusinessGrowth

    Why Cutting Back-Office Costs Is The Only Lever Logistics Owners Have Left (Part 3) | Remotely+

  5. Sep 15

    He Delivers For More Than Half The Fortune 20 | Tyler Thatcher, Western Peaks Logistics | Last2First

    Tyler Thatcher didn't come from transportation. He built his early career in technology, riding the software wave through the dot-com crash, then spent time in private equity before buying a small final mile courier company in 2011, knowing almost nothing about the industry. Days after closing, DHL dropped them, wiping out about 20% of the revenue overnight. That was his introduction to logistics. Today, Tyler is President of Western Peaks Logistics, operating 17 facilities across six Western states with around 500 employees, and he does delivery work for more than half of the Fortune 20. In this episode, Jason Burns sits down with Tyler to trace how he built a regional powerhouse in the Rocky Mountain West, the market he calls a "black hole on the map" that the national carriers wouldn't touch. In this conversation: 1. How Tyler expanded market by market, through both building his own facilities and acquiring competitors, always by solving a specific customer problem 2. Why he treats the business as a math problem, tracking route-level profitability every single day to make thin margins work 3. How healthcare and pharma grew to more than half the business, moving lab work, blood, and life-saving prescriptions where the delivery is only a fraction of the total service 4. His honest take on private equity in logistics, why some deals strip out the relationships and humanity that made the business work, and why he was selective about his own partner 5. Why rising insurance premiums nearly ended the company, and how a captive insurance program became a lifeline 6. The technology he's investing in, from AI driver-safety cameras that cut his claims to a data warehouse pulling profitability by route and by hour 7. The culture rules he refuses to break, respect and kindness as non-negotiables, and the leadership lessons that shaped how he runs 500 people 8. Whether you run a small fleet, operate in final mile, or want to understand how a regional carrier scales in a tight-margin industry, this is a detailed look at the business from someone who learned every part of it the hard way.

    He Delivers For More Than Half The Fortune 20 | Tyler Thatcher, Western Peaks Logistics | Last2First

  6. Sep 8

    Truck Leasing vs Buying: Why Owning Your Fleet Is Costing You More | Wayne Posten | Last2First

    Wayne Posten spent 32 years in home delivery before building the company he runs today. He started on a truck in Atlantic City in the early '90s, became a contractor, and worked his way up to Chief Operating Officer of his own company and final mile Vice President for a billion-dollar operation. He knows exactly what it costs to be a small operator, because he spent decades as one. Now, as Managing Partner of Final Mile Leasing, Wayne has built an alternative to the big truck rental companies, one designed specifically for the one-to-ten-truck owner-operator the larger brands overlook. In this episode, Jason Burns sits down with Wayne to unpack why ownership has become so expensive for small operators, and why leasing the right way can be the smarter path. They get into why the cost of owning a truck, between financing, maintenance, insurance, and downtime, quietly eats into a small operator's margins, and how Final Mile Leasing runs 10 to 15% below the big brands by carrying less overhead. Wayne explains why he vets operators carefully instead of handing a truck to anyone who walks in, the difference between calling an 800 number and reaching a dedicated fleet manager who picks up on a Sunday, and the mentorship side of the business, including the young operator he spent three hours on the phone with who now runs 13 trucks. He also shares what 32 years in the field taught him about helping the next generation of owner-operators get in without sinking. Whether you're an owner-operator weighing leasing against buying, a small fleet trying to control costs, or someone thinking about getting into final mile, this conversation is a look at the economics of the business from someone who has lived every side of it.

    Truck Leasing vs Buying: Why Owning Your Fleet Is Costing You More | Wayne Posten | Last2First

  7. Sep 1

    How Nearshore Talent Turns A $72K Hire Into $30K (Part 2) | Remotely+ | Last2First

    Labor is one of the biggest costs in this industry. In Part 2 of our Remotely+ series, Jason Burns and co-founders Steve Schoeffler and Matt Cohen get into the economics, exactly how the savings work and where the up to 70% actually comes from. Learn more or find talent: https://www.remotelyplus.com The founders break down the real math. A customer service or dispatch role runs a flat $2,400 to $2,500 a month through Remotely+, roughly $30,000 a year, with nothing on top. The same role hired domestically can cost $60,000 to $65,000 in salary, plus another 15 to 20% in burden for health insurance, workers comp, and tax match, pushing it past $70,000. That's before the cost they say almost nobody calculates: turnover. Rehiring, job postings, interview time, retraining, and fighting unemployment claims all add up, and none of it shows in the sticker price. They also share why retention on remote professionals has run significantly higher. The founders walk through the roles they place, from customer service and dispatch to digital marketing, bookkeeping, and even software and CRM specialists, their multi-level vetting and English proficiency testing, and the fact that there's no upfront fee and no obligation if a client doesn't hire anyone. If back office costs or constant turnover are draining your operation, this episode shows you the alternative and the numbers behind it. Guests: Steve Schoeffler and Matt Cohen, co-founders of Remotely+ Listen to more episodes of the Last2First Podcast, and find the full video version on the Last2First YouTube channel.

    How Nearshore Talent Turns A $72K Hire Into $30K (Part 2) | Remotely+ | Last2First

  8. Aug 25

    How He Built The #1 Podcast In Trucking With 50 Million Downloads | Rahmel Wattley | Last2First

    In this episode you will learn how a passion project became the biggest media brand in trucking, how to grow a niche audience that advertisers actually pay for, why relationships open more doors than resumes, and what most brands get wrong when they sponsor a podcast. In a role reversal, host Jason Burns turns the mic on Rahmel Wattley, founder and CEO of Truck N' Hustle, the number one media platform at the intersection of transportation, logistics, technology, and culture. Rahmel started with a CDL and a classified ad, built and sold a driver staffing company, then launched a podcast from his spare bedroom that has grown to over a million subscribers and more than 50 million downloads. This is his first official sit down interview as a guest. They get into his path from CDL driver to dispatcher to terminal manager to founder, why he built and sold a driver staffing company, and how relationships drove every step of his career. Rahmel shares the origin of Truck N' Hustle and why he niched down to the business of trucking, the single YouTube video that caught fire and changed everything, and why a small, focused audience beats a big, unfocused one when it comes to monetization. He also breaks down the business of podcasting: why sponsors should be long term partners rather than one time ad buys, and why founders need to get on camera and be real instead of hiding behind vanilla, over produced ads. He closes with his last to first moment, meeting his wife, and why the whole thing has always been about the people.

    How He Built The #1 Podcast In Trucking With 50 Million Downloads | Rahmel Wattley | Last2First
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About

Welcome to Last 2 First, the podcast dedicated to exploring the final mile in logistics and the unique challenges faced by business owners in this vital industry. Each episode features insightful conversations with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who share their experiences, strategies, and innovations shaping the future of final mile delivery. Join us as we dive into topics like optimizing delivery routes, enhancing customer satisfaction, navigating regulatory hurdles, and leveraging technology for efficiency. Whether you're a seasoned logistics professional or a business owner looking to improve your operations, Last 2 First offers valuable insights and actionable advice to help you lead your business to success. Tune in and discover how to turn the last mile into your first priority!

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Burns
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jason Burns
  • Show Website
    Last2First Podcast