Beyond the Bulldog

Mack Trucks Inc.
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Beyond the Bulldog is a weekly trucking industry podcast presented by Mack Trucks. Each episode features conversations with drivers, fleet leaders, safety experts, and industry insiders about trucking, technology, regulations, and the real stories from America’s highways. Tune in for insights on fleet management, driver life, safety, and the future of transportation.

  1. 4d ago

    Mile Marker 67 – Harish Kapur on Truck Insurance, Premiums, and Protecting Your Business

    We sit down with Harish Kapur, president and co-owner of Across America Insurance, to talk about one of the biggest pressure points facing truckers and fleets today: rising insurance costs. From owner operators to larger carriers, insurance premiums continue to climb, but Harish explains why the conversation should not start and end with price. It should start with coverage, claims support, and the right broker relationship. Harish shares his path into the insurance industry, how Across America Insurance was built, and why his team focuses on working with agencies that care about customers, not just production. He breaks down the role of an MGA, why claims handling matters, and how truckers can better protect themselves before something goes wrong. Harish discusses: -Why trucking insurance premiums keep rising, including claims costs, legal pressure, nuclear verdicts, and the challenges insurance companies face when defending trucking claims -Why truckers should build a professional relationship with an insurance broker who explains coverage, exclusions, driver requirements, cargo limitations, and physical damage terms clearly -How dash cams, scene photos, license plate photos, police reports, and early communication with the insurance company can help protect a trucker after a crash -The risks around cargo theft, including unattended trailers, unsecured yards, high-value loads, GPS tracking, and knowing whether cargo and physical damage policies actually cover the situation This episode is a practical guide to understanding trucking insurance beyond the monthly premium. Harish makes it clear that the cheapest policy is not always the safest choice, and that asking the right questions before a claim can make all the difference when your truck, cargo, business, and livelihood are on the line. What’s next? Tune in weekly for new episodes! Visit the Mack Shop to use your discount code: https://mackshop.com/ Book a virtual truck tour! https://www.macktrucks.com/live-tour/

    Mile Marker 67 – Harish Kapur on Truck Insurance, Premiums, and Protecting Your Business

  2. Aug 6

    Mile Marker 66 – Dan Boeke on Driver Retention, Fleet Culture, and Cookie Carriers

    We sit down with Dan Boeke, secretary and treasurer with Cookie Carriers in Butler, Indiana, to talk about driver recruitment, retention, family business culture, and why professional drivers are the foundation of a reliable trucking company. Dan shares the story of Cookie Carriers, from its unusual name to the company’s work hauling prefab steel buildings, job site deliveries, dry van freight, and even trucks tied to Spangler Candy Company. He also explains how the business has grown alongside Boeke and Sons, their service operation, and how the family’s background in maintenance shaped the way they run and support their fleet. Dan discusses: -How Cookie Carriers operates, including flatbed work, job site deliveries, drop-and-hook freight, return loads, and dedicated customer relationships -Why driver retention matters, and how a family-run culture, direct communication, good dispatching, strong pay, monthly bonuses, health benefits, and respect help drivers stay -The challenges of recruiting qualified drivers, including insurance requirements, the aging flatbed workforce, and the value of pairing new drivers with senior drivers during onboarding -Why Cookie Carriers runs an all-Mack fleet, how Pinnacle fits their mix of highway and off-road work, and why good-looking, durable trucks help drivers take pride in the job This episode is a practical look at what it takes to build a trucking company where drivers want to stay. Dan makes it clear that great customers, good equipment, and strong management all matter, but without professional drivers who represent the company well, none of it works. What’s next? Tune in weekly for new episodes! Visit the Mack Shop to use your discount code: https://mackshop.com/ Book a virtual truck tour! https://www.macktrucks.com/live-tour/

    Mile Marker 66 – Dan Boeke on Driver Retention, Fleet Culture, and Cookie Carriers

  3. Jul 30

    Mile Marker 65 – Stephanie Davis on Experiential Trucking, Event Logistics, and Life on the Road

    We sit down with Stephanie Davis, also known as Red, a truck driver with SME, to talk about the world of experiential marketing and the trucking that makes major events possible. From NFL activations and racetracks to golf courses, military bases, pop-up structures, and large-scale event builds, Stephanie explains what it takes to deliver more than freight. She delivers experiences. Stephanie shares how she found her way into trucking, from growing up around trailers and farm life to hauling freight, campers, race-related equipment, and eventually finding her home with SME. She also breaks down why this kind of driving is different from traditional freight, with tight schedules, challenging venues, custom equipment, cranes, forklifts, generators, setup crews, and the pressure of making sure everything arrives safely and ready to perform. Stephanie discusses: -How SME supports events across the country with custom trailers, kiosks, hospitality builds, pop-up retail, stages, and interactive experiences -What makes experiential trucking different, including complicated load-ins, unusual parking locations, tight clearances, setup responsibilities, and on-site customer support -The planning and discipline required on the road, from weather and wind decisions to parking, fuel, routing, supplies, and keeping her truck ready like a house on wheels -The pride behind representing her company, caring for the public at events, helping the team, solving problems on the fly, and treating trucking as more than just a delivery job This episode is a look at the people behind the scenes who make big events feel effortless. Stephanie’s story is about pride, preparation, adaptability, and the kind of care it takes to get the product there safely, set it up right, and help make the experience happen. What’s next? Tune in weekly for new episodes! Visit the Mack Shop to use your discount code: https://mackshop.com/ Book a virtual truck tour! https://www.macktrucks.com/live-tour/

    Mile Marker 65 – Stephanie Davis on Experiential Trucking, Event Logistics, and Life on the Road

  4. Jul 23

    Mile Marker 64 – Matt Balazs on Fleet Growth, National Accounts, and Why Mack

    We sit down with Matt Balazs, Director of On-Highway National Accounts at Mack Trucks, to talk about growing Mack’s presence in the highway market, supporting large fleet customers, and answering one of the biggest questions in trucking: Why Mack? Matt explains how national accounts work with large fleets, why the long haul market matters, and how the Mack Pioneer gives Mack a purpose-built product for customers who need comfort, safety, uptime, and total cost of ownership to line up. He also breaks down how fleet buying decisions are made, why relationships matter, and why selling trucks is really about selling the full value of Mack, from product to parts, service, connected vehicle support, resale value, and long-term partnership. Matt discusses: What national accounts are, how large fleet sales work, and why highway and long haul customers evaluate trucks differently than smaller buyers Why the Mack Pioneer is a major step forward for the long haul market, with a focus on driver comfort, safety, reliability, uptime, and purpose-built design How fleets evaluate total cost of ownership, including purchase price, fuel, maintenance, unplanned downtime, trade value, resale value, and dollars per mile Advice for smaller fleets looking to grow, including improving safety scores, understanding real costs, moving from spot freight to contract freight, and building the right customer relationships This episode is a practical look at how Mack is approaching new markets, how large fleets think about equipment, and why the future for Mack looks bright as new products, stronger support, and customer-focused engagement come together. What’s next? Tune in weekly for new episodes! Visit the Mack Shop to use your discount code: https://mackshop.com/ Book a virtual truck tour! https://www.macktrucks.com/live-tour/

    Mile Marker 64 – Matt Balazs on Fleet Growth, National Accounts, and Why Mack

  5. Jul 16

    Mile Marker 63 – Phillip Atwood on Branding, the Trucking Industry, and Growing Your Business

    We sit down with Phillip Atwood, principal of Vessel, a branding and marketing agency, to break down what a brand actually is, why owner-operators need one even if they never set out to build one, and how a consistent brand becomes the engine that drives new business through the door. Phillip shares how his agency pulls a tagline out of an owner's head with what he calls a "friendly interrogation," why a brand is really just what people think about you every time you show up, and how that applies whether you are running one truck or one hundred. Phillip discusses: - What a brand actually is and the four pillars of one (logo, tagline, brand voice, and the everyday execution that makes them real) - Why the business concept has to come first, and how Vessel translates an owner's vision, goals, and beliefs into a brand that wraps around the work - The five things a trucking company should brand first: ideal customer, logo and emblem, website and customer journey, Google Business Profile, and reviews and testimonials - How to use your brand to grow, from the truck itself as a billboard to CRM software and the split between brand-awareness marketing and digital marketing you can prove ROI on This episode is a look at why every trucker already has a brand whether they have formalized it or not, and why being intentional about it is the difference between competing on price and competing on value. The little details, from the logo on the side of the truck to the invoice you send, are touch points that build trust and repeat business.   What's next? Tune in weekly for new episodes! Visit the Mack Shop to use your discount code: https://mackshop.com/ Book a virtual truck tour! https://www.macktrucks.com/live-tour/

    Mile Marker 63 – Phillip Atwood on Branding, the Trucking Industry, and Growing Your Business

  6. Jul 9

    Mile Marker 62 – JJ Owen on Closing the Connection Gap with Gen Z and Skilled Trades

    We sit down with JJ Owen, Executive Director of Skills Jam, a non-profit built to reach Gen Z where they already are and show them what a reaal career in the trades looks like. JJ spent seven years inside a major foundation from 2011 to 2017, learning what storytelling can do when it comes to galvanizing a community, changing hearts and minds, and reframing the trades as a first-choice career, not a fallback. JJ walks us through why he sees the labor gap as much as a connection gap as anything else, how Skills Jam builds trust with 14-to-29-year-olds through TikTok and YouTube, and what that trust looks like when it converts into actual apprenticeship signups, like the Colorado welder who landed five recruiter interviews inside 48 hours. We get into real-world examples of how showing up in middle schools, donating tools, hosting field trips, and posting raw day-in-the-life content online work together to make the trades "Plan A" for the next generation. We also dig into the parent side of the funnel: why the supportive relationships at home matter, why griping about work in front of kids cuts both ways, and why the 16- or 17-year-old who graduates high school with 2,000 hours of welding under their belt and a six-figure job offer is the best marketing the trades will ever get. JJ discusses: - His path from the foundation world into Skills Jam and what he learned about using storytelling to reframe a generation's perception of the trades - Why "skill based hiring," text recruiting, and easy landing pages beat email and resume requirements when you are trying to reach Gen Z - How Skills Jam's content engine on TikTok and YouTube turns casual scrollers into actual applicants, with a real example of how one ad led to interviews in under 48 hours - The mechanics of closing the connection gap: showing up in real life and reinforcing it online, not one or the other - The parent, mentor, and family role in framing trades as a primary career choice instead of "Plan C" - High-school registered apprenticeship programs, community college dual credit, and how those pathways reposition the trades on a level playing field with a four-year degree - How accelerating earning years can swing a half-million to a full million dollars in the first five years of a career compared to the cost of a five-year degree - Where Skills Jam is going next: rebuilding trust, normalizing "the work," and showing, not telling, what life in the trades really looks like This episode is a look at a generation gap that is really a connection gap, and what it takes to close it with a 14-year-old's attention span in mind. JJ makes the case that the trades are not Plan C: they are a primary career path, and the next generation will only believe that when we show up in real life and back it up online. What's next? Tune in weekly for new episodes! Visit the Mack Shop to use your discount code: https://mackshop.com/ Book a virtual truck tour! https://www.macktrucks.com/live-tour/

    Mile Marker 62 – JJ Owen on Closing the Connection Gap with Gen Z and Skilled Trades

  7. Jul 2

    Mile Marker 61 – Tony O'Connell on Road Trains, Extreme Trucking, and Mack in Australia

    We sit down with Tony O'Connell, vice president of sales and marketing for Mack Trucks Australia, to go behind the scenes of what makes the Australian market fundamentally different from North America, from right-hand-drive manufacturing to road trains, tipper and dog configurations, and the MP11 platform pushing 780 horsepower. Tony shares his day-to-day leading the Australian Mack business, explains how the Wacol plant in Brisbane assembles both Mack and Volvo trucks in the same facility, and walks us through the rugged demands of operating in the outback where 360-tonne (~397 ton) mining combinations run at 90 km/h (~56 mph) in 45°C (113°F) heat. Tony discusses: - How Mack Trucks Australia is structured, including the Wacol plant's right-hand-drive production, local engineering and purchasing, and a dealer network that is 60 percent company-owned and 40 percent long-term private partners - The unique road, rail, and trailer configurations Down Under, from 26-meter B-double bubble combinations for east coast freight to multi-trailer road trains and 60-meter super quads for remote mining applications - How customers actually decide between road and rail, why most freight in Australia moves by truck - The current Mack Australia lineup, including the Anthem, Trident, and Superliner, why the new-look Superliner is winning over Kenworth customers, and the path to 10 percent overall market share by 2030 This episode is a look at how a global brand adapts to a vastly different landscape, and why the same engineering and customer focus that defines Mack in North America translates just as well to highways, mine sites, and outback roads in Australia. What's next? Tune in weekly for new episodes! Visit the Mack Shop to use your discount code: https://mackshop.com/ Book a virtual truck tour! https://www.macktrucks.com/live-tour/

    Mile Marker 61 – Tony O'Connell on Road Trains, Extreme Trucking, and Mack in Australia

  8. Jun 25

    Mile Marker 60 – Tom Bryant on NASCAR Operations, Logistics, and Mack Pioneers

    We sit down with Tom Bryant, vice president of racing operations with NASCAR, to go behind the scenes of what it takes to deliver a race weekend. From security and medical support to credentialing, rule enforcement, transportation, catering, and broadcast coordination, Tom explains the massive operation that fans rarely see but every race depends on. Tom shares how 21 years in the U.S. Army, including time in the special operations community, shaped his leadership style and prepared him for the pace, pressure, and complexity of NASCAR. He explains how racing operations works across 38 race weekends, why communication and empowered teams matter, and how NASCAR plans for everything from cross-country hauler movements to race-day contingencies when the yellow flag flies. Tom discusses: -How his Army career translated into NASCAR leadership, including mission clarity, developing leaders, and giving talented people the resources to execute -What racing operations actually covers, from event security and driver medical support to credentials, governance, rulebooks, timing, scoring, and post-race inspection -The logistics behind moving NASCAR across the country, including 17 Mack trucks, Featherlite trailers, 90-day movement planning, maintenance coordination, and no-fail delivery to each track -How Mack Pioneers support the operation, with drivers praising the ride quality, visibility, comfort, safety technology, and dependability needed for a demanding race schedule This episode is a look at the planning, precision, and teamwork behind every green flag. Tom shows that NASCAR is not just about what happens on the track. It is also about the people, trucks, systems, and leadership that make the race possible. What’s next? Tune in weekly for new episodes! Visit the Mack Shop to use your discount code: https://mackshop.com/ Book a virtual truck tour! https://www.macktrucks.com/live-tour/

    Mile Marker 60 – Tom Bryant on NASCAR Operations, Logistics, and Mack Pioneers
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About

Beyond the Bulldog is a weekly trucking industry podcast presented by Mack Trucks. Each episode features conversations with drivers, fleet leaders, safety experts, and industry insiders about trucking, technology, regulations, and the real stories from America’s highways. Tune in for insights on fleet management, driver life, safety, and the future of transportation.

Information

  • Creator
    Mack Trucks Inc.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Bulldog