Welcome back to Brake Check! In this episode, Charles sits down with industry leaders to cut through the fluff, break down current market trends, and deliver real trucking talk. Michael Kroul (CEO of KTI) discusses navigating spot rates, building long-term carrier relationships, and the role of legal risk management and AI in modern freight brokerage. Tyler Johnston (GM of Operations at Mercer Transportation) breaks down the true cost of operating in 2026, the myth of the “Freight Super Cycle,” and why consistency outperforms chasing rates. ⁠Follow the Brake Check Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are We in a Freight Super Cycle? | Brake Check

FreightCasts

Welcome back to the Loading Zone. Today's Deep Thought, trucks have big wheels. Welcome to Brake Check, where we don't do fluff, we don't do talking points, and we certainly don't give out participation trophies.

I'm taking a little time to recharge the batteries this week, but before anybody starts celebrating, we dug through the episodes that you watched, you shared, and you kept talking about long after they aired. These aren't simply reruns. These are the conversations that hit the hardest. They changed minds, started arguments, and in some cases, made people really uncomfortable, which is usually where you know you're on to something. So buckle up, buttercups. It's time to run it back. Here's a few Brake Check favorites.

If you're serious about protecting your money and running smarter in today's industry, make sure to like, subscribe, and follow FreightWaves and Brake Check for all your top FreightCasts, Freight News, and anything happening in trucking today. Also, make sure to go to F3 Future Freight Festival, Freight Tech's main stage, the leaders you need, the access and connections you want, right here in Chattanooga. Use Take 20 to save 20% off your current pricing. That's right, Take 20. Save some money today.

Now we're going to go into the news. Here's some things that I found on social media that just make you smile and make you scratch your head all at the same time. The cowboy operator. There's a lot of things that could be said about this type of operator. Endangers himself and everyone around.

It's a little things when the children give that sign.

I'm a sweet and fine. Just a little thing on some land.

Are We in a Freight Super Cycle? | Brake Check

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

Are We in a Freight Super Cycle? | Brake Check

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.