Shows / Brake Check
Episodes
- Brake Check
AI, Freight Tech & the Driver’s Perspective
Brake Check hits the ground at F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for an inside look at the technology, trends, and relationships…
Brake CheckYOUR TRUCKS ARE ROLLING BUT YOUR PROFITS ARE DISAPPEARING
BUSY TRUCKS, EMPTY BANK ACCOUNTS, WHERE'S THE MONEY?! Your trucks are rolling...The loads are delivered....You're working harder than ever....So why does it…
Brake CheckTRUCKING'S BIGGEST MONEY SUCK
YOUR AUTHORITY IS STUCK, SO ARE YOUR TRAILERS....AND GUESS WHO'S PAYING? FMCSA'S REGISTRATION SYSTEM IS CAUSING HEADACHES. TRAILERS ARE SITTING IDLE, AND…
Brake CheckBIG FLEET MONEY vs. SMALL FLEET RESPECT: WHO WINS?
BIG FLEET vs. SMALL FLEET: WHO REALLY TREATS TRUCK DRIVERS BETTER? BIG FLEET MONEY vs. SMALL FLEET RELATIONSHIPS....WHO ACTUALLY EARNS YOUR LOYALTY? Every…
Brake CheckTESLA SEMI & DRIVER SIMULATORS: WORTH THE MONEY?
SMARTER TRUCKS, BETTER DRIVERS, OR JUST MORE EXPENSIVE BS Everybody in trucking has a shiny new toy promising to change the industry. Electric trucks. Driver…
Brake Check80,000 MORE DRIVERS? OR JUST 18 MINUTES?
For years, trucking has been told it has a driver shortage. But what if the bigger problem isn't how many drivers we have? What if we're wasting the ones…
Brake CheckTRUCKING BOUGHT THE AI, SHOW ME THE DAMN MONEY
Trucking bought the AI, Now SHOW ME THE DAMN MONEY! AI is recruiting drivers. Reading contracts. Building RFQs. Automating workflows. Booking freight. And…
Brake CheckIS TRUCKING FINALLY AT THE BOTTOM? NOT SO FAST | Brake Check
Is trucking finally at the bottom...or are we still digging? Diesel is around $6.53 a gallon. Rates remain under pressure. Capacity keeps leaving. Cash is…
Brake CheckIS TRUCKING FINALLY AT THE BOTTOM? NOT SO FAST
Is trucking finally at the bottom...or are we still digging? Diesel is around $6.53 a gallon. Rates remain under pressure. Capacity keeps leaving. Cash is…
Brake Check$6 DIESEL… AND YOUR FUEL SURCHARGE IS SCREWING YOU
Diesel is above $6 a gallon. But what if the pump isn't the only place your trucking company is getting crushed? One carrier analyzed by Magnus Technologies…
Brake Check$7 DIESEL? + FMCSA CRACKDOWN?= BRACE YOURSELF!
$7 DIESEL? FMCSA CRACKDOWN. WHAT’S NEXT? This may be one of the biggest Brake Check conversations we've put together. Two problems are hitting American…
Brake CheckExposing the "Chameleon Carrier" Loophole in Trucking
In this episode of Brake Check on FreightWaves TV, host Charles Gracey is joined by Lewie Pugh (Executive Vice President of OOIDA) & Dan Lindsey of the Broker…
Brake Check100% OWNER-OPERATORS. 30% TURNOVER. HOW?
100% owner-operators. Turnover around 30%. In an industry where some fleets live with turnover north of 90%…HOW? That’s what we came to Mercer Transportation…
Brake CheckWHO THE HELL ARE YOU ACTUALLY HAULING FOR?
The rate confirmation looks legit. The authority checks out. The email looks right. The money looks good. Then the freight disappears .... or you deliver it…
Brake CheckYOU’RE AUTOMATING THE WRONG DAMN THING
Trucking is spending a fortune on AI and automation. But what if fleets are automating the WRONG damn thing? AI can quote freight, process tenders, move data…
Brake CheckWHO THE HELL GAVE THEM A CDL? CONGRESS, YOUR MOVE | BRAKE CHECK
Who the hell gave them a CDL .... and why did it take a family paying the price before Washington started listening? This episode of Brake Check isn't an…
Brake CheckDiesel is around $5.65 a gallon ... and suddenly EVERYBODY has something to sell you that supposedly saves fuel
Fuel additives. Miracle MPG claims. Injector cleaners. Cheap replacement parts. And, of course, Washington taking its cut before you burn a single gallon. So…
Brake CheckYOUNG PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO DRIVE TRUCKS? BULLSH*T!
Trucking says young people don't want to drive trucks. BULLSH*T. They're showing up. The real question is why we keep losing them.... With driver turnover…
Brake CheckTHE ONE THING TRUCKING CAN’T TAKE FROM A DRIVER
Why would a truck driver spend thousands of dollars .... and an entire weekend ..... making a WORKING truck look better than some people's houses? Because this…
Brake CheckYOUR DRIVERS AREN’T QUITTING TRUCKING. THEY’RE QUITTING YOU!
Truck driver turnover can exceed 90% at major fleets....and trucking still keeps asking what's wrong with the DRIVER. Maybe we're asking the wrong damn…
Brake CheckTHE $304 MILLION TRUCKING HEIST NOBODY CAN STOP
Cargo theft is changing fast .... and freight fraud is getting EXPENSIVE. Cargo theft incidents dropped 26% in Q2 2026, yet reported losses surged to $304.6…
Brake CheckDoes Trucking Hate Truckers? The Policies Driving Them Out
Trucking says it NEEDS truckers. So why can't drivers find a safe place to park, why does Washington keep piling on rules, and why does the industry keep…
Brake CheckTrucking Has a Driver Shortage? Then Explain 90% Turnover
Trucking says it has a DRIVER SHORTAGE. So why are some carriers still burning through drivers at 90%+ turnover? Maybe trucking doesn't have a recruiting…
Brake CheckFMCSA’s New MODUS Portal, Highway Bill Shockwaves & The Truth About Fleet Safety
On this Brake Check Vacation Special, host Charles Gracey runs back two of the most critical regulatory, legal, and safety compliance conversations facing the…
Brake CheckAre We in a Freight Super Cycle?
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…
Brake Check$6 Diesel Is Coming... Here's How Smart Fleets Fight Back
Can trucking survive if diesel hits $6 a gallon? And if it does...will AI be the difference between staying profitable and shutting the doors? On this episode…
Brake CheckThe End of "We Didn't Know" in Trucking: $604 Million Reasons Why
The trucking industry just entered a new era...and "we didn't know" may no longer be enough. After the Montgomery v. Caribe decision, brokers are facing…
Brake CheckThe Trucking Crackdown Is Here: Avoid These Mistakes Before It's Too Late
The trucking crackdown is here. The question is...will your company survive it? FMCSA has rewritten the playbook. CSA has undergone its biggest overhaul in…
Brake CheckIs $6 Diesel Coming? What Every Trucking Company Needs to Know
Rates are finally climbing... so why are trucking companies still struggling to make money? ATRI just revealed the highest operating cost in trucking history…
Brake CheckWhat's Really Happening Inside FMCSA
What's really happening inside FMCSA? In this exclusive episode of Brake Check, FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs joins us for a candid conversation about the…
Brake CheckThe Next Freight War Won't Be Won With More Trucks
Artificial intelligence isn't replacing truckers. It's giving smart carriers an advantage. In this episode of Brake Check, we separate real technology from…
Brake CheckThe FMCSA Already Knows Which Carriers Will Fail
Before a truck gets shut down... Before the lawsuit... Before the six-figure insurance renewal... Before the FMCSA audit... The warning signs are almost always…
Brake CheckYour Trucking Company Is One Click Away From Disaster (Here's How to Stop It)
Every trucking company is buying more technology. The question is...is it actually making your business stronger or creating new ways to lose money? In this…
Brake CheckThe Carriers Quietly Taking Your Freight
Some carriers are surviving 2026. Others are quietly disappearing. The difference isn't luck. It isn't fleet size. And it isn't who has the newest trucks It's…
Brake CheckWe Asked America's Truckers What's Really Happening... They Didn't Hold Back
There are plenty of people telling you what trucking looks like from a boardroom. We decided to ask the people actually living it. Live from Shell Rotella…
Brake CheckSUPER CYCLE TALK FOR SUPER SUCKERS?
Is Trucking About to Repeat Its Biggest Mistake Again? Everyone is talking about the next trucking "super cycle." But who benefits most from selling such a…
Brake CheckHow Trucking Companies Bleed Money Every Single Day
The most expensive truck in America isn't the one burning fuel down the highway. It's the one sitting still. On this episode of Brake Check, we're exposing the…
Brake CheckHow Can Trucking STILL Making Money in 2026?
Everybody says trucking is broken. Rates are soft. Insurance costs are crushing carriers. Operating expenses keep climbing. Every week another trucking company…
Brake CheckThe Problems in Trucking Aren't Being Ignored... They're Being Protected
What if trucking's biggest problems aren't being ignored... What if they're being protected? On this episode of Brake Check, Charles Gracey sits down with two…
Brake CheckThe Trucking Bloodbath Isn't Over. It's Just Changing Victims.
Everyone keeps saying trucking is recovering. So why are carriers still closing their doors? Why are drivers still frustrated? Why do brokers think the sky is…
Brake CheckThe Two Biggest Ways Trucking Companies Die in 2026
Today on Brake Check, we're tackling the two biggest threats facing trucking in 2026. First, Matt Roherty from CarrierForge breaks down what it really takes to…
Brake CheckTrucking’s Soft Market Is a WAR | Who Survives What Comes Next?
The trucking industry is at a breaking point. Spot rates are crushed. Small carriers are disappearing. Brokers and carriers are battling over transparency…
Brake CheckTrucking’s New Divide: Adapt… or Die
The trucking industry changed fast. Freight strategy changed. Liability changed. Driver expectations changed. Technology changed. But a whole lot of fleets…
Brake CheckDrivers Aren’t Leaving Trucking… They’re Leaving YOU
The trucking industry keeps talking about a “driver shortage”… But what if the real problem is the industry itself? On this episode of Brake Check, Charles…
Brake Check“See You In Court” — Brokers Are Panicking, MOTUS Is Live & Trucking Changed Overnight
The trucking industry just got hit from every direction. The Supreme Court dropped a broker liability ruling that has brokers, carriers, and insurance…
Brake CheckFraud, Empty Bank Accounts & Broken Fleets: The Real State of Trucking in 2026
The spreadsheets say one thing. The bank accounts say another. On Brake Check, we uncover what trucking companies really feel in 2026...fear, pressure…
Brake CheckThe Trucking Industry Is Lying to Itself… So We Asked REAL Truckers
Today on Brake Check, live on FreightWaves, we traded spreadsheets, pie charts, and polished boardroom opinions for something a whole lot more real… The…
Brake CheckBots Won't Fix Trucking: Real AI Solutions vs. The Hype
In this episode of Brake Check, we're coming to you LIVE from day two of the Tenstreet User Conference, and we're tackling the massive elephant in the room…
Brake CheckPay Transparency BACKFIRES & The Freight Recession Ends | LIVE from Tenstreet
No studio. No script. No safe answers. This episode of Brake Check went down LIVE at the Tenstreet User Conference in Las Vegas. Executives from all over…
Brake CheckWe Put Brokers, Carriers & The FMCSA In The Same Room… Here’s What Happened
No studio. No script. No safe answers. This episode of Brake Check wasn’t filmed in a quiet room...it went down LIVE at the Broker Carrier Summit in Kansas…
Brake CheckOOIDA EXPOSES Trucking’s Biggest Lies | HOS, ELDs, Driver Pay & The Fake Driver Shortage
We went LIVE from OOIDA headquarters in Grain Valley with Lewie Pugh for one of the realest trucking conversations you’ll hear all year. How did OOIDA get…
Brake CheckSmall Fleets Are Getting Crushed… Until NOW | AI, Safety, Empty Miles & Survival Secrets
Most small fleets and owner-operators won’t fail because they can’t drive… they’ll fail because they’re operating 2026 trucking with 2016 tools. In this…
Brake CheckYou Can’t Recruit Your Way Out of This… Trucking’s Driver Crisis EXPOSED
Today on Brake Check, we’re tackling one of the most talked-about and most misunderstood issues in trucking: Driver recruiting. Some say it’s never been…
Brake Check10k net… or a $0 Paycheck? Hurricane Express Lease Purchase EXPOSED
Today on Brake Check, we’re ripping the cover off one of the most controversial topics in trucking—lease purchase programs. They promise: $10,000 in 6 weeks…
Brake CheckTruckers Are Getting Ripped Off… And 60 Minutes Just Proved It
Today’s Brake Check is pulling no punches. After the 60 Minutes trucking exposé where SuperEgo got super busted, we’re digging deeper into what’s really…
Brake CheckThe $100K Mistake That’s Keeping Truckers Broke (And How to Beat It)
Most truckers don’t go broke because they can’t find freight… they go broke because of one decision—and it can cost you $100,000 or more. On this episode of…
Brake CheckHe Exposed Crooked Lease Deals… Now There’s a Lawsuit Coming
Is trucking safety improving… or are we just being told it is? In this episode of Brake Check, we bring two powerful perspectives together to break down what’s…
Brake CheckTrucking Crackdown: One Driver’s Story vs The Fraud Nobody Stops
What happens when policy meets pavement? In this episode of Brake Check, we bring you both sides of one of the most controversial issues in trucking today…
Brake CheckThey Showed Up for Truckers: Duffy & Barrs at MATS | Make Trucking Great Again
In this high-energy episode of Brake Check Live on FreightWavesTV, host Charles Gracey takes listeners to the heart of the trucking industry: the Mid-America…
Brake CheckInside Mercertown: The Blueprint for Owner-Operator Success
Host Charles Gracey takes Brake Check on the road to Louisville for an exclusive look inside "Mercertown"—the sprawling, multi-block downtown headquarters of…