How Ryder Actually Picks Freight Tech - with Gary Allen, VP of Supply Chain Excellence

Most people see a Ryder truck on the highway and think "trucking company." That's not wrong — but it's missing 100 million square feet of warehouse space and 2,000 autonomous robots.Gary Allen is the VP of Supply Chain Excellence at Ryder, and he stopped by the Everything is Logistics podcast booth at Manifest to talk tech selection, the build vs. buy debate, and what it actually takes to navigate a market with thousands of freight tech vendors when you're operating at this scale.Spoiler: it takes a team of 90 data engineers, a VC fund, and a willingness to evaluate 400+ companies before you commit to anything.——————————————IN THIS EPISODE——————————————□ Why asset ownership doesn't change the fundamental tech questions you need to answer first□ How Ryder evaluated 400+ warehouse automation companies in 3 years (and what makes the cut)□ Why Ryder runs ~30 different WMS systems across its network — and why that's a problem they're actively solving□ The Baton acquisition, Ryder Ventures VC fund, and why they decided to build what the market couldn't provide□ The "product mindset vs. project mindset" shift that changes everything about how you deploy tech□ Agentic AI real talk: what's actually working (call centers, document extraction, labor planning) vs. what's still early□ The warehouse automation ladder: AMRs → autonomous forklifts → storage/retrieval systems → humanoids□ What the timeline on lights-out warehouses might actually look likeWatch this episode on YouTube——————————————LINKS & RESOURCES——————————————□ Connect with Gary Allen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/grallen1/□ Learn more about Ryder: ryder.com□ Ryder Ventures: https://www.ryder.com/en-us/ryderventuresPrevious Ryder episodes: □ VP of Supply Chain Ops Kristy Killingbeck□ Baton's Nate RobertFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. 

Supply chain storytelling isn't a nice-to-have skill. It's the reason deals fall apart before the demo starts.Sofia Rivas Herrera has spent years building one of the most recognizable personal brands in freight, from a full-time role in supply chain at HP, with her sister running the creative side. We recorded this conversation live at Manifest 2026.In this episode:▪ Why your freight tech pitch fails before it even starts (your sales team probably can't explain your own product)▪ The avocado supply chain from Mexico: why it's called "the green gold," how organized crime is embedded in it, and why Super Bowl season triggers a demand spike in December and January▪ Career minimalism: the Gen Z trend quietly reshaping who stays in logistics and who walks out▪ How to pass the "gardening neighbor test" for any supply chain message▪ Why blue is the most overused color in logistics branding, and what that means for companies willing to try something different▪ How Sofia and her sister built a brand from scratch after her sister told her "your branding sucks"Links & resources:Follow Sofia Rivas Herrera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-rivas-herrera/Watch this episode on YouTubeFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why. CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve. Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

Freight fraud has moved way past the old stereotype of random cargo theft.Barry Conlon, CEO of Overhaul, joins Blythe from Manifest to break down what’s actually happening in the market: more sophisticated criminal networks, more pressure on shippers to own the problem, and a growing gap between how fast freight moves and how well it gets verified. He argues that prevention matters more than recovery, because by the time you’re chasing freight down, the damage is already done. A few standout points from the conversation:Barry says the last 24 to 36 months have brought a level of volume and sophistication he has never seen before. He ties part of the shift back to post-COVID buyer behavior and the ease of moving stolen goods back into gray markets. He says Overhaul protects about $1.4 trillion in cargo value on its platform and focuses on identifying non-compliance before it becomes a loss. He explains how fraud varies by geography, with North American fraud tactics spreading abroad while markets like Mexico and Brazil often involve more overt hijacking risk. He makes the case that cargo risk is now a boardroom issue because lost product often cannot be replaced fast enough, which turns a theft problem into a market share problem.Links from the show: Overhaul's latest insight on cargo crimeConnect with Barry on LinkedInWatch this episode on YouTubeFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. 

Most logistics companies are holding their back office together with "shoestring and bubble gum." When 25% of your bills get rejected on the first pass, you aren't just dealing with paperwork -- you're dealing with a liquidity crisis.In this episode, Upwell CEO Charley Dehoney explains how to automate the "messy middle" of the delivery-to-cash process. We dig into why your TMS probably isn't talking to your accounting software and how to get your money out of your customer’s bank account and into yours.Checkout Upwell's websiteUpwell on CargoRexConnect with Charley Dehoney on LinkedInWatch this episode on YouTubeFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. 

Blythe and Grace Sharkey (Orderful; formerly FreightWaves) break down what everyone’s been talking about coming out of Manifest: agentic AI moving into real workflows, drones/computer vision becoming more practical, freight fraud getting more coordinated, and why “end-to-end visibility” still isn’t end-to-end (spoiler: carrier adoption and execution still run the show).The gist (what we cover):Agentic AI: not just demos—people are pushing it into rate negotiation and booking workflowsThe uncomfortable question: what happens to brokerage models when humans aren’t the bottleneck?Drones + computer vision: still early, but moving from “cool tech” to real use casesFreight fraud: it’s coordinated—and most companies still fail at the basicsVisibility: we keep selling the dream, but execution (and carrier adoption) keeps punching it in the faceQuick time-capsule: what 2016 taught us, what 2026 is repeating, and why insurance keeps winningTimestamps / chapters (approx):00:00 – Intro + Grace joins04:35 – Agentic AI: what’s real vs what’s marketing10:10 – What this changes for brokers and carriers15:25 – Drones + computer vision17:30 – Fraud: why basic controls still matter25:40 – Visibility + ocean integrity31:40 – 2016 vs 2026: the industry memory test39:50 – Wrap-up + Manifest Europe noteWatch this episode on YouTubeFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. 

CargoRex.io 2.0 is live and this isn’t a paint job. It’s a rebuild around how people actually research logistics tech when they don’t know what to search for yet.In this episode, I break down what changed, why it changed, and how to use CargoRex to move from “I think we have a problem” to “here’s the shortlist and the questions we need to ask.”What’s inside:-- A redesigned site built for faster discovery (not endless scrolling)-- A revamped search model: broad-match exploration + tighter category paths-- 3 live Buying Guides (with more coming): LogTech Implementation, Buying a TMS, and Visibility-- A stronger company listing page: integrations, associations, awards, news, white papers, case studies, and more-- Save-and-export Lists (CSV) so your research isn’t trapped in browser tabs-- Logged-in dashboards that separate your activity from what’s trending site-wide-- New contributor submissions so operators, consultants, and creators can add real-world lessons to the guidesIf you’ve got a logistics-adjacent business, claim your listing (free), fill it out, and make it easier for the right buyers to find you. And if you’re researching tools, use the lead form on listings so companies can see the signal that CargoRex is driving the conversation.Watch this episode on YouTubeFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. 

Everyone loves a shiny demo. Nobody wants to talk about the messy middle: implementation. That’s where budgets blow up, timelines slip, and teams quietly blame the software.Nate Johnson (CEO of GLCS) joins Blythe Milligan to break down what actually makes logistics tech rollouts work.The first question teams skip: “Why are you buying this?”Why “go-live” is not the same thing as successThe hidden costs that show up after the subscription feeWhy training and documentation decide adoptionIntegrations, EDI, and why “it should connect” is usually a lieAI in logistics: what’s real, what’s marketing, and what buyers should demandLinks:Connect with Nate on LinkedIn (and you better tell him Blythe sent you)GLCS WebsiteNate's podcast, Driving ForwardWatch the video version here.Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. 

4.6 million podcasts exist. Only a tiny slice stay active. The difference isn’t gear or luck. It’s whether you respect the listener’s attention (and measure it).In this episode, I’m joined by my husband (and longtime podcaster) Badr Milligan to recap what we learned at Podfest Orlando and how to apply it to your company’s show.Takeaways:Track completion rate (aka average consumption). It tells you what’s working way faster than download counts.Fix your first minute. Say what the listener will get, then get to it.Stop “one recording, everywhere” thinking. Audio and video need different context and editing.Consistency is a moat. Most shows quit. That’s the opportunity.Build diehard fans you can identify and activate, not a random pile of downloads.Fav quote from the episode: “It’s never been easier to make content, but now you have to make the editorial choice of what you’re going to produce, and why?”Links: Badr's podcast, The ShortboxJax Podcasters UnitedPodfest websiteWatch this episode on YouTube Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. 

Cold calls. Tight lanes. Government freight.In this episode, I’m talking with Garrett Bowers, owner of Bowers Trucking and an SPI Logistics agency owner, about what it takes to build a steadier carrier business when the market is doing what it always does.We get into why he swears by early-morning prospecting, how he thinks about tighter lanes and saying “no” to the wrong freight, and what changes when you stop treating sales like something you do only when you’re panicking.Then we go into the rabbit hole most carriers ignore: government freight. Garrett breaks down how he found opportunities around Tinker Air Force Base, what the Defense Logistics Agency actually does, and the practical first steps to get started (yes, SAM.gov is involved). Plus, the kind of freight that makes for a great story later, including hauling the Air Force One staircase.What we cover: ▪ Why early cold calls work ▪ How to choose lanes that keep trucks moving ▪ Government freight basics: where to start and what to expect ▪ The operational standard required for military shipmentsWatch this episode on YouTubeFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers. 

If you’ve ever wondered how a massive industry event like Manifest manages to feel timely, relevant, and most importantly useful, this is the episode for you. I’m sitting down with Tanzil Uddin, SVP of Content and Partnerships, to peel back the curtain on how they build a world-class agenda without falling into the vendor karaoke trap.Tanzil explains the listening tour strategy that begins almost a year in advance, where the team interviews dozens of shippers and industry leaders to identify the real world friction points in the supply chain. We discuss how they balance long term trends like AI and automation with sudden, disruptive headlines like new tariffs or geopolitical shifts. Tanzil also shares his advice for anyone looking to get on stage, emphasizing that Manifest isn't looking for product pitches. They’re looking for high level use cases and collaborative solutions.Whether you’re a first time attendee looking to navigate the Venetian or a seasoned logistics pro curious about how the industry's biggest conversations are curated, Tanzil breaks it all down with a focus on practical value over hype.What we cover:The Research Phase: How Tanzil’s team uses a listening tour to gather intel directly from shippers and manufacturers.Agility in Content: Why the Manifest agenda is never truly final until the weeks leading up to the show to ensure it reflects current market conditions.The No Sales Rule: Tanzil explains the strict vetting process that keeps product demos off the stage and puts problem-solving front and center.Speaker Criteria: What the content team looks for in a moderator and why diversity of thought is non negotiable for their panels.Mastering the Manifest App: How to use the 30 day window before the show to build a strategic battle plan and avoid the dreaded hallway FOMO.Watch this interview on YouTubeLinks: Connect with Tanzil at Manifest/Hive Group on LinkedinPurchase your Manifest 2026 ticket (save some money by using our link!)Feedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!SPI Logistics has been a Day 1 supporter of this podcast which is why we're proud to promote them in every episode. During that time, we've gotten to know the team and their agents to confidently say they are the best home for freight agents in North America for 40 years and counting. Listen to past episodes to hear why.CargoRex is the search engine for the logistics industry—connecting LSPs with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve.Digital Dispatch maximizes and manages your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.