This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ Small Fleet & Owner-Operator Summit on Wednesday.
FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: A better way to treat small fleets
DETAILS: Freight wouldn’t be able to move in the United States if it weren’t for small trucking companies. But according to one CEO, these fleets often don’t get the love and respect they deserve.
SPEAKERS: Guillermo Garcia, CEO and co-founder of SmartHop, and Kaylee Nix, anchor and senior meteorologist at FreightWaves.
BIO: Garcia co-founded SmartHop, a freight dispatch and software provider that focuses on smaller fleets. Originally from Venezuela, he founded a trucking company there that he grew to 500 employees. After coming to the U.S., he started a local LTL carrier and built it into a 40-truck full-truckload operation.
Watch the chat
KEY QUOTES FROM GARCIA
“[To] the industry but also government agencies, shippers, brokers and everybody that has a relationship or is impacted by those small mom-and-pop, family-owned types of businesses: We need to support them — for them to survive, for them to do well. We are all going to be better off if every single small trucking company out there does well.
“What I think this industry is not good at is recognizing those who are smart and do well.”
“If you bring transparency, I think the industry as a whole will benefit from that.”
Brokerage Compliance Symposium
The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.
F3 Awards Dinner
The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.
F3: Future of Freight Festival
Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register NowThe night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register NowIndustry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now