Getting paid and giving back — WHAT THE TRUCK?!?

Big transactions mean big money for some companies

https://vimeo.com/504519537
This episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? is sponsored by Zembles! You want to crush your numbers, so stop random prospecting. Zembles can tell you who is spending on shipping – and get you those leads instantly, taking your sales process from a 95% failure rate to a 50% success rate.  Go to start.zembles.com/freetrial and sign up for a demo today.

Headlines

TFI International has signed a deal to acquire UPS Freight for around $800 million, TFI’s largest acquisition ever. FreightWaves’ Nate Tabak is working on this developing story. 

A sentencing date has been set for Christen Schulte, a bookkeeper who pleaded guilty to defrauding a family-owned trucking company out of more than $700,000. Schulte faces a total sentence of 60 years in prison and over $1.5 million in fines for five separate charges. 

Air cargo carriers are seeing hot starts to the year thanks to continued effects of the pandemic. Data showed air cargo volumes contracting only slightly after the holiday season, with shipping container shortages and inventory replenishment driving the need for air transport. 

Using data to boost sales

Dooner and The Dude welcome Greg Johnson, COO of Zembles, to talk about how his company is utilizing data and analytics to provide a better sales experience for its customers.

Johnson says Zembles was designed to let sales representatives “quickly, efficiently and, most importantly, accurately find prospects.” He believes data hasn’t kept up with the way sales has changed, but Zembles’ goal is to be the solution to finding leads and making that sale.

Getting drivers their cash

Up next is Relay Payments CEO Ryan Droege talking about how Relay Payments is using the internet to get money to drivers quickly. Droege calls it “Venmo for truckers” and says the service is good for expediting money transfer. 

Relay Payments just landed $43 million in fundraising and has seen huge growth from four employees at the start of 2020 to over 40 now. 

Playing the sax forward

Hear a good performance on the saxophone from Jose Socorro, transportation supervisor at Central States Manufacturing. Socorro’s talents are not just on the sax. He also coordinates all of Central State’s shipping. 

Doing good in the new year

Shannon Currier makes another WTT?!? appearance to thank the guys for their help promoting the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and shares some exciting news: SCF hit its 2020 fundraising goal of $1 million.

SCF supports drivers with a myriad of things, but it has put a focus on supporting healthy driver lifestyles. The group is launching a new diabetes prevention program, Driving Down Diabetes, and aims to get drivers to be proactive with their health. 
You can find more WHAT THE TRUCK?!? recaps and recaps for all our live podcasts here.

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Kaylee Nix

Kaylee Nix is a meteorologist and reporter for FreightWaves. She joined the company in November of 2020 after spending two years as a broadcast meteorologist for a local television channel in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Kaylee graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2018 and immediately made the Tennessee Valley her home. Kaylee creates written summaries of FreightWaves live podcasts and cultivates the social media for FreightWaves TV.