Recorded live at the Route Consultant Expo 2026 in Nashville, this keynote panel—hosted by Rahmel Wattley, founder of Truck N’ Hustle—features logistics leaders Amy Byers, Adam Angell, and Nick Hafen on how to crisis-proof route and transportation businesses amid constant change. They discuss major disruptions across FedEx and Amazon networks, including evolving safety equipment requirements, shifting fleet maintenance responsibilities, and the impact of larger package volume and FedEx 2.0 integration. The panel shares practical lessons on protecting profitability through strong vendor relationships, disciplined cash-flow management, operational KPIs, building in-house maintenance capabilities, and developing management layers and cross-training to reduce risk. Audience Q&A covers scaling timing, recognizing readiness to grow, finding distressed opportunities, and considerations for operating routes in other markets.

In this Industry Insights LIVE episode, Josh Gregory of Route Consultant is joined by Alex Frum, owner of Alpha Kilo Logistics, to share a state-of-the-industry update for FedEx linehaul contractors and buyers. They discuss how rising diesel prices impact settlements, how the Schedule C fuel table and fleet MPG assumptions affect profitability, and why idle time matters. Alex explains what he’s seeing from Network 2.0, including more airport and night runs, plus how rail can shift long-lane freight and lead to redesignations or spares. They cover operational best practices for safety and availability, recruiting structure as a business scales, and vehicle planning amid technology requirements, the 10-year rule discussions, and CARB 27 cost increases. The episode also highlights the upcoming free New Investor Workshop (April 16) and Linehaul Pro Series (Friday, April 17).

In this special episode of Industry Insights LIVE, Josh Gregory is joined by Amy Byers, COO of Slicker Trucking, to answer audience questions on today’s biggest contractor topics. Amy shares her experience running P&D and linehaul operations across multiple terminals, including operating under FedEx 2.0 and what contractors should expect around service expectations, late dispatch challenges, communication with FedEx, and opportunities for growth.