Talking Transports

Amazon.com’s expanding logistics ambitions are poised to disrupt multiple transportation segments, from parcel to brokerage and LTL. In this Talking Transports podcast, Morgan Stanley Managing Director Ravi Shanker joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior transportation and logistics analyst Lee Klaskow to discuss how Amazon’s scale and asset-light approach could pressure incumbents across freight markets. Shanker outlines structural challenges in parcel, including the unsustainability of free shipping and rising competition, while highlighting a constructive outlook for trucking as tightening supply drives rate recovery. He also examines how AI — particularly physical AI, such as autonomous trucks — could reshape the industry, and why transportation may look fundamentally different over the next decade.
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Freight markets are tightening after a prolonged downturn, but the driver is shrinking capacity rather than rising demand. In this Talking Transports podcast, DAT Principal Analyst Dean Croke joins Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst Lee Klaskow to discuss how regulatory enforcement around driver qualifications, fraud and compliance is removing trucks from the market. Spot rates in some lanes are up 20–25% year over year, with truck postings down about 30% and load postings rising, signaling tighter conditions. Croke highlights early increases in contract rates, growing volatility in produce and flatbed markets, and why the next cycle may be more sustained. He also explains how greater data transparency and AI adoption are accelerating market shifts and reshaping pricing dynamics.
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Freight markets are stabilizing after a prolonged downturn, driven more by a supply correction than demand growth. In this Talking Transports podcast, J.B. Hunt CEO Shelley Simpson joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior freight transportation and logistics analyst Lee Klaskow to discuss how regulatory enforcement is tightening trucking capacity and lifting rates. Simpson, whose more than 30 years at J.B. Hunt took her from pricing roles to CEO, outlines the company’s focus on intermodal growth, where improved service and higher fuel costs are driving mode conversion. She also highlights investments in technology and AI to boost productivity and scale efficiently. Though demand remains uneven, Simpson emphasizes culture, leadership development and a people-first strategy as key to navigating cycles and positioning J.B. Hunt for long-term growth.
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Europe’s trucking market is stabilizing after a prolonged downturn, but structural challenges remain. In this episode of the Talking Transports podcast, Girteka CEO Edvardas Liachovicius joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s Lee Klaskow to discuss how overcapacity and weak demand in 2023–24 pressured rates and profitability, with only early signs of balance emerging. Liachovicius highlights a structural driver shortage, worsened by geopolitical events, as a key constraint on growth, alongside fuel volatility and fragmented regulation across 27 countries. He outlines Girteka’s focus on temperature-controlled, high-care cargo and long-haul corridors, while emphasizing that driver availability — not demand — is now the primary limiter of capacity and future expansion. Liachovicius shares his journey from one of Girteka’s first employees to CEO.

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Autonomous trucking is shifting from pilot to early commercialization as technology, safety validation and economics converge. In this Talking Transports podcast, Kodiak AI founder and CEO Don Burnette joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s Lee Klaskow to discuss how the company is deploying driverless trucks in real-world operations and preparing for long-haul expansion. Burnette outlines Kodiak’s software-first approach, which favors real-time AI perception over rigid mapping, and highlights cost advantages from 24/7 utilization and lower labor dependence. He also addresses regulatory misconceptions, safety-case development and what is needed to accelerate adoption. The discussion also goes beyond trucking to explore a range of applications. Burnette reflects on the challenges and rewards of being a founder.
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