Built to Break the Mold: Melanie Simard's Road Through Trucking

Built to Break the Mold: Melanie Simard's Road Through Trucking

Melanie Simard didn’t build her career from one side of the industry. She built it from nearly every angle possible.She started in brokerage, but decided early on that she wanted real experience on the asset side of trucking. So she got her Class 1 CDL and went driving long-haul reefer.When she was told women didn’t belong in flatbed, she went there too.From the cab to dispatch, operations, safety, and compliance leadership, Melanie built her career the hard way. Step by step. Learning the industry firsthand instead of from a distance.Today, as VP of Safety, Compliance & Technical Support at ISAAC Instruments, she helps fleets across North America navigate safety, compliance, technology, and operational accountability at a higher level.But this conversation with Nate Johnson goes far beyond regulations and software.🤝 It’s about earning respect.📈 Adapting through change.🔎 And what leadership actually looks like in an industry that has historically been built on toughness, independence, and pressure.This isn’t a polished corporate story. It’s a career built through experience, persistence, and proving people wrong along the way.

Freight Fraud Panel: Cargo Theft, Double Brokering & Cybersecurity

Freight fraud hasn’t slowed down. It’s evolved. Cargo theft, identity fraud, phishing attacks, double brokering, fake carriers… the tactics keep changing, and the companies staying ahead are the ones paying attention to both operations and cybersecurity. In this replay of Driving Forward, Nate Johnson is joined by Dale Prax of FreightValidate, Steve Vest of Nationwide Equipment Transportation, and Robert Bain of GLCS for a conversation focused on where freight fraud is heading and what trucking companies should be doing right now to reduce exposure. Together they discuss: 👉 Emerging freight fraud tactics impacting carriers and brokers 👉 Cybersecurity gaps that often lead to larger operational risks 👉 Red flags hidden in dispatching, rate confirmations, and factoring 👉 Why relying too heavily on technology without process controls creates vulnerabilities 👉 Steps companies can take to strengthen operations before fraud happens This conversation goes beyond headlines and theory. It’s a practical look at how fraud actually works inside freight operations and where companies are still getting caught off guard. Whether you’re running a fleet, managing brokerage operations, handling risk, or overseeing IT and security, this is a conversation worth revisiting.

The Hard Decisions: Freight Growth, Fleet Readiness & Leadership

Growth in logistics rarely comes from shortcuts. It comes from consistency, accountability, and making the right decisions when they’re hardest to make. Chris Sonnek, Director of Operations at TEN Logistics, joins Nate Johnson on the Driving Forward Podcast for a conversation centered on the operational realities shaping trucking and logistics right now. With experience across truckload, LTL, warehousing, and final mile operations, Chris brings a perspective grounded in leadership, customer relationships, and operational discipline. Their conversation will cover: ▶️ DOT Blitz Week and fleet readiness ▶️ Spot freight vs. contract freight strategies ▶️ Balancing growth, technology, and customer service ▶️ Why doing the hard right still matters in leadership Every trucking company wants growth. Not every company is willing to handle what comes with it. If you’re involved in trucking, brokerage, fleet operations, or logistics leadership, this conversation delivers practical insight into the challenges and decisions shaping the industry today.

AI Without The Hype: A Trucking Leaders Guide to What Matters

AI is showing up in every corner of trucking right now. Dispatch. Safety. Maintenance. Recruiting. Customer service. Fuel optimization. Driver communication. And for a lot of trucking company leaders, it’s becoming hard to separate what’s real from what’s just marketing noise. After months of conversations at conferences and industry events, one thing has become clear: the technology gap inside trucking is growing faster than many people realize. Some fleets are actively building operational strategies around AI and automation. Others are still trying to understand where these tools even fit into day-to-day operations. Jeff Resch of ‪@HyperscaleSystems‬ [https://www.youtube.com/@HyperscaleSystems] joins Nate Johnson and Robert Bain on Driving Forward to break down AI in a way that actually makes sense for trucking operations. Their conversation will cover: 👉 The difference between “AI buzzwords” and real operational impact 👉 Where fleets are already seeing practical results today 👉 How AI can support dispatch, safety, maintenance, customer service, and drivers 👉 What leaders should be paying attention to before competitors pull ahead The goal isn’t to turn trucking companies into tech experts overnight. It’s to help leaders better understand the landscape, ask smarter questions, and avoid getting left behind as AI continues reshaping the industry.

Cyber Theft in Trucking: What Trucking Companies Are Missing

Fraud in freight isn’t slowing down. It’s getting smarter… and harder to spot. And more often than most realize… It doesn’t start with a stolen load. It starts with a cyber breach. Behind many instances of freight fraud today is a compromised system, a phishing attempt, or a small gap in cybersecurity that opens the door to something much bigger. A missed step. A broken process. A gap that someone knew how to exploit. Nate Johnson will be joined by Ben Wilkens and Joe Ohr of the National Motor Freight Traffic Association to break down what they’re seeing firsthand across the industry: 👉 How cyber breaches are fueling freight fraud across the industry 👉 Where fraudsters are exploiting everyday workflows 👉 What most companies overlook until it’s too late 👉 Why cybersecurity isn’t just IT’s job - it’s an operational responsibility Their discussion will also touch on a new industry resource designed to combat these threats: FreightFraudHub.com — built to help companies better understand, identify, and respond to evolving fraud tactics. If you’re running trucks, managing freight, building systems, or making decisions that impact operations - this conversation highlights what’s at risk, what’s changing, and what needs attention now.