Freight Efficiency with NACFE‘s Mike Roeth & Friends

Mike Rowand, energy and electric transportation consultant, talks about his career with Duke Energy, his work with EPRI and his role as an interface between the utility and the trucking industries. He also talks what utilities need to know about trucking and about grid readiness. He explains the role of communication and collaboration and how fleets can help utilities do a better job of serving them.

Ken North, NACFE’s emerging technologies consultant, talks with Mike about the curve ball from his youth that changed his career plans and led him back to trucking, the value of relationships in the trucking industry, and why he joined NACFE. He also comments on what’s special about the trucking industry, the role of efficiency in logistics and transportation for economic survival and what technologies intrigue him. And he talks about his connection to the pioneers.

Andrew Halonen, president of Mayflower Consulting, talks about his passion for lightweighting, and why he sees himself as a technology matchmaker. He also talks about a new technology for trailers called origami, the importance of keeping an open mind when it comes to new materials, sustainability and lightweighting and the role of AI in helping to find cost savings and sustainable solutions.

Elaine Jones, chief financial officer at Stillwater Hospice and NACFE’s accountant, talks about the importance of target costing in product design and why everyone needs to understand what something costs to build and why. She also shares her thoughts about NACFE, the contractor business model and she gives advice on getting through these times of uncertainty and even gives Mike some advice for the future.

Emilia Sibley, general manager of Terawatt, talks about how EV infrastructure seems like a solvable problem, what’s she’s learned about the trucking industry and the importance of listening to fleets. She also comments  on how we are in a once in a century transition and the need to lean in to the transition.

Ryan Bankerd, global director of automotive sustainability at UPS and NACFE board member, talks about his status as a NACFE fanboy, decarbonizing the world’s largest private delivery fleet and why he thinks it’s time to change the messy middle to the middle. He also talks about UPS’ rolling laboratory, the technologies UPS is scaling and he offers advice on how fleets should approach the next few years when looking at technology solutions.

Dean Bushey, NACFE’s director of programs, talks about his career in the military and how it led to his involvement with autonomous vehicles. He also commented on the current and future state of AVs, and his work on the Electric Vehicle Working Group. He shared his thoughts on making it through the messy middle and gave advice on preparing for autonomous trucks.

Yann Kulp, director of sales – USA for Driivz, talks about the two ways of looking at transportation, his definition of EV suitability and the benefits of being tactical. He also explains what Driivz is and encourages fleets to begin taking baby steps and look for use cases for BEVs.

Jim Park, award winning trucking journalist and a technologies consultant for NACFE, talks about his career as a truck driver, how he made the switch to trucking journalism and why he always tries to put himself into the mind of his audience. He also shares his thoughts on battery electric vehicles and the dramatic improvements that have been made in diesel engines.

Ben Sharpe, senior researcher at Atlas Public Policy, talks about the importance of people in the environmental community and policy space to have a connection to industry. He also shares why he has dedicated a big part of his career to trucking and shares his thoughts on policy in the transformation of the trucking industry. He also provides insights into how to navigate the changes in trucking.