The Problem Store: Shipping Sherpas
Shownotes
The shipping landscape is shifting in ways that demand attention from every supply chain leader. Shrinking carrier capacity, rising surcharges, and a freight recession stretching three years have created a market where old assumptions no longer hold and rate floors are moving in ways many shippers haven't accounted for.
In this inaugural episode of The Problem Store on Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton speaks with Jack Mowreader, a veteran CFO who has served in the role five times and spent six years in Amazon operations finance, LeAnne Coulter, former executive at Penske Logistics and Schneider Logistics who now leads Blue Wave Supply Chain, and Nate Skiver, founder of LPF Spend Management. They structure the conversation across four segments covering the macros, the setup, the operation, and the enablers, exploring how capacity constraints, parcel surcharge complexity, network design, relationships between shippers and carriers, and the accelerating pace of change are reshaping what shippers need to be doing right now.
Jack, LeAnne, and Nate also weigh in on where AI can genuinely improve shipping decisions, from invoice auditing and scenario simulation to compressing the time from analysis to action. They challenge shippers to walk their own processes, question legacy carrier strategies, form carrier councils, invest in the driver experience, and treat transportation strategy as supply chain strategy rather than an afterthought.
Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Introduction
(03:30) Meet Jack Mowreader, LeAnne Coulter, and Nate Skiver
(05:48) The biggest problems in shipping: capacity, risk, and the pace of change
(07:39) Labor pressures, fuel costs, and what shippers can't control
(20:15) Network design and avoiding single points of failure
(27:01) Shipper of choice and building carrier relationships that last
(35:16) The operation: resourcing, process design, and trade offs
(42:33) The three legged stool: balancing cost, service, and resilience
(52:23) AI in shipping: where it helps and where human judgment stays essential
(58:34) The Billy Bob hypothetical and how to connect with the panel
Additional Links & Resources:
- Connect with Jack Mowreader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmowreader/
- Connect with Nate Skiver: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levelplayingfield/
- Connect with LeAnne Coulter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leannecoulter/
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This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/problem-store-shipping-sherpas-1655
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