How do you top winning the State Grand Championship in New York in 2024? Mark McLean of FedEx Freight provided that answer in 2025 when he became the back-to-back Grand Champion from the Empire State. For Mark, who is a veteran of TDC competitions dating back some 20...
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Discussing Latest Nuclear Verdict News & Growing Role Of Mediation In Catastrophic Cases
Cedar Abadie, the founder of Iron Resolution Services, is our featured guest on the Grawe Pod as we discuss a host of timely topics, including nuclear verdicts, the growing role of mediation and the increased liability that brokers have with the capacity they utilize....
Florida Grand Champion Miguel Sanchez Dedicated To Staying Prepared
Miguel Sanchez of UPS believes in preparation. Like countless professional drivers on the road today, Miguel stays prepared for the unexpected. In the hours before the Florida Trucking Association held its awards dinner for this year’s Sunshine State Truck Driving...
Family Support Helps To Fuel Ritch Fundell’s Continued Excellence
In early June, Ritch Fundell brought home his fifth Grand Championship for the state of Illinois. One of the many people in the crowd cheering Ritch as he won the Tanker Class Championship en route to the day’s top trophy was his son, who had driven five hours from...
National Championship Driving Course Design: NTDC 2025 Committee Member Frank Ems Takes Us Inside
What goes into developing the driving courses for the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships? During this episode of the podcast, we asked that question and touched on a number of related topics with Frank Ems, the member of the NTDC 2025...
‘Rhode Warriors’ Chris Maxwell And Al D’Angelo Celebrate Joe Hicks In TDC Look Back
In the days prior to winning what would be his 7th career Rhode Island State TDC Grand Championship, Joe Hicks of XPO was being honored on the floor of the Rhode Island State House. Joe heard a proclamation from the Rhode Island Speaker of the House being read to...
Providing Essential Insights For Surviving FMCSA Audits
Would your trucking company be prepared if the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration notified you that FMCSA would be conducting an audit of your operation? In this episode of the podcast, Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega from the Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team...
Video Podcast: Looking Back At California’s Championships With CTA CEO Eric Sauer
In our first-ever video edition of the NTDC 2025 Podcast from PodWheels, we talk with California Trucking Association CEO Eric Sauer about his state's Truck Driving Championships, which included a regional competition and concluded with the finals during the last...
Rigs Without Cigs: Kevin Hightower’s Inspiring Journey to Quit Smoking
Rigs Without Cigs holds the distinction of being the first health and wellness program created by the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund. Over the years, SCF has helped nearly 1,000 professional drivers put out smoking for good and kick the habit. In this episode of...
Conference Recap: Insights On What’s Happening With Cross-Border Trade
The Eighth Annual Modernization of Cross Border Trade Conference, which is hosted by Reliance Partners, took place in mid-June and it offered a number of valuable insights on what’s happening with cross-border trade between the U.S. and Mexico. Mark Vickers, the...
NTDC 2025 Organizing Committee Chair Bob Foskey Ready For Final Countdown
Recorded on June 20 when the start of NTDC 2025 was just 60 days away, this episode of the podcast gave us the opportunity to catch up with Bob Foskey, who is serving as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for NTDC 2025. We talked with Bob on a range of topics,...
Picture Perfect Early Birthday Gift: Ramon Guzman Returning To Nationals
Ramon Guzman of FedEx Freight has become a fixture at the California Truck Driving Championships and he is a true testament to perseverance. Until breaking through in 2025 winning the title in the Flatbed Division, Ramon had claimed his first and only state...
MMTA President & CEO Louis Campion Looks Back At Maryland & Delaware TDCs
What does it take to host a pair of State TDCs at the same location for the first time? We asked this question and many more during our recent conversation with Louis Campion, the President & CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association. As you’ll hear, Louis and...
Celebrating The Grand Championship 3-Peat of Kentucky’s John Willinger
How do you win three State TDC Grand Championships in a row? That’s the question we asked Kentucky’s John Willinger a few weeks after he took home the top trophy in the Bluegrass State for a third straight year. A proud member of Team FedEx, John will be making his...
Optimism And Realism: Navigating The Current Challenges Within The Trucking Market
For the decision makers at trucking and logistics companies, the freight market we are experiencing in 2025 requires the ability to be nimble while still staying true to your strengths as a company. And, as we hear in this episode of the Grawe Pod, today’s market...




















