Episode 92: Pressure With Purpose: Hard Work, Market Shifts, and Preparing for What’s Next

In this episode of the Keep Trucking Personal podcast, Tyler Kivi speaks directly to the drivers, carriers, and industry professionals who didn’t tune out when the work got uncomfortable. This is a conversation about real hard work, not the highlight-reel version, but the kind that reveals who is built for the long haul and who was only here for the easy stretch.Tyler breaks down what’s happening in the freight market right now, including a rising truckload rejection index and what tightening capacity could mean for carriers heading into the end of the year and into 2026. He shares why, despite positive signals, strong demand is still the missing ingredient, and why service, professionalism, and relationships continue to be the true differentiators at Kivi Bros. Trucking and across the industry.The episode also touches on compliance changes, English language proficiency enforcement, winter conditions, and how these factors are reshaping capacity and carrier operations. Tyler reflects on the collective pressure felt across the industry during the holiday season, from drivers and dispatchers to leadership and shippers, and reminds listeners that feeling stretched doesn’t mean you’re behind.Tying the conversation to preparation rather than perfection, Tyler shares a reflection rooted in faith, emphasizing that preparation often goes unnoticed but gives pressure its purpose. This episode is an acknowledgment of the weight the industry carries and a reminder that showing up, even under pressure, matters.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Keep Trucking Personal, where we invite you to explore the heart and soul of our company, Twee Brothers Trucking. Through engaging storytelling, insightful market updates, and vibrant energy, our podcast reflects our culture, values, and achievements. Whether you're a team member or industry enthusiast, join us to build connections, foster growth, and inspire excellence. Discover why we're more than just a company. We're a community, a catalyst for positive change, and a home for those aspiring to be part of something extraordinary. The pre-trip is complete and engines ready. We're gonna hit the road on the Keep Trucking Personal podcast. Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

My name is Tyler Kibi, and I'm your host. Over the last couple episodes, I've talked a lot about hard work and not just the highlight real version type of hard work, not just the motivational quote version, the real version, the kind that doesn't stop and the kind that tests you. And if you've been listening to these episodes and thinking, yeah, that sounds like me, then I want to say something clear right out the gate. We're glad you're here. This episode is for the people who didn't tune out when I was talking about all the hard work and when it got uncomfortable and when the pressure started to rise, the ones who didn't expect the pressure to just disappear and understood it, the ones who understand that hard work isn't a phase, it's part of the calling, it's part of being a truck driver. And if that sounds like you, you are exactly where you're supposed to be. And hard work doesn't just eliminate people, it reveals people, it reveals who's here for the long haul and who was only here for the easy stretch, it shows the separation, it reveals who wants professionalism and who wants shortcuts. You can see the defining line down the middle, and it reveals who's willing to carry responsibility when no one's clapping. That is the difference. And so if all of that sounds like you, or if maybe a couple of them sound like you and you're going, yeah, that's where I want to keep heading, and you want to stop cutting corners, or you don't cut corners, and you care about doing things the right way, and you take pride in how you operate, again, I'm glad you're here. Now let's talk about what's happening in the market right now. And I usually don't dive into market metrics because you know I try to focus on what's going on here. But it is very unique time for the industry right now because the truckload rejection index is increasing and it's at 9.5%, which surpasses last year's Christmas peak. And now that's important, it's very important because historically, when the rejection rates move, you know, typically above 8%, it starts to signal the truckload market is having constraint. It's come the capacity is tightening and carriers are gaining leverage. That's really good news for us. And while it's not noticeable enough to be uh say we're pulling out of a recession, it is important to recognize it because it's post-Thanksgiving. Typically, a lot of these surges happen prior to Thanksgiving or prior to Black Friday when everyone's ramping up for their Christmas shopping. But this is telling us something has changed. And you know, it when you start to dive into it and what you think is going on, I think there's a lot, a lot to unpack. But it's hard to tell, you know, if this is just a little blip uh because of some of the compliance capacity tightening up, or if it's the beginning of a transition and we're coming into 2026 with a positive outlook. And you know, here's the honest truth what this freight market still acts is one ingredient, and that is strong demand. So we're very optimistic to hear this. At Kiwi Brothers, we've always tried to find something to separate ourselves, and and through we do that through service, right? That's the keeping relationships strong and delivering high service. And many of our customers demand that it's not just A to B type trucking, you're almost an extension of their business. It's very fun, very stressful at times because you are held to a very high standard. Many of the drivers understand this, you know it, you've been through it, you know what kind of customers I'm talking about. But this is a big opportunity for us. And when you think of some of the sides that could be driving it, right? Let's talk about the English language proficiency. Now, there are DOT officers setting up checkpoints throughout the country, putting drivers out of service that cannot speak English very well or at all, right? So you're put up to a test. If you fail it, you're put out of service. And this is also putting a lot of pressure on those carriers that were running these type of drivers, non-domiciled CDLs. And so you're starting to see a unique shift where let's say carriers are starting to disappear or go out of business because they can't run on the model that they had had with the previous workforce, or drivers are continually getting put out of service, or shippers now are paying extra attention because they do not want their shipment hung out on the side of the road or in an impound lot because the driver was shut down. So that is compounding, and many drivers are getting put out of service. I just read an article that there's a Texas company going out of business. I believe that they had a lot of these non-domicile drivers and it's affecting their business model, and you just can't sustain. It's also winter and there's snow and there's cold. Those coupled with the compliance are making a big impact as well. So very unique time in the market. Not really sure if we should hold on to this and say 2026 is our year, or if this is just a unique 60-day, 30-day period, who knows what it'll be. But it is worth paying attention to. That should be the foundation of what you do. You're a truck driver, your relationship should be with your company, and vice versa. If you are a shipper, you should know your company very well, and you should know their leadership, and you should understand what their business model is and how they try to operate. You need to have that relationship with them because the last thing you want is to find yourself in a situation where you are very close with a carrier that operates in those other wheelhouses and your shipment is now parked in an impound lot. You know, this time of year is very stressful collectively for everyone in this industry. I don't care if you're on a shipper side, you're on a you know, a rental side, you're a salesman, you're a truck driver, you're a dispatcher, you're a customer service rep leadership. It doesn't matter. There's so much that goes on in this 20-day period now that we have left until we get through the new year and you're preparing for Christmas, you're taking care of loose ends at home, you're trying to get home, you're trying to line schedules up, you're trying to host family, or family is coming to you, you're trying to be present while your mind is still on the road, or those bills that are coming, or what's next. You know, is it going to be busy after the new year? Just like I said, sometimes in the open deck industry, we're very, I don't want to say accustomed to, but we're very familiar with the fact that sometimes after new year it's extremely cold, there's a lot of weather, shippers are just getting fired back up because many of them could be closed for a week or four or five days when that's not normal for them. And so all of a sudden now they're trying to get started up and shipments decrease. So there's a lot of pressure that goes on as much as you're trying to decompress and enjoy the time, there's a lot of pressure. And for a lot of people, that pressure just you know isn't just in December, but in December it's compounding. And you know, if that sounds like you and you're you're feeling pulled in 10 different directions, I want you to hear this. You're not behind, you're carrying a responsibility, and again, we're glad you're here. If you're listening to this, super glad you're here because we're all on the same page. And this is why I keep coming back to preparation, not perfection, preparation. And there's a verse that John the Baptist has that really fits this moment. It's a voice of one calling in the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. And that's in the book of Luke. And John wasn't sent to make people feel comfortable, he wasn't sent to entertain, he was sent to prepare. And preparation rarely gets applause, it rarely feels easy, but it gives pressure purpose. And that's why this season feels like in the industry, in our work, and in our lives, there's so much pressure. And if this sounds like you, and you're willing to be redefined, and you're willing to be held to a standard, and you're willing to do the quiet work, you are exactly what this moment is for. Christmas isn't about everything being perfect, it's about being ready in the right way. And sometimes that preparation looks like slowing down a minute. Sometimes it looks like setting some boundaries and whose calls you're taking and who you're spending all that time on the phone with. Sometimes it looks like giving yourself a little grace when things aren't clean, quiet, or even calm. Hard work, preparation, faithfulness when no one's watching, that's not separate from Christmas. That's what leads us to it. And this episode was about acknowledging the weight that everyone carries, the industry weight, the weight of your family, the weight of getting home to your family, the personal weight you carry every single day. And so the next episode, we're gonna slow it down even more. We're gonna reflect. We're gonna talk about what Christmas really means and why this work and this sacrifice that you do and this preparation is not wasted. But before we get there, I want to say this one last time. If you're feeling the pressure and still showing up, we're really glad you're here. Until next time, Keep Trucking Personal.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Thank you for joining us on this episode of Keep Trucking Personal. We appreciate you taking the time to explore the heart and soul of TV Brothers trucking with us. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review to let us know your thoughts. Tune in next time as we continue our journey together, diving deeper into what makes us a community, a catalyst for positive change, and a home for those who aspire to be part of something truly extraordinary. Until then, be truck it, and we'll catch you on the next episode.