Guest: Stefan Heck of Nauto on distracted driving; Coping with surging diesel prices; Cold storage goes high tech

Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY
Guest: Stefan Heck of Nauto on distracted driving; Coping with surging diesel prices; Cold storage goes high tech
Apr 03, 2026 Season 7 Episode 13
AGiLE Business Media

Our guest on this week's episode is Dr. Stefan Heck, CEO and Founder of Nauto. We have turned the calendar to April and many of our listeners may not be aware that April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. From phones to radios to navigation systems, there are many things that can distract drivers as they move down our nation’s roadways. Even professional drivers can be distracted, putting themselves, their loads, and of course other drivers at risk. Senior Editor Victoria Kickham discusses with our guest how extensive the problem of distracted driving is and what can be done to assure greater safety on our roads.

Among the impacts of the war against Iran is the rising cost of oil, with a good bit of the oil the world relies upon stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. That has created uncertainty to energy markets and higher prices per barrel. And in turn, that leads to rising prices at the pump for both gasoline and diesel for drivers on American roads. Senior News Editor Ben Ames takes a look at the impacts of higher diesel prices on America’s trucking fleets.

Rising e-grocery sales and growing investment in domestic food production are fueling demand for cold-storage warehouse space nationwide, and companies are responding in a variety of ways—from building state-of-the-art automated facilities to adding technology that can make existing refrigerated and frozen space easier to manage. Victoria Kickham looked into this trend for a story in our April issue and found a couple of examples that illustrate how quickly—and technologically—the cold storage landscape is changing.


Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes. The podcast is also available at www.thescxchange.com.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:


This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner


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Episode Artwork Guest: Stefan Heck of Nauto on distracted driving; Coping with surging diesel prices; Cold storage goes high tech 24:13 Episode Artwork Guest: Ian Massey of S-RM on the ongoing supply chain impacts from the war against Iran; What is “port proximate” and why is it changing?; Work remains to optimize pharmaceutical supply chains. 21:21 Episode Artwork Guest: Mark Becker of G10 Fulfillment on safe handling and shipping of lithium-ion batteries; Workers experience AI anxiety; The logistics behind hyperscaling data centers. 19:38 Episode Artwork Guest: Mike Van Bree of the American Ladder Institute on safety when working at heights; A cybersecurity collaboration; Sensing your way to a smoother supply chain 20:47 Episode Artwork Guest: Jackson Wood of Descartes on what war in the Middle East means for supply chains; Most warehouses lack needed agility; Is trucking ready for a recovery? 23:00 Episode Artwork Guest: Per Hong of Kearney on tariffs, Iran, and more; The "pandemic echo” affecting parcel fleets; How Agentic AI impacts hiring 23:38 Episode Artwork Guest: Fab Brasca of Kinaxis on who is leading in AI adoption; The top five freight bottlenecks; A new data threat is lurking 20:05 Episode Artwork Guest: Lisa DeNight of Newmark on the industrial real estate market on the rise; Thoughts on improving infrastructure; Striving for fast, dynamic execution 20:22 Episode Artwork Guest: Jake Heldenberg of Vanderlande on automation trends and predictions; Gamification comes to DCs; What’s up with retail? 20:51 Episode Artwork Guest: Suketu Gandhi of Kearney on supply chain takeaways from last week in Davos, Combating missed LTL pickups, Trends in the trucking space 24:40 Episode Artwork Guest: Ronak Amin of HERE Technologies on preventing bridge strikes by trucks; More maritime freight fright; Are humanoid robots ready for prime time? 18:46 Episode Artwork Guest: Tony Bradley of Arizona Trucking Association on freight fraud and non-domiciled drivers; Robots become more human; Hesitancy adopting Agentic AI 18:50 Episode Artwork Guest: Amy Dean of SC Codeworks on tariffs and Foreign Trade Zones; Mixed job reports; Safety standards for humanoid robots 18:30 Episode Artwork Guest: Jason Schenker of Prestige Economics with predictions for supply chains in 2026; Managing risks among shifting policies; Stabilizing your workforce 34:17 Episode Artwork Guest: Bill Catania of OneRail on holiday last mile delivery trends; Prospects for industrial real estate in 2026; Robots to the rescue. 14:48 Episode Artwork Guest: Marc Schaffer on the big rail merger; AI imbeds in the warehouse; The people behind the tech 23:57 Episode Artwork Guest: Kraig Foreman of DHL Supply Chain on expectations for peak season; How transportation feels about AI; The joy of robots 20:53 Episode Artwork Alex Saric from Ivalua on what is holding back tech investments; Thinking small brings agility; The AI disconnect 17:05 Episode Artwork Guest: Noel Thomas of Darkwatch on human trafficking and slave labor within supply chains; Ryder raises awareness; Cargo thieves find clever ways to steal freight 23:05 Episode Artwork Guest: Brodie Sutherland of Patriot Critical Minerals Corp. on securing a domestic supply of critical minerals; Supply chain digitalization becomes a priority; The market expands for self-driving trucks 24:05 Episode Artwork Guest: Abdil Tunca on managing robots; Trucking may get some relief; Demand for industrial real estate surges 21:20 Episode Artwork Guest: Frank Kenney of Cleo on supply chains during the government shutdown; What's in store for peak holiday season?; Trucking hits speed bumps 21:14 Episode Artwork Guest: Amanda Hedberg of Aspire on training workers with disabilities for warehouse jobs; The commercial real estate market; Turning uncertainty into an advantage 22:05 Episode Artwork Guest: Sean Daley of Sphera on shifts in EPA regulations; Creative ways to adapt to tariffs; Chinese robots are on the move 19:24 Episode Artwork Guest: Kathy Fulton of the American Logistics Aid Network on 20 years of being there for others; Tariffs force changes in sourcing; New drivers of e-commerce 27:59