Curtis Spencer of Bloodhound Tracking Device on the rise of cargo thefts; The impacts high fuel prices have on trucking; Effective supply chain planning

Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY
Curtis Spencer of Bloodhound Tracking Device on the rise of cargo thefts; The impacts high fuel prices have on trucking; Effective supply chain planning
Jul 17, 2026 Season 7 Episode 27
AGiLE Business Media

Our guest on this week's episode is Curtis Spencer, CEO of Bloodhound Tracking Device and also CEO of ISM Worldwide. We have been reporting for a couple of years now about the ongoing problem of cargo theft in our supply chains. But now we find that criminals are using artificial intelligence to make their fraudulent schemes even more believable than ever. Our guest talks with Group Editorial Director David Maloney about the problems of cargo theft and what shippers and carriers can do to secure their loads. 

The big story for supply chains this week continues to be the ongoing disruptions caused by the war with Iran and the closure once again of the Strait of Hormuz.  It seems that after nearly five months of back-and-forth airstrikes, things are not getting any better, with fuel prices on the rise once more. Those higher costs makes it more expensive for shippers to buy truckload, less-than-truckload, and parcel freight services. Senior News Editor Ben Ames has the breakdown of how higher prices are impacting costs for shippers using each of those modes.

This week new research from advisory firm Gartner points to the growing demand for flexible supply chain network planning. The company found that 72% of the 151 supply chain leaders they surveyed have had to revisit final approvals for network investment decisions at least once—a process that contributes to delays and can drive up costs and decrease service levels in their supply chain operations. More than half also said they revisited those decisions three or more times, leading to lower satisfaction in the final outcome. Senior Editor Victoria Kickham share how the report breaks down the differences between two types of operational challenges: turbulence and disruption.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode Artwork Curtis Spencer of Bloodhound Tracking Device on the rise of cargo thefts; The impacts high fuel prices have on trucking; Effective supply chain planning 19:32 Episode Artwork Guest: Victor Thomas of Odyssey Logistics on coming Scope 3 requirements; The trucking industry grapples with artificial intelligence; Peak season comes early in 2026 18:29 Episode Artwork Guest: Kathy Fulton of ALAN on disaster response; The market heats up for humanoid robots; Containers lost at sea 22:04 Episode Artwork Guest: Eric Fullerton of project44 on plastic shortages due to oil restrictions; The logistics behind the World Cup; Getting the most from robots and their humans 19:00 Episode Artwork Guest: Andrei Quinn-Barabanov of Moody’s on inflation risks; Growth drives new demands for cobots; A shift in robotic final mile delivery 19:12 Episode Artwork Guest: Jim Mozer of Crown and ITA on forklift safety; Venture capital invests in warehouses; Strengthening global disaster response 18:55 Episode Artwork Guest: Matt Lekstutis of Efficio on China and world trade; The upbeat forklift market; Automation comes to the high seas 22:04 Episode Artwork Guest Hannah Hurckes of Boss Lady Logistics on fallout from the Supreme Court’s broker decision; Gaining “Momentum” with Agentic AI; A robotics acquisition 19:15 Episode Artwork Guest: Patrick Van den Bossche of Kearney on the 2026 Reshoring Index; Will AI take away jobs? Safety in trucking fleets 21:55 Episode Artwork Guest: Omar Qari of Logicbroker on how retailers and brands respond to shifting geopolitical uncertainty; Carton diversity drives sortation designs; China doubles down on robotics 19:59 Episode Artwork Guest: Lisa Dyer of the GPS Innovation Alliance on vulnerabilities of GPS systems; Growing technology gaps; The clever ways thieves steal cargo 25:50 Episode Artwork Guest: Helaine Rich of ePost Global on rising fuel costs; Truck stops work to accommodate women drivers; Changing shopping patterns 16:38 Episode Artwork Guest: Disney Petit on a better way for customer returns; Managing a variety of robots successfully; Autonomous fulfillment advances 21:18 Episode Artwork Guest: Christelle Keefer of A3 on gaps in automation skills; Robot density is growing; Fleets flex in AI 16:19 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