Intermodal Freight, Market Cycles & What's Coming Next | Rick LaGore on Behind The Wheelhouse

In this episode of Behind the Wheelhouse on Trucker Talk Radio, Rick LaGore, co-founder and CEO of InTek Intermodal Logistics, joins Jon and Justin to break down the freight market in a way most people in the industry have never heard before. Rick came into logistics through General Motors and corporate finance, not through traditional brokerage or sales, and that background shapes everything about how he reads the market, talks to shippers, and runs his company.Rick explains the concept he calls the supply-driven freight cycle: unlike every previous cycle he has seen in 37 years, rates are climbing not because demand is surging, but because the FMCSA is aggressively pulling bad actors, fraudulent CDLs, and self-certified ELDs out of the market. That capacity reduction is already pushing rates up 25 to 40 percent, and Rick warns that when real demand finally arrives, the market will be significantly less elastic than anything the industry has experienced before.The conversation dives deep into intermodal: why it is misunderstood, what kills most intermodal programs before they ever get going, and how Rick's team uses intermodal spot rates tracked since 2010 to confirm or deny truckload market turns. He explains the 8-to-12-week lag between truckload signals and intermodal confirmation, and shares that as of mid-April 2026, that confirmation has arrived and rates continue to climb.They also cover cargo theft and freight fraud, the challenge of bringing new owner-operators into a market that shuts them out for their first year, the role AI is already playing in back-office operations, and what autonomous trucks might actually look like in practice, including why Rick sees the dray market as a natural early fit. Rick also plugs his company's educational blog and the Intermodal Podcast for shippers looking to understand the mode before committing to it.Chapters0:00 Intro0:49 Rick's Background and Career Path3:40 Finance Mindset in Freight5:14 Stress: Finance vs. Freight6:47 Work-Life Balance with 5 Kids8:51 How InTek Got Into Intermodal13:04 Why Intermodal Programs Fail15:31 Managing Containers and Accessorial Costs18:01 The Supply-Driven Freight Cycle20:48 Truckload Signals, Intermodal Confirms24:22 COVID Freight Boom and the Wall26:35 Cargo Theft and Freight Fraud30:26 Driver Verification and Accountability34:14 New Owner-Operators and Education Gap37:35 The Next 5 to 10 Years in Trucking42:07 Autonomous Trucks and the Dray Market44:39 Rick's Plug and ClosingFollow Us!X: https://x.com/trucktalkradioIG: https://instagram.com/truckertalkradioTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@truckertalkradioFollow Rick LaGoreLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricklagore/Website: https://intechlogistics.comPodcast: The Intermodal PodcastPowered by Ready AppThe driver-verification platform protecting brokers, carriers, and shippers from identity fraud, onboarding risks, and unsafe hires.Learn more at: https://ready-app.comSupport GreyCross.orgA 501(c)(3) supporting families affected by roadway tragedies across America.Donate at: https://greycross.org#truckertalkradio #behindthewheelhouse #intermodal #freightmarket #truckingpodcast #logistics #supplychain #freightstrategy #truckingindustry #owneroperator #cdldrivers #cargothefit #autonomoustrucks #freightcycles #ricklagore #intekintermodal #truckload #freightbroker