The Freight Show

Shawn McLeod, President of Axle Logistics, joins us to share how the Knoxville-based 3PL scaled from $17M to over $1B in revenue. We explore Axle’s “build your empire” culture, their six-week LaunchPad training program, and where they automate without losing the human relationships that drive freight. From hiring and retention to thriving in soft markets, Shawn delivers a playbook any brokerage or ops-heavy business can use.

Chapters:
00:00 — The hard lessons of first-time leadership
03:30 — Axle’s trajectory: from ~$17M to $1B+
07:30 — Culture as strategy: “Build your empire” and loud sales floors
12:00 — Avoiding micro-cultures when scaling offices
16:30 — Hiring at pace: signals that actually matter
22:00 — Training at scale: LaunchPad’s six-week ramp
27:30 — Retention: base vs. commission, fairness, and grind
34:00 — Where to automate first (repeat touches, doc QA, quoting)
41:30 — Keeping the human: when relationships beat automation
47:00 — Surviving soft markets: travel > excuses
52:30 — Leadership evolution and feedback loops


Key Takeaways:
  • Culture is Axle’s #1 growth strategy — lose that, and you lose everything.
  • LaunchPad’s six-week program speeds ramp time and improves throughput.
  • Automate repetitive touches (document checks, quoting) but never the relationship.
  • In down markets, Axle increases customer travel rather than cutting it.
  • Hiring focuses on energy, work history, and coachability — not just interview polish.
Memorable Quotes:
  • “Culture is number one in the strategy for growth.”
  • “Automate the repetitive; never automate the relationship.”
  • “Travel is the last thing you cut in a soft market.”
Links & Resources:
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What is The Freight Show?

The Freight Show brings stories of freight and logistics leaders who’ve shaped the industry. Through in-depth conversations, we explore their journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the insights that have driven their success. Each episode uncovers the lessons, strategies, and wisdom of these freight leaders.