REPOST: Smarter Landside Logistics with Brian Kobza

·35 min·3 clips

At the Super Bowl of intermodal logistics, Brian Kobza reveals what landside logistics means and why it's the economy's overlooked backbone.

The episode opens at the IANA Intermodal Expo 2025 in Long Beach, with host Joe Lynch introducing guest Brian Kobza from IMC Logistics. Kobza defines landside logistics as the movement of international containers from ports or railheads to warehouses or distribution centers, serving beneficial cargo owners like major retailers. He explains IMC's asset-based drayage operations with 2,700 trucks nationwide. The conversation shifts to the state of the industry, where Kobza clarifies it's a freight rate recession, not a volume recession, with import volumes up 3.3% year-to-date but rates stagnant. They discuss margin compression driving risks like cargo theft, cybersecurity threats, and freight fraud, exacerbated by economic pressures. Kobza details IMC's sustainability efforts, including investments in 56 zero-emission trucks (electric and hydrogen) on the West Coast, despite high costs and regulatory uncertainties. The host shares a personal story about nearly falling for freight fraud, highlighting industry vulnerabilities. Kobza emphasizes the importance of the IANA conference for building relationships and advocacy, mentioning the CORCA bill for a national cargo theft registry. He concludes by acknowledging driver appreciation week and the need for continued investment in transportation. The episode wraps with calls to action for listeners to engage with the podcast.

As heard by us

A clear look at why weak freight rates make cleaner equipment and stronger security harder to fund.

Landside logistics gets framed here as a business caught between volume and viability. Imports into the United States are up about 3.3 percent year to date, yet freight rates sit well below pandemic levels and around pre-pandemic levels while provider costs keep climbing.

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Why you'd press play

You want to know why more freight can still leave the people moving it under pressure.

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