Trucking Matters From Reliance Partners

For this Safety Matters edition of the podcast, we will be focusing on the Controlled Substances and Alcohol BASIC as we continue our series exploring each of the Seven Basics that are part of the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability Enforcement Program. Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega from the Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team will serve as our subject-matter experts as we look at the critical aspects of rules related to ...

Our guest for this Borderless Coverage edition of the Trucking Matters Podcast Series is Kenneth Smith Ramos, who served as the Chief Negotiator of USMCA for Mexico in 2018, playing a key role in the trade agreement’s ratification. In addition to his leadership on USMCA, Kenneth is the former Head of NAFTA from Mexico in Washington D.C. He currently serves as a partner at AGON in Mexico City, which is a full-service antitrust and ...

In this Safety Matters episode of the series, Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team Members Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega return to the podcast to highlight a collection of Case Studies they have compiled related to the work that Reliance Partners has done on behalf of clients navigating the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability Enforcement Program. Thom Albrecht, the Chief Revenue Officer at Reliance Partners, served as the ...

Jerry Maldonado, who is the Chairman of the Board for the Laredo Motor Carrier Association, is our guest for this Borderless Coverage edition of the Trucking Matters Podcast Series. Jerry is also part of the Management Team at Warren Transport, where he is the Director of Laredo and Mexico Operations. Jerry has over 20 years of successful management and leadership experience within the transportation industry, including serving as...

For our first Borderless Coverage episode of 2026, we will be featuring the insights of Martin Rojas, a highly respected subject matter expert with more than 30 years of experience within the cross-border sector of the transportation industry. Martin has followed up nearly 20 years in leadership roles with the American Trucking Associations by serving for the past decade as the Senior Adviser for The Americas with the Internationa...

Ernesto Gaytan, Jr., General Manager of Super Transport International (STI), is our featured guest on this Borderless Coverage edition of the podcast. Ernesto and STI have become respected fixtures in Laredo, Texas, and within the cross-border sector of transportation in and out of Mexico. Ernesto helped lead the effort to establish the Laredo Motor Carriers Association and he is a past President of the LMCA. Ernesto has also serv...

In this Safety Matters edition of the podcast, we will be exploring the Crash Indicators BASIC, and we will be covering practical strategies to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes. We will also discuss the best practices for what drivers should do immediately after an accident and the critical steps motor carriers must take to ensure proper response, documentation and follow-up. Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega from the Relian...

Carlos Sesma, a Senior Partner at the Sesma, Sesma and McNeese Law Firm, connects with Trucking Matters from Mexico City for this Borderless Coverage edition of the podcast. Carlos, who earned the reputation as the top corporate attorney in Mexico for the transportation and logistics sector, is also a partner and co-founder of the Mexico carrier vetting and rating platform, Confianza. As you will hear, Borderless Coverage founder ...

Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega from the Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team serve as our guides for a look inside the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. This Safety Matters episode of our series continues our exploration of the Seven Basics that are part of the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability Enforcement Program. In addition to being our subject-matter experts as we talk through the top violations related to Vehicle Maintenanc...

With the debut episode of our Trucking Matters Borderless Coverage Series, Reliance Partners welcomes Werner Enterprises Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers to discuss a host of topics related to the company’s cross-border operations while exploring the evolution of trade with Mexico since the days of NAFTA. Mark Vickers, an Executive Vice President and the Head of International Logistics at Reliance Partners, is your host of the Bord...

In this Safety Matters edition of our podcast, Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team Members Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega take listeners through a comprehensive look at the Hours of Service regulations as we continue our series examining the Seven BASICS that are part of the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability Enforcement Program. Through their presentation, Mark and Daniel will offer insightful perspectives on the most co...

In this edition of the podcast, Trucking Matters continues our look into the Unsafe Driving BASIC that is part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability enforcement program. Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team members Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega discuss approaches that safety managers and fleet leadership can utilize in working with drivers in preventing violations related to the U...

With this episode, Trucking Matters from Reliance Partners begins our series exploring the Seven BASICs that are covered under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability enforcement program. BASIC is an acronym for Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category. Part 1 of our series will feature the opening segment in a detailed overview of the Unsafe Driving BASIC.

Thom Albrecht,...

Would your trucking company be prepared if the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration notified you that FMCSA would be conducting an audit of your operation? In this episode of the podcast, Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega from the Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team offer a collection of helpful insights on preparing for and surviving an audit by FMCSA. Reliance Partners Chief Revenue Officer Thom Albrecht serves as the host and...

The Eighth Annual Modernization of Cross Border Trade Conference, which is hosted by Reliance Partners, took place in mid-June and it offered a number of valuable insights on what’s happening with cross-border trade between the U.S. and Mexico. Mark Vickers, the Executive Vice President of International Operations for Reliance Partners, started the conference eight years ago and he has championed its growth and evolution through t...

Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team Members Mark Barlar and Daniel Vega return to the podcast to continue the discussion on the guidance related to the decision by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to make English language proficiency an out-of-service violation. In this episode of the podcast, Mark and Daniel will be responding to questions submitted by the audience members who attended the Safety Matters Webinar that Relia...

In this Safety Matters edition of the podcast, we are joined by two members of the Reliance Partners Safety Impact Team to discuss the recent decision by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to make English language proficiency an out-of-service violation. The guidance from CVSA follows the announcement that the Federal Motor Safety Carrier Administration is ramping up enforcement of English language proficiency requirements for...

In our debut episode for our 2025 season, Trucking Matters will be providing listeners with a preview of what you can expect when Reliance Partners hosts the eighth annual Modernization of Cross-Border Trade Conference in Laredo, Texas, on June 17th. Trucking Matters Podcast host Thom Albrecht, who is also the Chief Revenue Officer at Reliance Partners, welcomes Mark Vickers to the podcast. Mark is the Executive Vice President of ...

In this episode of the Trucking and Safety Matters podcast, hosted by Tom Albrecht, Chief Revenue Officer at Reliance Partners, the focus is on cross-border trade and the role it will play in the future of logistics. Our guest is Mark Vickers, who is the Executive Vice President and Head of International Logistics at Reliance Partners. As you will hear, Mark discusses the evolution of the Seventh Annual Modernization of Cross Bord...