On Oct 29th, Nussbaum held its 11th Road Captain summit. Thank you to all the attendees for an insightful day of discussion and collaboration! Below are some key themes and takeaways we collected from the event.

Summit Summary

The summit highlighted strong driver trust in leadership, enthusiasm for NTECH innovations, and improved ESOP understanding. Key concerns included planning transparency, home-time quality, and persistent technology issues. Action items focus on better communication workflows, tablet reliability fixes, and clearer ESOP education.

Fall 2025 Road Captain Summit – Themes & Takeaways

Positive Driver Feedback & What’s Going Well

Strong Culture & Trust in Leadership

• Drivers repeatedly expressed appreciation for Nussbaum’s openness and transparency in discussions.
• Many noted pride in working for a company where their feedback is heard and acted upon.
• Road Captains specifically said the atmosphere of mutual respect was “the best it has ever been.”

NTECH, Innovation, & Digital Tools

• High excitement about NTECH’s progress and future direction.
• Digital permit book is extremely well-received—DOT officers compliment its clarity and ease of use.
• Drivers believe NTECH positively influences the ESOP and strengthens the company’s future.

ESOP Engagement & Profit Sharing Clarity

• RCs show the strongest ESOP understanding to date and actively use it as a recruiting tool.
• Drivers appreciate the visibility of profit sharing and the ability to track historical performance.

Operational Improvements

• New DEF kiosk at Channahon and 24/7 breakdown support were major wins that received loud praise.
• SYS3 communication was called out as a positive example of good planner– driver transparency.
• Visible, honest pre-plans (even if they change) create trust.

Morning Speakers – Themes & Takeaways

Market Conditions, Freight, & Growth

• Market is stabilizing but still tight; drivers are concerned about how adding 30 trucks will affect:
  • Miles per driver
  • Hiring standards
  • Turnover
  • The family-focused culture
• Turnover concerns centered on home time, miles, and pay competitiveness with home-daily alternatives.

Planning, Load Management & Safety

• Hidden loads and inconsistent midweek planning remain top frustrations.
• Safety technologies (Detroit Assurance, RVS, Safespeed) were received cautiously but positively when explained with clear safety value.
• Big excitement for facility improvements, especially the new DEF kiosk and inspection lane education (40% find DOT issues).

ESOP & NTECH Understanding

• ESOP is widely appreciated, but newer drivers want help connecting daily performance to share value.
• Drivers asked for clearer explanations of:
  • Diversification
  • Timing of price protection
  • How NTECH revenue impacts ESOP
• NTECH’s tools (BidRight, digital permits) were seen as meaningful operational advancements.

Fuel Optimizer, IFTA & Operational Clarity

• Many misunderstandings were cleared up around:
• Why the optimizer chooses certain stops
• How taxes factor into fuel pricing
• Why dynamic fuel pricing may adjust mid-trip
• Drivers appreciated hearing the logic behind these decisions.

Afternoon Breakout Sessions – Themes & Takeaways

Planning, Workflow & Communication

• Load splits must generate a phone call—not just a LoadBot message.
• Drivers want:
  • Visibility into who changed an ETA and why
  • 3–5 preplans when possible
  • Clear communication earlier when a load has tight timing
• Hidden loads create stress and erode trust—drivers strongly prefer visibility over
• perfection.

Home Time Quality, Fatigue & Turnover

• The strongest theme of the entire summit:
• Home time quality matters far more than home time quantity.
• Daylight at home dramatically changes how “rested” a weekend feels.
• Many drivers feel they’ve shifted from 1–2-day weekends to mostly 34-hour
• resets.
• Drivers want planners/DMs to proactively monitor burnout and plan restorative
• weekends.

Technology & Tablet Performance

• Persistent issues: GPS drops, audio failures, LiNK slow to unlock, PrePass restarts.
• Drivers view these as both operational and safety risks.
• Most drivers are open to AI ETA calls if:
  • The reason is clear
  • It supplements human communication
  • It is optional
• Strong interest in hands-free voice messaging during driving.

ESOP, Profit Sharing & NTECH (Finance Breakouts)

• Drivers want simpler explanations of how:
  • Daily behavior → operaƟonal efficiency → ESOP value
  • Scorecard → bonus mulƟplier → quarterly payout
• Interest in seeing projected bonus ranges.
• NTECH continues to be seen as a strategic advantage.

Potential Ideas Captured

• Weekly Home Time Rating (thumbs-up/down + quick note)
• Interactive ETA confirmation workflow in LiNK
• More transparent preplan visibility with “tentative” indicators
• Hands-free voice messaging through tablets
• Clear “ownership tags” for ETA or load changes
• ESOP education re-designed in a simple, driver-centric format

Action Items to Consider

• Strengthen planning & communication workflow, especially around splits and tight windows
• Prioritize tablet reliability fixes (GPS/audio/PrePass stability)
• Build home-time planning guidelines emphasizing daylight hours and burnout prevention
• Improve visibility into load sourcing, ETA ownership, and planner/DM roles
• Provide clear, simple ESOP and profit-sharing education

Thank you for reading! With any questions, please contact Brendon Nussbaum (brendon.nussbaum@nussbaum.com).