F3: Future of Freight Festival

Nominations for the eighth annual 2027 FreightTech Awards will officially open this coming Monday, June 29, 2026.

FreightWaves will host its annual Future of Freight Festival (F3) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, culminating in the prestigious 2027 FreightTech Awards dinner.

At FreightWaves’ 2025 F3: Future of Freight Festival, Zach Jecklin, Chief Information Officer at Echo Global Logistics, sat down with FreightWaves to discuss the changing landscape of AI and its place in the modern transportation and logistics space.

FreightWaves’ Thomas sits down with Jeff Starr, senior vice president of marketplace solutions at Echo Global Logistics, to talk about trends in freight fraud and what Echo does to stay ahead of bad actors.

Pratham Bansal of Lanesurf shares how their AI platform (trained by freight brokers and carriers) is making load booking possible within 10 minutes with vetted carriers during their tech demo at the 2025 F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

At this year’s F3: Future of Freight Festival, Sope Creek Capital Founder Kevin Nolan sat down with FreightWaves’ Founder Craig Fuller to talk about the kinds of startups that succeed in the current logistics landscape.

The U.S. maritime industry faces challenges and opportunities in global trade and shipbuilding, the former chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission tells F3: The Future of Freight Festival.

This year’s F3: Future of Freight Festival will bring back rapid-fire demos, high-tech exhibits, engaging discussions with thought-provoking speakers, market insights, fun networking experiences, live music and more, but this time totally reimagined to fully immerse you in a festival atmosphere with more venues, experiences, and Chattanooga vibes. Join the greatest minds in the industry Oct. 21-22, 2025, for the largest festival in freight.

This year’s F3: Future of Freight Festival will bring back rapid-fire demos, high-tech exhibits, engaging discussions with thought-provoking speakers, market insights, fun networking experiences, live music and more, but this time totally reimagined to fully immerse you in a festival atmosphere with more venues, experiences and Chattanooga vibes. Join the greatest minds in the industry Oct. 21-22, 2025, for the largest festival in freight.

This year’s F3: Future of Freight Festival will bring back rapid-fire demos, high-tech exhibits, engaging discussions with thought-provoking speakers, market insights, fun networking experiences, live music and more, but this time totally reimagined to fully immerse you in a festival atmosphere with more venues, experiences and Chattanooga vibes. Join the greatest minds in the industry Oct. 21-22, 2025, for the largest festival in freight.

This year’s F3: Future of Freight Festival will bring back rapid-fire demos, high-tech exhibits, engaging discussions with thought-provoking speakers, market insights, fun networking experiences, live music and more, but this time totally reimagined to fully immerse you in a festival atmosphere with more venues, experiences and Chattanooga vibes. Join the greatest minds in the industry Oct. 21-22, 2025, for the largest festival in freight.

Check out the full list of winners.

Leading policy and technology experts will deliver keynotes.

Doug Waggoner, CEO of Echo Global Logistics, discusses the strategy of accepting risk losses on contract freight in order to remain in good standing with shippers and take advantage of higher margins in the spot market.

Now on demand Dooner is Liver from F3 Day 3 with e2open, WireBee, Transfix

Freight asset intelligence platform GenLogs is now using its carrier identification data to help law enforcement solve thefts.

Josh Allen, chief commercial officer at ITS Logistics, spoke Thursday about investments the logistics industry should make in 2025 to develop their companies and workforce.

Trucking industry experts weighed in during a debate at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival on whether there is a driver shortage or a driver retention problem.

Innovative Logistics Group’s Adam Wingfield says new enforcement power over truckers with drug violations could be a freight capacity game-changer.

Bill Driegert, head of trucking at Flexport, spoke Wednesday at the F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, about technology that is transforming the trucking industry.

To come together, the logistics industry’s propensity toward competition will have to give way to an overarching spirit of collaboration, J.B. Hunt President and CEO Shelley Simpson said at the F3: Future of Freight Festival.

After a pullback in lending from private equity- and VC-backed firms investing in supply chain tech after the COVID pandemic, Benjamin Gordon, founder and managing partner of Cambridge Capital, says there’s been a resurgence in strategic M&A.

Now on demand Dooner is coming to you live from F3 with Samantha Foley; Prasad Gollapalli; Jordan Kidd

FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival continued into its second day with more rapid-fire FreightTech demos on Wednesday.

The Port of Los Angeles posted record container volume in October on resilient consumer spending and a strong economy.

Trucking companies like less regulation, and that’s what they’ll get under a Trump administration. But executives should be careful what they wish for, experts at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival said.

Speaking at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival, John Larkin, senior partner at Venture 53, discusses what he looks for in an early stage company.

Data platform now provides LTL rates by class and intermodal contract rates by lane.

Covenant Logistics Group CEO David Parker predicted at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival on Wednesday that there will be year-over-year peak season growth in the trucking industry. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

At an in-person State of Freight, FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller and SONAR Director of Freight Market Intelligence Zach Strickland talked about why they think the freight market has turned.

Nikola Corp. leader Ryan Clayton said the rising demand for hydrogen could require as many as 50 fueling stations in the next three years to meet the need.

FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival saw speedy demos from over a dozen industry innovators sporting all kinds of FreightTech.

Dan Lewis, co-founder and former CEO of Convoy Inc., discussed the rise and fall of the digital freight brokerage he helped create and the lessons he learned along the way on Tuesday at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ CEO Shelley Simpson encourages transportation leaders to solve the industry’s challenges through partnerships at F3 on Tuesday.

‘Business Wars’ host David Brown talks about supply chains and success stories at FreightWaves’ Future of Freight Festival.

This year’s F3: Future of Freight Festival will pull into the heart of Freight Alley in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nov. 19-21.

WHAT THE TRUCK?!?’s guide to FreightWaves’ F3

Are you a marketing mastermind ready to showcase your skills and win big? The inaugural Marketing and Media Summit at F3: Future of Freight Festival is offering a chance to do just that.

In the rapidly evolving logistics industry, the integration of cutting-edge technologies into the TMS is proving to be a game-changing force. The trend is already revolutionizing productivity and reshaping freight logistics.

The changing freight media landscape was on full display at the F3: Future of Freight Festival last week in Chattanooga Tennessee, as influencers, salespeople, presenters and executives intermingled during and after the events.

Former FBI negotiator Chris Voss tells listeners at the F3: Future of Freight Festival about using hostage negotiation tactics in business deals.

The pandemic hype about $4-per-mile truck rates lasting forever crashed to earth in the past year, leaving disillusioned small carriers looking to get out.

At the F3: Future of Freight Festival, strategic adviser Alan Gershenhorn explained how market changes are affecting different transport modes.

Consumer spending is likely to decline in the coming months, adding to weak freight conditions.

A fireside chat with Emerge CEO Andrew Leto discussed leadership, planning and resilience at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival.

This year’s list saw a sizable shake-up, with 17 newcomers and a high number of mainstays being left off the FreightTech 25.

Greater speed is a highlight of the new interface for FreightWaves SONAR introduced at the F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga. 

Leland Miller, CEO of China Beige Book, spoke with FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller about ongoing supply chain issues, geopolitical tensions and financial risks in China at F3: Future of Freight Festival on Wednesday.

XPO Executive Chairman Brad Jacobs participated in a town hall on Day 2 of the F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

FreightWaves showcases SONAR flatbed data at the F3: Future of Freight Festival.

In a keynote address to the F3 conference, Alex Epstein laid out the case for continued fossil fuel use.

Now on demand on WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by Matt Zimmer; Andrew Culhane; Justin Bailie; Chad Eichelberger; Ronald Ramsey; more

A fireside chat about Convoy’s demise and impact helped kick off FreightWaves’ three-day F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller sees bad signs from banks — and trouble ahead for brokers — as he looks to the first quarter of next year.

In this edition: The rise of bankruptcy in brokerages, the first day of F3 and pilots find new homes.

J.B. Hunt and BNSF Railway announce the launch of a new customized intermodal offering at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival 2023.

DHL Supply Chain is placing bets on different emerging technologies to get a “green” fleet.

Rosemary Coates, executive director of the Reshoring Institute, offers insights into supply chain issues during a keynote address Thursday at the FreightWaves F3: Future of Freight Festival.

Diesel inventories are “running on fumes,” according to an industry expert Wednesday at FreightWaves’ Future of Freight Festival, but the week’s stock report was encouraging.

Journalist and bestselling author John Ibbitson’s keynote presentation kicked off the second day of the FreightWaves F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Wednesday.

A dozen and a half companies presented their latest FreightTech solutions on the first day of the Future of Freight Festival.

Anthony Smith and Zach Strickland talk inflation and outsourcing in this special live session at FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival.

FreightWaves’ Future of Freight Festival 2022 is just around the corner — check out these exciting companies on the demo stage.

An overview of F:3 Future of Freight Festival, Day 3.

La experiencia inmersiva tendrá lugar del 1 al 3 de noviembre de 2022

An overview of Day 2 of F3: Future of Freight Festival.

An overview of Day 1 of F3: Future of Freight Festival.

An overview of F3: Future of Freight Festival and the key speakers.

Convoy co-founder and CEO Dan Lewis sat down with FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller for a fireside chat at Thursday’s F3 Virtual Experience.

Schneider aims to “eradicate manual processes and paper because it is completely inefficient,” said Erin Van Zeeland, group senior vice president and general manager of logistics services at the company.

WTT live from day 2 at F3 with guests from Daimler, ArcBest, Reliance Partners, Lean Solutions Group and DF Dedicated Fleet

Go behind the scenes at F3 with Dooner in this edition of the WTT newsletter

What makes visibility systems useful for supply chains is when it flows that information into a company’s planning systems, says Kevin O’Meara, vice president of integrated supply chain at Shaw Industries Group.

FreightTech companies demonstrated products and services designed to improve efficiency in supply chains.

Keynote speakers, fireside chats, live interviews, product demos, award presentations — and the unveiling of a game-changing SONAR product — are on the agenda.

Back at FreightWaves after a more than monthlong fight against COVID, I thank CEO Craig Fuller for moving the F3: Future of Freight Festival online.

After careful consideration and input from numerous sources, we can’t in good faith host the in-person event knowing the risk this virus poses.

FreightWaves raised $16 million to support its Carbon Intelligence platform.

Founders Camp, the Dynamo-powered event for founders and startup companies, will take place in November alongside FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga.

Remember in your pitch that your customer — not you, the company or your solution — is the hero.

FreightWaves is bringing back its in-person events this year with the F3: Future of Freight Festival in November, celebrating all things freight in a communitywide celebration throughout the city of Chattanooga.