Episode 87: From Coyote Grit To Cross-Border Hustle with Rich Krul

Rich Krul didn’t plan on ending up in logistics. He didn’t plan on launching his own brokerage. And he definitely didn’t plan on starting a company right before a freight recession. But that’s how the best stories start.

In this episode, I sit down with Rich Krul, co-founder and CEO of Hoplite Logistics, to unpack his freight journey — from growing up in Michigan and chasing sales leads in LA, to leading 250+ reps at Coyote, launching a carrier sales rebuild at Traffic Tech, and eventually starting Hoplite alongside his co-founder Brian.

Rich’s story is packed with freight lessons, leadership missteps, underdog grit, and hard-won wisdom on building teams, betting on yourself, and keeping service at the center — especially when you’re small.

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