Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Freight is one of the biggest sources of supply chain emissions — so why is it still treated as an afterthought?
In this episode of the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast, I’m joined by Jared Spude, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at Breakthrough, to unpack why freight has become sustainability’s blind spot — and why that’s now a direct risk to cost, resilience, and competitiveness.
Jared has spent over a decade working across freight, fuel, and sustainability, helping shippers make smarter, data-driven decisions at the intersection of cost, service, and carbon. And the timing matters. Cost pressure is back. Tariff volatility is creating paralysis. Regulation is shifting. Yet freight remains one of the fastest, most practical levers companies have to cut emissions without blowing up budgets.
In this conversation, you’ll hear how empty miles alone account for roughly 12% of freight emissions, and why fixing them is far harder in practice than it looks on paper. We break down why rail and intermodal — despite offering up to 70% emissions reductions — are still massively underused. And you might be surprised to learn that many organisations are already paying for cleaner freight today… they’re just not measuring it, or taking credit for it.
We also dig deep into Scope 3, why ton-mile accounting can mislead growing businesses, and how leading shippers are using data, visibility, and long-term carrier partnerships to turn sustainability from a reporting exercise into a resilient operating model. No silver bullets. Just stackable wins that compound over time.
What’s your take? Let me know in the comments 👇
⸻
🎧 Listen & Subscribe
🔗 Podcast site: sustainablesupplychainpodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe on YouTube for weekly episodes on supply chain resilience, sustainability, and risk
⏱️ Timestamps below for easy navigation
⸻
🎙️ Guest
Jared Spude
VP, Enterprise Solutions — Breakthrough
🌐 breakthroughfuel.com
🔗 linkedin.com/in/jaredspude
⸻
2️⃣ Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Why intermodal is “low-hanging fruit”
00:19 – Welcome to the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast
00:30 – Jared Spude on Breakthrough’s freight & sustainability focus
03:00 – Why freight became sustainability’s blind spot
04:20 – The “levers” trade-off: cost, service, carbon
05:27 – Empty miles and why fixing them is so hard
07:04 – Why rail and intermodal are still underused
08:12 – Europe vs the US on electrified rail
09:15 – Electric trucks, infrastructure, and reality checks
11:03 – Is cost now the biggest blocker to sustainability?
12:06 – Tariffs, volatility, and decision paralysis
14:46 – Low-cost ways to cut freight emissions today
17:32 – “If you’re not optimising intermodal, you’re dead wrong”
19:21 – Why only 14% screen carriers for clean tech
21:44 – Scope 3: where to start and what most get wrong
24:02 – Real-world win: RNG fleets and 20% emissions cuts
25:48 – What freight sustainability looks like over the next 5 years
27:35 – Policy vs technology: what really unlocks progress
30:16 – One action every supply chain leader can take tomorrow
31:21 – The “Carbon Man” moment
33:20 – Final thoughts on partnerships and resilience
Freight is one of the biggest sources of supply chain emissions — so why is it still treated as an afterthought?
In this episode of the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast, I’m joined by Jared Spude, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at Breakthrough, to unpack why freight has become sustainability’s blind spot — and why that’s now a direct risk to cost, resilience, and competitiveness.
Jared has spent over a decade working across freight, fuel, and sustainability, helping shippers make smarter, data-driven decisions at the intersection of cost, service, and carbon. And the timing matters. Cost pressure is back. Tariff volatility is creating paralysis. Regulation is shifting. Yet freight remains one of the fastest, most practical levers companies have to cut emissions without blowing up budgets.
In this conversation, you’ll hear how empty miles alone account for roughly 12% of freight emissions, and why fixing them is far harder in practice than it looks on paper. We break down why rail and intermodal — despite offering up to 70% emissions reductions — are still massively underused. And you might be surprised to learn that many organisations are already paying for cleaner freight today… they’re just not measuring it, or taking credit for it.
We also dig deep into Scope 3, why ton-mile accounting can mislead growing businesses, and how leading shippers are using data, visibility, and long-term carrier partnerships to turn sustainability from a reporting exercise into a resilient operating model. No silver bullets. Just stackable wins that compound over time.
What’s your take? Let me know in the comments 👇
⸻
🎧 Listen & Subscribe
🔗 Podcast site: sustainablesupplychainpodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe on YouTube for weekly episodes on supply chain resilience, sustainability, and risk
⏱️ Timestamps below for easy navigation
⸻
🎙️ Guest
Jared Spude
VP, Enterprise Solutions — Breakthrough
🌐 breakthroughfuel.com
🔗 linkedin.com/in/jaredspude
⸻
2️⃣ Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Why intermodal is “low-hanging fruit”
00:19 – Welcome to the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast
00:30 – Jared Spude on Breakthrough’s freight & sustainability focus
03:00 – Why freight became sustainability’s blind spot
04:20 – The “levers” trade-off: cost, service, carbon
05:27 – Empty miles and why fixing them is so hard
07:04 – Why rail and intermodal are still underused
08:12 – Europe vs the US on electrified rail
09:15 – Electric trucks, infrastructure, and reality checks
11:03 – Is cost now the biggest blocker to sustainability?
12:06 – Tariffs, volatility, and decision paralysis
14:46 – Low-cost ways to cut freight emissions today
17:32 – “If you’re not optimising intermodal, you’re dead wrong”
19:21 – Why only 14% screen carriers for clean tech
21:44 – Scope 3: where to start and what most get wrong
24:02 – Real-world win: RNG fleets and 20% emissions cuts
25:48 – What freight sustainability looks like over the next 5 years
27:35 – Policy vs technology: what really unlocks progress
30:16 – One action every supply chain leader can take tomorrow
31:21 – The “Carbon Man” moment
33:20 – Final thoughts on partnerships and resilience
