“The future of logistics isn’t about more trains or trucks – it’s about erasing the line between them.”
In today’s episode of BitBuilders, we had Kevin Damoa, founder of Glid, who’s revolutionizing freight transport by tackling the industry’s biggest pain point: the costly and time-consuming transload process between rail and road.
From fighting fires in California to designing rocket transport systems at SpaceX, Kevin brings unique insights into why our current logistics infrastructure is holding back American manufacturing and how automation could transform port communities.
Tune in to learn about:
✅ Why transloading a single container can cost up to $2,500 and add weeks to shipping times
✅ How ports like Rotterdam handle 3x the capacity of U.S. ports through automation
✅ Why trains won’t move until they’re 2 miles long (and what that means for your shipping costs)
✅ The untold story of how poor infrastructure affects port-adjacent communities
—–
Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:30 Introduction to Kevin Damoa
05:53 Military Logistics Experience
09:05 Transitioning to SpaceX
15:39 Life After SpaceX
22:24 The Birth of Glide
27:01 Challenges in American Rail Infrastructure
29:54 The Glide Vehicle Design
35:16 Future Applications and Industries for Glide
35:18 Partnerships and Initial Use Cases
37:34 Business Model and Pricing Strategy
40:45 Challenges in Execution and Regulation
42:55 Building a Mission-Driven Team
46:18 Social Issues in Logistics and Labor
50:54 Future of Automation in Ports
54:20 Innovations in Freight and Passenger Rail
1:02:10 Vision for Glide in the Next Decade
1:05:31 Advice for Founders in Hard Industries
