Former ‘What the Truck!?!’ Host Sues FreightWaves Parent
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The former host of the “What the Truck!?!” podcast has filed a lawsuit against FreightWaves parent company Firecrown Media, claiming the firm abruptly terminated his employment, withheld promised bonuses, attempted to enforce a disputed noncompete agreement and destroyed thousands of dollars’ worth of his personal property.
The complaint, filed Aug. 26 in , accuses Firecrown of breach of contract, conversion of property and bad-faith conduct surrounding ’s departure from the “What the Truck!?!” podcast. Dooner is seeking declaratory judgments invalidating restrictive covenants, damages for unpaid compensation and recovery of personal items he says were wrongfully discarded.
According to the lawsuit, Dooner and Firecrown CEO Craig Fuller met July 7 and agreed to a “soft exit” in which Dooner would remain through the end of July to help transition to a new host. The complaint states that Fuller told Dooner he would be “free and clear” of any obligations afterward.
The next morning, however, Firecrown terminated him immediately, citing unspecified “misconduct” related to his communications with industry contacts about his planned departure. The company did not provide supporting details, according to the filing.
Days later, Firecrown delivered what it said was an “Employment Covenants Agreement” binding Dooner to nonsolicitation and noncompetition restrictions. Dooner disputes ever signing the agreement and challenges its authenticity, alleging the document contains inconsistencies and lacks digital authentication materials. He further claims that even if the agreement were valid, its restrictions are overly broad, void under Tennessee law and inapplicable to his role as a podcast host.
The lawsuit says Dooner never solicited sponsors, managed sales or accessed proprietary data. “What the Truck!?!” was distributed free to the public, and Dooner’s compensation was unrelated to sponsorship revenue, the complaint states. Firecrown nevertheless threatened to sue him if he engaged in competing freight media work, which Dooner argues has impaired his ability to secure new employment.
In addition to the dispute over restrictive covenants, Dooner alleges Firecrown failed to pay bonuses promised under an Executive Compensation Program established in January 2024. The program allegedly entitled him to quarterly $10,000 bonuses if revenue goals were met, plus an accelerator equal to 1% of revenue above targets.
Dooner claims he never received a single bonus and that Firecrown refused to provide financial records to verify whether goals were met. The complaint says the company asserted the incentive program had been canceled earlier in 2025, but Dooner disputes this, pointing to a June 20 internal communication from Firecrown’s head of sales acknowledging he was owed a bonus.
The lawsuit further accuses Firecrown of wrongfully destroying or concealing Dooner’s personal property left on company premises after his termination. The items, which he values at about $3,500, included memorabilia, gifts and collectibles from industry colleagues.
Firecrown’s general counsel initially directed Dooner to retrieve his belongings by Aug. 1, then extended the deadline to Aug. 15. When Dooner arrived on that date, he was given only one item and told the rest had been discarded. The lawsuit states that days later, Dooner observed several of his belongings, including a yellow robot, a Flexport model plane and toy trucks, displayed on the “What the Truck!?!” set. Firecrown has not clarified which items were destroyed and which remain in its possession, according to the filing.
Dooner is seeking damages for the alleged breach of contract, compensation for the lost property, punitive damages for what the lawsuit describes as willful and wanton conduct and a court order for the return of any remaining belongings.
The counts listed in the lawsuit include:
- Declaratory judgment on the authenticity, validity and enforceability of the Employment Covenants Agreement.
- Declaratory judgment on the scope of restrictive covenants.
- Breach of contract over unpaid bonuses.
- Conversion of personal property.
- Recovery of personal property under Tennessee law.
The case also provides background on Firecrown, describing it as a media company built on a “content-to-commerce” model focused on affluent hobbyists and enthusiasts, in contrast to FreightWaves, the logistics media company previously associated with “What the Truck!?!” Fuller is listed in the lawsuit as CEO of both Firecrown and FreightWaves.
The complaint states that Firecrown has “scaled back its media presence significantly” over the past year, noting that all but two on-air personalities have left or been terminated and its editorial staff has been substantially reduced.
FreightWaves is a competitor to Transport Topics.
Dooner, who began producing freight-related media in 2010 and joined FreightWaves in 2019 after interviewing Fuller, had continued to host “What the Truck!?!” after Firecrown’s acquisition of the podcast in 2024. His duties remained the same until his termination, the lawsuit states.
[Update: 6:55 p.m.] A spokesperson for Firecrown provided the following statement: “The claims in the complaint are completely false and riddled with one untruth after another.
“In addition, Craig Fuller and his management team will not acknowledge or tolerate any of the extortive and accusatory rhetoric that is on record and has been going on for several weeks now.
“His stellar reputation in the industry for decades speaks to his highest ethical standards, integrity and transparency both personally and professionally.
“It is extremely unfortunate that a few individuals have nothing better to do than spreading malicious falsehoods about Mr. Fuller and many others.”
Editor’s note: The author worked for FreightWaves from July 2021 to July 2024.
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