Plus, a cabless autonomous truck just raised $24M, non-domiciled CDLs rules need clarifying, CSX posts a 26% profit jump while watching the UP-NS merger closely, and more in today's newsletter.
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ICYMI: FreightCaviar is travelling across the U.S. Here's what the first three weeks have looked like: Sponsor meetups, subscriber photo shoots, premieres, truck stops, Elk Grove to Phoenix, and more. FOMO starts now.
Plus: regulators crack down on crooked brokers, Echo expands into Monterrey, CDL testing scam leads to more jail time, and more in today’s newsletter.
TGIF. President Trump’s new 25% tariff on heavy truck imports has the industry split: will it actually bite, or just fuel confusion? We break it down in today's feature.
Plus,
⚖️ Regulators Are Going After Crooked Freight Brokers. FMCSA is overhauling its National Consumer Complaint Database to include broker-related violations for the first time. The system, which processes 25,000–30,000 complaints annually, will now allow drivers to report brokers misrepresenting operations, working under false names, or operating without authority or insurance. OOIDA’s Todd Spencer said the old system failed to protect drivers from coercion and fraud, calling the upgrade “long overdue.” Brokers also support the change but stress that enforcement will be key. DOT said this is the first phase of modernization, with a name change coming to make the database more trucking-focused.
🌎 Echo Global Opens Monterrey Office. Echo Global Logistics has opened a new office in Monterrey to strengthen cross-border operations as nearshoring accelerates. The office will provide multimodal services, including LTL, intermodal, refrigerated transport, and customs support. Echo executives highlighted Monterrey’s central role in Mexico’s “golden triangle” of industrial hubs, offering quick access to Laredo. U.S.–Mexico trade hit $507 billion through mid-2025, up 21% year over year, with Monterrey drawing record foreign investment. Echo President Troy Ryley said tariffs have had little impact, noting demand for integrated logistics solutions is surging as shippers seek faster, more resilient supply chains closer to U.S. markets.
🚨 Jail Time for 2 More in CDL Testing Scam in Massachusetts. Two more defendants in Massachusetts’ CDL fraud scheme were sentenced, bringing convictions to four. Eric Mathison received one year and a day for bribing a state trooper with drinks and snacks in exchange for passing scores. Trucking instructor Scott Camara was sentenced to one month for conspiring to falsify records. Prosecutors said unqualified applicants, including troopers, were granted CDLs without completing road tests, maneuvers, or air brake exams. Former State Police Sergeant Gary Cederquist, the scheme’s ringleader, awaits sentencing in October after his conviction for falsifying records. Prosecutors argue the conspiracy knowingly put unqualified drivers on U.S. roads.
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President Trump announced that starting October 1, his administration will impose a 25% tariff on all imported heavy trucks.
The move, framed as protection for U.S. manufacturers like Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, and Mack, is being sold as a national security measure to keep American truckers “financially healthy and strong.”
The catch is that most Class 8 trucks sold in the U.S. are built in Mexico and Canada. What's unclear is whether those cross-border builds will be hit with the tariff.
Matt Silver, Co-Founder and CEO of Cargado, argues the impact could be "close to zero" if USMCA protections hold.
At the same time, Scott Oliphant, a Louisiana truck dealer, points out that under section 232, Mexico and Canada are still included, so U.S. fleets would feel the pinch.
In May, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) cautioned that truck-specific tariffs under section 232 could compound earlier cost pressures on fleets.
They estimated a tariff on Mexican-built Class 8 trucks could push average retail prices from $170,000 to $224,000 per unit, a level “simply cost-prohibitive for the vast majority of trucking companies.”
Tariff or not, the truck market is already in retreat. August Class 8 sales hit a new cycle low of 0.42M SAAR units, per ACT Research. Fleets have pulled back on orders, spooked by weak freight demand, tighter credit, and sky-high operating costs.
A 25% tariff only adds uncertainty. Some carriers are reportedly rushing orders before October 1. Others are preparing to sweat their aging tractors a few more years, which raises maintenance costs and puts more risk on the road.
Meanwhile, FreightWaves published an editorial suggesting a permanent cap of 225,000 for-hire carriers in the U.S., essentially locking the market from further fragmentation.
Michigan State Supply Chain Professor Jason Miller blasted the idea as “highly flawed,” pointing out that while the number of carriers has increased since 2020, total capacity is actually lower. Capping carriers, he argues, would choke off one of the few mechanisms left to balance supply when demand returns.
This proposal, combined with a potential 25% tariff on Mexico-made trucks, would be a double blow: fewer trucks entering the market, and fewer small carriers left to call on.
For now, uncertainty still reigns.
Shippers are watching. They want to know which 3PLs are actually making the critical tech investments that will keep their freight safe.
GenLogs is the only platform that offers full visibility and compliance with a nationwide network of cameras that capture all truck traffic and patterns. Brokers using GenLogs have cut theft to near zero* and increased both customer acquisition and satisfaction.
🤖 Kodiak AI IPO. Autonomous truck developer Kodiak AI went public on the Nasdaq after its merger with Ares Acquisition Corp II, raising $212.5 million in capital from investors as a result of the merger. The company is now valued at $2.5 billion.
❄️ Sisters Found in Trailer. Two sisters discovered in a refrigerated trailer after a crash in Utah told investigators it wasn’t their first smuggling attempt. The driver now faces felony charges for transporting undocumented immigrants.
📉 Freight Volumes Cool. Truckload volumes dipped in August as earlier tariff-driven frontloading faded. Global shipping also faces “stormy seas” with slowing trade and rising costs pressuring carriers ahead of peak season.
🖥️ McLeod Revamps UI. McLeod Software launched a redesigned user interface with AI-enabled tools. The update focuses on faster navigation, predictive analytics, and integrated automation for carriers, brokers, and shippers.
📦 UPS Buyouts Scrutinized. UPS is offering voluntary buyouts to managers as part of a cost-cutting plan. Sean O’Brien, General President at Teamsters stated, “You're selling your soul and selling your brothers and sisters out if you take this buyout.”
🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER
FREIGHT HUMOR
ICYMI: FreightCaviar is travelling across the U.S. Here's what the first three weeks have looked like: Sponsor meetups, subscriber photo shoots, premieres, truck stops, Elk Grove to Phoenix, and more. FOMO starts now.
Plus, the offshore dispatchers your safety score can't catch, why Hormuz stays closed even after the war ends, what Triumph Financial's invoice volumes say about where freight is headed, and more.
"I think some TMS's are failing because they don’t understand what brokers do every day."
Plus, USPS gives non-domiciled CDL carriers an 11-day deadline, the spot-to-contract spread starts squeezing 3PLs, Knight-Swift trims its Q1 guide but stays bullish, and more.
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