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.
Stop bidding blind. Learn how to price RFPs using network performance data and context to win the right freight, protect margins, and defend your rates.
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: Brad Jacobs stepping down, rate are up, though capacity is lessening, and New Prime hit with a nuclear verdict
Happy Hump Day. California is now suing the DOT in a bid to reclaim withheld funding as CDL enforcement and English-proficiency rules tighten nationwide.
Plus:
👨💼 Brad Jacobs Stepping Down. Brad Jacobs is stepping down as chairman of XPO and GXO by year-end, turning his full attention to QXO, the new roll-up platform targeting building products distribution. Jacobs, who reshaped XPO into multiple pure-play companies, including GXO and RXO, said the move allows him to focus on growing QXO into a $50 billion revenue leader through acquisitions and organic growth. XPO now stands as a pure LTL carrier, while GXO continues as a contract logistics provider. Jacobs said both companies are “in excellent shape,” as QXO accelerates following its Beacon Roofing acquisition.
📊 Rates on the Rise as Capacity Lessens. November data showed a familiar split in trucking: volumes stayed weak, but rates kept climbing. Cass reported shipments down 7.6% year over year, yet the TL Linehaul Index rose for a third straight month, up 2.2% y/y, supported by winter weather, holiday demand, and tightening capacity. At the same time, truck transportation jobs fell to their lowest level since mid-2021, according to BLS. Employment is down nearly 14,000 jobs since July, reinforcing signs that drivers are exiting amid regulatory pressure and weak freight. What we can takeaway from this is: fewer trucks, firmer rates, and a market that is continuing to rebalance quietly despite soft demand.
⚖️ $40M Nuclear Verdict Hits New Prime. A Texas jury delivered a $44.1 million nuclear verdict tied to a 2021 I-35 pileup involving more than 130 vehicles that killed six people. Truckload carrier New Prime faces $20 million in punitive damages, plus responsibility for most of the $24.1 million in compensatory damages assessed against its driver. Jurors assigned 75% fault to the New Prime driver, while the NTSB later cited roadway monitoring failures by the toll-road operator during icy conditions. Other carriers named in the suit were cleared of liability. This nuclear ruling is the latest in growing litigation exposure tied to winter operations, training, and extreme-weather decision-making.
Free yourself from back-office chaos.
With OTR Solutions, brokers get true automation and access to working capital, so you can focus on moving freight, not managing paperwork.
Powerful back-office solutions that scale with your brokerage.
California has taken its fight with the U.S. Department of Transportation to federal court, challenging the decision to withhold more than $33 million in safety funding over alleged failures to enforce English Language Proficiency (ELP) rules for truck drivers. The lawsuit marks the latest escalation in a nationwide crackdown on CDL compliance.
USDOT and FMCSA determined that California was not placing non-compliant drivers out of service despite federal rules requiring ELP enforcement. During a summer review period, only one ELP out-of-service order was issued out of more than 34,000 violations, triggering a formal finding of non-compliance.
California disputes the conclusion, arguing that English proficiency is already enforced through CDL testing and licensing requirements.
FMCSA issued a final determination in October and moved to withhold MCSAP funding, prompting the lawsuit.
The withheld funds support roadside inspections, safety audits, and enforcement programs. Federal officials say funding leverage is necessary to ensure consistent field-level enforcement. California argues the move undermines public safety and exceeds federal authority.
This case reflects an ever-growing shift toward stricter CDL oversight nationwide, including:
Adam Wingfield notes that tying grant money to licensing enforcement sets a precedent that could reshape how states regulate CDLs and how carriers are inspected.
"Withholding $40 million over English proficiency enforcement isn’t just political theater. It’s setting a precedent: federal funding can be wielded to enforce licensing and regulatory compliance."
Adam Wingfield
The courtroom fight is the latest chapter in a fast-moving CDL enforcement push. However the case ends, carriers should expect more inspections, tighter standards, and less tolerance for uneven enforcement as federal regulators press for uniform compliance nationwide.
Levity automates high-volume email and phone tasks like quoting, load building, and track & trace, without black-box agents or risky AI experiments.
Designed for teams that need control, transparency, and results they can trust.
❄️ Reefer Surge. DAT reports reefer spot rates jumped 23% week-over-week as post-Thanksgiving winter storms drove “protect from freeze” loads across the Midwest, led by Minneapolis and the Northern Plains.
🗣️ ELP Explained. Danielle Chaffin published a detailed blog explaining why English Language Proficiency has been a federal trucking safety rule since 1937 and how enforcement directly impacts roadside safety and accountability.
🤖 UPS Robot Purchase. UPS purchased 400 new robots to unload trailers, accelerating warehouse automation aimed at reducing manual labor and speeding dock operations.
❄️ Frozen Roads Law. Wisconsin approved heavier truck weights during winter freeze conditions, allowing carriers to haul more per load when roads are frozen and structurally stronger.
⚖️ PA Safety Bill. Pennsylvania lawmakers advanced a bill targeting truckers who violate hours-of-service and safety rules, increasing penalties for repeat offenders.
📦 PGT Acquires Debrick. PGT Trucking acquired a 67-year-old Kansas carrier Debrick Truck Line Co, expanding its Midwest outreach and strengthening flatbed capacity across the region.
🎣 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.
Join over 14K+ subscribers to get the latest freight news and entertainment directly in your inbox for free. Subscribe & be sure to check your inbox to confirm (and your spam folder just in case).
