Two bills just dropped in the Senate that could reshape trucking faster than anything since deregulation. Plus: Russian hackers targeted your load board, flatbed rejection rates just hit 40%, and a robot is taking the Houston-Dallas overnight run.
This week: The Dalilah Law, a trucking bankruptcy that wiped out thousands overnight, a FreightGuard civil war on Reddit, and the payroll data that's predicting Q4 capacity.
Indiana pulled the trigger on carriers employing illegal CDL holders. Plus: tariff ruling could flood LA with imports, DC finally moves on double brokers, spot rates are outrunning contract, and more.
Plus: Pink Cheetah v. TQL dismissed, a $1.4M cargo theft disrupted, brokers push for federal vetting standards, and more.
Good Monday morning. Today’s feature looks at immigrant drivers after the Florida crash and English-rule crackdown: harassment, visa fears, compliance costs, and the lack of hard crash data fueling misinformation.
Plus,
🏛 Pink Cheetah v. TQL: Court Questions Broker Transparency Waivers. A federal judge dismissed Pink Cheetah Express’s lawsuit against TQL, ruling that FMCSA’s November 2023 email ordering disclosure of records wasn’t an enforceable “order.” Pink Cheetah had challenged waiver clauses in broker-carrier contracts after TQL refused to share transparency records under 49 CFR §371.3. While the court noted other cases have treated formal regulations as enforceable, Pink Cheetah relied only on the FMCSA email, and without a statutory cause of action, the case was thrown out. That hint leaves the door open for future broker-waiver lawsuits if challengers build their case on firmer regulatory ground.
📦 $1.4 Million Los Angeles Cargo Theft Foiled by Real-Time Monitoring. Authorities arrested eight suspects in Southern California after $1.4 million in stolen Acer computers were tracked and recovered with the help of Overhaul’s real-time monitoring system. The shipment, stolen from San Bernardino County on September 10, was traced to Compton, where police also seized seven stolen vehicles, firearms, including an AK-47, and two pounds of methamphetamine. Overhaul said roughly half of the shipment had been unloaded before law enforcement intervened. Investigators are probing ties to organized crime networks. The case stamps Los Angeles’s status as a cargo theft hotspot and the rising role of remote tracking in supply chain security.
📑 Freight Brokers Push for Federal Carrier-Vetting Standard. Freight brokers, led by TIA, are lobbying for the Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act to be included in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill. The measure would require brokers and shippers to only contract carriers registered with FMCSA, holding valid authority and minimum insurance. Proponents, including C.H. Robinson, argue a single federal standard would replace today’s patchwork and enhance safety. Small carriers, however, say the bill favors large brokers and limits competition. The debate unfolds as FMCSA prepares to reissue broker transparency rules, leaving Congress to decide how both proposals will reshape broker-carrier relationships in coming years.
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As the White House tightened English Language Proficiency (ELP) rules this spring, it seemed like red tape. But in the aftermath of the deadly Florida Turnpike U-turn crash, immigrant drivers, especially the Punjabi Sikh community, say it feels personal.
Sikh truckers in California and New York report rising harassment, both at truck stops and online. “People are saying: ‘Take the towel heads off the streets’ … before a judge gives a sentence,” one driver told AP News.
LUIS ANDRES HENAO
Advocacy groups warn that a decades-old rule is now being wielded as a political weapon, leaving communities feeling scapegoated.
FreightCaviar has extensively covered the government crackdown in enforcement, the accidents that have compounded the current regulatory environment, and the subsequent visa freeze.
The latest move is a bill proposal that would mandate English language proficiency checks at weigh stations nationwide.
Adriana Pulley
On Reddit’s r/Truckers, the debate has been ongoing over the past year:
Beyond online debates, Sikh drivers say they’re facing real-world fallout in the wake of the Florida crash.
“The whole community has been put on trial because we're so visible … It was always there but now it’s on another level.”– Jasdeep Singh
And for immigrant drivers on visas, the uncertainty is already hitting paychecks. At Lakeville Trucking in New York, a third of drivers are Ukrainian visa holders, a situation that leaves the company scrambling.
“It’s gonna damage a lot. I’m gonna have to, right now, tell my management to start looking for drivers. But it’s just impossible...people will apply [for jobs], but most of them don’t qualify.” – Alex Voronin, Owner, Lakeville Trucking
Together, these voices show a community caught between safety concerns, rising stigma, and the very real risk of trucks being sidelined.
Short term, carriers with visa-holding or non-domiciled drivers are bracing for compliance audits and potential sidelined trucks.
The broader freight market remains oversupplied, so the impact may not be immediately visible. But localized pockets, coastal imports, ag lanes, could feel tighter if immigrant drivers exit. The bigger cost is seen in compliance hours, morale hits, and the risk that safety turns into scapegoating.
“Safety shouldn’t mean humiliation,” as one Trucker op-ed put it. The question is whether the crackdown will deliver safer highways, not just create more fear.
What’s missing is a rigorous, up-to-date study that clearly links English proficiency to crash causation.
The FMCSA’s new fatal crash study could finally provide the data needed to move the debate beyond politics.
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🔋 Revoy Cuts Diesel. Charm Industrial's CEO Pete Reinhardt praised how Revoy's hybrid trailer tech uses kingpin load sensors and upgraded motors to cut diesel burn by 94%, boosting semi efficiency to 120 mpg. He also announced the opening an electrified lane from Los Angeles to Phoenix.
📈 Flexport Eyes Profit. Flexport forecasted its first profit in 2025, while cautioning that results hinge on tariff impacts and freight volatility. Flexport said AI-enabled tools and new financing offerings are improving customer retention.
🚂 Trump-Union Pacific Talks. President Trump met with Union Pacific’s CEO to discuss the planned Norfolk Southern acquisition. The White House has signaled interest in how the $85 billion rail merger could affect competition.
🏚️ California Firms Fold. California trucking firms are shutting down due to tariffs and weak freight demand, raising fears of widespread fallout. Rising insurance costs and compliance expenses are adding to the increased pressure.
💲 Washington Toll Route. Washington state launched a new toll corridor aimed at easing freight congestion near the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. Officials say funds will support infrastructure upgrades and faster cargo flows.
🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER
FREIGHT HUMOR
Two bills just dropped in the Senate that could reshape trucking faster than anything since deregulation. Plus: Russian hackers targeted your load board, flatbed rejection rates just hit 40%, and a robot is taking the Houston-Dallas overnight run.
This week: The Dalilah Law, a trucking bankruptcy that wiped out thousands overnight, a FreightGuard civil war on Reddit, and the payroll data that's predicting Q4 capacity.
Indiana pulled the trigger on carriers employing illegal CDL holders. Plus: tariff ruling could flood LA with imports, DC finally moves on double brokers, spot rates are outrunning contract, and more.
The Supreme Court ruled Trump's tariffs illegal. Plus: an Illinois official took $300K and handed out illegal CDLs, cartel violence may affect your Mexico freight, 550 CDL schools just got shut down, and more.
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