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: A $1.6M load is stolen amid a record surge in strategic cargo theft, a federal court rules most of Trump's tariffs are illegal (for now), we break down key market signals, and more in today's newsletter.
Happy Hump Day. Two CDL scandals involving bribery and hidden earpieces are making national news. A DOJ indictment in Louisiana and a parallel Florida investigation are raising serious questions about who is actually on the road. The full breakdown is in today's feature.
Plus,
TOP LANE MOVERS POWERED BY TRIUMPH
📉 Court Rules Trump Tariffs Were Illegal. Now What? A federal appeals court ruled most of Trump’s China tariffs were unlawfully imposed, but left many in place. The case heads to the Supreme Court, raising big questions for brokers and importers. Short-term: relief is limited. Long-term: this could reshape supply chain strategy by October. Now’s the time to review contracts, flag cost risks, and start talking to shippers about potential price swings. Stay tuned, because this legal battle will shape freight strategies for the rest of the year.
💸 $1.6M Load Stolen as Cargo Theft Hits Record Highs. Thieves made off with a $1.6 million load in one of the year’s biggest thefts, just as CargoNet reports cargo crime hit an all-time high in 2024. “The broker should’ve never given that carrier this load. This is a huge red flag,” the targeted shipper told GenLogs CEO Ryan Joyce. Insurance won’t cover the loss. The broker was fired, costing $3M in annual revenue. There has been a massive 1,475% increase in strategic theft since 2022. Yard thefts now account for nearly half of all stolen loads. GenLogs says shippers are now vetting brokers based on tech, and visibility is no longer optional.
🌪️ Market Mayhem: Diesel, Demand, and a Freight Fog. Last week was a freight mood swing. Diesel prices jumped, truckload demand increased before Labor Day, and August freight metrics dipped. Meanwhile, ocean shipping rates tanked 68%, signaling soft demand ahead of peak season. Retailers are pulling back early, fueling fear of a muted Q4. It's a mixed bag of signals out there, keeping everyone on their toes as we head into the busiest time of the year.
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A DOJ indictment in Louisiana alleges a CDL bribery scheme, accompanied by a related Florida investigation into organized cheating. Together, the cases underscore growing national concern over fraud in commercial driver licensing.
Six individuals were indicted in a scheme to issue Class A CDLs without skills tests, using falsified paperwork submitted by a third-party testing center.
In Jacksonville, Florida, investigators uncovered a scheme where applicants used hidden cameras and earpieces to cheat during the CDL exam.
Jerome Washington
Jerome Washington
As these scandals expose deep-rooted flaws from across the country, they cast serious doubt on the integrity of the national CDL system and raise urgent questions about who is actually qualified to be behind the wheel.
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📉 Logistics Layoffs Continue. J.B. Hunt, Hormel, and International Paper announced more job cuts, citing weak freight demand and high borrowing costs.
🇲🇽 Radiant’s Mexico Move. Radiant Logistics acquired an 80% stake in Weport, a Mexico City logistics provider offering ocean/air freight, customs, warehousing, and multi‑modal services.
🤖 HappyRobot Lands $44M Series B. HappyRobot raised $44M to scale its AI workers—autonomous agents powering digital logistics. Backers include Base10 and a16z as adoption tops 70 enterprise customers.
đź’° AI Startup Sola Raises $17M. Sola Solutions raised $21M in Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz and Conviction Partners to expand its enterprise AI automation tools.
🧼 Trimble Freight Marketplace Lands P&G. Procter & Gamble is now shipping via Trimble’s freight marketplace, a direct tech integration aiming to compete with Uber Freight and Project44.
🛑 FMCSA Halts Assault Study. The FMCSA abruptly canceled a study on sexual assault in trucking, sparking backlash from advocates pushing for better driver protections.
⚖️ Migrant Truckers’ Lawsuit Advances. A judge ruled that a labor abuse lawsuit by Mexican truckers against U.S. logistics companies can proceed.
🎣 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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