🎣 Dark Money in Freight Lawsuits

Happy Hump Day. Someone is quietly funding the lawsuits hitting carriers, and eight states just decided they've had enough.

Plus:

• Diesel Stops Rising, For Now
• A 13-Year Customer Stopped Paying
• Congress Moves on Cargo Theft

and more.

🍳 What's Cookin' In Freight

⛽ Diesel Finally Blinked. The DOE/EIA benchmark diesel price fell Monday for the first time in 13 weeks, snapping a streak that added $2.184/gallon since late January and pushed prices to $5.643/gallon, the highest since July 2022. The Iran war drove most of the run-up; EIA still forecasts diesel peaking near $5.80/gallon this month before easing as Hormuz disruptions slowly unwind. One down week doesn't undo three months of margin damage for carriers, but it's the first break they've had since February.

⚖️ A 13-Year Customer Stopped Paying. R&R Express filed suit against Pittsburgh-based McElroy Metal Mill for $726,031.25 in unpaid freight invoices, money McElroy allegedly stopped paying in December 2025 despite 37,268 loads hauled and over $76 million billed across a 12-year partnership. R&R accuses McElroy of breach of contract for refusing to pay "despite repeated requests and demands." A 13-year relationship, $76 million in freight, and then silence. Brokers who run long-term shipper accounts without payment terms documentation should be paying attention.

🏛️ Congress Moves on Cargo Theft. The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act cleared the House Judiciary Committee yesterday with bipartisan support, backed by roughly half of House members, 43 senators, and the Trump administration. The bill would create a multi-agency federal task force to connect theft patterns across jurisdictions, something local law enforcement has never been able to do on its own. Cargo theft costs the industry $18 million a day. Advocates want it passed as a standalone before the pre-election window closes.

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Someone Is Bankrolling the Lawsuits Hitting Carriers

A LandLine report published yesterday documented at least eight states that have passed laws in the past 12 months targeting the outside investors quietly bankrolling lawsuits against carriers (third-party litigation).

Because their incentive is profit, not resolution, cases drag longer, settlements inflate, and the carrier pays for it at renewal, whether they won or lost.