DOT Blitz Week starts tomorrow, and brokers are bracing for one of the toughest weeks in years. Plus: $10.1M in stolen freight leads to five years in prison, Forward Air loses 40% of its value, diesel prices hit produce costs, and more.
Aurora's driverless trucks are moving real loads between Dallas and Houston right now, and nobody is in the cab. Plus: RXO signals a strong freight rebound, Ken Adamo joins Ease Logistics, rail got faster to Mexico, and more.
Aurora signed two major partnerships in one week. Spot rates just hit an all-time high. A Chicago cross-dock blew up Reddit over how shippers load trailers. And someone dug into Super Ego's carrier network — the safety scores are not okay.
Here is another round-up of the most engaging and talked-about freight content from around the web and from us.
FreightCaviar Weekly Recap. From Echo's acquisition of ITS Logistics, to Winter Storm Fern, here are this week’s most talked-about freight stories.
Echo Global Logistics has agreed to acquire ITS Logistics, creating a combined 3PL with roughly $5.4 billion in pro forma 2025 revenue.
Echo CEO Doug Waggoner said ITS brings “highly differentiated solutions” that pair with Echo’s technology and analytics platform.
ITS CEO Scott Pruneau said the deal expands execution across complex supply chains by combining scale, multimodal depth, and AI-driven tools.
The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2026 pending approvals.
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Danielle Chaffin is raising questions about an unidentified trucking company allegedly recruiting drivers overseas via Telegram and operating nearly 400 trucks out of an apartment complex.
Chaffin notes the company appears active in inspections and hauling freight for multiple shippers, despite unconventional operations.
Concerns continues to mount around carrier vetting, labor sourcing, compliance, and how large fleets can move freight while operating outside traditional infrastructure norms.
An issues brokers and shippers continue to grapple with as capacity and enforcement gaps persist.
A major winter storm, now named Fern, is scheduled to strain freight movement this weekend across the South, Midwest, and East Coast as snow, ice, and prolonged cold will hit core lanes.
Data from Scott Pecoriello, Founder/CEO at WeatherOptics, points to elevated delay risk and roughly 30% slower freight movement.
David Spencer, VP of Market Intelligence at Arrive Logistics, said the storm is slated to bring “widespread areas of ice and snow, likely in areas not used to seeing that kind of winter precipitation.”
For the full breakdown on what the impending storm will bring, read here.
The developing winter storm Fern is being compared to Winter Storm Uri, which disrupted freight markets in early 2021.
Uri left more than 4.5 million homes and businesses without power, disrupted fuel and water systems, shut down highways, and contributed to over 240 deaths, with economic losses estimated near $200 billion.
Patrick Svitek
Data from DAT Freight & Analytics, analyzed by Ken Adamo, General Manager and Chief of Analytics, shows spot rates surged immediately after Uri and stayed elevated well beyond the blackout period.
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MEME OF THE WEEK
DOT Blitz Week starts tomorrow, and brokers are bracing for one of the toughest weeks in years. Plus: $10.1M in stolen freight leads to five years in prison, Forward Air loses 40% of its value, diesel prices hit produce costs, and more.
Aurora's driverless trucks are moving real loads between Dallas and Houston right now, and nobody is in the cab. Plus: RXO signals a strong freight rebound, Ken Adamo joins Ease Logistics, rail got faster to Mexico, and more.
Aurora signed two major partnerships in one week. Spot rates just hit an all-time high. A Chicago cross-dock blew up Reddit over how shippers load trailers. And someone dug into Super Ego's carrier network — the safety scores are not okay.
Amazon just became a direct rival to the biggest names in parcel, freight, and 3PL services. Plus: shippers are paying a lot more, your carrier check may be passing thieves through, a $4M cargo theft recovery shows what's possible, and more.
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