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, Apollo is warning of big job cuts in trucking and retail, the CVSA just voted to sideline truckers who can’t speak English fluently, a new Kearney report shows reshoring is stalling, and more.
Happy Cinco de Mayo. Today's feature dives into the growing outrage over fraudulent trucking companies using fake addresses, and what many say is FMCSA’s failure to act.
Plus:
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🐔 WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN FREIGHT
📉 Apollo Warns of Trucking and Retail Layoffs; Tariff-Driven Slowdown. Apollo Global Management forecasts a severe U.S. recession, warning of mass layoffs in trucking and retail as tariffs slash imports and freight volumes. With imports driving ~20% of U.S. trucking, Apollo expects domestic freight activity to sharply decline by mid-May, forcing layoffs. Retailers face inventory shortages, falling consumer confidence, and rising inflation, likely triggering job cuts by June. FreightWaves has already tracked over 1,800 layoffs across southeastern freight and supply-chain firms, including C&S Wholesale, Adient, Saks Global, and Grede. Apollo warns the economy risks stagflation, urging companies to prepare for prolonged challenges.
📚 CVSA Votes to Sideline Truck Drivers Lacking English Proficiency. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) board has voted to make English proficiency violations an out-of-service condition for truck drivers, effective June 25, following President Trump’s executive order. CVSA stated, “A commercial motor vehicle inspector may place a driver out of service if they cannot demonstrate proficiency in reading and speaking English.” Insurance experts estimate up to 10% of U.S. CDL drivers could be affected, threatening trucking capacity. CVSA added it will petition the FMCSA to “harmonize the commercial driver’s license English language requirements” to ensure regulatory consistency across the trucking industry.
📦 Kearney: U.S. Reshoring Stalls. Reshoring, the move to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., cooled down in 2024 after two strong years. Kearney’s 2025 Reshoring Index shows imports from low-cost Asian countries rose 10%, while U.S. output grew just 1%, dragging the Reshoring Index into negative territory. “This year’s report found the Reshoring Index turning back to negative territory,” said Kearney Partner Patrick Van den Bossche, pointing to a disconnect between reshoring plans and execution. Mexico remains the top U.S. trade partner, but infrastructure issues and rising labor costs are starting to slow momentum. It’s important to note this report was likely finalized before Trump’s new tariffs were announced. Since then, we’ve seen a clear uptick in reshoring announcements from both U.S. and foreign manufacturers looking to move production stateside. CEO interest in reshoring rose 15%, with many citing geopolitical risk as a key driver. Reshoring isn’t dead - it’s in a holding pattern. And next year’s numbers could look very different.
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Freight X is fuming. A recent investigative report from ABC-affiliate WFAA news reveals just how rampant fraudulent addresses are in trucking and how little the FMCSA appears to be doing about it.
From one shady California building with nearly 700 carriers tied to it — 500 of them using the same sketchy email (yes, really: WTFMCSA@aol.com) — to a Dallas-area mailbox facility that houses 20 “phantom” carriers, the loopholes are both obvious and absurd.
Adriana Pulley
Dale Prax, owner of Freight Validate, has been tracking trucking identity fraud for years. He flagged the Signal Hill, CA address two years ago.
“If we all know about it and we reported it, why is something not being done?” – Dale Prax, Freight Validate
These so-called companies list PO boxes, virtual addresses, and mail drops as their “business locations,” shielding them from oversight. In one instance, 539 West Commerce Street in Texas was home to 20 trucking companies, but the building is a virtual mailbox hub.
“They would not be working here physically,” a clerk at the address confirmed.
Despite FMCSA guidelines that prohibit such addresses, the agency claimed the California case involved a "legitimate business address for a motor carrier consultant" — a response that’s only stoking more skepticism.
X (formerly Twitter) lit up this weekend with brokers, truckers, and safety advocates venting their frustration:
The message is clear: the people following the rules feel punished, while fraudsters operate with impunity.
Jerome Washington
This isn’t an isolated story. The recent CarrierOK exposé on Tony Kirik’s web of “chameleon carriers” showed a repeatable fraud playbook: shell companies, shared emails, duplicate phone numbers, and bogus addresses — all designed to game FMCSA’s oversight gaps.
And it's still happening.
FMCSA officials say they’re rolling out facial recognition to verify new carrier registrations. But that doesn’t fix the core problem, Prax explains:
“We don’t need to know who’s behind the webcam.
We need to know who’s behind the operation.”
– Dale Prax
Some owner-operators living out of their trucks may be using these P.O. boxes for business. But for fraudsters actually moving trucks, they will be dodging inspections, ignoring safety protocols, and disappearing after incidents.
“When you’re driving with your kids and there’s a truck next to you that maybe got its authority illegally, are you really safe?” – WFAA Investigation
However, many of these fake addresses are linked to scammers or double-brokers who never intended to carry freight.
Don't miss the HappyRobot x FreightCaviar webinar today where we talk AI & how business users can leverage insights + execute tasks from HappyRobot's Bridge.
We've also heard rumors that Sergey will make a surprise guest appearance!?
🌎 AROUND THE FREIGHT WEB
🧐 A Secret Weapon? The trade war between China and the U.S. has been heating up. With China putting a limit on minerals that can be exported to the U.S., this video explores a wildcard that could remedy this situation: $TMC underwater mining.
🦸♂️ Trucker Rescues Driver. Newly licensed trucker Charles Vockers pulled a man from a burning car wedged beneath his trailer, earning praise for his quick, lifesaving action captured on video.
⚖️ Freightmate Dismissed? Freightmate AI is seeking dismissal of Flexport’s copyright lawsuit, arguing that the complaint fails to establish any direct involvement by the company in the alleged actions of former Flexport employees who are now associated with Freightmate.
🏭 Windrose’s Launch. Windrose is preparing for its July launch of U.S. truck assembly operations, according to CEO Wen Han. Windrose also plan to pick the location of a second assembly plant in the U.S. by the Fourth of July.
🧻 Kimberly-Clark Investment. Kimberly-Clark announced plans to invest over $2 billion over the next five years in its U.S. operations. The investment includes opening a manufacturing facility in Warren, Ohio, and an automated distribution center in Beech Island, South Carolina.
✈️ JFK Cargo Center. A new $270 million cargo center at JFK Airport aims to reduce truck congestion, lower emissions, create good-paying jobs, and improve freight efficiency at one of America’s busiest hubs, according to Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole.
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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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