Freight margins are razor-thin. The brokerages surviving it built nearshore teams that actually work.
Flatbed rejections hit a record 48.7%, broker numbers stop falling, and diesel jumps 30 cents overnight.
Congress is moving to put driverless 80,000-lb trucks on public roads. Plus: 13,000 California CDLs get cancelled, diesel hits a 32-year record, Florida wants $50K to get your truck back, and more.
Plus: the wildest freight email ever sent, 163k truck drivers at risk of losing their CDL, and more.
Happy Hump Day. As we reported on Monday, yesterday marked the start of DOT Blitz Week. Historically, Blitz Week has lowered capacity on the roads and increased spot rates. What have our followers seen thus far? Find out in today's main story.
🤔 Question of the Day: During last year’s Blitz Week, nearly 60,000 commercial vehicles were inspected. About __% were found with out-of-service (OOS) violations.
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🐔 WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN FREIGHT
🚫 CDL Downgrades Loom for 163K Truckers. Come November, 163,318 truck drivers could lose their CDLs due to violations listed in the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. Starting November 18, 2024, drivers with a "prohibited" status will face license downgrades unless they complete the Return-To-Duty process. The Clearinghouse tracks drug and alcohol violations, ensuring non-compliant drivers don’t hold commercial driving licenses.
🍭 Nearly $500K of Cocaine Concealed in Cotton Candy Shipment. CBP officers at the World Trade Bridge made a notable seizure this week, intercepting 37 pounds of cocaine hidden in a truck purportedly transporting cotton candy. The discovery occurred during a routine secondary inspection aided by non-intrusive scanning technology and a canine unit. The confiscated cocaine has an estimated street value of $496,879.
🚚 Mexico's Tractor-Trailer Thefts Up 7.7% YoY in April. In April, Mexico saw an increase in tractor-trailer thefts, with 153 incidents—averaging five thefts per day. This marks a 7.7% increase from the same month last year, totaling 546 thefts from January to April. The state of Mexico led with 138 cases, followed by Puebla and Hidalgo. Over 70% of these thefts involved violence, targeting high-value goods like electronics and auto parts. As U.S.-Mexico trade surpasses $200 billion, these thefts pose a significant threat to supply chains and the economy.
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It’s the second day of DOT Blitz Week 2024, and social media is buzzing with reactions from truckers and brokers alike. But what’s the real impact on the ground? Is it the chaos some predict or just another week?
The chatter online is a mixed bag. Some drivers are feeling the heat, while others see no major disruptions. Reed Loustalot asked on Twitter, “Does DOT blitz week still mean tighter capacity? Have rates moved at all?” The responses poured in across socials:
Truckers are definitely feeling the pinch from increased inspections.
Others echo similar experiences, with one user saying, “I’m a local driver, and they got my ass today too! My regular truck went down so I’m in the spare piece of crap! 4 warnings for me.”
So, what’s the deal with capacity and rates? The responses indicate a complex picture:
Stacy Reinsel, Director of Strategic Accounts at Covenant, shared a post on LinkedIn inviting drivers to share their experiences.
James E. Lewis, a trucking industry veteran, chimed in:
“People talk trash. Yes, I’ve driven 763 miles legally in 11 hours... The ones crying the loudest about blitz week know their trucks need work. They thump their chest about being a superdriver but they are the same ones that have major things wrong with their truck.”
To give you a bit of context, during last year’s Blitz Week, CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) inspected nearly 60,000 commercial vehicles. About 19% were found with out-of-service (OOS) violations. Here’s a breakdown of the U.S. numbers:
The overall sentiment suggests that while some areas experience tighter capacity and higher rates, others carry on business as usual.
Expect more updates as DOT Blitz Week progresses. The impact varies across the board, whether it’s higher rates, more inspections, or just another week.
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🌎 AROUND THE FREIGHT WEB
👀 Wild Work Email Anniversary. Ari Levy shared on X an email that was sent to the entire office after someone was fired.
📦 Shipping Delays. A shortage of space on container ships due to increased exports and detours around the Red Sea is causing delays and higher shipping rates from Asia.
💻 AI Disruption. Tech enthusiasts on social media humorously debate whether the latest ChatGPT update could significantly disrupt AI live call startups, mentioning freight tech companies FleetWorks and Happyrobot.
🚨 Freeway Tragedy. A high-speed police chase on the 710 Freeway led to a deadly collision involving a stolen Kia and a big rig, resulting in fatal injuries and major disruptions.
🤝 Highway & Front Announce Partnership. Highway's integration with Front helps freight brokers reduce fraud in their inbox by surfacing MC data and quarantining suspicious emails.
🎣 FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER
May 21st at 12pm EST: Join us for the first-ever FreightCaviar LinkedIn Live, sponsored by Trucker Tools. PBJ, Co-Founder of FreightCaviar & ShipperCRM, will sit down with Reed Loustalot, Chief Everything Officer of LostFr8, and Kary Jablonski, CEO of Trucker Tools.
Click here to RSVP.
FREIGHT MEME OF THE DAY
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