FreightCaviar Weekly Recap.From federal pressure on English proficiency enforcement in certain states to a broker grappling with a tight lane and real-time pricing missteps, here are this week’s most talked-about freight stories.
A broker on r/FreightBrokers ran into a common problem: a next-day short-haul load from Kingston, NY to Middlesex, NJ with a tight 10 AM pickup...and no carriers biting. The question was simple: Do you keep pushing your network, or give the load back to the customer?
The replies revealed a blend of tough love and tactical advice:
“Just take the loss.” Several brokers agreed: sometimes you eat the margin to protect the relationship and adjust the quote next time.
“Don’t give it back unless you have to.” Others stressed the importance of persistence: calls, emails, reposting, especially if the low rate is the real problem.
“Quote smarter going forward.” One veteran broker shared how they factor in appointment type, destination market strength, truck availability, and unloading time before submitting a price, especially on spot market freight.
“Use the board, but don’t trust it blindly.” Final advice: quoting tools are helpful, but real-time check-ins with load boards are essential. Never rely on a static quote alone.
A Quick Word of Advice:
Tight lanes with fixed appointments aren’t just pricing challenges, they’re planning challenges.
When you’re stuck:
Ask more questions about delivery timing and receiver behavior
Check surrounding markets for bounce-back freight
Be transparent with your customer. Sometimes a solid carrier at a higher price is the better long-term play
And if you do take the loss? Make sure it’s the last time on that lane. Mistakes are part of the game, but only if you learn from them.
Easily and automatically reach carriers every day, at any time, to make sure you find the right truck for your shipper at the best cost.
The Convoy Platform gives brokers advanced freight automation—covering vetting, booking, tracking, and payments—so you can hit your targets even while you sleep.
And the best part? No upfront costs, only pay once the load is delivered.
Danielle Chaffin’s latest discovery points to a troubling pattern hidden in plain sight: since July 1, more than 15,000 new trucking companies have been added to the USDOT registry—including dozens linked to the same residential address. The clustering of 27 USDOT numbers at a single 1,474 sq. ft. house in California raises serious questions about ongoing fraud, identity misuse,
Recent reporting reinforces what's behind that surge:
FMCSA is in the midst of modernizing its Unified Registration System (URS), transitioning to a single USDOT number per entity, eliminating MC numbers entirely by October 1, 2025. This is intended to provide a clearer, more secure system.
The new system now requires identity verification at registration, including document and location checks—conducted via a partnership with IDEMIA. Fraudsters exploit loose or shared addresses to game the system.
Even with improvements, fraud persists via minor data inconsistencies, like formatting variations ("St" vs "Street")—that obscure related entities and make detection harder.
There is a lot more to the story, so it's best to have a look at Danielle's research on this matter, it is rather alarming.
Danielle’s findings have uncovered a disturbing freight fraud trend, bulk USDOT registrations at single addresses raise red flags, especially as fraudsters often buy and manipulate carrier identities. FMCSA’s overhaul aims to counteract this, but the sheer scale of new registrations, especially clustered ones, shows the urgency and sophistication of these schemes.
What You Can Do:
Treat sudden spikes of USDOT registrations with suspicion (dumpster-address clusters for example)
Cross-check entity legitimacy via SAFER and insist on verification of physical addresses
Encourage FMCSA and industry platforms to prioritize identity-proofing and data standardization
If you would love even further insight from Danielle, last week we interviewed her on Freight Gong Friday, where we talked about the Florid U-turn crash and the tough debates it has raised in freight, from driver training and carrier liability to immigration and safety standards.
FreightCaviar Story of the Week
The FreightCaviar Feature of the Week spotlights escalating tensions between the U.S. Department of Transportation and three states: California, Washington, and New Mexico, over enforcement of English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements for truck drivers. Following recent high-profile crashes and licensing controversies, USDOT is threatening to withhold up to $50 million in federal safety funding if the states fail to demonstrate compliance within 30 days.
Florida, meanwhile, is taking a more aggressive stance, turning weigh stations into de facto immigration checkpoints, drawing both support and backlash. Industry voices, including OOIDA, stress the safety necessity of basic English skills, but the debate risks drifting into concerns about discrimination and enforcement overreach.
This story continues to stir controversy, particularly as it intersects with wider conversations around immigration, enforcement, and trucking’s labor pool.
Read the full feature to explore how regulators, states, and the industry are responding.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Michigan State’s Jason Miller took aim at what he called the “capacity cliff crowd”, those who predicted that stricter English Language Proficiency (ELP) enforcement would drive spot rates up by pulling thousands of drivers off the road. So far, the data says otherwise.
Miller pointed to DAT’s dry van spot linehaul rates, which have remained flat through August, showing no signs of a capacity squeeze. "2025 looks like 2024," he noted, reinforcing his long-held view that bull markets are driven by demand, not minor supply-side shocks.
The post sparked discussion among industry professionals:
One commenter agreed with the analysis but cautioned it might be “a little early” to assess long-term impacts. Many carriers may not adjust hiring until drivers start getting placed out of service more frequently.
Another cited a recent USA Today report claiming over 3,000 drivers were removed from the road due to ELP violations, but agreed that, proportionally, the numbers are too small to shift market dynamics.
For now, Miller’s argument appears to be holding: regulatory enforcement alone hasn’t been enough to move rates or tighten capacity. Whether that changes with increased audits remains to be seen.
FreightCaviar Podcast: This week, we sit down with Kevin Novak, the mind behind ride-sharing's original surge pricing. The former Uber Head of Data and now Founder of Rackhouse Venture Capital shares his expert insights on why most companies' custom software stacks are likely to fail, the path to fully autonomous brokerage, and more. Catch it on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
Freight Broker Group Chat: Lost a load to a ghost MC? Just discovered a 15-layer carrier spoof ring? Come swap war stories, drop memes, and ask the stuff no one wants to post on LinkedIn. Join us on forum.freightcaviar.com
Now Hiring!IIK TRANSPORT INC is looking for a Driver Recruiter in Bridgeview, IL. If you or someone you know may be interested in this position, you can apply directly from our freightjobs.co job board.
Hello! I'm Jerome FreightCaviar! I’m into the politics of freight and the impact it will have worldwide. I'm always eager to learn more. Follow me on X @JeromeFreightC
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Danielle Chaffin
, USA TODAY
