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.
FMCSA's ID verification overhaul slashed approval rates by over 50%, signaling a bottleneck for new motor carrier authorities.
Good Thursday morning.
We're looking at the latest insights from CarrierOK on FMCSA authority approvals since the organization has implemented TSA-level checks for new applicants.
All that and more in today's newsletter.
It’s been a rough few months for anyone trying to get motor carrier authority from the FMCSA.
Starting on April 1, 2025, the agency rolled out major changes to its Unified Registration System (URS), including mandatory facial recognition and identity verification through IDEMIA, a security check provider. And the fallout has been swift.
"The fallout rate points to the new identity screening process working as intended..." – CarrierOK
Since the new ID checks became mandatory on April 1, the number of applications making it to the “published” stage—the final hurdle before approval—has plummeted.
CarrierOK, tracking authority filings, reports a 50%+ drop in publication rates since March.
"A 50%+ decline in published authorities in the month after implementing facial ID verification is a dramatic signal that the agency has tightened the funnel." –CarrierOK
Here’s the kicker:
"If you’re brand new to the industry coming into FMCSA for registration for the first time, you now have to go through identity verification." – Director of FMCSA Ken Riddle on Driving Forward Podcast
FMCSA’s overhaul of the URS was designed to stop fraudulent companies from obtaining operating authority. Under the new system, applicants have to pass facial recognition and provide validated personal data—cutting off a key avenue for fake entities.
CarrierOK’s data shows that while total applications haven’t dropped, the percentage making it to the 21-day public comment period has cratered. This suggests a high fallout rate during ID verification.
In other words, April’s grants are a mirage, propped up by applications filed before the rules changed.
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On paper, stricter verification is a win: it cuts out fraudsters and improves industry safety. But it’s not all sunshine.
Expect more headaches in the coming months, as approval delays and the possible slowdown in new carrier onboarding ripple through the system.
“This is a major pivot point for the industry. Fraud prevention measures are working, but we’re also seeing new friction for legitimate players. Expect this story to keep evolving through the summer.”
According to CarrierOK’s projections, the next few months could look like this:
Meanwhile, legitimate operators will need to get up to speed on the new system or risk falling behind.
"We’ve closed the front door, we’re protecting it, we’re screening who’s coming in. Next will be to clean the house." – Ken Riddle, Director, FMCSA
CarrierOK’s full report (linked below) provides a granular breakdown of the data and what’s coming next. And if you want the short version, check out their LinkedIn post for a quick-hit summary.
👉 CarrierOK’s Full Breakdown
👉 LinkedIn Post
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🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER
Paul-Bernard Jaroslawski
FREIGHT HUMOR
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.
"I think this is just one more way that you can go about finding quality capacity to better run your operation.”
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