🎣 $RXO Falls 23%

Plus: ICE raids hit Illinois logistics, Texas layoffs climb past 900, and air cargo braces for turbulence and more in today’s newsletter.

🎣 $RXO Falls 23%

TGIF. RXO’s stock plunged 23% after weak Q3 earnings, while C.H. Robinson’s AI-fueled margins sent its shares to record highs a week ago. Here's a quick round-up of brokerage Q3 performances.

Plus:

  • ICE Raids Illinois Shipper Office
  • Texas Supply Chain Layoffs Widen
  • U.S. Flight Cuts Threaten Air Cargo Flow

📢
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Today's Newsletter is Brought to You by Trinity Logistics.

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🍳 What's Cookin' In Freight

🚨 ICE Raids Illinois Shipper Office. ICE agents entered the office of an unnamed shipper in Bensenville, Illinois, on Nov. 5, prompting confusion and backlash across the logistics community. Details remain limited, but the operation could raise concerns about federal enforcement expanding deeper into private-sector supply chain operations. This could mark a new phase of scrutiny targeting shippers and logistics firms, not just carriers or drivers.

📉 Texas Supply Chain Layoffs Widen. FreightWaves reports that more than 920 logistics and manufacturing jobs are being cut across Texas, reflecting deep strain across freight, food, and energy sectors. Among the largest reductions:

  • Firebird Bulk Carriers: 74 jobs lost after insurance spikes.
  • Flagstone Foods: 225 cuts as production shifts out of El Paso..
  • Congo Brands: 155 beverage layoffs in Lewisville.
  • Eden Green & Pure Hothouse: 180+ jobs gone after greenhouse closures.

Executives cite contract losses, high costs, and soft consumer spending for these cuts.

✈️ Freight Turbulence Ahead: FAA Flight Cuts Threaten Air Cargo Flow. The ongoing federal shutdown is spilling into the freight sector as the FAA slashes flight capacity by 10% at 40 major airports, citing unpaid controller shortages. Logistics providers warn the move will choke air freight during peak shipping season, when demand for high-value, time-sensitive goods is at its highest. “Domestic air is a critical transportation mode for many of our customers,” said Mike Short, President of Global Forwarding at C.H. Robinson. “We’re implementing contingency plans, shifting freight to ground and rebalancing inventory to keep production lines running.” With belly cargo limited, holiday air supply chains face turbulence.


Together With Trinity Logistics

At Trinity, we know this industry isn’t about shortcuts or gimmicks. It’s about experience, reliability, and having the right support when it matters most. Whether your customers need truckload, LTL, intermodal, drayage, or cross-border freight, we’ve got decades of know-how and the Team to back you up.

With us, you can expand confidently, without second-guessing. 


Q3 2025 3PL Earnings Wrap: A Tale of Two Brokers

C.H. Robinson's stock price saw a record high after its earnings report in late October. Meanwhile, RXO took a nose-dive after its call, falling 23% yesterday.

RXO shares plunged 23% after posting yet another quarterly loss.

The company blamed a rate squeeze due to locked-in contract prices vs. rising buy rates, as capacity exits the market. CEO Drew Wilkerson warned the pressure will “intensify into Q4.”

Image Source: StockStory

C.H. Robinson, meanwhile, flexed its tech-driven efficiency. Its profit margin jumped and stock hit a record high after management credited AI-powered productivity gains for boosting shipments-per-rep by 40% since 2022.

Others In The Mix

  • Echo Global Moody’s reaffirmed its B3 credit rating with a stable outlook, saying Echo “has demonstrated modest freight volume growth despite soft economic conditions.”
  • ArcBest beat expectations, but gave guidance on Q4 margins to deteriorate.
  • Hub Group: Revenue down 5% YoY to $934 M, yet operating margin 4.4% showed tight cost discipline despite continued intermodal softness.
  • Landstar flagged lower volumes across its agent network as truckload pricing stayed weak.
  • J.B. Hunt (ICS) trimmed losses in its brokerage arm despite a quiet spot market.
  • Schneider: Revenue saw modest growth (up 10.4% YoY), but warned margins remain thin.

Why It Matters

Brokers are walking a tightrope: rising carrier rates, falling shipper rates, and investors who’ve lost patience.


Together With GenLogs

  • What if you could input an O/D pairing and see all shippers with volume on that lane?
  • What if you could see the lanes of every shipper before you called them?
  • What if you could find 500,000+ shipper locations with a simple search?

GenLogs gives you this superpower. See why the top brokerages use Shipper Intelligence to sign new shippers and expand wallet share among existing customers. It's like brokering freight on cheat mode.


 🌎 Around The Freight Web

🚫 Nevada CDL Phase Out. Nevada will cancel dozens of CDLs held by Mexican and Canadian drivers as part of its plan to phase out non-domiciled commercial licenses, aligning with new federal residency requirements.

🤝 AscendTMS–Highway Deal. AscendTMS is partnering with Highway to integrate carrier identity verification, allowing brokers to instantly vet and onboard carriers with real-time fraud and compliance screening.

📉 California Bankruptcies Rise. A wave of small and midsize carrier bankruptcies is sweeping California, driven by high insurance premiums, diesel costs, and sustained rate compression.

💬 Cargado Chat Launch. Cargado unveiled Cargado Chat, a verified, multilingual messaging platform for cross-border freight. “We’re making collaboration seamless across borders,” said CTO Rylan Hawkins.

⏰ Broker Rule Countdown. The FMCSA’s broker transparency rule takes effect soon, requiring brokers to disclose carrier pay details and maintain compliance records or face enforcement penalties. It begins January 16, 2026.


🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER

  • FreightCaviar Podcast: We sat down with Sushanth Raman, Founder & CEO, and Andrew Geisse, CRO at Pallet - an AI-driven logistics management system built to take the busywork off your plate. Episode up now on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
  • Freightjobs.co. Now Hiring: Ship Smart Solutions Inc. is looking for a Freight Broker with Existing Customers in Montgomery, IL. Apply here.
  • Shipper CRM: A FreightCaviar product built for brokers to find, track, and win shipper freight. Click here to learn more.
  • FreightCaviar Forum: We launched a forum for brokers, carriers, and freight tech pros to connect, share insights, and trade industry intel.

FREIGHT HUMOR

Meme Credit: Michael Jankovic, MBA

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