A penny stock wiped $4.8B off C.H. Robinson's market cap yesterday. Plus: self-driving trucks are now running 1,000 miles nonstop, STG Logistics cleared a major bankruptcy hurdle, the FMCSA revoked nine ELDs, and more.
For a long time, secure parking lived in the “nice-to-have” bucket. That framing no longer works. In today’s environment, secure parking functions as a preventative security layer.
Here’s what’s trending across freight and logistics on X, LinkedIn, Reddit, and YouTube.
Plus, a tornado destroys a truck stop in Texas, Tesla challenges the trucking industry, and Craig Fuller issues a warning about the upcoming hurricane season.
FreightCaviar wishes you a meaningful Memorial Day. We're also keeping our thoughts on the victims of the deadly tornadoes that hit across the central U.S. this past weekend. In today's feature, we're looking at the metropolitan areas with the highest number of freight broker employees.
🤔 Question of the Day: The metropolitan area with the largest number of freight transportation arrangement employees in the US is _______________. Find the answer in today's main story.
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🐔 WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN FREIGHT
🌪️ Tornado Devastates AP Travel Stop & Shell Station in Texas. A violent tornado tore through Valley View, TX, over the weekend, devastating the AP Travel Stop & Shell Station off I-35. The tornado has led to fifteen fatalities, but that toll could rise as rescue and cleanup continues across the region. Conner Stines captured the chaos on video as truckers and customers took cover. Alexander Rodriguez recalled "The sheet rock, all the roof came down. It was a crazy moment." Despite injuries, everyone inside that station reportedly survived. This event highlights severe weather as a top supply chain risk for 2024.
🚛 Tesla Challenges Trucking Industry. At the ACT Expo in Las Vegas, Tesla urged the trucking industry to embrace electric vehicles. Dan Priestley, Head of Tesla Semi, warned that slow adoption would leave traditional truck makers behind. J.B. Hunt stressed the need for better infrastructure. Kenworth unveiled its SuperTruck 2, with a 136% gain in freight-ton efficiency. Additionally, PepsiCo announced plans to add 50 Tesla electric semi-trucks to its California fleet, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2040.
🌀 Freight Market Warning Amid Upcoming Hurricane Season. Craig Fuller, CEO and Founder of FreightWaves, warns that the aggressive 2024 hurricane season forecast by NOAA could cause major disruptions in the freight market. NOAA predicts 17-25 named storms, with 4-7 being Category 3 or greater. Shippers, who have pressured rates down, may soon face "carrier revenge" if a major hurricane hits, leading to a sudden demand shock and carriers refusing loads. Fuller emphasizes that the freight market will eventually shift back in favor of carriers, highlighting the need for shippers to be prepared.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics data can be complex due to overlapping categories. However, the largest category, Freight Transportation Arrangement, accounts for 53,930 jobs. Here, we highlight the top U.S. metro areas for freight brokerage employment based on the latest data.
Please note, these numbers are based on 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Freight Transportation Arrangement. Below are the cities with the highest number of employees in freight transportation. While the figures may not be entirely precise, they offer a good overview of the geographic distribution.
Regions like Phoenix, AZ, Chattanooga, TN, and Charlotte, NC, are areas of major growth in freight movement as distribution centers increase and supply chains are reworked.
Source: BLS
TOGETHER WITH ISO: Watch out! These key markets saw the biggest service drop-offs over the past month across the ISO* network.
*Isometric Technologies' (ISO) Service Index helps brokers scorecard, benchmark, and source by service level performance across their customer and carrier network. ISO Scores are a composite of OTD, OTP, and Bounce Rates.
🌎 AROUND THE FREIGHT WEB
🚚 PepsiCo's Rolling Remembrance. Ahead of Memorial Day, PepsiCo leads the "Rolling Remembrance" relay to raise funds for families of fallen heroes, with 55 veteran drivers covering 14,000 miles.
🛑 Walmart Layoffs and Relocations. Walmart notifies over 2,000 in Texas and California of potential layoffs, emphasizing relocations and internal transitions during corporate restructuring.
🔋 Electric Truck Microgrid Powered by Natural Gas. Near Los Angeles ports, Prologis and Performance Team launch the U.S.'s largest heavy-duty electric truck charging microgrid, initially powered by natural gas.
🏢 Bankruptcy After FedEx Lawsuit. PYNQ Logistics Services, a former FedEx Ground contractor, files for bankruptcy following a lawsuit over alleged illegal practices, listing significant liabilities.
🚢 Eagle Pass: Fastest-Growing U.S. Border Crossing. Port of Eagle Pass, Texas, sees a 22% increase in trade, marking it as the fastest-growing U.S.-Mexico border crossing.
🎣 FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER
🇷🇸 Dispatching US Trucks from Serbia. In March of this year, we traveled to Serbia, known as a dispatching outsourcing hub. During our visit, we interviewed Aleks Bates, who shared his journey of moving from Canada to Serbia during the pandemic and starting his career dispatching US trucks. Recently, Aleks transitioned from being a dispatcher to a freight broker and now serves as VP of Carrier Sales at Hammer Logistics. He also hosts a freight podcast called PODcast Asset Based, all while being based in Serbia.
P.S. Stay tuned for our upcoming documentary about our visit to Serbia!
Watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
FREIGHT MEME OF THE DAY
Also, check out:
A penny stock wiped $4.8B off C.H. Robinson's market cap yesterday. Plus: self-driving trucks are now running 1,000 miles nonstop, STG Logistics cleared a major bankruptcy hurdle, the FMCSA revoked nine ELDs, and more.
Here’s what’s trending across freight and logistics on X, LinkedIn, Reddit, and YouTube.
In just three years, we have moved from an industry that relied heavily on manual phone calls and emails to one where many of us use AI to some extent to support the above.
Plus, XPO and Hub Group Q4 2025 earnings, a trucking private-equity firm files bankruptcy, Mexico long-haul truckers win union rights, and more.
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