🎣 Nightmare On the Boards!!

Happy Hump Day. Tender rejections are spiking, carriers are pushing back, and the market is starting to feel very different. We break down what’s actually happening in today's feature.

Plus:

• Landstar Profits Slammed by Crash
• Werner $18 Million Driver Settlement
• Arsonist Gets 10 Years

🍳 What's Cookin' In Freight

🚨 Landstar Profits Slammed by Crash Lawsuit & Insurance Spike. Landstar System saw its Q4 operating income nearly cut in half after crash-related lawsuits and insurance costs surged. A Texas judge ruled against Landstar Ranger in a fatal 2021 crash case, leaving the company on the hook for nearly $23M in damages, a decision Landstar plans to appeal. The fallout is already clear: insurance and claims costs jumped to $56M in Q4, and annual insurance premiums have risen about 400% to roughly $22M, highlighting how legal risk can quickly hit even asset-light carriers.

⚖️ Werner $18 Million Driver Settlement. Werner Enterprises disclosed an $18 million class-action settlement covering roughly 100,000 drivers, ending a wage-and-hour lawsuit filed in 2014 and now awaiting final court approval in Nebraska. The case alleged unpaid non-driving work, missed meal/rest breaks and improper deductions. Eligible drivers span a 13-year window, with base payouts of $20 (Nebraska class) or $40 (California class), plus prorated awards. The deal was reached one day before trial.

🔥 Serial Arsonist Gets 10 Years for Targeting Swift Trailers. A Michigan man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after being convicted of a multi-state arson spree targeting Swift Transportation. Prosecutors say the defendant set fire to at least 19 Swift trailers between 2021 and 2022, including three in Arizona and others along I-10 and I-40 stretching from California to Alabama. Federal investigators linked the fires after years of investigation across multiple states, calling it a deliberate campaign that endangered drivers and interstate commerce. The sentence closes a long-running case that authorities say was one of the most extensive trucking-related arson investigations in recent years.

Together With FleetWorks

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• Vet carriers for fraud
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Is the Market Turning?

Over the last few days, I’ve gotten messages from brokers I trust, saying the same thing in different words:

Tides are turning. Day by day.

You see it on Reddit. You see it on X. You feel it on the load boards. Loads that were covered a few weeks ago are suddenly blowing up.

Carriers are asking for real money again. Some aren’t negotiating. Some are just hanging up.