The Supreme Court just heard arguments in the broker liability case we’ve been tracking. Plus: oil shipping costs explode, trucking insurance is stuck in 1980, regulators brace for a carrier crackdown, and more.
Optimize freight broker operations by fixing payment workflows in Q1. Streamline carrier pay before capacity shifts compress your margins.
Tucker Carlson’s nicotine brand loses 378,000 tins in a cargo theft. Plus: produce rates reset, diesel climbs, and a bill that could pull hundreds of thousands of drivers off the road.
Plus: Two logistics firms shut down, Class 8 truck sales finally rise, Union Pacific flirts with a historic coast-to-coast merger, and more in today's newsletter.
TGIF. U.S. brands are gorging on inventory like it’s 2020 toilet paper all over again. A 228% spike in Days of Inventory on Hand (DIOH) reveals the chaos. We break down the freight fallout in today’s feature.
Plus,
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🍳 WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN FREIGHT
😔 Two Established Logistics Firms Are Shutting Down. Chicago Suburban Express and MacMillan-Piper have permanently shut down amid mounting financial strain in U.S. freight. CSX, founded in 1963, will close on July 19 after decades of regional service. Washington-based MacMillan-Piper, once a leading transloader, ceased operations on July 10 after losing lender support. WARN filings confirmed 109 layoffs across both firms. Industry analysts continue to cite tightened margins, rising operational costs, and unstable funding as key pressures on mid-sized carriers. The closures signal deepening instability in regional freight markets, particularly for firms reliant on legacy operations and limited financial flexibility. More shutdowns may follow as conditions remain volatile.
🤝 Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern in Early Merger Talks to Create First U.S. Coast-to-Coast Railroad. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are reportedly exploring a landmark merger that could unite the West’s largest rail carrier with one of the top Eastern operators, forming the first coast-to-coast Class I freight network. The combined company would control over 68,000 track miles across 45 states, with a joint market value nearing $200 billion. Talks are in early stages and unconfirmed publicly. Norfolk Southern shares rose 2.55% after-hours following the report, while Union Pacific slipped. The potential deal comes amid renewed Wall Street interest in rail consolidation following Donald Trump’s return to office and speculation that a pro-business Surface Transportation Board could ease merger approvals. If successful, this would be the most significant U.S. rail merger since 1999 and could reshape domestic freight flows for decades.
📈 June Class 8 Truck Sales Rise for First Time in 2025 Amid Mixed Outlook. U.S. Class 8 truck sales rose 12.5% year-over-year in June to 20,392 units, the first increase of 2025, per Wards Intelligence. The total was also up 8.6% from May. Despite the gain, year-to-date sales remain 5% below 2024. Analysts caution the rise may reflect inventory movement ahead of potential cutbacks, not sustained demand. Freightliner led with nearly 8,000 trucks sold. Still, weak order activity and soft freight conditions are fueling forecasts of a 10.5% annual sales decline. Manufacturers remain cautious as inflation, tariffs, and economic uncertainty cloud the second-half outlook.
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One number says it all: 228%.
That’s how much Days of Inventory on Hand (DIOH) surged over just two months, according to a recent analysis from supply chain software provider Deposco.
U.S. companies are gorging on goods, racing to import everything they can before Trump’s new tariffs fully take effect. And while freight volume may feel strong, the reality behind the scenes tells a much more chaotic, short-term story.
So what does that mean? In short: volatility, short-term gains, and a serious hangover incoming.
Deposco’s report is crystal clear: The 228% DIOH jump is a direct response to the tariff announcements, based on hard WMS transaction data between February and April 2025. It’s not speculative.
Inbound Logistics summed it up bluntly: “Brands are playing inventory management roulette in a high-stakes game against the tariff clock.”
Jerome Washington
This inventory binge isn’t theoretical—it’s already slamming America’s ports.
June 2025 was the busiest June in the 117-year history of the Port of Los Angeles. Container volume surged 8% as shippers front-loaded everything they could.
Executive Director Gene Seroka confirmed the cause: “tariff unpredictability.”
But: The Port of Long Beach saw a decrease in volume. This lopsided surge shows just how chaotic and fragmented the rush has been across the San Pedro Bay and shows the logistical strain this inventory flood is causing.
It’s not just the ports feeling it. According to the June Logistics Managers’ Index, inventory levels spiked, and warehousing capacity contracted for the first time since January 2023.
In other words, we’re officially running out of room.
While warehouse space remains tight in key port markets, national vacancy rates hit their highest levels since 2014 in Q2. Another sign of the chaos.
Inventory costs also hit their highest level since 2022, suggesting that not only are companies stockpiling, but they’re paying a premium to do it. The LMI report states that this “somewhat unseasonal activity” is being driven by importers trying to beat tariff deadlines.
Here’s where it gets tricky. The June Cass Freight Index showed freight expenditures were up, even though shipment volumes were down.
That mismatch sent up red flags among Cass analysts, who dubbed it a “head-fake” caused by short-term urgency, not actual demand growth.
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🌎 AROUND THE FREIGHT WEB
🚓 Cocaine Bust. Troopers discovered $1.8 million worth of cocaine hidden inside a tractor-trailer that “bypassed” a weigh station in Michigan. The driver is now facing federal charges following the drug bust.
👩💼 ArcBest CEO to Retire. Judy McReynolds, CEO of ArcBest, will retire after more than a decade in the role. President Seth Runser will lead the company effective Jan. 1, 2026.
📲 Modernizing Communication. TextLocate is reshaping how carriers communicate with drivers, offering real-time location tracking and automated messaging that reduce check calls and enhance operational visibility.
⚖️ Werner Loses Appeal. Werner lost its appeal in a deaf driver discrimination case. Though damages were reduced to $372K, the court upheld key ADA violations, rejecting arguments over “causation”, internal emails, safety records, and FMCSA waiver implications.
🚢 China May Block Port Sale. China may block the sale of CK Hutchison’s global port terminals to BlackRock and MSC unless Cosco is included, WSJ reports. The move could escalate tensions over foreign control of critical infrastructure.
🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER
FREIGHT HUMOR
The Supreme Court just heard arguments in the broker liability case we’ve been tracking. Plus: oil shipping costs explode, trucking insurance is stuck in 1980, regulators brace for a carrier crackdown, and more.
Tucker Carlson’s nicotine brand loses 378,000 tins in a cargo theft. Plus: produce rates reset, diesel climbs, and a bill that could pull hundreds of thousands of drivers off the road.
The Middle East crisis is already hitting carriers. Plus: Florida lost $3B in crops, flatbed rates posted a fifth straight weekly increase, a $5B brokerage was just acquired, and more.
Plus: autonomous trucking just raised $113M, California is fighting to keep 20,000 drivers, Arrive's 2026 truckload freight forecast, and more.
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