🎣 Tariffs Up 717%. Fuel Up. Margins Down.

TGIF. As the White House marks 200 days into the current administration, we take stock of how policy shifts are shaping freight. From rising tariffs and reshoring investments to fluctuating diesel prices and freight market shifts, today’s feature unpacks it all.

Plus,

• 🚨 Hope Trans Official Wanted After Fatal I-20 Crash
• 🛡️ $280K Cargo Theft Exposes Vetting Failures
• 🤖 AI Awards Spotlight Freight’s Top Tools
• ... and more.

🍳 WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN FREIGHT

🛡️ $280K Load Theft Highlights Carrier Vetting Gaps, and How GenLogs Caught Them. A $280,000 freight theft bypassed standard vetting, spotlighting the growing cargo crime risks, according to GenLogs CEO Ryan Joyce. The New Jersey-based carrier passed ID and tracking checks but showed “no visible operational activity in the past 90 days.” GenLogs’ sensors later tracked the suspect vehicle from Oregon to California and Texas. Two other thefts linked to the same broker occurred within three weeks; the broker has since become a GenLogs customer. “Bad actors are getting smarter,” Joyce said, noting that preventing this single theft would have covered GenLogs’ annual cost. Law enforcement is working to recover the load.

🚨 Arrest Warrant Issued for Hope Trans Official After Fatal I-20 Crash. Texas authorities issued a felony forgery arrest warrant for a Hope Trans LLC official tied to a June 28 crash on I-20 in Kaufman County that killed five. Driver Alexis Osmani González-Companioni allegedly fell asleep at the wheel and remains jailed on a $2.5 million bond. Investigators cite falsified truck registration, hours-of-service violations, and “chameleon carrier” indicators, including frequent address changes. Nearly 34% of Hope Trans trucks have been placed out of service, well above the national average. The NTSB and FMCSA are reviewing logbooks, USPS contract records, and registration documents, with formal findings still pending.

🤖 FreightWaves AI Excellence Awards Honor Freight’s Most Impactful Tools. FreightWaves recognized 10 companies in its inaugural AI Excellence in Supply Chain Awards, spotlighting automation, fraud prevention, and efficiency gains. Honorees include Pallet, Qued, Incorta, project44, C.H. Robinson, along with FreightCaviar sponsors HappyRobot, CloneOps.ai, Fleetworks, OTR Solutions, and Wirebee. Solutions range from Pallet’s AI workforce, boosting throughput by up to 10× to Wirebee’s voice gatekeeper blocking spoofed calls. CloneOps.ai cuts vetting time 95% and flags identity spoofing, while project44’s Disruption Navigator reduces disruption costs 40%. CargoNet data shows theft losses hit $61 million in Q2 2025. Awarded tools aim to protect digital and voice channels while automating ERP, scheduling, and payment processes.

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200 Days of Tariffs, Tension, and Trade-Offs

As the White House celebrates “200 Days of Winning”, logistics professionals are navigating a very different reality: margin pressure, sourcing headaches, volatile fuel prices, and a freight market struggling to find its footing.

Tariffs were once headlines; now they’re profit and loss line items. And if the data is any indication, they’re only getting heavier.

Tariffs Are Up. Way Up.

According to data presented by Michigan State’s Jason Miller, U.S. companies are now paying 3.85x more in tariffs than they were last year, an annualized $283.5 billion as of June. That includes a 717% spike in duties on imports from countries other than China, as Trump’s tariff net has widened globally.

• Auto parts and vehicles top the hit list, racking up over $4 billion in monthly duties.
• Other big categories: semiconductors, furniture, aluminum, clothing, and electrical equipment.
• China's effective tariff rate is now at 37.4%, up from just 11.2% a year ago.

“This is less money to invest in new equipment, hire workers, introduce new products, expand operations…” – Jason Miller

But others see it differently.

“Tariffs aren’t a shock — they’re a course correction...Trump’s tariffs are working exactly as intended: putting America first.” – Todd Underwood, MitWellness CEO

Fuel Prices Back Up

Diesel prices dipped earlier this year, but they’re back up, hitting $3.78/gal in July.

That’s just 3 cents shy of where they were a year ago. Meanwhile, 10 states have hiked fuel taxes this summer, including Wisconsin, Illinois, and Florida.

Combined with tariffs, this puts cost-per-mile at uncomfortable highs for carriers already operating on razor-thin margins.

Investment or Pressure?

Despite the tariff turmoil, the White House touts a growing list of new U.S.-based manufacturing projects. Apple just announced a new AI-focused investment, joining Toyota, Lego, General Motors, and others in shifting operations stateside.

• Running List of Investments
• Toyota is reportedly bracing for a $9.5B impact from U.S. tariff pressure.

What This Means for Freight

The sourcing shift is real, but messy:

• Importers are front-loading ahead of each new tariff phase, creating chaotic shipping patterns.
• Freight volumes remain sluggish, with outbound tender rejections below 4%.
• OTRI is down, spot rates remain soft, and brokers report slim margins as costs rise but demand stalls.

Still, some sectors show resilience. According to C.H. Robinson and KCH Trans, food & beverage, chemicals, and nearshoring-linked volumes in the Southeast and Mexico border region are bright spots.

Bottom Line

• Tariffs = freight disruption. Expect short-term surges, but longer-term reshuffling of trade lanes.
• Stay nimble. Shippers are rethinking modal mix and routing to offset costs.
• Don’t forget fuel. Diesel + fuel tax hikes are compounding the pressure.

Whether you see the first 200 days as stabilization or disruption, the second half of the year is likely to bring more shake-ups. In freight, staying reactive may not be enough.

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🌎 AROUND THE FREIGHT WEB

🔍 Shipper Search Surge. Carrier Source data shows a 20% spike in shipper searches last week, led by tariff-fueled port moves, EV demand in the Midwest, and last-mile prep.

⛽ Fuel Taxes Up in 10 States. Rising state fuel taxes are quietly pushing up freight costs, impacting surcharge calculations and broker margins, especially in high-volume lanes like Illinois and California.

🚀 Trimble's Latest Platform? Trimble’s CEO mentioned Freight Marketplace, described as a real-time capacity sourcing tool for shippers, carriers, and brokers, designed to connect and negotiate within a global network efficiently. A spokeswoman for Trimble said this is not another load board.

⚓ Savannah Hits High. The Port of Savannah handled 5.7 million TEUs in fiscal year 2025, a record 8.6% year-over-year gain and its second busiest year ever, driven by pre-tariff stockpiling in February through April.

💼 RXO’s Q2 Snapshot. RXO posted $1.4 billion in Q2 revenue (up ~52% YoY), with adjusted EPS at $0.04, beating estimates. Adjusted EBITDA climbed to $38 million, although gross margin dipped to 17.8%.

📈 Uber Q2 Growth. Uber reported Q2 income from operations of $1.5 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $2.1 billion (up 35% YoY). Gross bookings rose 18%, and the board approved a $20 billion share repurchase.

🍕 Food Fight Brewing. US Foods went public with its rejected merger bid for Performance Food, pushing for talks that could create a $100B food-service giant.

🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER

• FreightCaviar Podcast: What happens when a freight broker quits to go to law school, but ends up building three logistics companies instead? Tyson Lawrence, CEO of Diablo Freight Ventures, joins us on the latest episode to discuss his journey. Catch it on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
• Manifest 2026: FreightCaviar community, tap into massive savings on Manifest 2026. Get registered now and save $1100 on your attendance price. Click here for the deal.
• Freight Broker Group Chat: Lost a load to a ghost MC? Just discovered a 15-layer carrier spoof ring? Come swap war stories, drop memes, and ask the stuff no one wants to post on LinkedIn. Join us on forum.freightcaviar.com

FREIGHT HUMOR