Two bills just dropped in the Senate that could reshape trucking faster than anything since deregulation. Plus: Russian hackers targeted your load board, flatbed rejection rates just hit 40%, and a robot is taking the Houston-Dallas overnight run.
This week: The Dalilah Law, a trucking bankruptcy that wiped out thousands overnight, a FreightGuard civil war on Reddit, and the payroll data that's predicting Q4 capacity.
Indiana pulled the trigger on carriers employing illegal CDL holders. Plus: tariff ruling could flood LA with imports, DC finally moves on double brokers, spot rates are outrunning contract, and more.
Here is another round-up of the most engaging and talked-about freight content from around the web and from us.
FreightCaviar Weekly Recap. From DOT upping the ante on companies not following regulations, to the numbers behind CDL crackdowns - here are this week’s most talked-about freight stories.
đź’µ Who Should Pay the Detention?
A heated discussion on r/FreightBrokers this week centered on who should cover detention, layover, and TONU — brokers or shippers. The original poster argued that brokers, not carriers, are responsible for paying these charges upfront, calling out what they see as a new generation of “lazy” brokers unwilling to stand up to customers or negotiate fair rates.
Reactions were split. One commenter reminded readers to “read your contract with the broker” before complaining, while another countered that “some brokers just aren’t good at their job...the market weeds them out.”
Accountability is the name of the game on this topic. Carriers feel brokers hide behind “the market” to justify poor pay and pass responsibility to shippers, while brokers argue they’re squeezed by unrealistic expectations and undercutting peers.
Whose side are you on?
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🙅‍♂️ No More Non-Domiciled Driver
A USPS whistleblower posted on X that the company is allegedly using undocumented drivers to haul U.S. mail, adding new fuel to an already growing debate over non-domiciled CDLs and enforcement gaps in freight.
The issue mirrors industry scrutiny, including reports on state-level CDL crackdowns and the FMCSA’s English proficiency enforcement wave, both aimed at tightening oversight of foreign and unlicensed operators.
Jerome Washington
While USPS has yet to address these allegations, it is clear the battle to secure the roadways and to remove unqualified drivers continue.
đźš” FreightCaviar Story of the Week: DOT's Driver Crackdown
Our feature this week spotlights the DOT’s widening crackdown on unqualified and unlawfully licensed truck drivers, a move now extending beyond carriers to shippers and brokers.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the purge of over 240 CDL training schools, part of a larger effort to dismantle so-called “CDL mills” issuing fraudulent credentials. Federal audits are targeting states, employers, and supply chain partners tied to illegal or unsafe licensing practices.
With more than 2,600 schools under review and millions in federal funding at stake, the message is clear: compliance isn’t optional!
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👮‍♂️ The Purge
In what some are calling “The Great Capacity Purge,” Paul Howarth highlighted growing concern across the industry on LinkedIn. Operation Midway Blitz in Indiana, which led to 46 driver arrests, coincides with FMCSA data showing that more than 7,200 drivers have been placed out of service this year for failing English proficiency standards. The agency has also shut down 244 CDL schools, with thousands more under review, while new verification rules could disqualify up to 200,000 non-domiciled drivers in the coming years.
But not everyone agrees the impact will be that severe. Michigan State’s Jason Miller pushed back on this notion, calling projections of a 600,000-driver purge “unrealistic,” pointing to BLS and Census data showing that kind of contraction would be nearly 2.5 times worse than the 2008 recession. Miller argues that talk of a mass wipeout echoes the same “capacity cliff” fears seen before the 2017 ELD mandate, fears that never materialized.
Still, as FreightWaves’ Craig Fuller warned, “The Great Capacity Purge is coming. Capacity will dry up and stay tight for a while.” Whether it’s a true collapse or a recalibration, all signs point to a tighter, more scrutinized market ahead.
Meme of the Week
🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER
Two bills just dropped in the Senate that could reshape trucking faster than anything since deregulation. Plus: Russian hackers targeted your load board, flatbed rejection rates just hit 40%, and a robot is taking the Houston-Dallas overnight run.
This week: The Dalilah Law, a trucking bankruptcy that wiped out thousands overnight, a FreightGuard civil war on Reddit, and the payroll data that's predicting Q4 capacity.
Indiana pulled the trigger on carriers employing illegal CDL holders. Plus: tariff ruling could flood LA with imports, DC finally moves on double brokers, spot rates are outrunning contract, and more.
The Supreme Court ruled Trump's tariffs illegal. Plus: an Illinois official took $300K and handed out illegal CDLs, cartel violence may affect your Mexico freight, 550 CDL schools just got shut down, and more.
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