Good Friday morning. A fatal Florida crash has sparked a federal probe, and now, with CarrierOK’s deep dive, a disturbing pattern has come to light. Fake addresses. Recycled MCs. Missed red flags. Our feature story unpacks how this one crash exposed a decade of FMCSA failures.
Plus,
🚨 U.S. halts work visas for truckers
⚖️ Rise in "Thermonuclear" Verdicts
🔒 L.A. Stores Tied to $4.5M Cargo Thefts
... and more.
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🍳What's Cookin' In Freight
🚨 U.S. Freezes Work Visas for Foreign Truck Drivers. The Trump administration has suspended work visas for foreign truck drivers after the fatal August 12 Florida Turnpike crash involving undocumented driver Harjinder Singh. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the freeze on August 21, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier.” The move has sparked debate across the industry. One commenter on USA_Transportation’s Instagram post warned, “Rates to Laredo, TX are about to go through the roof.” ATA COO Dan Horvath said Singh “should never have been behind the wheel,” highlighting renewed scrutiny on state CDL licensing practices.
⚖️ Nuclear and Thermonuclear Verdicts Surge Against Trucking. Trucking faces rising legal exposure as nuclear ($10 million+) and thermonuclear ($100 million+) verdicts soared in 2024, totaling $31.3 billion, Marathon Strategies reported. Wabash was hit with a $450 million judgment (later reduced), while Daimler Truck North America faced a $160 million award after a rollover case. “Aggressive attorney advertising” and corporate mistrust were cited as drivers of the trend. Nevada, California, and Pennsylvania led the nation in verdict totals, while Florida fell from No. 2 to No. 10 after tort reform. With 55 industries impacted, trucking remains among the most at-risk sectors for catastrophic jury awards.
🔒 L.A. Hardware Stores Tied to $4.5M Cargo Theft Ring. Two Los Angeles hardware stores were fronts for a cargo theft operation moving $4.5 million in stolen goods from trains, trucks, and ships, LAPD said. Items included power tools, e-bikes, and appliances from brands such as Dyson and DeWalt. Owner Dojoon Park, 41, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said charges could bring “maximum sentences of years of state prison time.” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell stressed, “Cargo theft is not a victimless crime.” The case highlights Southern California’s growing organized theft problem as authorities intensify enforcement across rail, port, and trucking networks.
Fatal Crash Sparks Scrutiny of Linked Trucking Companies
Clustered but separate? CarrierOK analysis shows 11 affiliated trucking firms registered within a 10-mile radius in California’s Central Valley. Image Source: CarrierOK
Contributed by CarrierOK. This version has been abridged for length.
A semi-truck operated by White Hawk Carriers Inc. made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike on August 12, blocking all northbound lanes. A minivan crashed into the trailer, killing three South Florida residents. Driver Harjinder Singh was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and arrested in California.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched a federal investigation into both the driver and White Hawk Carriers. Singh faileda post-crash English-language assessment. FMCSA is now reviewing how he was certified and scrutinizing the carrier’s practices.
But the crash also highlights broader issues. Public data links White Hawk Carriers to a web of other trucking companies via shared emails, phone numbers, and equipment. These overlaps don’t prove control but resemble patterns seen in “chameleon carriers,” firms that re-register under new names to dodge enforcement.
White Hawk’s Safety Record
White Hawk Carriers, based in California’s Central Valley, operates 25 trucks with 45 drivers. Its driver out-of-service rate is 13.4%, over twice the national average. Records show repeat violations: brake defects, false logbooks, disqualified drivers, and unsecured cargo.
The company’s contact email, whitehawkinc1@gmail.com, also appears in records for Simran Trucklines and other entities, suggesting shared operations behind different names.
Overlapping Networks
CarrierOK’s analysis of FMCSA records reveals recurring links between White Hawk and a broader network:
Federal records mapped over time show how entities tied to White Hawk Carriers appear, dissolve, and re-emerge with overlapping contacts, emails, and trailers. Image Source: CarrierOk
Shared trailers: 12 of 18 trailers listed under White Hawk also appear under other DOT numbers, including White Hawk USA.
Shared contacts: Multiple phone numbers and emails appear across companies like Simran Trucklines, Great Eagle Trans, and White Star Trucking.
Sequential authorities: As one company shut down, another emerged nearby, often with reused equipment and contact details.
For example, Simran Trucklines used the same email as White Hawk from 2017–2018. White Star Trucking, founded by Navneet Kaur (also listed for White Hawk), was revoked in 2015; a new entity soon appeared in the same region using its phone number.
Insurance Risks
Several of these companies carried policies from Global Hawk Insurance, a now-defunct risk-retention group.
Global Hawk Insurance was liquidated in 2020 and a federal grand jury indicted executives.After its collapse, many carriers were left suddenly uninsured.
Risk-retention groups (RRGs) aren’t backed by guaranty funds, creating gaps in protection for shippers and the public when they fail.
Open Questions
Three lives were lost. While the criminal case focuses on the driver, the federal probe will examine whether broader patterns contributed. Data shows overlapping authorities and identifiers within a 10-minute drive of each other, and FMCSA has more data (IP addresses, payment methods, IDs) that could be used proactively to spot repeat violators.
Whether these patterns point to prohibited reincarnation is up to regulators. But the signals are there; the question is whether anyone is connecting the dots.
This article is a condensed and republished version of a report originally produced by CarrierOK. It has been edited for length and clarity. The views expressed belong solely to the original author and do not necessarily reflect those of FreightCaviar.
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🆕 project44 TMS Launch. project44 rolled out its new Intelligent TMS, an AI-driven, multi-modal transportation management system built on its Movement platform, promising up to 4.1% lower transport costs, 17% better on-time performance, and 60% faster quoting.
💰 Overhaul Secures Funding. Supply chain tech firm Overhaul secured $105 million in its latest funding round to expand cargo security services and accelerate safety technology development.
🚀 Highway Gets Backing For Growth. Highway secures funding from FTV Capital and Lead Edge to expand its Carrier Identity® platform and help brokers scale faster while fighting fraud.
📝 Medical Waiver Extended. FMCSA extended its waiver allowing CDL and CLP holders to use paper medical examiner’s certificates for 60 days, through October 12, 2025, as states transition to the NRII electronic system.
😔 Freight Layoffs Surge. More than 4,100 jobs have been cut across U.S. freight-related companies since mid-July, impacting trucking, logistics, and distribution firms amid persistent demand softness.
🚫 CDL Enforcement Ahead. DHS revealed plans to partner with USDOT to prevent unqualified or non-citizen drivers from securing CDLs via “sanctuary” states, citing public safety risks linked to current licensing gaps.
🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER
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I’m Adriana, a writer and editor at FreightCaviar. I’ve covered everything from freight tech to industry lawsuits and market shifts, helping scale us to almost 14K subscribers. My goal: to make logistics stories digestible, clear, and fun to read.
Hello! I'm Jerome FreightCaviar! I’m into the politics of freight and the impact it will have worldwide. I'm always eager to learn more. Follow me on X @JeromeFreightC
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