🎣 What's Cookin' in Freight

Happy Thursday. Here’s what’s trending across freight and logistics on X, LinkedIn, Reddit, and YouTube.

Trending on X: DOT Finalizes Non-Domiciled CDL Rule

The Trump administration has issued a final rule aimed at closing loopholes that allowed some non-domiciled drivers to obtain U.S. commercial driver’s licenses without full verification.

The rule, led by Sean Duffy at the U.S. Department of Transportation, strengthens screening requirements and limits who is eligible for a non-domiciled CDL.

It is scheduled to be published on February 13, 2026.

Key points:

• Non-domiciled CDLs limited to specific visa categories
• Employment Authorization Documents no longer accepted for licensing
• States must verify legal status through federal systems before issuing a CDL

One trucker commented on X:

“We don’t need more rules — we need enforcement of the rules already on the books.”
— Ⱥmerican Trucker 🇺🇸 (@taylorbilt)

50+ brokerages use Chain instead of growing nearshore tracking teams

Not testing. Not piloting. AI that actually works.

Chain does what your tracking reps do today:

• Check calls
• TMS updates
• POD collection
• and more

It just doesn’t sleep.
It doesn’t churn. And it doesn’t grow your cost to serve.

Trending on LinkedIn: Top 10 Takeaways From Manifest 2026

Manifest, arguably one of the largest and best logistics and supply chain conferences of the year, took place this week in Vegas. More than 7,000 logistics professionals from around the world participated.

Logistics recruiter Brent Orsuga shared his Top 10 recap from the conference after dozens of conversations across the show floor.

His takeaway: optimism is back, hiring is heating up, and AI/automation are everywhere, but most companies still struggle to clearly explain ROI.

Worth noting:

• Consolidation & EBITDA discipline are top of mind for 2026
• Hiring demand is rising, but standards are higher
• AI and autonomy feel closer, but clarity and execution still lag

👉 Read the full Top 10 recap on LinkedIn

Trending on Reddit: When a FreightGuard Turns Into Harassment

A broker shared on r/FreightBrokers how posting a FreightGuard on a small carrier (later believed to be part of a double-brokering operation) triggered months of coordinated harassment.

What followed wasn’t normal pushback: mass email bombing, robocalls, fake Google reviews, AI-generated videos, and even targeting employees’ personal information.

Several brokers in the thread said this isn’t random, it’s a paid tactic used to pressure companies into removing FreightGuards.

What stood out:

• Harassment campaigns appear coordinated and outsourced
• Some brokers eventually remove FreightGuards just to keep operations running

👉 Read the full thread on r/FreightBrokers

GoodShip makes transportation teams look good

GoodShip is the all-in-one freight orchestration platform built by transportation teams, for transportation teams. We unify data and pinpoint optimization opportunities so teams can move from reactive decision-making to coordinated, data-driven execution.

With Laney, the industry’s first AI Transportation Analyst, teams can ask questions about their operations and get clear, actionable answers in seconds, through a simple, conversational interface.

Integrated directly with your TMS and core systems, GoodShip helps teams respond faster, collaborate with confidence, and improve service performance and economic outcomes.

Trending on YouTube: Is AI About to Take Your Job?

Alright - maybe it's not actually trending (just yet), but we just premiered our latest video/vlog/film - whatever you want to call it. We flew to SF and interviewed the freight tech oracles to see if AI is here to take our freight jobs.

It's only 16 minutes long.

Watch it here.

MEME OF THE WEEK