The Freight Broker Insurance Gap Is Now Real
The U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II decision eliminated the long‑standing FAAAA preemption, allowing freight brokers to be sued for negligent carrier selection. The only federal financial safeguard—a $75,000 surety bond—covers payment defaults but not the $36 million median “nuclear” trucking verdicts now common. As a result, brokers without contingent auto or cargo liability coverage face exposure far exceeding their bond, prompting calls for mandatory broker liability insurance aligned with carrier minimums. Industry analysts warn the first lawsuits are imminent, making immediate risk‑management action critical.
The Supreme Court Just Told Every Freight Broker that They Can Be Sued
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, holding that negligent‑hiring claims against freight brokers are not preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA). The Court relied on the statute’s safety exception,...
SCOTUS Rules 9-0 Against Brokers in Montgomery Case
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous 9‑0 opinion in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, holding that freight brokers are subject to state tort claims under the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act’s safety exception. The Court interpreted the phrase “with...
J.B. Hunt Sees TL Rates Climbing 20% over Next 2 Years
J.B. Hunt Transport Services forecasts truckload (TL) rates to climb about 20% over the next two years as stricter regulatory enforcement squeezes capacity and driver wages rise. The company reported first‑quarter demand exceeding expectations, with food and industrial segments strong...
CVSA Roadcheck and Enforcement Is Crucial to National Security
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck 2026 will run May 12‑14, pulling roughly 15 trucks per minute through a 37‑step Level I inspection. While framed as a safety sweep, the operation also serves as a national‑security interdiction, targeting ELD tampering, cargo...
The Fraudsters Are Collaborating. It’s Time the Good Guys Did Too.
FreightValidate founder Dale Prax is urging the freight‑industry’s vetting platforms to pool verified fraud intelligence, arguing that criminals already collaborate across warehouses and drivers. He proposes a formal intelligence‑sharing framework rather than exchanging proprietary algorithms, and has secured a May 14...
Tiny Move in Benchmark Diesel as Futures Prices Start to Shift Higher
The benchmark diesel price used for fuel surcharges slipped by the smallest possible increment, falling 0.1 cents per gallon to $5.639/g, after a sharp 28.9‑cent rise last week. At the same time, Brent crude futures rebounded, gaining roughly 3% to $107.41...
The DOJ May Finally Understand What Modern Cargo Theft Really Looks Like
The Department of Justice released an implementation letter that frames modern cargo theft as a cyber‑enabled, organized‑crime problem rather than simple physical theft. The document details how thieves use fake carrier setups, spoofed emails, stolen identities and compromised onboarding systems...
U.S.-managed Bulk Ship Attacked in Persian Gulf
A 590‑foot bulk carrier, the Safesea Neha, was struck by a projectile near Doha, Qatar on May 10, causing a small fire but no injuries. The vessel, managed by U.S.‑based Safesea Group and sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, is the...
Hantavirus and Passenger Fleets: What Passenger Carriers Should Be Thinking About
A hantavirus outbreak on the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius off Cape Verde has resulted in three deaths and five confirmed cases, marking the first recorded incident on a cruise vessel. The disease carries a roughly 38% mortality rate, has...
What Roadcheck Week Means for the Freight Market
International Roadcheck, a 72‑hour CVSA enforcement sweep, begins May 12 with a focus on electronic logging devices and cargo securement. Historically the program has triggered spot‑rate spikes of 6‑8% and raised tender rejection rates, as drivers and carriers adjust capacity...
SONAR Sitrep: Fleet Safety Behind the Curb Post-Freight Recession
Nearly one in five U.S. commercial trucks now fails basic roadworthiness standards, the leading predictor of fatal crashes. As freight utilization rebounds, carriers are confronting a backlog of deferred maintenance accrued during the 2022‑2026 freight recession, when thin margins forced...
April Trucking Jobs Report Shows a Big Increase in Hiring
Truck transportation employment rose by 4,300 jobs in April, bringing the sector to 1,496,600 positions—the strongest monthly gain since September 2023. The increase follows a sharp layoff wave after Yellow Corp.’s shutdown, suggesting some displaced workers found new roles. Industry...
67 ELDs Revoked Since January. 2 More Just Made the List.
The FMCSA announced that Safe ELD (iOS/Android) and MYLOGS ELD have been removed from the agency’s registered electronic logging device list, bringing the total revocations to 67 since January 2025. The regulator framed the removals as part of an active enforcement campaign, not...
Solutions that Save: How Amazon’s Supply Chain Services Give Back Time, Money, and Peace of Mind
Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS) bundles warehousing, transportation, and last‑mile delivery into a single, flexible offering, leveraging Amazon’s global fulfillment network. The platform promises to cut costs, accelerate delivery, and reduce operational complexity without requiring long‑term contracts. AI‑driven forecasting and...
WattEV Orders 370 Tesla Semis in Record California EV Deployment
WattEV announced a record order of 370 Tesla Semi Class 8 electric trucks, with the first 50 slated for delivery in 2026 and full deployment by the end of 2027, making it California’s largest single electric‑truck rollout. More than 300 of...
FedEx Wins War Waiver for Dubai Cargo Route
The U.S. Department of Transportation granted FedEx a temporary waiver allowing it to skip the mandatory Dubai stop on its Hong Kong‑Paris route amid ongoing hostilities in the Persian Gulf. The exemption lifts the 90‑day dormancy rule through Oct. 25, preventing...
ORBCOMM Pulls in New Financing, Replaces All Publicly-Traded Debt
ORBCOMM secured a $460 million refinancing that replaces all of its publicly‑traded debt, with financing from Carlyle, Bain Credit’s private‑credit arm and Morgan Stanley Private Credit. The restructuring prompted S&P Global Ratings to withdraw its B‑ rating and negative outlook, while...
First Look: GXO Logistics Posts Q1 Double-Digit Revenue Growth
GXO Logistics kicked off 2026 with first‑quarter revenue of $3.3 billion, up 10.8 % YoY, and a swing back to profitability, posting a $5 million net income after a $95 million loss a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA rose 22.7 % to $200 million and adjusted EPS...
Super Dispatch: Diesel Price Volatility Strains Auto Transport Margins
Super Dispatch's Fuel and Transport Cost Tracker shows diesel prices hovering around $5.35 per gallon, about $1.80 higher than a year ago, and spiking to $5.64 in a single week. The surge has lifted auto‑transport costs by 16.7% to $0.98...
SONAR Launches Self-Serve Quick Rates — Freight Intelligence Without the Sales Call
SONAR introduced Quick Rates, a self‑serve pricing tier that gives individual freight professionals direct access to its real‑time spot rate intelligence for $24.99 a month, with no demo, contract, or sales call required. The plan includes unlimited spot‑rate searches, live...
The Freight Is Moving. Find Out Where the Money Went.
Freight operating costs hit a record $2.26 per mile in 2024, the highest non‑fuel expense ever recorded, while freight rates have failed to keep pace. This cost‑gap is eroding margins for mid‑market fleets that rely on dispatch decisions made without...
Universal Logistics Slips to Q1 Loss as Intermodal Collapse Deepens
Universal Logistics Holdings posted a Q1 2026 net loss of $3.5 million, or $(0.13) per share, as revenue slipped 3.9% to $367.6 million. The intermodal segment drove the downturn, with revenue plunging 32.3% to $47.9 million and generating a $13.1 million operating loss. Contract...
The Federal Government Is Offering Two Days of Free Business Education This Week. Here Is Why Every Small Carrier Should...
Small trucking carriers can attend the U.S. Small Business Administration’s free virtual summit on May 5‑6, which delivers two full days of online workshops tailored to their operational challenges. Sessions cover practical AI tools for reducing paperwork, strategies to become “bankable”...
Borderlands Mexico: Nearshoring Fuels 800K-Square-Foot Industrial Build in El Paso
Dallas‑based Formation Interests has broken ground on FORM375, an 800,000‑square‑foot industrial park in El Paso, Texas, adjacent to the Zaragoza port of entry. The four‑building campus includes a 513,000‑square‑foot cross‑dock designed to provide “zero‑distance” logistics for cross‑border freight. Trade through the...
Less-than-Truckload Rates Have Sharp Response to Broader Market Turn
Less‑than‑truckload (LTL) pricing has rebounded sharply, with the monthly cost per hundredweight index now about 12.5% higher than a year ago and 29% above May 2021 levels. After a sluggish start that saw modest year‑over‑year declines in January and February, March...
Port Houston Lands $48M Federal Grant for Bayport Expansion
Port Houston received a $48 million federal grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration to expand the Bayport Container Terminal. The port will match the grant with about $56 million of its own capital to build a new container yard and an additional...
How an Executive Order Reshaped Highway Safety
On April 28 2025 President Trump issued an executive order to tighten commercial truck driver safety, directing the DOT to restore English‑language proficiency enforcement, audit non‑domiciled CDL issuance, and pursue broader regulatory actions. Within a year the FMCSA reinstated ELP violations as...
State of Freight: Freight Recession ‘over’ as Demand Builds Into Summer
The April State of Freight webinar hosted by FreightWaves signaled that the freight recession is over, with capacity still tight and demand accelerating into summer. Diesel prices have risen over 41% since March, yet carriers are recouping fuel costs through...
First Look: Schneider National Q1 Results
Schneider National posted first‑quarter adjusted earnings of 12 cents per share, topping the consensus by two cents but falling four cents short of a year‑ago level. Consolidated revenue held steady at $1.4 billion, just under the $1.42 billion forecast. Truckload revenue grew...
Amazon Pushes Delivery Speed as Q1 Revenue Surges to $181B
Amazon reported $181.5 billion in first‑quarter revenue, up 17% year‑over‑year, driven by a 15% rise in unit volume and faster delivery speeds. The company delivered over one billion same‑day or overnight items and expanded 1‑hour, 3‑hour and sub‑30‑minute "Amazon Now" services...
Augment Makes First Move Into $8 Trillion Distribution Sector
Augment acquired stealth AI firm Merlin, giving the company its first foothold in the more than $8 trillion U.S. wholesale distribution sector. The deal brings industry veteran Alex Moazed on board as president of wholesale distribution and adds customers that collectively...
Old Dominion Eyeing Y/Y Margin Improvement in Q2
Old Dominion Freight Line reported first‑quarter revenue of $1.33 billion, a 3% year‑over‑year decline but above analysts’ forecasts, and earnings per share of $1.14, beating consensus by $0.09. Tonnage fell 8% YoY while yield rose 6% and revenue per shipment increased...
Canadian National’s First-Quarter Profit Slips
Canadian National (CN) posted a 4% drop in first‑quarter operating income to US$1.13 billion and a 1% revenue decline to US$3.14 billion, while earnings per share edged up 1% to $1.37. The operating ratio slipped to 64.6% (adjusted 64.2%) as unfavorable currency...
Texas Border Bridge Revamps Truck Crossing Schedule to Reduce Wait Times
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is revising commercial crossing hours at the Port of Eagle Pass, Texas, to cut truck wait times. Empty trucks will now be processed from noon to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends,...
Third Straight Decline in Benchmark Diesel as Futures Trend Higher
The U.S. Department of Energy’s weekly diesel benchmark slipped 5.2 cents to $5.351 per gallon, marking the third consecutive weekly decline and a total 29.2‑cent drop over three weeks. Despite the pullback, the AAA retail diesel index and CME ULSD...
Corman’s Broyles New Chair of Short Line Rail Trade Group
Justin Broyles, president and CEO of R.J. Corman, has been appointed chairman of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) board, succeeding Matt Walsh after a three‑year term. The installation took place on April 14 at the ASLRRA...
TruckSmarter Partners with SONAR To Deliver TRAC Spot Rates For Motor Carriers
TruckSmarter has launched Dispatch, an AI‑driven chat interface that lets drivers find, bid on, and book loads without scrolling traditional boards. The platform now integrates SONAR’s TRAC spot‑rate data, delivering real‑time market pricing to more than 500,000 carriers on the...
TFI’s Bedard Optimistic About U.S. LTL, but some of Its Issues Persist
CEO Alain Bedard said TFI International remains optimistic about its U.S. less‑than‑truckload (LTL) business, but acknowledged lingering operational flaws inherited from the 2021 UPS Freight acquisition. The combined North‑American LTL operating ratio fell to 95.3% in Q1, though the company can...
Florida Man Charged in $600,000 Produce Fraud Case
Federal prosecutors have charged a 39‑year‑old Florida man with a $600,000 produce fraud scheme involving onions and potatoes. The suspect posed as a legitimate business, using a real company's name and forged documents to place orders that were later redirected...
$73 Million at Stake: New York Challenges DOTs’ Non-Domiciled CDL Ruling
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s decision to withhold roughly $73 million in highway funding. The dispute centers on the DOT’s claim that New...
Borderlands Mexico: Texas Cargo Theft Falls, but Organized Crime Grows
Verisk CargoNet reported Texas cargo theft incidents dropped 22% to 80 in Q1 2026, the sharpest decline in recent years. However, the overall freight crime landscape is shifting toward organized criminal networks that target high‑value, easily resold goods such as...
Imports Sitting Out the Freight Market Flip
Import demand remains muted as the Inbound Ocean TEU Volume Index sits at 1,715, well below its 2021 peak of 2,692. After a pandemic‑era surge, shippers moved from a just‑in‑case inventory buildup in 2024‑25 to a leaner just‑in‑time model by...
Maine Lawmakers Press USPS over $350K Default to Rural Air Carrier
Maine’s congressional delegation is pressing Postmaster General David Steiner over an almost $350,000 arrears to Penobscot Island Air, a regional carrier that services the state’s island communities. The carrier, which represents roughly 20% of its annual revenue, suspended mail service...
Covenant Sees Tightening Capacity, Rate Momentum Building in 2026
Covenant Logistics Group posted a first‑quarter loss, with net income slipping to $4.4 million ($0.17 per share) amid winter weather and higher fuel costs. Executives highlighted a tightening driver market—the first time in 40 months—fueling renewed wage discussions and setting the...
Trojan Driver Scam Infiltrates Legitimate Trucking Companies
The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) warns that a new “Trojan Driver Scam” is infiltrating legitimate trucking firms by hiring drivers through normal channels and then using them to divert high‑value freight during routine breaks. The scheme relies on a...
Truck Parking Club Surpasses 5,000 Locations Nationwide
Truck Parking Club announced it now offers more than 5,000 parking locations across 49 states, a jump from 4,000 in just 81 days. Founded in late 2022, the Chattanooga‑based platform now provides over 80,000 reservable spaces and serves drivers from...
United Airlines to Impose ‘Market Disruption’ Surcharge on Cargo
United Airlines will impose a region‑specific “market disruption fee” on cargo shipments starting May 1, aimed at offsetting sharply higher jet fuel costs and other operating expenses tied to the Iran‑Israel conflict. Jet fuel prices have nearly doubled since late February,...
FreightWaves Launches Market Monitor
FreightWaves unveiled Market Monitor, a self‑serve freight market dashboard that aggregates live SONAR indices, AI‑generated interpretations, and a daily briefing. The platform delivers over 20 freight metrics—including tender volumes, spot rates, and fuel data—in a single screen, with a custom...
SONAR Sitrep: AI Data Center Build-Out Fuels US Freight Surge
The AI data‑center construction boom is becoming the largest privately‑funded infrastructure effort in U.S. history, spending the equivalent of the Interstate Highway System’s annual budget every five weeks. Between 2026 and 2031, the build‑out will generate roughly 18.9 million additional truckloads...