FreightCasts

Host Thomas Wasson sits down with Drew Farwell, Chief Operating Officer at Midwest Carriers, live from the Barkcast booth at Trimble Insight 2026. Drew breaks down the operational philosophy behind his whitepaper, "The Next Generation TMS: From Load-Centric to Network-Centric Intelligence," and why traditional transportation management systems fall short in today’s complex trucking landscape. In t...

The freight industry continues to digest C.H. Robinson's acquisition of RXO, described as the largest brokerage M&A transaction in history. Craig and Julie speak with Chris Wofford, founder and managing partner of Wofford Advisors, for a deeper look at the roughly $5.8 billion transaction, the importance of the $300 million in expected synergies, the challenges Robinson will face in delivering tho...

For years, trucking has been told it has a driver shortage. But what if the bigger problem isn't how many drivers we have? What if we're wasting the ones already here? Research led by Dr. David Correll at MIT FreightLab found long-haul drivers averaged roughly 6.5 hours of actual driving in an available 11-hour driving window. When Correll compared utilization with the industry's then-claim of an...

In this episode, we kick things off by examining the major leadership changes at STG Logistics, where ⁠the intermodal marketing company has installed a new CEO following its massive financial restructuring⁠. Jack Holmes, a UPS veteran who previously led UPS Freight, takes the helm after the company slashed its funded debt by a staggering ninety percent through a pre-packaged Chapter 11 that reduce...

The freight industry wakes up to a blockbuster deal as C.H. Robinson announces its acquisition of RXO in what the show describes as the largest transaction in freight brokerage history. Craig and Julie break down the roughly $5.8 billion deal, the $300 million in expected synergies, the strategic rationale behind the acquisition, and what the combination could mean for competition and further cons...

In this episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent kick off "Rocktober" with a action-packed Monday show covering key industry news, major market shifts, and an innovative sanitation solution for truck drivers. The duo reacts to breaking news regarding C.H. Robinson's acquisition of RXO, analyzing what the consolidation means for multimodal networks and carrier capacity...

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a powerful new cybersecurity defense tool as the freight industry battles escalating digital threats. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association has launched ⁠a comprehensive threat reporting portal where companies can anonymously share attack data⁠ to help protect the entire sector. By pooling intelligence on hacker tactics and breach indicator...

Six motor carriers are suing TQL and C.H. Robinson under the federal RICO statute, alleging that the brokers used unsafe or unauthorized capacity to gain a competitive advantage and take freight business. On this episode of Freight Expectations, Craig Fuller and attorney Matt Leffler break down the unusual lawsuit, what a civil RICO claim actually requires, and why the case could hinge on who qual...

Craig Fuller and Julie Van de Kamp sit down with Triumph Financial CEO Aaron Graft to discuss the latest Mile Marker data, the shift toward “defensible capacity,” changing broker margins and why new carrier formation remains unusually low. The episode also looks at the growing connection between ocean and domestic freight. Matt Anderson of WiseTech Global explains the company’s new Ocean Freight R...

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a massive infrastructure milestone at the Georgia Ports Authority where the $1.6 billion redevelopment of Ocean Terminal has officially surpassed the 60% completion mark. The sprawling expansion will drastically transform Ocean Terminal's annual capacity from 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units to a staggering 1.75 million TEUs, forming a central c...

Freight rates continue to feel pressure from fuel and capacity shortfalls while the economy continues to sustain despite ongoing inflation concerns.  ⁠Follow the Freightonomics Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FreightWaves Today kicks off the fourth quarter with a packed episode covering autonomous trucking, freight market conditions, driver appreciation and the latest issues shaping transportation. Malcolm Harris and Zach Strickland break down the morning’s biggest freight headlines, including new commercial trucking and cross-border enforcement legislation, a bizarre autonomous-trailer theft involving...

Trucking bought the AI,  Now SHOW ME THE DAMN MONEY! AI is recruiting drivers. Reading contracts. Building RFQs. Automating workflows. Booking freight. And every trucking-tech company suddenly has “AI” somewhere in the pitch. Cool....RIGHT? DOES ANY OF IT ACTUALLY MAKE THE CARRIER MONEY? On this episode of Brake Check, Charles skips the keynote buzzwords and puts trucking’s AI boom to the tes...

Every week somebody watches a YouTube video about box trucking and decides it's their way out. Non-CDL. Low barrier to entry. Amazon Relay. Home every night. Six figures. The content makes it look straightforward. And for a period of time it was, which is exactly why so many people got in, got humbled, and got out. Jessica Miller and her husband became owner-operators in 2020. She was an interior...

In this episode, we kick things off in Washington, where a Texas congressman has introduced sweeping legislation aimed at overhauling trucking safety and cross-border enforcement. Named after eight-year-old Barron Ritchey, who was tragically killed when a wheel assembly struck his family's vehicle, the bill would require mandatory English-proficiency tests for all commercial drivers and impose fin...

As the third quarter comes to a close, FreightWaves Today looks at the forces shaping freight heading into Q4 — from cargo theft and diesel prices to record-setting intermodal volumes and the evolution of electric trucking. The show opens with a look at a coordinated national cargo-theft enforcement operation that recovered roughly $635,000 in stolen freight, followed by an update on falling diese...

Malcolm and Mike review recent news, including a breakdown of approximately 1,850 industry layoffs across several states, notable drug and weapon seizures involving semi-trucks on I-69 in Michigan and I-40 in Arkansas, and upcoming events like the Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga. Then they're joined by Matthew Muester, Chief Economist at Breakthrough, He talks about the volatile diesel m...

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a landmark law enforcement operation that dealt a major blow to cargo theft networks nationwide. The ⁠coordinated National Supply Chain Blitz resulted in multiple arrests and approximately $635,000 in recovered stolen freight⁠, including thirty stolen transformers worth roughly $600,000 that were located at a Massachusetts facility using fraudulent...

FreightWaves Today looks ahead to the fourth quarter and holiday peak season with an in-depth discussion of freight market conditions, capacity, operating costs and the broader economy. Covenant Logistics Group Founder and CEO David Parker joins the show live in Chattanooga to discuss the company’s strategy of moving away from commoditized truckload freight and deeper into specialized, service-int...

Is trucking finally at the bottom...or are we still digging? Diesel is around $6.53 a gallon. Rates remain under pressure. Capacity keeps leaving. Cash is getting tighter. And trucking has been hearing the same promise for what feels like forever: “THE RECOVERY IS COMING.” Cool....WHEN? On this episode of Brake Check, Charles follows the money with two guests looking at the trucking market from co...

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a fierce regulatory battle over proposed non-compliance penalties that could allow engine makers to simply pay fines rather than meet the drastically tighter nitrogen oxide standard taking effect in 2027. Daimler Truck North America is publicly resisting this controversial loophole, warning that PACCAR's suggestion of treating 6,000–7,000 per-engine...

On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Julie Van de Kamp and Malcolm Harris break down the biggest stories shaping freight and logistics, from autonomous trucking and artificial intelligence to fraud, cargo theft and the evolving freight market. The show leads with Aurora Innovation’s plan to scale to more than 30,000 driverless trucks by 2030, prompting a discussion about truck utilization, the f...

On this episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent dig into a busy week in freight, from trucking investment fraud and cargo theft to the future of brokerage and autonomous trucking. The show opens with a look at a $105 million alleged semi-truck investment scheme that reportedly involved hundreds of investors and promises of guaranteed weekly returns. Malcolm and Michael bre...

In this episode, we kick things off by examining Aurora Innovation's aggressive expansion strategy as the autonomous truck developer charts a path toward massive commercial scale. Listen in to discover how ⁠Aurora plans to deploy more than 30,000 driverless trucks by 2030⁠, targeting over five billion dollars in revenue with a sixty percent gross margin. Most of this ambitious growth hinges on tra...

In this episode, we walk through Quick Rates, SONAR’s Chrome extension that gives your team access to real-time rates and market conditions directly from your browser Already have a SONAR login? Click the link below to download the Chrome Extension to your browser! ⁠https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/sonar-quick-rates/dhibohccgihfbghgkcnlnmgddnphafdm⁠ 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@goson...