FreightCasts

In this episode, we kick things off with a stark warning from the Teamsters union as ⁠President Sean O'Brien puts UPS on notice for a potential strike in 2028⁠, two full years before contract negotiations typically turn contentious. Among the key demands are protections against benefit rollbacks, restrictions on autonomous trucks, and a highly unusual provision allowing regional unions to strike m...

What’s driving freight costs higher — fuel, tight capacity, inflation, or all of the above? On this episode of Freightonomics, Zach Strickland and economist D.J. Donahue break down the latest economic data and what it means for transportation, consumers and the broader freight economy. Producer prices are rising, with energy playing a major role. Diesel prices have surged, putting additional press...

The freight market is heading into peak season with plenty of uncertainty. On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Malcolm Harris and Zach Strickland break down the latest data shaping trucking, logistics and the broader economy. First, Eric Lemus of The Fulfillment Lab joins the show to discuss new Commerce Signal data showing operator margin cushions nearly disappearing as shipping costs rise fas...

Josh Lovan has seen how trucking companies die. Not slowly, from rates. Fast, from one crash. Before he became an advisor at J. J. Keller, Josh was Director of Safety and Security for a major carrier — the man in the room when the accident call came in, when OSHA showed up, when the lawyers started prepping for trial. He's sat in the depositions. He's watched a single wreck, with shared fault and...

The rate confirmation looks legit. The authority checks out. The email looks right. The money looks good. Then the freight disappears .... or you deliver it and nobody pays you. Freight fraud isn't just getting bigger. It's getting smarter. Stolen identities, fake carriers, double brokering, strategic theft and criminals who increasingly know exactly how to look legitimate long enough to get your...

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a massive milestone in cross-border commerce as US-Mexico trade smashed the monthly record at nearly $95 billion in July. Two-way trade surged 27.5% year over year, with Mexico now firmly holding its position as America's number one trading partner ahead of Canada and China. Laredo, Texas, retained its crown as the nation's busiest international tra...

On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Malcolm Harris and Julie Van de Kamp break down the latest developments shaping freight, transportation and global supply chains. The show leads with escalating trade tensions as Canada imposes retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on nearly $20 billion of U.S. goods, while President Donald Trump raises the possibility of further changes to trade with Mexico, Cana...

Malcolm and The Dude dissect recent CargoNet reports regarding Labor Day cargo theft spikes, questioning the data manipulation versus real-world risk. They also dive into former President Donald Trump’s comments on trade deficits and cross-border supply chains with Mexico and Canada. Keith Miao (CEO of Birdstop) and Carl Rundell (President & CEO of Truck Specialized Parking Services) discuss how a...

In this episode, we kick things off by examining the massive trade escalation adding serious costs and uncertainty across North American supply chains. Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs of up to fifty percent on nearly ⁠twenty billion dollars worth of U.S. goods following the collapse of bilateral trade negotiations⁠ in August. These duties target hundreds of American products, from steel and alu...

On this episode of FreightWaves Today, the team breaks down the latest freight market developments as the industry heads into fall peak season. Topics include the deadly cargo plane accident at Miami International Airport, rising truckload tender rejections, spot and contract rate trends, strong intermodal demand and what the latest SONAR data signals for the weeks ahead. The episode also explores...

Trucking is spending a fortune on AI and automation. But what if fleets are automating the WRONG damn thing? AI can quote freight, process tenders, move data, predict maintenance problems and eliminate hours of back-office work. What it CAN'T do is lead your people. On this episode of Brake Check, Charles puts both sides of trucking's technology revolution in the hot seat. Grace Sharkey of Orderfu...

In this episode, we kick things off with a tragic cargo jet accident that has crippled half of Miami International Airport's operations. An Amazon Air Boeing 767 freighter operated by 21 Air overran a runway during landing, struck multiple vehicles on a nearby road, and caught fire, leaving five people dead and five seriously injured. Listen in to learn how two of Miami's four runways remain close...

FreightWaves Today takes a look back at some of the biggest conversations shaping freight and transportation in this special edition featuring a collection of standout interviews from the summer. Malcolm Harris and the FreightWaves team dig into the real-world performance of the Tesla Semi with Inter-coastal Trucking’s Bob Lewis, including driver feedback, range, charging infrastructure, maintenan...

On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Malcolm Harris and Zach Strickland break down the latest developments shaping freight, logistics and the broader economy. The show opens with the latest headlines, including an EPA proposal that could change how diesel exhaust fluid warnings work, a series of commercial vehicle safety enforcement blitzes and rising Pacific container rates amid strong peak-sea...

Dr. Zac Rogers comes on to discuss the latest LMI results from August.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who the hell gave them a CDL .... and why did it take a family paying the price before Washington started listening? This episode of Brake Check isn't an attack on professional truck drivers. It's an investigation into the systems, safeguards, bad actors and policymakers that are supposed to keep unqualified drivers from ever getting behind the wheel of a commercial truck. Professional truck drive...

There's a pitch aimed at truckers on every platform right now. Brokers are eating your margin. Cut out the middleman. Get your own authority. It's not hard — you just need a mentor. And there's always a mentor selling. Trent Tulloh is one of them. He runs Forever Freight Broker, a Tampa training company that teaches drivers and dispatchers to become freight brokers. His reason is personal — his fa...

In this episode, we kick things off in Washington, where the public comment period has just closed on a major Environmental Protection Agency proposal that could fundamentally reshape how diesel engine systems operate. Listen in to learn how the EPA's controversial plan to replace engine deratement with warning signals has drawn nearly two hundred submissions spanning industry praise and sharp env...

AI is transforming freight operations, but how far can automation go — and what happens when location intelligence, rail networks and energy markets collide? On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Malcolm Harris and Julie Van de Kamp break down the biggest stories and trends shaping transportation and logistics. The show opens with three major headlines: an alleged Texas grain theft ring involving...

Malcolm and Michael kick off September with a jam-packed Wednesday episode celebrating driver appreciation and cutting-edge freight tech Rusty Kirby, VP of Transportation and Logistics at Pilot Flying J, breaks down the 2026 Road Warrior contest featuring a custom Kenworth truck built by the Diesel Brothers plus $50,000 in cash! Rusty also discusses Pilot’s elite driver rewards program and the cru...

In this episode, we kick things off with a massive organized crime investigation that has rocked the agricultural sector across Texas. Authorities have linked three men to an alleged theft ring involving one hundred seventy-six grain loads valued at over eight hundred thousand dollars, spanning more than nine million pounds of stolen agricultural product. The inquiry now covers over two hundred co...

FreightWaves Today hits the road for a special episode live from ShipStation Global headquarters in Austin, Texas, as Craig Fuller and Zach Strickland break down the latest forces shaping freight, logistics and the broader economy. The show opens with a look at the current freight and economic environment, including rising transportation and warehousing costs, inventory management challenges and t...

Fuel additives. Miracle MPG claims. Injector cleaners. Cheap replacement parts. And, of course, Washington taking its cut before you burn a single gallon. So on this episode of Brake Check, we're asking one question:WHO THE HELL IS EATING YOUR GALLON? First, Jessica Crabtree, Director of Technical Services at Power Service Products, brings the chemistry. We're separating legitimate diesel fuel sci...

Welcome back to WithSONAR! In this episode, we walk through the Intermodal Dashboard and how it brings national and lane-level market intelligence together in one place. With intermodal becoming an increasingly attractive alternative as transportation costs fluctuate, this dashboard makes it easier to understand where the savings are and how market conditions are changing. Access the Intermodal Da...

The freight industry is facing a major wave of regulatory, economic and operational changes. On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Craig and Julie breaks down the latest developments affecting trucking, freight brokers, autonomous trucks, railroads and cross-border freight. The show opens with the FMCSA crackdown on CDL schools, including the shutdown of hundreds of driving schools over concerns...