FreightCasts

Get your week started with the fastest 45 minutes in freight! On today’s episode, Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent break down the latest supply chain headlines, crazy cargo fraud cases, and the evolving landscape of global trade.

In This Episode:

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a major leadership change at an integrated asset-backed 4PL that's betting big on carrier verification technology. Mariner Logistics recently ⁠named Justin Turner as chief executive officer⁠, handing the Coppell, Texas operation to an executive who spent the past decade scaling brokerages and freight tech companies, including a critical role helping Flock Freight grow revenue from roughly ten million dollars to more than five hundred million dollars. The company's proprietary Sentinel Protocol continuously scores carriers and lanes rather than checking them once at signup, applying multi-source verification to every shipment.

Meanwhile, consolidation is accelerating in the managed logistics sector as ⁠Tampa-based BlueGrace Logistics acquired Idaho 3PL Truk TMS⁠, a broker focused on less-than-truckload transportation with a heavy concentration in the Pacific Northwest. Truk TMS had been operating as a BlueGrace partner and will now have full access to the company's technology platform and carrier network of over two hundred fifty thousand carriers, marking BlueGrace's third acquisition in recent years.

Finally, we cover a freight fraud scheme that highlights the vulnerabilities in distributor delivery verification as ⁠Pennsylvania authorities filed fifteen criminal charges involving fraudulent Little Debbie delivery invoices⁠. The City of Washington Police Department alleges that distributor James Powell created fake invoices showing Little Debbie products reaching Pennsylvania retail stores when the deliveries never occurred, using forged employee signatures to falsely verify receipt of merchandise. Powell now faces multiple felony counts including forgery, theft by deception, and fraudulent business practices, with authorities seeking over seventeen thousand dollars in restitution.

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What happens to trucking when autonomous technology collides with driver jobs, highway safety and an increasingly challenging legal environment?

On this episode of Freight Expectations, Craig Fuller is joined by Matthew Leffler and Julie Van de Kamp for a wide-ranging conversation about some of the biggest issues shaping the future of trucking.

The discussion examines the complicated debate surrounding autonomous trucks and what increased automation could mean for professional drivers and the broader freight workforce. While technology promises new efficiencies and potential safety improvements, the transition raises major questions about jobs, responsibility and how quickly the industry should embrace autonomous operations.

The conversation also turns to trucking’s legal environment and the impact of nuclear verdicts. The group discusses why juries can be particularly unforgiving toward large trucking companies, how emotion can influence courtroom outcomes and why a carrier’s investment in safety can become critically important when an accident ends up before a jury.

Craig, Matthew and Julie explore questions including:

It’s a conversation about technology, people, safety and liability as trucking attempts to navigate a rapidly changing future.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a major safety recall affecting nearly six thousand brand-new Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks. PACCAR is pulling model year 2027 vehicles due to a critical defect in the power distribution center that could cause drivers to lose engine power, antilock brakes, or windshield wipers without any dashboard warning. The problem originated from contaminated soldering at a supplier facility, though PACCAR estimates only 0.3 percent of recalled trucks actually have the defect.

Meanwhile, a sophisticated fraud operation is targeting heavy-duty trucking suppliers across Western Canada as twelve businesses shipped truck tires, engine oil, and trailer parts on fraudulent credit card orders that initially appeared legitimate. Saskatchewan RCMP launched an investigation in March after companies across the province discovered that approved transactions ultimately failed, with callers having provided credit card details that prompted shipments before the payments declined.

Finally, we cover a massive workforce reduction in Ohio as International Motors lays off 1,341 employees following the sale of its Springfield facilities to Canadian manufacturer Roshel. The sale is expected to close October 2nd, effectively ending the facility's contract manufacturing agreement with a major automotive company and paving the way for Roshel to transform the sprawling campus into a U.S.-based production hub for commercial, specialty, and armored vehicles.

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Dr. Zac Rogers joins to show to discuss the latest LMI and the continued uncertainty that plagues supply chains. 

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In this episode of FreightWaves Today, co-hosts Zach Strickland and Julie Van de Kamp break down the latest market-moving headlines across the freight, logistics, and supply chain landscape.

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On this Brake Check Vacation Special, host Charles Gracey runs back two of the most critical regulatory, legal, and safety compliance conversations facing the trucking industry today.

First, Brandon Wiseman and Rob Carpenter from Trucksafe join the show to break down what FMCSA’s new MODUS registration system actually means for carriers and brokers. They dive into the legal fallout of recent Supreme Court rulings, discuss what’s inside the massive new Highway Bill proposal (including controversial hair follicle testing provisions), and tackle the question: Are small fleets being regulated out of existence?

Then, Sam Watts (Director of Safety & Loss Control at 10-4 Truck Insurance) joins to separate real fleet safety culture from "safety theater". Sam shares hard truths about driver pay structures, continuous CDL monitoring, fighting nuclear verdicts, and how carriers can protect their bottom line before a single crash happens.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining the latest quarterly results from third-party logistics provider RXO, which posted a mixed second-quarter performance. While net income remained at a five cents per share loss, the company achieved what it described as a ⁠historic sequential increase in profit per load driven by a massive jump in truckload spot mix⁠. That spot mix surged to forty-two percent in the second quarter, up from just thirty-three percent in the first quarter, as the strengthening freight market provides a tailwind for the broker.

Next, we explore the encouraging turnaround at Forward Air, which is showing real signs of recovery following what analysts have called a messy merger with freight forwarder Omni Logistics. The company reported ⁠its best quarterly performance since the January 2024 combination, with consolidated revenue climbing nine percent year-over-year⁠ and consolidated adjusted EBITDA rising eighteen percent to ninety-three million dollars. The expedited freight segment led the charge with a solid twenty-four percent year-over-year revenue increase, benefiting from less-than-truckload freight that had previously been lost to a depressed truckload market now returning.

Finally, we cover the heavy-duty truck market where North American Class 8 net orders totaled twenty-two thousand units in July, down thirty-one percent from June. However, industry analysts are clear that ⁠the slowdown reflects limited production availability rather than softening freight demand⁠, with calendar-year 2026 production essentially sold out. Through July, 2026 Class 8 net orders are running one hundred twenty percent higher than the same period last year, underscoring robust replacement demand and improving fleet utilization.

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In this episode of FreightWaves Today, hosts Craig Fuller and Julie Van de Kamp break down critical news across the freight and logistics landscape, from financial health and quarterly earnings to regulatory shifts, market indices, and tariffs.

James Gellert, Executive Chairman of Rapid Ratings, joins to discuss financial health across middle-market and private companies. He highlights cash-conversion cycle pressures, rising leverage, PE hold extensions, and how high-interest environments affect supply chain counterparty risk.

Jay Edlin, CEO of Wove, stops by the studio to share how their AI-powered ingestion engine helps customs brokers and shippers navigate HTS updates and Section 301 tariff changes in real time.

Trains Magazine Editor Bill Stephens breaks down North American rail traffic data. Excluding coal, carload growth remains strong alongside intermodal gains, pointing to continued industrial economy momentum.

CEO Geoff Anderman discusses STG Logistics emerging from bankruptcy with a restructured balance sheet, the current state of drayage and intermodal demand, and ongoing modal conversion opportunities.

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