FreightCasts

By FreightWavesNews News Commentary Daily News Business News

FreightCasts episodes

July 10 FreightWaves Today | July 10
It’s Friday, and while the domestic spot market is hitting a bit of a post-holiday summer lull, the freight industry at large is facing massive structural, legislative, and tech shifts. In this episode of FreightWaves Today, hosts Craig Fuller and Julie Van de Kamp sit down with top industry analysts and experts to break down the biggest headlines moving the market this week.
We dive deep into a jaw-dropping $104 million nuclear jury verdict against Mesilla Valley Transportation, unpack the EPA’s newly finalized 470-page NOx emissions regulations, and discuss reports that tech giant Trimble is planning to sell off its transportation division. Plus, maintenance and legal expert Matt Loeffler stops by for Freight Expectations to sound the alarm on a sophisticated new type of trailer leasing fraud emerging on social media.
Featured guests:
Lee Klaskow (Senior Transportation Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence): Joins us to break down Wall Street's red-hot interest in truckload and LTL stocks, why the current capacity correction feels more structural than cyclical, and what to expect from the upcoming Q2 earnings season.
Bart De Muynck (Founder, Bart De Muynck LLC): Weighs in on reports that Trimble is looking to divest its transportation unit. We discuss why European software like Transporion often struggles to gain a foothold in North America, and how modern architecture and real-time AI solutions are shifting the enterprise software landscape.
Matt Leffler (The Armchair Attorney): Returns for Freight Expectations to dissect the legal mechanics of the massive $104M verdict, how cross-border carriers manage equipment safety, the heavy technical/cost burden of the EPA's new diesel aftertreatment regulations, and a dangerous new asset scam hitting independent truckers.
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2 hr 1 min
July 10 This 5-Word Safety Policy Just Cost a Fleet $104,000,000 | WHAT THE TRUCK?!?
Welcome to another wild Friday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? In this episode, hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent break down the biggest money headlines hitting the supply chain, global logistics, and over-the-road trucking sectors.
From devastating nuclear verdicts to massive $11M cargo recoveries and sneaky border smuggling tactics, we dive deep into the volatile state of logistics. Plus, Noel Glasgow (VP of Sales for WEX’s OTR Business) stops by to unpack the mechanics of fuel fraud and how carriers can protect their margins against surging fuel prices.
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47 min
July 10 STG Exits Chapter 11, $104M Wrongful Death Verdict, & USPS Flies Mail for UPS | The Morning Minute
In this episode, we kick things off by examining a strategic financial comeback landing at precisely the right moment for the intermodal sector. STG Logistics has emerged from Chapter 11 protection after slashing its funded debt by approximately ninety percent and securing one hundred fifty million dollars in fresh capital from Fortress, Fidelity and Invesco. The timing couldn't be better: intermodal is currently thirty-one percent cheaper than over-the-road truckload service, helping drive an eight percent year-over-year increase in total intermodal traffic on U.S. Class I railroads during the second quarter.
Next, we explore a major wrongful death verdict sending shockwaves through the truckload sector. An El Paso jury has awarded one hundred four million dollars against Mesilla Valley Transportation and one of its drivers following a fatal crash in twenty twenty where an MVT driver and company trainer fell asleep at the wheel, causing his tractor-trailer to drift onto the shoulder and strike a parked box truck, killing co-driver Orlando Robles who was asleep in the sleeper berth. The jury awarded Robles' son twenty million dollars in compensatory damages and seven point five million dollars in punitive damages, with the overall verdict totaling one hundred four million dollars for the surviving family.
Finally, we unpack a costly contractual bind forcing the U.S. Postal Service to fly mail it would rather send by truck. According to a report from the agency's Office of Inspector General, postal officials are spending more than intended because minimum volume commitments under its UPS air cargo contract prevent shifting more pieces to cheaper surface transportation. The percentage of First-Class mail traveling by air skyrocketed from two percent in October twenty twenty-four to fifty percent by March twenty twenty-five, directly contradicting the Postal Service's broader strategy to shift volume to trucking contractors and save money.
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4 min
July 09 Still going | Freightonomics
The trucking market hit its summer peak and is showing no signs of slowing down despite a fairly stagnant/not recessive economy aside from AI driven investment. Dr. Zac Rogers discusses the latest LMI report.
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50 min
July 09 FreightWaves Today | July 9
Welcome back to FreightWaves Today! In this jam-packed episode, we break down why the freight market is showing intense resilience during a typical holiday lull and look ahead at what could be the next massive freight super cycle.
From massive rail network mergers to the latest macro-economic strains shifting supply chains, we’ve got the data, the insights, and the expert perspectives you need to stay ahead of the curve.
Anne Reinke, President & CEO of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), joins the show to discuss why domestic intermodal is booming, tackling data fragmentation via AI, and battling the disturbing rise of mid-transit cargo theft.
Chris Wofford, Managing Partner of Wofford Advisors, weighs in on the return of private equity, capital deployment, asset vs. asset-light valuations, and whether structural changes are driving an industry consolidation "barbell."
Zach Strickland is joined by Dr. Zach Rogers to unpack the latest Logistics Managers' Index (LMI) data. Discover the widening divide between large and small firms, inventory stocking trends, and why transportation utilization has hit its highest rate expansion in eight years.
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2 hr 3 min
July 09The FMCSA Already Knows Which Carriers Will Fail | Brake Check
Before a truck gets shut down...
Before the lawsuit...
Before the six-figure insurance renewal...
Before the FMCSA audit...
The warning signs are almost always there.
The problem?
Most carriers don't see them until it's too late.
On this episode of Brake Check, we tackle one of the biggest questions in trucking today:
Why do 93% of carriers fail an FMCSA audit with at least one violation—and what are the safest fleets doing differently?
Joining us are two experts who see trucking safety from completely different angles.
Ann Wasson, Founder of Wasson Consulting Group and Certified Director of Safety, breaks down what FMCSA auditors are really looking for, the HOS and ELD mistakes carriers make every day, the compliance failures that fuel nuclear verdicts, and how to prepare before regulators ever come knocking.
Then Sam Watts, Director of Safety & Loss Control at Ten Four Truck Insurance and founder of Wattsmen Diesel House, explains why safety isn't just about avoiding violations—it's about lowering insurance costs, building a culture drivers actually believe in, coaching instead of punishing, and why too many fleets mistake paperwork for protection.
Inside this episode:
Why only 7% of carriers pass an FMCSA audit clean

The biggest compliance mistakes hiding in plain sight

What FMCSA's data is already saying about your fleet

HOS & ELD mistakes that trigger enforcement

The truth about safety culture vs. compliance theater

What insurance companies really look for before writing coverage

Why some fleets keep paying higher premiums—and don't realize they're causing it

Coaching drivers instead of chasing violations

The maintenance shortcuts that become expensive roadside inspections

How to protect your business before an audit, crash, or lawsuit forces you to
Whether you run one truck or one thousand, this episode could save you from your next audit, your next claim, or your next insurance renewal.
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57 min
July 09 From the Inside Out — How Trucking Became the Way Back | The Long Haul
Debon Sims — DJ — got his CDL in 2018 and bought his first semi-truck in 2019 after getting out of a lease-purchase program.
What the intake form doesn't say is what came before that.DJ has been incarcerated. He knows what it feels like to have the system count you out. He also knows what it feels like to decide that the count doesn't matter.
He landed an Amazon contract early on. Lost it. Spent years grinding load boards and chasing freight that barely covered his costs. And then three years ago he did something most carriers only talk about — he walked away from broker dependency and secured a direct waste-hauling contract that changed not just his revenue, but how he sees the entire business.
This is a conversation about what it actually takes to build something when the world has already decided what you are. About treating trucking like a business when everybody around you is treating it like a job. About finding consistent freight in an industry that makes you earn every relationship you get.
If you've ever been told you were done — by a system, by a market, by a bad decision — this episode is for you.
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47 min
July 09 UP-NS Merger Exclusive, NYC Amazon DSP Bill Stalls, & Mexico Driver Shortage Worsens | The Morning Minute
In this episode, we kick things off with an exclusive look inside the massive rail merger that could reshape the U.S. economy. During the July Fourth weekend celebration in Philadelphia, FreightWaves spoke with Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena and Norfolk Southern CEO Mark George about their pending merger alongside the iconic Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive. As the Surface Transportation Board begins its formal review, the executives remain highly optimistic about approval despite extensive regulatory hurdles ahead.
Meanwhile, a potentially groundbreaking New York City law targeting Amazon and its Direct Service Providers has gone quiet for the summer, but sources say significant changes may be brewing. The proposed Delivery Protection Act shows no action since an April public hearing as amendment season unfolds behind closed doors. The legislation would prohibit subcontracting deliveries and require all last-mile workers to be directly employed by facility operators, though backers appear open to changes including a possible joint employer structure.
Finally, we explore Mexico's trucking industry as it faces a brutal driver shortage that's threatening cross-border trade and domestic freight movement. A new survey by the International Road Transport Union reveals that fourteen percent of commercial driver positions in Mexico are sitting vacant, the second highest rate among eighteen markets surveyed. With roughly ninety thousand trucks currently sitting idle due to the shortage, and that figure potentially climbing above one hundred eight thousand by 2028, the crisis poses a critical threat to manufacturers and exporters that depend on road transportation.
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4 min
July 08 FreightWaves Today | July 8
Welcome to Freight Racing Day! It’s Wednesday, which means we are diving deep into the massive waves of data shaping the industrial economy. From the newly released Logistics Managers Index (LMI) to record-breaking rail reports, we are breaking down everything you need to know about the current, highly robust state of the freight market.
In this episode, we address major industry shifts—including the brutal California regional operating environment that led to the sudden shutdown of Mountain Valley Express. We also dive into the rising complexities of "digital secondary accidents" and how legal engineering is targeting transportation brands online. Finally, we analyze the booming numbers in the raw materials sector and head over to the Middle East for a crucial geopolitical update on the Strait of Hormuz.
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2 hr 1 min
July 08Inside the "Phantom Driver" Scam Keeping Unsafe Fleets on the Road | WHAT THE TRUCK?!?
Welcome to a brand new episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, the award-winning, irreverent supply chain show! Hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent are back to break down the biggest headlines hitting the logistics and transportation sector this week.
On This Episode:
HOA Wars & Texas Bound: Co-host Michael Vincent calls in from his brand-new home base in Texas after a grueling 11.5-hour U-Haul drive from Chattanooga. Hear his breakdown of Southern road infrastructure and his final parting words for his former Homeowners Association.

The Closure of Mountain Valley Express: The guys discuss the sudden shutdown of regional LTL player Mountain Valley Express and what it says about current market pressures.

Reinventing the Back Office with Transvor: Alex Dolles, Founder of Transvor, joins the show to discuss how carriers are rethinking overhead costs by leveraging virtual talent and outsourcing administrative, billing, and dispatch roles to the Philippines and Colombia.

The Montgomery Case Deep Dive: National truck crash lawyer and Managing Partner at the Law Firm for Truck Safety, Michael Leizerman, calls in to give an exclusive insider look at the landmark Montgomery lawsuit as it heads back to the Illinois District Court. He clears up major misconceptions about broker liability and negligent selection.
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49 min

About FreightCasts

From the publisher's feed

A full trailer load of freight podcasts from FreightWaves. Enjoy shows like the award-winning WHAT THE TRUCK?!? podcast, Put That Coffee Down, Freightonomics, Fuller Speed Ahead, Great Quarter, Gals…