FreightCasts

The trucking industry just got hit from every direction.

The Supreme Court dropped a broker liability ruling that has brokers, carriers, and insurance companies scrambling. MOTUS is officially live and already changing the compliance game. And while all of that unfolds, Washington is pushing a new Highway Bill that could reshape freight, enforcement, and trucking operations for years to come.

In other words… the rules just changed.

On this episode of Brake Check, Charles  sits down with Matthew Leffler along with Brandon Wiseman and Rob Carpenter from TruckSafe to break down:

No fluff.

No corporate spin.

No “everything is fine” conference room nonsense.

Just real trucking talk for real trucking people.

If you’re a broker, carrier, fleet owner, dispatcher, safety director, or driver… this is the episode you cannot afford to miss.

#Trucking #SCOTUS #BrokerLiability #MOTUS #FMCSA #Freight #OwnerOperator #TruckDrivers #BrakeCheck

⁠Follow the Brake Check Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off in Washington, where the U.S. House of Representatives has just unveiled the BUILD America 250 Act, a sprawling federal surface transportation reauthorization package. This massive legislation allocates $240 billion in authorized and direct funding for trucking, rail, aviation, and ports, including a historic $102 billion investment in passenger and freight rail—the largest federal rail commitment since Amtrak's creation—along with $110 billion for roads and bridges, $17 billion for port upgrades, and $25 billion for airport modernization. Debate on the bill begins Thursday, just months before the current authorization expires in September.

Shifting gears to the rails, we examine a brutal rate war erupting between two Class I giants as they battle for freight customers in front of federal regulators. Union Pacific has filed a 129-page complaint with the Surface Transportation Board alleging that BNSF Railway hiked reciprocal switching charges by as much as 472 percent at locations where UP recently won or grew business from BNSF customers. UP claims BNSF canceled longstanding unit grain train switching rates and forced customers to pay nearly triple the cost under merchandise train rates, while BNSF has rejected entire unit train shipments this month, allegedly to make UP service noncompetitive and drive shippers back to BNSF.

Finally, we unpack the evolving threat landscape in supply chain security as traditional cargo theft tactics give way to far more sophisticated criminal operations. While overall theft incidents declined to 574 in the first quarter of 2026, deceptive pickup fraud schemes using fake identities and forged credentials jumped 31 percent year over year, with nearly half of those fraud incidents occurring in California. Electronics remained the most frequently targeted cargo at 17 percent of all incidents, while auto and parts thefts surged 142 percent from Q4 2025, prompting warnings from security experts that organized criminal networks are heavily investing in fraud infrastructure that traditional security measures like padlocks simply cannot stop.

Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast

Other FreightWaves Shows

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a jam-packed Monday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? with your hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent! Today, we are breaking down the biggest headlines hitting the supply chain, talking rock & roll snubs, and sitting down with three incredible industry experts to tackle everything from highway financial nightmares to explosive fleet growth.

Travelers’ Stephen Brasher reveals that 83% of motor carriers have experienced excessive towing rates. He outlines the critical steps to negotiate inflated invoices, demand itemized bills, and avoid devastating insurance coverage gaps.

While legacy players were panicked by volatile equipment values, Avery Tomek shares how a “deal of a lifetime” allowed him to buy 200 lightly used trucks at an absolute fire-sale price—fueling rapid, unprecedented growth.

John Weisblatt breaks down how NextPass is bringing interoperability to North American toll roads by replacing outdated windshield transponders with smart, plate-reading camera tech.

⁠Watch on YouTube⁠

⁠Visit our sponsor - TAYLOR AND MARTIN⁠

⁠Subscribe to the WTT newsletter⁠

⁠Apple Podcasts⁠

⁠Spotify⁠

⁠More FreightWaves Podcasts⁠

#WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to WithSONAR!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a brutal wave of workforce cuts hitting the U.S. supply chain sector. More than 5,183 freight-related workers have been affected by shutdowns, restructurings, and contract losses spanning at least twenty states across logistics, manufacturing, and transportation. The largest single reduction came from California-based FreshRealm, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after disruptions tied to a 2025 listeria outbreak, with major cuts at third-party logistics operators and automotive parts manufacturers also contributing to the staggering totals.

Next, we explore how Florida law enforcement has dismantled a massive organized theft ring in an investigation known as Operation D-Fence. Authorities arrested fourteen people and estimate that roughly $7 million in proceeds moved through the criminal enterprise over the last year, with the operation allegedly functioning like a business complete with theft crews, transportation networks, centralized storage locations, and online resale channels targeting major retailers and construction sites across Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Finally, we unpack how the wreckage of the autonomous driving boom is being repurposed into a new generation of commercial trucking safety technology. MicroVision secured Luminar's assets for $33 million after the company's bankruptcy, gaining production programs with Volvo, an ASIC design team in Colorado Springs, and world-class validation facilities in Orlando. For fleet operators, the value proposition translates directly to cost-per-mile savings, with advanced driver-assistance systems delivering substantial accident cost avoidance and some insurers offering up to twenty percent reduced premiums.

Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast

Other FreightWaves Shows

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Craig and Matt are joined by freight strategist Ken Adamo to break down the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in F4A Montgomery and what it means for brokers, carriers, insurers, and shippers across the country. The conversation dives into the legal and operational fallout of the decision, including broker liability, negligent carrier selection, insurance market reactions, and why many believe the freight industry has entered a completely new era. The panel explores the uncomfortable reality that most carriers don’t have formal safety ratings, the growing burden now placed on brokers to determine “safe” carriers, and how rising insurance costs could reshape the industry through consolidation, higher barriers to entry, and inflationary pressure on freight rates.

⁠Follow the Freight Expectations Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buckle up for a high-octane Friday edition of What The Truck?!? as hosts Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent break down one of the biggest legal bombshells to hit the brokerage industry in years. We’re diving deep into the news, the noise, and the rock and roll soul of the freight world.

The SCOTUS Verdict: Broker Liability & f4a

John Kingston, Editor at Large at FreightWaves, joins the show to dissect the unanimous 9-0 Supreme Court ruling regarding the Montgomery case. We discuss:

Solving the Parking Crisis with AI

Joe Caivano and Venu Colli from SpotOS AI and Best Truck Parking join the quad-box to discuss why truck parking can no longer be an afterthought.

Watch on YouTube

Visit our sponsor - TAYLOR AND MARTIN

Subscribe to the WTT newsletter

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

More FreightWaves Podcasts

#WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a landmark Supreme Court decision that fundamentally reshapes liability for the freight brokerage industry. The Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that the safety exception of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act includes freight brokers, settling conflicting circuit court cases and clearing the way for negligent-hiring claims in state court. The decision in Montgomery versus Caribe Transport II allows C.H. Robinson to return as a defendant when the case is remanded to the Seventh Circuit.

Next, we explore the ocean freight sector where carriers are tightening trans-Pacific eastbound capacity by blanking sailings around China's May Day holiday, creating the firmest supply-demand environment of the year. Meanwhile, Houston's containerized cargo volumes are surging as West Coast ports see year-over-year declines, driven by ship canal improvements that now allow larger and heavier vessels to access the Gulf Coast port. Executives expect carriers to hold mid-May general rate increases as tighter vessel supply supports higher pricing heading into summer shipping season.

Finally, we cover a massive infrastructure investment to optimize distribution across the Southwest as Dollar Tree opens a one million-square-foot distribution center in Litchfield Park, Arizona. The climate-controlled facility, one of Dollar Tree's largest, will service about seven hundred stores across five states and help move product closer to stores for faster customer delivery. The value retailer now operates nineteen distribution centers supporting over nine thousand stores across North America.

Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast

Other FreightWaves Shows

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you navigating your supply chain without a compass?

In this episode, Julie Van De Kamp (Chief Marketing and Operations Officer at SONAR) sits down with Stephen Husk (Director of Data Services at e2open) to discuss how their powerful partnership is changing the game for logistics professionals.

Freight market volatility can make it incredibly difficult to know if your transportation strategies are actually working. Stephen walks us through how e2open integrates SONAR’s real-time market intelligence directly into its platform, giving shippers the exact context they need to evaluate their performance, manage carrier relationships, and secure the best rates.

In this episode, we cover:

The Power of Benchmarking: How to seamlessly compare your contracted rates against real-time spot market indices without leaving your TMS.

Cost Avoidance vs. Cost Savings: Why paying a higher rate doesn't always mean you're losing—and how to prove your strategy is working, even in a tight capacity market.

Carrier Compliance & Performance: How to identify underperforming carriers, hold them accountable for rejected tenders, and balance on-time delivery metrics against cost.

Real-Time Data Integration: Why looking at post-mortem reporting isn't enough, and how up-to-the-minute market insights can save you from costly routing guide failures.

Whether you're a logistics analyst, a supply chain leader, or just looking to stop relying on guesswork, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you leverage your data and take control of your freight spend.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The spreadsheets say one thing. The bank accounts say another.

On Brake Check, we uncover what trucking companies really feel in 2026...fear, pressure, frustration… and in some cases, flat-out survival mode.

With Jessica Dotson from Triumph, we dig into the real emotional state of freight.

Then ⁠CloneOps.ai⁠ shows how voice AI may become the next big weapon against freight fraud.

And if that’s not enough…

Welcome to Brake Check.

Real trucking talk for real trucking people.

⁠Follow the Brake Check Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices