FreightCasts

Get ready for a jam-packed episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Host Malcolm Harris tackles back-office inefficiencies, the critical world of cold chain logistics, and the "cold truth" about major issues facing the trucking industry today.

On This Episode:

Eliminating Email Brokerage Chaos

Clayton Griffin, President of OTR Solutions, joins the show to discuss why email is an outdated and inefficient primary tool for brokerage operations.

Discover the common manual tasks that bog down back-office teams and slow down post-delivery workflows.

Clayton breaks down the vulnerabilities email creates, including exposure to a "ton of fraud" and how it hinders efforts to reduce cost per load.

Learn how purpose-built platforms like UPay and ePay offer more secure and scalable alternatives.

The Art of Cold Chain Logistics

Jason McArthur, Director of Supply Chain at Lone Cypress Logistics,

 shares his deep experience shipping fresh food, produce, and frozen goods.

Understand why cold chain requires meticulous detail, proper preparation, and a different level of care due to the time-sensitive nature of perishable products.

Jason details Lone Cypress Logistics' "seven-pillar blueprint" for success, which includes proactive intervention, a contingency playbook for product not received, multilayer carrier vetting, and real-time monitoring.

Learn how a shipper mentality and a commitment to communication are key differentiators in this space.

Jason also discusses the critical mission to reduce food waste, citing statistics like the U.N.'s finding that 13% of food is lost between harvest and retail.

Trucking Headlines & The Wild West

The "King of The Carolinas,"

Adam Wingfield, Host of The Long Haul,

 is here to break down the biggest news in trucking.

Adam provides "the cold truth" about the shocking report that 3,000 providers of truck driver training were removed from a government registry, with another 4,000 on notice for noncompliance.

He argues that the practice of

self-certification

 for CDL schools needs to be removed to protect the safety of the industry.

Plus, Adam discusses Amazon's push for 30-minute deliveries and the big news of Costco suing the administration over tariffs.

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This episode of FreightWaves Daily unpacks a massive safety crisis involving fraudulent CDL schools, where a regulatory loophole has allowed unqualified drivers to self-certify without state oversight. New enforcement measures are projected to remove nearly 200,000 drivers from the road, creating a high-stakes trade-off between highway safety and available capacity.

State officials and industry leaders are warning that this rapid reduction in the driver pool could severely disrupt supply lines and increase operational costs. We examine the tension between these necessary safety crackdowns and the potential for a severe economic shock.

Shifting to market signals, the latest data reveals that transportation capacity has stalled while pricing continues to surge for downstream retailers. In a historic shift, warehousing utilization contracted for the first time in nine years as long-standing inventory backlogs finally clear.

On the rails, a major proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern threatens to reduce the sector’s competition from four major players down to just two. East Coast ports are raising alarms that a seamless transcontinental route could undermine their infrastructure investments by favoring West Coast dominance.

Finally, we discuss the infrastructure challenges facing pure electric trucks following the removal of federal EV tax credits. The conversation highlights hybrid engineering, such as the onboard generators used by Edison Motors, as a practical bridge to overcome range anxiety.

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Union Pacific has delayed their rail merger filing for its proposed combination with Norfolk Southern until mid-December. The 4,000-page application faces significant opposition from other Class I railroads and shippers concerned about the effects of consolidation.

In automotive news, Michigan-based Bollinger Motors shuts down amid financial woes after missing payroll for at least two periods. The EV truck maker has ceased operations, leaving the future of its parent company, Bollinger Innovations, uncertain as it executes a cost-reduction plan.

Finally, Amazon tests 30-minute delivery in two US cities using urban micro-fulfillment centers to speed up orders for groceries and household essentials. This pilot program in Seattle and Philadelphia employs Amazon Flex workers to deliver goods rapidly, with fees varying based on Prime membership status.

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In this episode, get into the future of parcel shipping. Our guests, Taylor Pawelka, Vice President of Marketing & Alliances at ProShip & Varsity Logistics, and Grace Sharkey, Senior Manager of Comms and PR at Orderful, break down their white paper findings around the future of parcel shipping and what gaps companies are experiencing. For more information, subscribe to ⁠Check Call the newsletter⁠ or the podcast. 

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10 Roads Express will shut down operations and end its USPS contracts. This wind-down represents the largest trucking failure since Yellow, removing thousands of trucks from the road following severe revenue losses.

We also examine the stark divergence in global shipping, where Asia-US container rates fell 32% in a single week due to overcapacity. Conversely, Asia-Europe rates have surged effectively by 40% as carriers navigate complex security issues in the Red Sea.

On the regulatory front, the DOT is cracking down on safety standards by kicking 3,000 truck driver trainers off its registry for failing to meet new federal requirements. Additionally, the FMCSA has introduced a new ELD approval overhaul to combat the "ghost driver" fraud that contributed to fatal crashes.

Finally, we discuss the confusion surrounding commercial licensing after a federal court intervened in the legal battle regarding non-domiciled CDLs. While the court stayed the FMCSA's emergency rule, uncertainty remains as many states are reluctant to issue credentials to the 200,000 affected drivers.

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10 Roads Express to shut down operations, end USPS contracts and terminate its postal agreements by late January. The major mail hauler plans to complete its remaining service obligations despite a recent history of labor disputes with the Teamsters.

The episode also covers Inside the Amazon-Teamsters showdown: What’s next?, highlighting a union victory for drivers in Kentucky alongside legislative battles in New York,. Additionally, federal proceedings at the NLRB continue to assess whether Amazon should be classified as a joint employer for delivery drivers.

In regulatory news, the DOT kicks 3,000 truck driver trainers off registry for failing to meet federal service standards. The FMCSA has placed thousands more on notice regarding potential noncompliance issues involving falsified data and curriculum failures.

Tune in to FreightWaves TV later today for new episodes of Check Call and Loaded and Rolling. Listen to this brief update to stay ahead of the most critical stories shaping the freight and logistics industry.

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In this episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, host Malcolm Harris closes out the first day of December with a full lineup of industry leaders shaping the future of freight, logistics, and AI.

We kick off with Jason Burns, former Vanderbilt wide receiver turned podcaster and last-mile logistics veteran. Jason shares insights from his “Last2First” journey, the evolution of the final-mile sector, and what leaders should prioritize heading into 2026.

Next, Stefan Heck, CEO of Nauto, breaks down how predictive AI is transforming fleet safety. From real-time driver alerts to collision-prevention intelligence, Stefan explains why human + AI collaboration is becoming a cornerstone of modern transportation.

Closing out the show, Tavaris Johnson, founder of FreightFi, walks through the financial inefficiencies plaguing freight and how AI-driven automation is finally fixing AR/AP chaos for brokers, 3PLs, and carriers.

We also cover the latest headlines:

DHS launching sweeping I-9 audits across California fleets

A major misclassification settlement shaking up New Jersey

FedEx scrubbing MD-11 flights during peak season

Inside the high-pressure Butterball “Turkey Super Bowl” supply chain

Whether you’re in operations, safety, technology, or finance, this episode delivers direct, practical insight on what’s coming next for the freight industry.

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Join host Mary O’Connell as she speaks with Chevron’s Principal Biofuels Scientist, Dave Slade, about the critical shift toward lower carbon intensity fuels! Dave explains why fuel diversity - including renewable diesel, biodiesel (B10, B30, and B100), CNG, and hydrogen - is essential for fleets aiming for net-zero carbon emissions.

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This week, we examine the unprecedented regulatory storm targeting the U.S. trucking labor market, which combines aggressive DHS I-9 audits with powerful financial enforcement by FinCEN. These federal pressures, including stricter CDL requirements, are accelerating the market capacity correction by forcing thousands of non-compliant drivers out of the industry and stabilizing depressed freight rates.

The air freight sector is simultaneously reeling from a severe, unexpected capacity crunch right at the peak shipping season. We detail why FedEx canceled all MD-11 cargo flights for December following the discovery of fatigue cracks, representing an 8% loss of mainline capacity for the carrier and causing disruption for UPS and Western Global Airlines.

We also look south to the U.S.-Mexico border, where massive nationwide blockades organized by truckers and farmers have recently been lifted after they successfully reached deals with federal authorities on security and subsidies. Finally, we cover major corporate finance news, including Yellow Corp.'s massive $7.4 billion pension withdrawal liability being settled for approximately $1.5 billion, alongside a New Jersey truck school's costly misclassification settlement.

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Overcapacity in the Trans-Pacific container trade lanes nullified November general rate increase plans, causing prices on Asia to US West Coast lanes to drop 32% last week to $1,900 per FEU. We discuss the latest data on falling East Coast rates and the continued emphasis on container shipping challenges, including the potential return of traffic to the Suez Canal route amid Red Sea tensions.

Mexican truckers and farmers have begun removing highway and border blockades after reaching agreements with federal authorities to address concerns over escalating highway insecurity, rising cargo theft, and overdue subsidy payments. These disruptive protests severely impacted cross-border shipments, with trade leaders estimating the economic impact at about $3 million per day in lost cross-border salaries and revenue.

Additionally, a North New Jersey truck driving school agreed to settle a lawsuit after being accused of misclassifying at least 30 driver instructors as independent contractors. The settlement includes a total gross payment of about $345,000 to the affected instructors, alongside payments of over a quarter million dollars to the state for penalties and costs, highlighting the enforcement of the ABC test used to classify workers in New Jersey.

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