FreightCasts

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 trade gateway, handling nearly $37 billion in commerce while experiencing tight trucking capacity.
Meanwhile, federal regulators are giving carriers some breathing room during a major technology transition. We discuss how FMCSA suspended enforcement of biennial update requirements and stopped deactivating USDOT numbers for missed filings. The relief covers deadlines on or after June 1, 2026, and remains in place while registrants transition to the agency's new MOTUS system, which launched in May.
Finally, we unpack the federal government's aggressive crackdown on alleged CDL fraud as ICE launched a tip line for reporting suspected commercial driver's license fraud in partnership with the Department of Transportation. The tip line comes shortly after federal officials removed over 110 commercial driver training schools from a federal registry, with HSI already receiving more than 1,000 leads involving CDL-related businesses suspected of unsafe practices and potential connections to human smuggling, drug trafficking, and cartel activity.
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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, Canada and the European Union. The hosts examine what the uncertainty could mean for cross-border freight, manufacturers, shippers and transportation costs.

Then, Jason Murray, CEO and co-founder of Shipium, and Penny Allen, SVP of AI Product and Engineering, join the show to discuss Shipium's new "Always-On Audit." They explain how AI-powered, continuous auditing can track shipments in real time, identify billing and data issues, catch problems before they become costly and automate freight-payment reconciliation.

The team also digs into the deadly Amazon cargo jet crash at Miami International Airport with FreightWaves air and parcel expert Eric Kulisch. Eric provides an update on the NTSB investigation, the sequence of events surrounding the Boeing 767 freighter's runway overrun and the potential implications for air cargo operations at one of the country's key international gateways.

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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 autonomous drone technology and node networks are being deployed across major freight corridors. They explain how real-time aerial data is helping solve the nationwide truck parking crisis—starting with critical trade routes between Detroit and Windsor, Canada.

Guy Yehiav (President of SmartSense) breaks down the physical and digital vulnerabilities in today's supply chains. From "no stop zones" to GPS spoofing and stealth pallet trackers, Guy highlights how organized crime is getting smarter and how shippers can better protect high-value freight

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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 aluminum to dairy, clothing, furniture, and industrial equipment, impacting one of the world's largest bilateral trading relationships.

Meanwhile, investigators are piecing together critical details from Sunday's deadly cargo jet crash at Miami International Airport. National Transportation Safety Board officials revealed that ⁠the Amazon Boeing 767 freighter was carrying over thirty-two thousand pounds of contact lenses⁠ and failed to deploy critical systems meant to slow the aircraft upon landing. The plane hovered well past the normal runway zone, ran off the runway at one hundred eighty-one miles per hour, and plowed into vehicles and fences, leaving five people dead.

Finally, we unpack President Trump's dramatic escalation of trade rhetoric against America's largest trading partners. During a September fourth Oval Office news conference, ⁠Trump suggested the U.S. could stop trading with Mexico and other countries where it runs large trade deficits⁠, claiming America could prosper by reducing its dependence on foreign trade. Trump singled out Mexico, Canada, and the European Union, arguing the U.S. could eliminate trade deficits simply by refusing to trade with those markets.

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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 record-high diesel prices and their impact on carriers and brokers, along with the evolving legal and regulatory landscape facing the trucking industry. Plus, the team looks at autonomous trucking, automation and the potential for consolidation across freight and logistics.

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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 Orderful has lived freight from nearly every angle .... brokerage executive, FreightWaves journalist and now freight-tech insider. We break down AI in trucking, freight automation, EDI, back-office technology, carrier productivity and how small fleets can separate REAL technology from another expensive demo with “AI” slapped on the front. What should a 20-truck carrier automate FIRST? What should stay human? How do you prove a technology investment actually delivers ROI? And how can you tell the difference between a real AI product and somebody who simply wrapped a shiny dashboard around an API?
Then Dr. Vernard “Doctor V” Jenkins of Knight-Swift Supply Chain takes the other side.
With 29 locations and roughly 10 million square feet of operations, Doctor V tackles leadership, employee retention, frontline management, AI implementation, change management and developing the next generation of transportation leaders. Because a dashboard can tell you WHAT happened. It still takes a leader to figure out WHY. And then we put $100,000 on the table:
SOFTWARE OR PEOPLE?
You can only choose one.
If you're a fleet owner, trucking executive, owner-operator, freight broker, logistics professional, operations leader or anyone considering AI and automation, watch this before buying another piece of technology.
The future isn't about choosing humans OR machines.
It's knowing which damn job belongs to which.
AUTOMATE THE WORK. NOT THE PEOPLE.
#Trucking #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #FreightTech #TruckingIndustry #Automation #Logistics #FleetManagement #TruckDrivers #Leadership #SupplyChain

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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 closed following the deadly Amazon cargo jet accident, causing massive flight disruptions while the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the runway excursion that occurred at one hundred thirty miles per hour.

Shifting gears to the rails, we examine a rare display of Democratic Party unity just weeks before crucial midterm elections. More than one hundred House Democrats are demanding that railroad workers come first in the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern mega-merger review by the Surface Transportation Board. The eighty-five billion dollar deal would create the first transcontinental freight railroad and the largest rail network in U.S. history, but union leaders warn that Union Pacific's lifetime employment offer does not fully protect some critical positions.

Finally, we cover a critical visa enforcement dispute threatening to disrupt cross-border freight flows between Mexico and the United States. Mexican trucking industry leaders are intensifying calls for clarity after a trucker protest raised the stakes in the escalating Mexico-U.S. B-1 visa dispute with drivers blocking the Mexicali-Calexico East border crossing. Mexico's National Chamber of Freight Transportation estimates more than twenty-five thousand visas have been revoked from commercial drivers, potentially disrupting time-sensitive shipments including medical products, technology, food, and perishables.

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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, maintenance savings and where electric trucks make the most sense in a fleet.

The show also explores the state of the rail freight market with Telegraph’s David Correll, including rail volume forecasts, coal exports, tank car availability, AI data center construction and the growing gap between truck and intermodal pricing.

Freight market strategy takes center stage with RXO Chief Strategy Officer Jared Weisfeld, who discusses the ongoing capacity correction, tightening freight markets, shipper concerns, routing guide failures, spot versus contract rates and why he believes the industry could be entering a multi-year freight recovery.

Mitsubishi HC Capital America’s Kirk Mann joins the conversation to examine the equipment financing market, the impact of the freight recession on small carriers, truck values, lending conditions and what fleets are doing as the market begins to recover.

Finally, Ken Adamo of EASE Logistics weighs in on current freight volumes, seasonality, intermodal growth, contract repricing and the question of whether new capacity is actually entering the trucking market.

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On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Malcolm Harris and Zach Strickland break down the latest developments shaping freight, logistics and the broader economy.

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Dr. Zac Rogers comes on to discuss the latest LMI results from August.  

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