FreightCasts

Who the hell gave them a CDL .... and why did it take a family paying the price before Washington started listening?
This episode of Brake Check isn't an attack on professional truck drivers. It's an investigation into the systems, safeguards, bad actors and policymakers that are supposed to keep unqualified drivers from ever getting behind the wheel of a commercial truck.
Professional truck driver and father Marcus Coleman joins Charles  after taking his family's story to Congress. His daughter Dalilah suffered catastrophic injuries in a crash, and Marcus is now fighting for Dalilah's Law and stronger accountability throughout the commercial driver licensing system.
We dig into the questions Washington needs to answer:
How does an unqualified driver get a CDL?
Where can the licensing and verification process fail?
Who is responsible when safeguards aren't followed?
What would Dalilah's Law actually change?
And why does government so often react AFTER somebody pays the price?
Then Zach Meiborg, owner of Meiborg Transportation, joins the conversation.
Meiborg isn't just talking about supporting Dalilah's family — they're opening their Rockford, Illinois headquarters September 26 for the Stand With Dalilah Charity Motorcycle Ride.
But we also tackle another side of the same accountability problem: legitimate motor carriers spending real money to hire qualified drivers, maintain equipment, follow hours-of-service regulations and operate legally while bad actors can gain an unfair advantage by cutting corners.
Running illegal isn't innovation. Cheating isn't competition. And a government-issued piece of paper shouldn't replace actual qualification.
This episode is about CDL standards, trucking safety, driver qualification, hours-of-service compliance, FMCSA enforcement, bad carriers, Dalilah's Law and government accountability.
Professional truckers deserve better than being lumped together with operators who never should've been on the road.
Families deserve better than finding out where the system failed after the crash.
And policymakers?
CONGRESS, IT'S YOUR TURN.
#Trucking #CDL #TruckDrivers #TruckingSafety #FMCSA #Congress #Transportation #TruckingIndustry #OwnerOperator #BrakeCheck

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There's a pitch aimed at truckers on every platform right now. Brokers are eating your margin. Cut out the middleman. Get your own authority. It's not hard — you just need a mentor. And there's always a mentor selling.

Trent Tulloh is one of them. He runs Forever Freight Broker, a Tampa training company that teaches drivers and dispatchers to become freight brokers. His reason is personal — his father was an owner-operator who lost his business to bad brokers, and Trent built his company to make sure truckers stop getting the bad end of the stick.

I respect the wound. Today we test the remedy.

Because this show doesn't platform pitches — it pressure-tests them. So Trent came in knowing the format: the claim goes on trial. Is brokering actually the answer for a struggling carrier, or is it a second business bolted onto a first one that isn't working? What does it really take — the bond, the credit, the shippers who don't know your name? And how does "it's not hard" survive a world where the Supreme Court just ruled that anyone selecting carriers can be sued for choosing wrong?

He gets every chance to make his case. His numbers, his students, his story. And you get what this show owes you — the pitch, cross-examined, before you pay for it.

Somebody's leaving this conversation with a different opinion. Might be him. Might be me. Might be you.

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In this episode, we kick things off in Washington, where the public comment period has just closed on a major Environmental Protection Agency proposal that could fundamentally reshape how diesel engine systems operate. Listen in to learn how the EPA's controversial plan to replace engine deratement with warning signals has drawn nearly two hundred submissions spanning industry praise and sharp environmental criticism, while the proposal also includes nonconformance penalties allowing manufacturers to pay fines and continue selling current products.

Next, we explore the results of a sweeping series of state enforcement blitzes where inspectors uncovered thousands of safety violations and placed ninety-nine drivers out of service across six states. Texas authorities led with a brutal operation in the Permian Basin that posted a staggering forty-seven point six percent vehicle out-of-service rate, averaging five point five violations per inspection and signaling dramatically heightened enforcement exposure for carriers operating through major freight corridors.

Finally, we examine the ocean freight market as trans-Pacific container rates climb to fresh highs on resilient peak-season demand and severe port congestion caused by typhoons hammering Chinese and regional Asian facilities since mid-July. Asia-to-U.S. West Coast spot rates increased to seven thousand six hundred twenty-one dollars per forty-foot unit, while a succession of disruptions at Shanghai and Ningbo has forced carriers to omit port calls and adjust vessel rotations, creating significant capacity constraints supporting freight rates across multiple trade lanes.

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AI is transforming freight operations, but how far can automation go — and what happens when location intelligence, rail networks and energy markets collide?

On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Malcolm Harris and Julie Van de Kamp break down the biggest stories and trends shaping transportation and logistics.

The show opens with three major headlines: an alleged Texas grain theft ring involving more than 170 loads, a federal crackdown on 110 commercial driver training schools, and the latest developments in Yellow Corp.’s bankruptcy and pension settlements.

Then, EAIGLE CEO and founder Amir Hoss joins the show to explain how AI-powered computer vision is automating truck gates and yards. The discussion covers unmanned and paperless facilities, real-time yard visibility, fraud prevention, data accuracy and the path toward fully autonomous yards.

HERE Technologies’ Bart Coppelmans discusses the next phase of AI in logistics, including spatial reasoning, location intelligence and the importance of connecting planning, execution and analytics. He explains how AI can help fleets make better routing decisions while keeping humans in control of critical decisions.

For the weekly rail segment, Trains Magazine editor Bill Stephens and Trinity Rail Chief Commercial Officer Charlie Moore break down the latest rail traffic numbers, railcar demand, intermodal growth, coal shipments, tariffs and steel costs. They also discuss the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, rail service reliability and what could drive railcar demand into 2027.

Finally, FreightWaves editor-at-large John Kingston takes a deep dive into surging diesel prices, refinery constraints, Russia-Ukraine disruptions, the Strait of Hormuz and what historically high diesel costs could mean for trucking and the broader economy.

Plus, Julie breaks down the latest manufacturing and logistics data, including the August PMI and Logistics Managers’ Index, with a look at transportation capacity, utilization, pricing and what the numbers could mean heading into peak season.

Subscribe to FreightWaves for the latest news, analysis and data covering trucking, freight, logistics, rail and supply chain.

#FreightWaves #FreightWavesToday #Trucking #Logistics #SupplyChain #AI #Rail #Diesel #Freight

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Malcolm and Michael kick off September with a jam-packed Wednesday episode celebrating driver appreciation and cutting-edge freight tech

Rusty Kirby, VP of Transportation and Logistics at Pilot Flying J, breaks down the 2026 Road Warrior contest featuring a custom Kenworth truck built by the Diesel Brothers plus $50,000 in cash! Rusty also discusses Pilot’s elite driver rewards program and the crucial role truck drivers play in everyday life.

Nate Veeh, AVP of Business Development at Altitudes, shares surprising vehicle data analyzed across 104 World Cup matches in 16 cities. Learn how post-match exits spike traffic congestion and harsh braking, and why cities like Atlanta and Kansas City had dramatically different traffic outcomes.

Sean Dehan, VP of Strategy and Corporate Development at Truckstop, pushes back on the claim that traditional load boards are outdated. He discusses how AI assistants like "Ava" are transforming load matching into an intelligent, contextual marketplace for carriers and brokers

Kurtis McBride, CEO of Miovision, explains how their AI platform "Mateo" creates digital twins of intersections to modernize traffic control, reduce citizen response times, and enable real-time traffic management.

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In this episode, we kick things off with a massive organized crime investigation that has rocked the agricultural sector across Texas. Authorities have linked three men to an alleged theft ring involving one hundred seventy-six grain loads valued at over eight hundred thousand dollars, spanning more than nine million pounds of stolen agricultural product. The inquiry now covers over two hundred confirmed or potentially stolen shipments, with additional arrests remaining possible as investigators unravel this elaborate network.

Next, we explore a sweeping federal crackdown on substandard driver training facilities as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy orders the emergency shutdown of one hundred ten commercial driving schools nationwide. These schools collectively certified more than five thousand drivers who were later cited for failing to meet federal English-language proficiency requirements during roadside inspections, raising serious questions about the quality and integrity of commercial driver training across the country.

Finally, we cover the winding down of one of trucking's most significant bankruptcies as defunct Yellow Corporation reaches settlement agreements totaling up to five hundred twenty-six million dollars to resolve remaining withdrawal liability claims with four multiemployer pension plans. If approved by the federal bankruptcy court in Delaware, the liquidating trust would finally be able to make distributions to creditors, bringing an end to a legal battle that began when the carrier filed for bankruptcy in August twenty twenty-three.

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FreightWaves Today hits the road for a special episode live from ShipStation Global headquarters in Austin, Texas, as Craig Fuller and Zach Strickland break down the latest forces shaping freight, logistics and the broader economy.

The show opens with a look at the current freight and economic environment, including rising transportation and warehousing costs, inventory management challenges and the growing gap between truckload and intermodal pricing. Craig and Zach discuss why shippers are becoming more selective with inventory and SKUs, how uncertainty around demand and interest rates is influencing supply chain decisions, and what elevated costs could mean for the remainder of the year.

They also dive into the extraordinary investment surrounding AI and data centers. With corporate profits climbing and massive infrastructure projects driving industrial activity, Craig and Zach examine how the AI boom is affecting railroads, construction, manufacturing and blue-collar employment. They also discuss the growing community backlash against hyperscale data centers and why the technology industry's messaging around AI could become an increasingly important part of the conversation.

Then, ShipStation Global CEO Tom Madine joins the show to discuss the combination of ShipStation and Worldwide Express and what the newly integrated company is building for shippers.

Madine explains how ShipStation Global is bringing together ShipStation's e-commerce shipping technology with Worldwide Express' transportation and freight expertise to create a more unified logistics platform. The goal is to give small and midsized businesses the ability to manage more of their supply chain from a single place instead of jumping between different providers and systems.

A major focus is ShipStation's newly launched LTL offering. Madine explains why LTL was one of the most requested additions from ShipStation customers and how integrating freight directly into the platform can simplify inbound inventory movements, middle-mile transportation and other shipping needs that previously required merchants to leave the ShipStation ecosystem.

The conversation also explores why transportation decisions can't simply come down to finding the cheapest rate. Service reliability, damage risk, estimated arrival times, carrier selection and the consequences of a failed shipment can all dramatically change what "best" means for an individual shipper.

Craig, Zach and Madine discuss how data and intelligence can help businesses make better transportation decisions, particularly for smaller companies that don't have dedicated logistics teams or the resources to constantly monitor freight market cycles.

Madine also lays out ShipStation Global's larger vision: bringing parcel, LTL, truckload, final mile and potentially additional transportation modes together into a more unified experience. He explains why simplifying logistics could be especially valuable for entrepreneurs and SMBs already balancing everything from finance and accounting to marketing, inventory and product development.

Finally, the conversation turns global. Madine discusses ShipStation's presence across North America, Europe and Australia, the company's hundreds of parcel-carrier API connections and its ambition to become a truly global shipping technology platform.

Topics include:

• ShipStation Global's new LTL offering

• The ShipStation and Worldwide Express combination

• Bringing parcel, LTL and truckload together• Freight market cyclicality and SMB shippers

• Using data to improve carrier and shipping decisions

• Why the lowest freight rate isn't always the best option

• Rising transportation and warehousing costs

• Inventory management and changing shipper behavior

• Truckload versus intermodal economics

• AI, data centers and industrial freight demand

• Corporate efficiency and the AI investment boom

• The growing economic importance of hyperscale data centers

• ShipStation Global's international expansion

• The future of multimodal shipping technology

FreightWaves Today brings together the latest freight market intelligence, transportation news and conversations with the leaders shaping global supply chains.

Subscribe to FreightWaves for more interviews, market analysis and breaking news from across trucking, logistics, technology and the global supply chain.

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Fuel additives. Miracle MPG claims. Injector cleaners. Cheap replacement parts. And, of course, Washington taking its cut before you burn a single gallon. So on this episode of Brake Check, we're asking one question:
WHO THE HELL IS EATING YOUR GALLON?

First, Jessica Crabtree, Director of Technical Services at Power Service Products, brings the chemistry. We're separating legitimate diesel fuel science from expensive snake oil and digging into fuel economy, diesel additives, injector deposits, fuel contamination, cetane, regens, DPF problems, winter fuel gelling and preventive maintenance. How do you know whether a fuel additive actually works? What should legitimate MPG testing look like? Can injector deposits really hurt fuel economy? What does an unnecessary regen actually cost? And when somebody promises a massive improvement in MPG...
WHAT PROOF SHOULD YOU DEMAND BEFORE SPENDING A DOLLAR?

Then we follow your diesel dollar straight to Washington.
Policy veteran James Edwards of ELITE Strategic Services joins us to break down the massive surface transportation bill moving through Congress, truck parking funding, autonomous trucking policy, the Highway Trust Fund, the 24.4¢ federal diesel tax, potential alternatives to fuel taxes, and who should actually pay for America's roads. Because at today's diesel prices, fractions of a mile per gallon matter. Taxes matter. Downtime matters. And bullshit gets VERY EXPENSIVE.

If you're a truck driver, owner-operator, fleet owner, carrier, maintenance professional or trucking executive, watch this before somebody promises to save you money at the pump.

At $5.65 a gallon, don't buy miracles. DEMAND RECEIPTS.

#Diesel #DieselFuel #Trucking #FuelPrices #OwnerOperator #TruckDrivers #FuelEconomy #DieselAdditives #TruckingIndustry #HighwayBill

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Welcome back to WithSONAR!

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The freight industry is facing a major wave of regulatory, economic and operational changes. On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Craig and Julie breaks down the latest developments affecting trucking, freight brokers, autonomous trucks, railroads and cross-border freight.

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