FreightWaves Today

Craig Fuller and Julie Van de Kamp sit down with Triumph Financial CEO Aaron Graft to discuss the latest Mile Marker data, the shift toward “defensible capacity,” changing broker margins and why new carrier formation remains unusually low.

The episode also looks at the growing connection between ocean and domestic freight. Matt Anderson of WiseTech Global explains the company’s new Ocean Freight Risk Outlook, why reliability is becoming more important than rates on some trade lanes, and what shippers should consider heading into peak season.

Plus, the show covers major freight headlines including the Savannah port expansion, CMA CGM’s acquisition of FedEx Supply Chain and a major cocaine seizure at the U.S.-Canada border.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a massive infrastructure milestone at the Georgia Ports Authority where the $1.6 billion redevelopment of Ocean Terminal has officially surpassed the 60% completion mark. The sprawling expansion will drastically transform Ocean Terminal's annual capacity from 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units to a staggering 1.75 million TEUs, forming a central component of Georgia Ports' broader ten-year master plan calling for approximately $5 billion in capacity investments across the state.

Meanwhile, we explore a stark reminder of why border enforcement remains critical in both directions as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers uncovered approximately 450 pounds of cocaine hidden beneath the floor of an empty semi-trailer headed toward Canada at Lewiston Bridge in New York. The narcotics carried an estimated street value of about $6 million, and investigators ultimately uncovered 174 vacuum-sealed packages inside the modified trailer structure after a CBP canine alerted during initial inspection.

Finally, we break down how France-based shipping conglomerate CMA CGM Group has officially completed its $1.4 billion acquisition of FedEx Supply Chain, the contract logistics arm of FedEx Corp. The blockbuster purchase significantly expands Ceva Logistics's contract logistics operations in North America, tripling the warehouse footprint by adding about 34 million square feet and 130 customers, while the combined business now operates approximately 150 warehouses across more than 240 North American locations.

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FreightWaves Today kicks off the fourth quarter with a packed episode covering autonomous trucking, freight market conditions, driver appreciation and the latest issues shaping transportation.

Malcolm Harris and Zach Strickland break down the morning’s biggest freight headlines, including new commercial trucking and cross-border enforcement legislation, a bizarre autonomous-trailer theft involving Plus AI, and growing challenges around cross-border freight between the U.S. and Mexico.

Then, Kodiak’s Daniel Goff and PrePass CTO Chas Worcester join the show to discuss Kodiak’s partnership with IKEA as a driverless launch shipper and its work with PrePass to connect autonomous trucks with roadside inspection systems. They explain how autonomous vehicles are being tested for safety, how enhanced inspections work and what the path toward nationwide deployment could look like.

Zach Strickland delivers a SONAR market update, examining tender rejection rates, truckload capacity, spot rates, early-October freight demand and the continued growth of domestic intermodal.

The episode also features a conversation with Samsara’s Kelly Soderlund about the company’s first Driver Appreciation Month and its new Driver Perks program, including discounts and benefits designed for professional drivers.

Later, Zach and Thomas Watson dig deeper into the fourth-quarter freight outlook, economic indicators and the impact of elevated diesel prices on carriers and transportation costs.

Plus, get the latest details on the upcoming F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, taking place October 27–28.

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In this episode, we kick things off in Washington, where a Texas congressman has introduced sweeping legislation aimed at overhauling trucking safety and cross-border enforcement. Named after eight-year-old Barron Ritchey, who was tragically killed when a wheel assembly struck his family's vehicle, the bill would require mandatory English-proficiency tests for all commercial drivers and impose fines of up to $100,000 per vehicle per day on foreign carriers caught illegally hauling domestic freight. The legislation also targets chameleon carriers and would establish a pilot program using GPS and geofencing technology to identify foreign-domiciled carriers suspected of cabotage violations.

Next, we explore a bizarre cargo crime story out of California that took a remarkably unexpected turn. When thieves stole two PlusAI trailers bearing NVIDIA branding from the company's Fremont warehouse, they expected high-value autonomous trucking technology but instead found 40,000 pounds of sand used for simulated loads during manual testing. In a stroke of luck, both trailers were discovered just hours later outside a Newark office, abandoned with all the sand still intact after the disappointed thieves opened the back doors and found nothing worth stealing.

Finally, we examine how the massive nearshoring boom is running into serious operational headwinds at the U.S.-Mexico border. Industry executives warn that a shrinking pool of cross-border drivers, tougher customs enforcement, and increasingly sophisticated cargo theft are making cross-border freight movements more difficult and expensive. Cargo theft in Mexico's key Bajío manufacturing region has surged eleven percent year-over-year, with criminal organizations now deploying GPS jammers, inside information, and violent tactics that render basic tracking systems inadequate for freight security.

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As the third quarter comes to a close, FreightWaves Today looks at the forces shaping freight heading into Q4 — from cargo theft and diesel prices to record-setting intermodal volumes and the evolution of electric trucking.

The show opens with a look at a coordinated national cargo-theft enforcement operation that recovered roughly $635,000 in stolen freight, followed by an update on falling diesel prices and new cold-storage warehouse safety requirements in California.

Then, Sarit Tamir, founder and CEO of a computer-vision company, explains how warehouses can use cameras they already have to identify hidden sources of lost capacity, including idle dock doors, congestion, blocked aisles and forklift bottlenecks.

The episode also features a SONAR intermodal update, with domestic rail container volumes reaching a new annual high and shippers continuing to shift freight from truckload to rail in search of significant cost savings. The discussion examines whether railroads, terminals and drayage providers can keep pace as intermodal volumes continue to grow.

Trains Magazine editor Bill Stephens joins the show to break down the latest rail traffic data, including growth in intermodal, chemicals and metals, while discussing drayage capacity, rail service and the bankruptcy of Brightline.

Finally, FreightWaves’ Adam Wingfield shares his firsthand experience driving a loaded Tesla Semi. A longtime skeptic, Adam discusses the truck’s acceleration, regenerative braking, camera-based visibility, maintenance advantages and the remaining questions around range and long-haul applications.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a landmark law enforcement operation that dealt a major blow to cargo theft networks nationwide. The coordinated National Supply Chain Blitz resulted in multiple arrests and approximately $635,000 in recovered stolen freight, including thirty stolen transformers worth roughly $600,000 that were located at a Massachusetts facility using fraudulent documentation.

Next, we explore how California is tightening regulatory oversight of cold-storage facilities following a devastating industrial fire. Governor Gavin Newsom signed new legislation requiring emergency financial resources and authorizing significantly higher penalties for safety violations at large cold-storage warehouses after the massive eight-day Lineage fire in Los Angeles triggered a state emergency declaration and widespread public health concerns.

Finally, we cover some welcome news for truckers as retail diesel prices dropped nearly fifteen cents per gallon from their recent all-time highs. The decline ends a three-week streak of record-breaking weekly prices and is being driven by increasing crude oil flows out of the Persian Gulf approaching pre-war levels.

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FreightWaves Today looks ahead to the fourth quarter and holiday peak season with an in-depth discussion of freight market conditions, capacity, operating costs and the broader economy.

Covenant Logistics Group Founder and CEO David Parker joins the show live in Chattanooga to discuss the company’s strategy of moving away from commoditized truckload freight and deeper into specialized, service-intensive operations, including poultry transportation, expedited freight and logistics supporting AI data-center construction. Parker shares his outlook for peak season, contract rates, capacity, driver pay, diesel costs and the potential impact of autonomous trucking and electric trucks.

The episode also examines major industry headlines, including Daimler Truck North America’s opposition to proposed NOx noncompliance penalties, Trimble’s strategic review of its transportation and logistics business, and uncertainty surrounding U.S. port fees on China-linked and China-built vessels.

The SONAR market update explores tender rejections, spot and contract rates, freight volumes and the tightening capacity environment. With tender rejections around 14%, the discussion examines why the market can remain healthy without reaching the extreme tightness seen during previous freight booms.

Economist Jason Miller joins the show for a broader look at the freight economy, including diesel prices, regulatory enforcement, capacity exits, consumer spending, energy markets, interest rates, housing and the driver labor market. Miller also discusses how AI and data-center investment are supporting industrial freight while weaker consumer activity creates potential headwinds.

The episode closes with a discussion of changing student-loan policies and their potential implications for consumer spending and freight, along with an update on FreightWaves Today’s new one-hour-plus format.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a fierce regulatory battle over proposed non-compliance penalties that could allow engine makers to simply pay fines rather than meet the drastically tighter nitrogen oxide standard taking effect in 2027. Daimler Truck North America is publicly resisting this controversial loophole, warning that PACCAR's suggestion of treating 6,000–7,000 per-engine penalties as an acceptable business strategy undermines Congressional intent and threatens the investments made by companies that developed compliant technology over the past decade.

Next, we explore the freight technology sector where a potential blockbuster divestiture remains in limbo as Trimble keeps multiple interested parties on the hook for its transportation and logistics business. Speaking at the company's Insight 2026 conference, CEO Rob Painter offered no timetable or clarity on whether the strategic review with Goldman Sachs will result in a sale, spinoff, or no transaction at all, even as Trimble continues investing aggressively in new AI-powered tools like Arc Agent.

Finally, we discuss a critical regulatory gap that has U.S. port-entry fees targeting China-linked vessels scheduled to resume in November despite last week's broader trade truce extension through January 2027. The discrepancy leaves liner operators and cargo interests in limbo, awaiting formal USTR action to align the maritime-fee suspension with the newly extended diplomatic accord, as no such notice had been issued as of September 28.

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On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Julie Van de Kamp and Malcolm Harris break down the biggest stories shaping freight and logistics, from autonomous trucking and artificial intelligence to fraud, cargo theft and the evolving freight market.

The show leads with Aurora Innovation’s plan to scale to more than 30,000 driverless trucks by 2030, prompting a discussion about truck utilization, the future ownership of autonomous assets and how widespread autonomy could reshape freight brokerage. The hosts also examine a $105 million alleged trucking investment fraud scheme and proposed changes to Mexico’s customs law that could affect cross-border freight through increased inspections and potential cargo seizures.

In the featured interview, Gabriel Ribeiro of Hey Bubba AI discusses how carriers are actually adopting AI, where smaller fleets can begin, and why data security and human oversight remain critical. Ribeiro explains how AI can automate load discovery and negotiation, connect with TMS, telematics, email and phone systems, flag discrepancies in freight documents, provide driver support and create hands-free workflows designed to reduce distraction.

The episode also features a SONAR market deep dive, examining rising diesel prices, elevated but relatively stable spot rates, tight capacity, tender rejections and the potential impact of automotive and housing demand heading into peak season.

The hosts revisit freight fraud and cargo theft, discuss emerging last-mile delivery technology including drone delivery, and preview the upcoming F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining Aurora Innovation's aggressive expansion strategy as the autonomous truck developer charts a path toward massive commercial scale. Listen in to discover how Aurora plans to deploy more than 30,000 driverless trucks by 2030, targeting over five billion dollars in revenue with a sixty percent gross margin. Most of this ambitious growth hinges on transitioning from Aurora owning the trucks to carriers taking ownership under a Driver as a Service model, where carriers pay eighty-five cents or more per mile for the driving technology.

Next, we explore a shocking case that federal prosecutors are calling a massive Ponzi scheme in the trucking sector. We break down how a Nevada man allegedly defrauded hundreds of investors out of $105 million by selling truck leases with promises of guaranteed passive income. Investigators claim approximately seventy-five million dollars from newer participants went toward earlier payouts, while more than twenty-five million dollars funded luxury purchases including real estate, sports cars and jewelry.

Finally, we head south to examine a proposed Mexican customs law overhaul that could trigger major border delays and cargo seizures for cross-border freight operations. The legislation would grant Mexican customs authorities greater power to initiate verification procedures and would eliminate an existing fifty percent undervaluation threshold associated with precautionary seizure, potentially impacting thousands of customs operations valued at nearly ninety million dollars.

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