House passes bill to counter Beijing’s influence over global ports
WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill on Thursday that would require heavy monitoring of China’s influence over global ports to eventually help the U.S. develop a strategy to counter that influence.
The Strategic Ports Reporting Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., requires the State and Defense departments to conduct a study analyzing plans by China to expand its control over ports around the world.
The report will also assess how Beijing’s container ship operator, COSCO Shipping, is supporting that influence, as well as plans by China to expand its control over the maritime logistics sector by promoting products such as Logink, a Chinese state-sponsored shipment-tracking data exchange.
The legislation was introduced and died in the previous Congress. But heightened attention paid this year by the Trump administration to China’s presence in and influence over the Panama Canal likely elevated the legislation’s prospects after it was reintroduced in February. The bill now must be approved by the Senate.
“China’s growing control over global ports threatens our national security and economic stability here at home,” said U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., a supporter of the bill.
“The Strategic Ports Reporting Act will ensure the U.S. has the necessary tools to monitor and counter this Chinese influence, protecting supply chains and our global standing.”
The bill also would require that the government develop “an updated, global mapping of foreign and domestic ports identified to be of importance to the United States, because of a capability to provide military, diplomatic, economic, or resource exploration superiority,” according to the bill’s language.
The map would also be used to “identify any efforts by [China] or other [Chinese] entities to build, buy, or otherwise control, directly or indirectly, such ports.”
WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has opened fiscal year 2025 applications for three discretionary grant programs that emphasize driver safety training, truck parking and trucking applications that employ real-time data.
“These grants, which could total more than $90 million, will fund projects that advance the development and delivery of motor carrier safety training to non-Federal employees and provide commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operator training to future commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders,” FMCSA said in a press statement.
The Notices of Funding Opportunity, applications for which are due by June 20, apply to the following programs:
High Priority Innovative Technology Deployment (HP-ITD) Grants: These fund “innovative and impactful projects that advance the technological capability and promote the deployment of intelligent transportation system applications for CMV operations.”
They also support and maintain CMV information systems and networks to link federal motor carrier safety information systems with state CMV systems, improve safety and productivity of CMVs and commercial drivers, increase driver notification systems (including truck parking and work zone notifications), and reduce costs associated with CMV operations and regulatory requirements.
High Priority Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety (HP-CMV) Grants: These fund CMV safety-related activities that increase public awareness and education on CMV safety, target unsafe driving in high-risk crash corridors, demonstrate new technologies to improve CMV safety, and improve safety data, as well as projects such as truck parking availability and identification.
Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) Grants: These fund organizations that train individuals in the safe use of CMVs. “The CMVOST Grant Program prioritizes training to current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including National Guard members and Reservists, as well as certain military family members,” FMCSA noted.
In September, the Biden administration awarded 27 HP-ITD grants (recipients can be found here) totaling $34 million and 58 HP-CMV grants (recipients can be found here) totaling $54 million.
FMCSA emphasized that grant applications submitted during the application cycle that opened on Dec. 19, 2024, and closed on Feb. 3, 2025, must be resubmitted under this new funding notice.
LTL carrier Averitt partners with Best Overnite Express for service in the West
Less-than-truckload carrier Averitt announced it has partnered with Best Overnite Express for service coverage in the West.
The addition of Irwindale, California-based Best Overnite to Averitt’s network of partner carriers is expected to improve service and transit times for customers shipping freight to and from the West Coast.
Best Overnite provides direct coverage in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. It will now have access to Averitt’s robust South and Southeast network of 143 terminals.
Averitt said the partnership reflects its “longstanding approach to delivering consistent, high-quality service through a network of carefully vetted carrier partners.” Averitt is consistently listed as a top-five LTL carrier in Mastio & Co.’s annual value and loyalty survey.
“The addition of Best Overnite Express further strengthens this network, enhancing Averitt’s ability to provide seamless LTL solutions across the country while maintaining the service standards customers expect,” a Wednesday news release said.
Cookeville, Tennessee-based Averitt provides a full suite of freight transportation (including truckload, dedicated, and distribution and fulfillment) and supply chain management services. The company operates a fleet of roughly 5,000 tractors and 15,000 trailers.
“This partnership is a win for customers on both sides of the country,” said Kent Williams, Averitt executive vice president of sales and marketing, in a news release. “Best Overnite’s local expertise and commitment to reliable service align well with our values, and we’re excited to offer a stronger, more seamless shipping experience coast to coast.”
Wisconsin trucking company, affiliate brokerage file for bankruptcy
A Merrill, Wisconsin, trucking company and its affiliate brokerage business have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Elite Carriers and ECI Inc. filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Wednesday.
The businesses join three additional companies owned by Kirk Ecklund to file for bankruptcy protection: KLE Equipment Leasing, Olson Equipment Leasing and Wausau Office Space.
According to the bankruptcy filing obtained by FreightWaves, Elite Carriers owes $1 million-$10 million in liabilities to one to 49 creditors. The company has $1 million-$10 million in assets.
Likewise, ECI owes $1 million-$10 million in liabilities to one to 49 creditors and also has $1 million-$10 million in assets.
Top creditors for Elite Carriers are Pathward in Franklin, Tennessee, and Plymouth Lubricants in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Amounts owed on both of these claims are listed as unknown.
ECI’s top creditors are Peoplenet Communications Corp., located in Dallas, claiming $45,238; Trimble Transportation, located in Dallas, claiming $34,634; and EMH of Larsen, located in Neenah, Wisconsin, claiming $24,900.
According to SAFER data, Elite Carriers employs 29 drivers and operates 28 power units. The interstate transport hauls general freight and paper products.
Over the past two years, Elite Carriers has been involved in four crashes, one of which reported an injury.
US moves to stop China parcel shipments bearing counterfeit postal labels
U.S. law enforcement authorities have obtained a temporary restraining order barring two logistics companies, one in New York City and the other in Los Angeles, and their owner from using the U.S. Postal Service to ship packages containing counterfeit postage.
Federal prosecutors last week filed a civil complaint in U.S. District Court for Eastern New York alleging that YDH Express Inc. and YDH Int’l Inc., and owner-operator Yizhao Hou committed mail fraud for years by shipping thousands of parcels for Chinese customers through the U.S. Postal Service using counterfeit Postal Service postage labels, according to a Justice Department news release.
The complaint seeks to immediately stop Hou’s companies from continuing to ship mail parcels and to collect money for financial losses incurred by the Postal Service.
Judge Natasha Merle on Friday issued a temporary restraining order against the defendants.
“The Postal Service provides essential services to Americans, and we will not tolerate attempts by unscrupulous overseas businesses using fake postage to unlawfully deprive USPS of revenue it is entitled to,” stated Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. His office worked with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the investigation.
According to the complaint, Hou and his companies conspired to ship thousands of parcels bearing fake Postal Service labels, which they received in bulk from merchants in China, in violation of the False Claims Act.
The FCA allows the government to seek treble damages and penalties against those who defraud the United States, including by knowingly failing to pay obligations to the government. The complaint seeks injunctive relief, damages and penalties.
Armenian crime rings charged with attempted murder, $83M Amazon cargo theft
Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested 13 alleged members of rival Armenian crime organizations locked in an apparent power struggle in Los Angeles County.
The charges include attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal firearm possession, bank and wire fraud, and cargo theft totaling more than $80 million, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
Among the defendants are Ara Artuni, 41, of Los Angeles, who is charged with attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and Robert Amiryan, 46, of Hollywood, who is charged with kidnapping.
Authorities say both men were leaders of rival Armenian organized crime syndicates, referred to as “avtoritet,” which is Russian for “authority,” and that they have been engaged in a violent feud to maintain control of the San Fernando Valley since 2022.
Artuni is charged with ordering the attempted murder of Amiryan during the summer of 2023. In retaliation, Amiryan allegedly conspired with members of his own criminal organization to kidnap and torture one of Artuni’s associates in June 2023.
In addition to attempted murder, authorities say Artuni and his criminal enterprise committed bank fraud, wire fraud and cargo theft.
Artuni and his organization allegedly targeted e-commerce giant Amazon by enrolling as carriers for the online retailer. Artuni and his men would contract trucking routes with Amazon, and while transporting the goods, diverge from the route and steal all or part of the shipments.
The Artuni enterprise allegedly stole more than $83 million from Amazon, according to estimates provided by the company.
“This transnational criminal organization operated with the structure and brutality of an international cartel, inflicting significant harm on public safety and causing substantial damage to legitimate commerce and supply chains,” Dwayne Angebrandts, Homeland Security Investigation’s Los Angeles acting deputy special agent in charge, said in a statement.
Artuni’s organization also reportedly ran a “credit card bust-out” scheme in which it charged credit cards to a fake business and then “drained the business account” before credit card companies could collect the disputed funds.
Several other arrests were made in the Los Angeles area and two more in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, Florida. Authorities continue to look for one defendant.
Federal agents seized more than $100,000 in cash, 14 firearms and three armored vehicles in the May 20 operation, which included assistance from the Los Angles and Burbank police departments.
If convicted of all charges, the defendants could face maximum sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison.
Regulatory risk a red signal to rail mergers, investors told
NEW YORK – Executives from Canadian National, CPKC, CSX and Norfolk Southern poured cold water on talk about potential Class I railroad mergers during an investment conference this week.
Mergers have become a hot topic in some railroad boardrooms in recent months amid stagnant rail volume, revenue and stock prices. Some see a U.S. transcontinental merger as a way to jump-start volume and earnings growth.
CPKC (NYSE: CP) Chief Executive Keith Creel, who put together the historic 2023 merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, said the Surface Transportation Board’s tougher 2001 merger review rules are an insurmountable barrier.
“There’s always been an argument why it could make sense, but the arguments would have to be able to ignore the regulatory risk that is undeniably there,” Creel told the Wolfe Research 18th Annual Global Transportation & Industrials Conference Wednesday.
Keith Creel
The CP-KCS deal was judged under the STB’s old merger review rules.
“The standards that we had to meet to get our deal approved pale in comparison to the standards that are untested in the new merger rules: To create a network that not only protects competition, but enhances competition, that protects service and enhances service,” Creel said. “There is … not a hill of regulatory risk to climb. There’s mountains of regulatory risk.”
And that risk, he said, outweighs any benefits that might flow from a transcontinental merger.
“So quite frankly, I don’t think it’s necessary. I don’t think it’s needed. I don’t think it’s realistic.”
The CP-KCS merger boosted competition, prompted other railroads to launch new interline cross-border service, and was accomplished without the service problems that followed the Union Pacific-Southern Pacific merger and the CSX and Norfolk Southern split of Conrail three decades ago. Could CPKC serve as a template for a transcontinental merger?
No, Creel said, because there was zero overlap between the CP and KCS systems, so no customers were left with fewer rail options — and shippers wound up with more rail choices. “Those facts simply don’t exist with any other proposed merger that might be out there,” Creel said.
CN (NYSE: CNI) Chief Executive Tracy Robinson said industry chatter about mergers — something she says has always existed — increased after President Donald Trump was elected.
Tracy Robinson
“But as you look at it from a rail perspective, the bar is pretty high,” she told the conference on Tuesday, noting that the merger review rules require railroads to show their combination would improve — rather than merely not harm — competition.
“So that’s a high bar. That doesn’t mean that it’s not possible and someone won’t take a run at it.”
“You never say never on any of these, which is why there’s still chatter. And so I’m sure that everyone does the game theory around the different kind of combinations and permutations,” Robinson said of railroads sizing up their potential merger partners and scenarios. “And that’s the right thing to do from a governance perspective. We should always be looking at the best way to serve our customers, and there’s different ways to do that.”
CN is nurturing interline partnerships that aim to replicate single-line service. In the past two years, CN has launched new interline intermodal service with Union Pacific and Ferromex to reach Mexico and with Norfolk Southern to reach Kansas City and Atlanta.
“Right now, we’re pretty focused on making sure that we’re serving our customers well. … The best way to do that is with the right kind of partnerships with our connecting railroads, whether it’s short lines or Class I’s,” Robinson said.
Jason Zampi
Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) Chief Financial Officer Jason Zampi said he can see the advantages of a railroad that stretches coast to coast.
“I see a lot of benefit in a transcon merger. I think there could be a lot of synergies there and cost takeout,” Zampi said at the conference Tuesday. “But I also view the regulatory framework as pretty challenging right now.”
That said, does the Trump administration’s pro-business, anti-regulatory stance mean the timing might be right for a pair of Class I railroads to make the first attempt at a merger under the STB’s 2001 rules? “I don’t know. We’ll see how it shakes out,” he said.
But right now Zampi says NS is focused on its core strategy of boosting productivity while providing reliable service that will lead to growth in volume, revenue and profits.
CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Boone said mergers are not required to boost railroad stock prices, which have been relatively stagnant the past few years.
Kevin Boone
“We think there’s a lot of untapped value that we can control and drive from a share price perspective,” he told the conference, adding that a merger is not the focus of the CSX management team.
Last month Union Pacific Chief Executive Jim Vena told Trains that a transcontinental merger would improve service, divert freight off the highway, and help U.S. exporters and importers better compete in global markets.
Vena also contends that a Class I merger proposal could gain STB approval when the timing is right.
“I’ve always thought that it was possible,” he said. “Now whether we’re in the right situation with everything – who knows and we’ll see what happens.”
BNSF Railway told Trains that it doesn’t see a catalyst for a merger, noting that customers, policymakers and communities don’t favor further consolidation in the rail industry.
Unlicensed, Unqualified and On the Road: Driver Risk Starts With Licensing
Let’s get real for a second: Just because someone has a license doesn’t mean he or she should be driving a commercial vehicle. New posts from Adam Wingfeld in the FreightWaves Playbook report that nearly 4% of truck drivers on U.S. highways don’t have a valid CDL. That’s tens of thousands of drivers, potentially hauling 80,000-pound loads while technically not legal to operate them.
It gets worse. What license do you get before you can have a CDL? Thirteen states don’t require verifiable behind-the-wheel experience for new drivers before issuing a basic license. That means teenagers could get a regular driver’s license with zero practical training or experience, learn all the wrong habits by themselves and then apply for a CDL two years later under specific state laws. No professional background. No real driver experience. Just a piece of plastic and a promise.
The U.S. licensing system has gaps, which are where risk exists. It all starts with whom we license and put on the highway and in our equipment. States govern licensing for the most part, but I’d argue we need a more centralized, overarching standard. I get teen students wanting to be licensed regularly even though they get in the vehicle and don’t even understand how to adjust their mirrors or seats.
Qualifications Are Not a Checkbox
Most fleets think of qualifications as something you get out of the way during onboarding: Review the CDL, run a motor vehicle record (MVR), and check it again next year.
That’s not a qualification, that’s a formality. A check-the-box mindset.
If “Bobby” loses his license in February because of a child support issue or DUI, and you don’t pull another MVR until the following January, he could be running freight unlicensed for 11 months. You’ll only find out when something goes wrong, and by then, it’s too late to fix it. This is why continuous license monitoring (CLM) shouldn’t be optional, it should be a factory setting, a regulatory requirement. This is commonsense policy.
78% of risky driver behavior goes undetected without CLM. That’s more than three-quarters of warning signs, violations, suspensions, license expirations or crashes that fleets never see coming if they rely only on annual MVRs.
40% of all high-risk drivers had no MVR activity in the past 12 months. MVRs alone don’t catch the most dangerous drivers because CSA and crash reports often don’t show up there. Your clean MVR driver could be a liability you haven’t discovered yet.
Fleets using CLM are seven times more likely to identify, retrain or remove high-risk drivers early. It’s not just about catching bad drivers. It’s about keeping good ones from going sideways by intervening with data-backed coaching.
Fleets that leverage driver data saw 38% fewer violations per driver. Data isn’t just for big carriers anymore. Fleets that connect their risk and safety programs with real-time driver monitoring saw tangible results.
Fleets that took more than 10 days to hire saw 22% higher risk post-hire. Slow onboarding isn’t just inefficient; it’s risky. Top-tier drivers don’t sit around waiting, and drivers who do might have skeletons in their closets.
We Have a Qualification Problem
It’s not just that we don’t monitor licenses well. It’s that we give them out like candy.
In the U.S., Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) is a great concept, but the lack of minimum hour requirements means that, in some cases, all the classroom, behind-the-wheel and range training could be done in a single day if a school wanted to do it that way.
Compare that to Germany, where getting a commercial license involves six months of training, over 100 hours behind the wheel and classroom time rivaling college coursework.
What are we really qualifying? A license or an operator?
Fixing the Gap with Recruiting, Qualification and Licensing
That’s where systems like SambaSafety and Tenstreet shine.
SambaSafety offers continuous license monitoring that alerts you when a CDL is suspended or revoked. It also pulls in CSA data. You’ll know when one of your drivers was just written up in a roadside inspection, even if they haven’t told you yet.
Tenstreet, on the other hand, has gone from being a recruiting tool to a full-blown compliance assistant. Its latest feature, showcased at the Tenstreet User Conference in Las Vegas, is AI file reviews. AI file reviews automatically review your driver qualification files in real time to flag expired or expiring medical cards and missing documents. It also enables you to order verifications of employment from past employers so you can better grasp historical workplace performance that coincides with regulatory qualification.
Together, these systems help you recruit smarter, onboard faster and monitor continuously, so you stop hiring problems and start retaining talent.
Where Fleets Need to Act
If you want to stay off the plaintiff’s radar, improve safety and operate ethically, here’s what you need to do:
Use continuous license monitoring. Annual MVRs won’t cut it anymore.
Review electronic logging device training logs and verify that real training occurred.
Evaluate past employment not just on job title, but on performance.
Invest in systems like Tenstreet that reduce human error.
Track driver behavior and violations after hire. Qualification is ongoing, not a one-time deal.
It’s Time to Treat Licensing Like Risk
An MVR that looks clean doesn’t mean a driver is safe.
The FMCSA and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance have clarified that driver qualification and risk management are evolving. It’s time your fleet evolves as well. If we’re serious about road safety, insurance costs, litigation exposure and doing right by our drivers and the public, then licensing, monitoring and qualification must be the backbone of our operations.
Short sea shipping; Duffy signs English language EO; fraud as a business model | WHAT THE TRUCK?!?
On Episode 841 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is coming to you live from FreightWaves’ Domestic Supply Chain Summit. We’re kicking things off with coverage from Austin, Texas, where DOT Secretary Sean Duffy officially signed the English language proficiency executive order. We’ll find out why both truckers and trucking associations cheered this critical move toward road safety.
Can you say “short sea shipping” five times fast? OpenTug CEO and co-founder Jason Aristides barges right in and gives us a crash course on the power of inland waterways. We’ll find out the crucial role they play in domestic supply chains and learn why tariff turmoil could cause demand to grow.
Freight fraud as a business model? Overhaul’s Danny Ramon talks about the latest on freight fraud and why it has become so attractive for bad actors. He also shares a Memorial Day cargo alert.
Plus, Armenian cargo theft ring busted in Southern California; and thieves target Apple products on Pennsylvania highway.
Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel 146.
Lufthansa Cargo to market capacity on ITA Airways, add Rome hub
(UPDATED May 22, 2025, 9:35 a.m. ET)
Lufthansa Cargo in mid-June will start selling cargo capacity and handling shipments on ITA Airways, the Italian carrier in which Deutsche Lufthansa AG acquired a 41% stake in January for nearly $350 million.
The deal allows Lufthansa Cargo to make Rome its cargo hub for Southern Europe.
Lufthansa’s cargo subsidiary will start marketing ITA cargo capacity under its own designated airway bill from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Rome, on June 16, according to a news release on Monday. On all other routes, both airlines will initially operate under two separate airway bill numbers. Lufthansa Cargo will gradually take over the sale of ITA’s belly space on all routes, following necessary regulatory approvals.
The addition of ITA will increase global belly capacity available to Lufthansa Cargo customers by almost 20%, while giving them an even denser network of city pairs to choose from, the company said.
Lufthansa Cargo operates 12 Boeing 777 long-haul cargo jets and four Airbus A321 converted freighters in regional service. It received a new freighter from Boeing during the first quarter. An additional six aircraft are chartered from AeroLogic, a joint venture with DHL, and operated by AeroLogic on behalf of Lufthansa Cargo. Lufthansa Cargo also manages the belly cargo for Lufthansa Group’s passenger airlines, with the exception of Swiss International.
“Along with our partner ITA Airways, we are excited to offer our customers even more attractive routes, additional capacities and solutions to and from Europe as well as worldwide to meet their transportation needs. … In addition to Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Brussels, Rome will be our 5th hub that will help us offer flexible and quality solutions to our customers. Our customers will benefit from even more reliable, faster connections to and from southern Europe,” said Lufthansa Cargo CEO Ashwin Bhat.
Lufthansa Group has expressed interest in increasing its share of ITA Airways. The Italian government is the airline’s majority shareholder. ITA has a fleet of 99 aircraft, including 22 long-haul Airbus jets, and flies to 70 destinations around the world.
Last week, Lufthansa Group made changes to Cargo’s executive leadership, moving Frank Bauer from chief financial officer and labor director to chief operating officer and installing Gregor Schleussner, currently head of finance, controlling and accounting at sister airline Eurowings, as CFO and chief human resources officer, effective July 1.
Upgrades for temperature-sensitive shipping
Lufthansa has also changed features for its temperature-controlled products in recent months. Since the end of April, a pharma control tower has provided greater transparency and security during transport. A team of experts monitors temperature-sensitive shipments in transit via the Lufthansa Cargo hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, Germany and Brussels, Belgium, around-the-clock. Customers can contact the control tower to inquire about shipments to and from 30 industry-certified cargo stations worldwide. Also, special thermal covers are now being used for shipments in insulated containers to provide additional protection against heat or cold during ramp handling. This service is free of charge. Initially, the thermo covers will be used on air freight pallets in the main and lower decks during the summer months (May to September) on routes between Frankfurt and Atlanta, Cairo, Chicago, and Toronto. Lufthansa Cargo is looking into offering this service gradually to other destinations and beyond the current period.
Another add-on service is real-time digital monitoring of unit load devices. Sensors continually record temperature data, enabling customers to see on Lufthansa Cargo’s website if there are any temperature deviations during transit.
Finally, customers can book insulated containers with cooling materials, a more economical option than active management and using an external power source, through td.Zoom, Lufthansa Cargo’s fast option for urgent shipments.
Lufthansa Cargo’s revenue grew 21% year over year in the first quarter to $938.8 million, while adjusted earnings before interest and taxes increased to $70 million from a $24 million loss, thanks to increased yields, strong demand from China and lower costs.
