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Aurora keeps person in the driver’s seat for driverless hauls
Humans are back in the driverless driver’s seat but only as window dressing, according to a recent update from Aurora Innovation. In a blog post, Aurora Chairman and CEO Chris Urmson said Paccar, one of the company’s OEM partners, “requested we have a person in the driver’s seat, because of certain prototype parts in their base vehicle platform.” This comes after Aurora announced the launch of its driverless trucking service on May 1. Astute observers would note the vehicle showcased in the release was an autonomous Peterbilt with the logos masked.
Urmson added, “PACCAR is a long-time partner and, after much consideration, we respected their request and are moving the observer, who had been riding in the back of some of our trips, from the back seat to the front seat. This observer will not operate the vehicle — the Aurora Driver will continue to be fully responsible for all driving tasks, including pulling over to a safe location if required.”
Aurora remains confident that the observer is not required to operate the truck safely, citing its exhaustive testing of nearly 10,000 requirements and 2.7 million tests which served as the foundation of its safety case. The change is not expected to impact the company’s near-, mid- and long-term development plans.
Regarding more details on what role the human observers now in the driver’s seat will play, the company told Trucking Dive humans are only there to “assist with a timely recovery” in the event the Aurora Driver must pull to the shoulder of the road due to events like a tire blowout or bad weather.
ACT Expo electric vehicles and charging infrastructure thoughts: Part 1
(Photo: Thomas Wasson/FreightWaves)
I meant to get around to writing my thoughts about electric vehicles and charging infrastructure from ACT Expo earlier, but in this digital world of content and page views, I got sidetracked. Here’s some of the infrastructure and electric vehicle thoughts from some of the companies I talked with and interviewed. I’ll keep adding more observations but for the sake of brevity, I’ll focus on Zeem Solutions and Better Fleets first.
Zeem Solutions: Before the event, I toured two Zeem facilities around the Los Angeles airport. The first thing that stood out was how much EV adoption had occurred. For someone from Chattanooga, Tennessee, the EV scene is some Chinese-made electric buses, small Chinese-made go-kart taxis, and a smattering of Teslas and Rivians around the Whole Foods Tesla chargers. Talking with Zeem CEO Paul Gioupis alone made the trip worthwhile. You can find my interview here.
Gioupis is a wealth of knowledge, as Zeem buys the electric vehicles, builds the charging infrastructure and develops the sites for said infrastructure. Things that stood out were Windrose and its Chinese EV, which introduced me to the term parasitic draw. That is the draining of the battery when the EV is off and not in use. I stood next to a Class 8 EV tractor and there was a buzzing sound. Per Gioupis, there shouldn’t be a buzzing sound. Therefore, a sign of EV quality is if it is actually turned off and not running something in the background. Parasitic draw is a big problem for infrastructure providers like Zeem, as clients want their vehicle at a full charge when they start their shift, not at 90% or 95% because the EV maker’s engineering team couldn’t figure out the buzzing sound.
Gioupis also gave another important test for potential EV buyers: the “Does it roll backward when on a hill” test. If you are wanting to purchase an EV, make sure to take it up a hill, then wait at a stop light or stop sign and see if it rolls back. If it does, the EV engineers are one to two generations behind and haven’t discovered that modern EVs don’t roll backward.
Finally, the chargers themselves create a unique challenge for power requirements. I am not an engineer so for the sake of this I shall refer to battery charge as “the juice” as in, how much juice do I need for a kilowatt charger versus a Tesla-size megawatt charger. Most EVs like the newly released Kenworth and Paccar, plus most commercial ones, have the 350 or 400-ish Kwh chargers, which work well with their battery configurations but take one-and-a-half to two hours to charge. I was told Tesla really likes the juice and requires megawatt chargers, to the tune of around 1,200 kilowatts, or 1.2 megawatts. Someone will correct me on the exact specs, but for the sake of argument, you can use the larger Tesla chargers on the other EVs but they’ll still take one-and-a-half to two hours to charge, as their batteries have safety features built in because they can’t handle that much juice. Food for thought as infrastructure providers work on figuring out the exact type and juice requirements when speccing out sites.
BetterFleet: This company gave the example of a utility company and also how adoption is slow and steady due to how fleets upgrade their vehicles. Fleet owners must answer two questions: 1. Can the EV run this route and get the bang for my buck? 2. Once I figure that out, how do I implement that into my purchasing plan? This specific utility only replaces a tenth of its truck fleet each year, which also filled in a question I had: “How come, with the regulatory whiplash against EVs, California is still chugging along?” It turns out adoption continues, just at the slow pace of replacement. Compare that to a trucking fleet, which may replace a quarter of its fleet each year. It also explained why large OEMs like Paccar decided to release their Kenworth and Peterbilt EVs for short haul and vocational use.
Keep an eye out for my interview with BetterFleet to release on June 4 at 3 p.m. EDT.
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Baun joins railcar builder Greenbrier as chief commercial officer
The Greenbrier Cos. announced that Ted Baun has joined its North American Commercial Team as senior vice president.
Baun will become chief commercial officer in January 2026, succeeding Tim Schitter, who will retire at year-end.
Ted Baun
Most recently, Baun served as CCO for PNW Railcars, overseeing its tank and freight railcar fleet, and directing efforts to maximize new railcar leases and renewals. Prior to that, Baun spent 23 years at FreightCar America and its predecessor, Johnstown America, including 11 years as chief commercial officer.
Baun reports to Brian Comstock, executive vice president and president, The Americas, for Greenbrier (NYSE: GBX), based in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Compliance fatigue is real, and it’s costing fleets more than you think
In every sector of the transportation industry, compliance with federal regulations is a complex but non-negotiable part of doing business.
While drivers are inherently incentivized to focus on deliveries and deadlines, compliance oversights can build up unnoticed and often turn into costly incidents or operational failures. The ongoing pressure of adhering to numerous regulations and policies (particularly in freight transportation) often result in exhaustion and can lead to mistakes.
This invisible burden has created what industry experts now recognize as “compliance fatigue,” a condition affecting thousands of drivers and fleets nationwide.
Even well-managed organizations run into minor violations on a somewhat regular basis, and the cost of those violations adds up over time. These violations sometimes have major repercussions beyond the safety, legal and financial consequences. Disruptions in an operation affect business relationships and brand reputation, not to mention the human cost.
Green Light ELD offers a technological solution designed to address this challenge, providing real-time alerts that catch violations before they become costly problems.
Compliance fatigue in drivers
The human cost of compliance management extends beyond paperwork and procedures. Drivers today face unprecedented pressure to maintain perfect compliance records while balancing tight schedules and unpredictable conditions. This constant vigilance creates a form of stress unique to the transportation industry.
Compliance fatigue manifests as a combination of anxiety, frustration and burnout for drivers. Those drivers have to constantly monitor their status against complex and changing regulations. The mental load of tracking hours of service, remembering inspection requirements and navigating weigh stations adds significant cognitive burden to an already demanding profession.
The psychological impact becomes particularly evident during roadside inspections. Drivers report elevated stress levels even when they believe they’re in compliance, simply due to the uncertainty of whether or not there might have been some minor oversight. Among many other reasons, the stress level and responsibility of compliance certainly contribute to a shortage of truck drivers.
For many drivers, the fear of unknown violations creates a persistent background anxiety that affects focus on the road. Since traditional ELDs passively log hours without providing alerts or warnings, drivers often discover violations only after they’ve occurred, which means penalties are then unavoidable. This reactive approach leaves drivers vulnerable and unsupported.
The financial impact of noncompliance
The financial implications of hidden compliance violations create significant burdens for both individual owner-operators and larger fleets. When violations go undetected until an inspection, the consequences cascade through multiple aspects of the operation.
The most immediate financial impact comes from direct fines and penalties, which can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars per violation. For small operators with tight margins, even a single significant fine can eliminate the profit from multiple loads. These penalties can accumulate quickly across multiple drivers in the case of larger fleets.
Given the cyclical and sometimes unpredictable nature of the freight market, substantial unplanned expenses can make or break a quarter or year.
The visible costs of fines, though, represent only the immediate financial impact. When violations lead to poor Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) scores, insurance premiums typically increase, creating ongoing financial penalties that affect the bottom line month after month.
Not to mention, serious violations can also trigger time-consuming compliance reviews that divert management resources and attention from core business operations. Out-of-service orders resulting from compliance failures create immediate revenue loss through missed deliveries and delayed loads. Each day a truck sits idle due to compliance issues represents lost income opportunity that can never be recovered.
The compounding effect of these financial burdens can be an existential threat to some carriers. Operators may have to defer other investments in equipment maintenance or driver benefits to meet growing compliance costs, potentially creating a downward spiral that affects both safety and business viability.
The role of technology in mitigating risks
Addressing both the emotional and financial costs of compliance failures requires a fundamental shift from passive logging to active prevention. Green Light ELD has developed a compliance-first technology platform designed to transform how drivers and fleets manage regulatory requirements.
Unlike standard ELDs that simply record hours and violations without intervention, Green Light ELD provides real-time voice- and app-based alerts that notify drivers of potential violations as they occur. This proactive approach gives drivers the opportunity to correct issues before they become part of their permanent record, substantially reducing both stress and financial risk.
The platform’s innovative 3-mile weigh station advance warning system represents a major stress-reducing feature. By alerting drivers well before they reach inspection points, the system makes drivers better prepared and less anxious during high-pressure interactions. This advance notice helps drivers approach weigh stations with confidence and helps them catch errors before they turn into recorded infractions.
For fleet managers, Green Light ELD offers a remote fleet dashboard with live device management capabilities. Visibility allows managers to identify potential compliance issues across their entire operation and enables timely intervention before problems escalate. The system’s automated reporting features streamline compliance management by effortlessly generating logbooks, as well as Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and International Fuel Tax Agreement reports tailored to any selected dates and hours.
The technology also addresses the communication gap that often contributes to compliance failures. Green Light ELD ensures that compliance information flows smoothly among all stakeholders in the transportation process through seamless integrations with major platforms. This connectivity eliminates the information silos that frequently lead to misunderstandings and violations.
The practical benefits of proactive compliance management become clear when examining how fleets have transformed their operations using Green Light ELD’s technology. Across hundreds of carriers and thousands of drivers, the platform has demonstrated its ability to substantially reduce both the emotional and financial toll of compliance management.
For individual owner-operators, the system has provided peace of mind through its 24/7 multilingual live support. This constant availability of expert assistance means that even in complex compliance situations, drivers never face challenges alone.
Larger fleets have leveraged the platform’s comprehensive monitoring capabilities to create more supportive relationships with their drivers. Rather than discovering violations during quarterly reviews when it’s too late to address them, fleet managers can now identify and resolve issues in real time. This shift from punitive to preventive management improves driver retention and satisfaction while simultaneously reducing violation rates.
From a financial perspective, users consistently report significant reductions in fines and penalties after implementing Green Light ELD. By catching potential violations before they occur, operators avoid the direct costs of penalties while also maintaining healthier CSA scores that keep insurance premiums lower. The system’s efficiency in automating reporting requirements further reduces administrative costs and allows management to focus on growth instead of just paperwork.
Traditional, passive ELD systems have failed to adequately address tolls of hidden compliance violations. Compliance requirements continue to evolve by the day, and proactive technology solutions are increasingly a necessary part of any operation.
Green Light ELD offers a comprehensive approach that tackles both the burden of compliance anxiety and the financial risks of undetected violations. By transforming compliance management from a reactive to a preventive process, the platform helps drivers focus on safely delivering freight rather than constantly worrying about overlooked regulations.
With its driver-centric design, comprehensive alert system and robust management tools, Green Light ELD provides a pathway to reduce the hidden costs of compliance while improving operational efficiency.
Norfolk Southern expands short line interchange improvement program
Norfolk Southern has expanded its interchange improvement program to all of its shortline connections in a bid to boost carload volume growth.
NS (NYSE: NSC) sought to improve interchange consistency and reliability when it launched its Short Line Performance Project with 40 short lines last year. “It led to just absolutely above-normal growth for us,” said Stefan Loeb, the railroad’s vice president of business development and first- and final-mile markets, in a company video. “So as an example, those 40 interchanges through 2024 grew at 4.85% volume. It outperformed our general business in those same markets.”
Last year NS’ overall merchandise business was up 1%.
The Short Line Interchange Project, as it’s now called, has been rolled out to all of the railroad’s 260-plus shortline partners, NS announced Wednesday. The program creates real-time data and communication channels so that NS and short lines can quickly iron out — or prevent — service problems.
“It’s about collaboration to be able to sit around the table and exchange ideas and use data to determine what ideas move forward and then make a commitment to act on them,” said Ryan Higgins, chief commercial officer at shortline holding company OmniTRAX, also in the video.
Tim Schumm, general manager of OmniTRAX’s Alabama & Tennessee River Railway, in the video said the program provides accurate data on interchanges with NS. “It also lets us resolve any problems quickly. Instead of waiting a day or a week to have the problem resolved, we could literally do it in hours.”
About 40% of Norfolk Southern’s carload volume originates or terminates on a connecting shortline railroad.
Caption: Norfolk Southern local train H76, led by SD40-2 No. 3423, clears the Lehigh Line main in Three Bridges, New Jersey, with a delivery to the Black River & Western interchange on Aug 6, 2021. (Photo: Jerry Dziedzic)
Freight industry layoffs surge across California, Texas
Layoffs continue to significantly impact the freight industry as firms in California and Texas announced more than 1,048 layoffs over the past week.
Companies announcing worker reductions include UPS, FedEx, F&S Produce West LLC and Amazon.
UPS
UPS plans to cut two shifts at a warehouse in West Sacramento, California, eliminating 355 workers by mid-July.
Atlanta-based UPS (NYSE: UPS) said the layoffs are part of a companywide initiative it described as “the largest network reconfiguration in UPS history,” according to The Sacramento Bee.
In April, UPS told investors it planned to cut its workforce by around 20,000 positions and close 73 facilities by the end of the year.
FedEx Supply Chain Logistics and Electronics
FedEx Supply Chain Logistics and Electronics (NYSE: FDX) said it is laying off 305 employees at its North Fort Worth, Texas, logistics center, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice filed with the state.
The job reductions, which will be finalized by Oct. 25, were caused by a customer moving to another facility and contracting with a new third-party logistics provider, FedEx said.
FedEx’s North Fort Worth logistics center will remain operational with 275 workers.
F&S Produce West LLC
F&S Produce West, a produce and food wholesaler, plans to cut 255 jobs from its facility in southeast Houston.
The company did not provide a reason for the workforce reduction in its WARN notice filed with the state. It’s unclear if the facility will remain operational.
Officials for F&S Produce West did not return a request for comment from FreightWaves.
L&T Precision
Specialty manufacturer L&T Precision plans to close a facility and lay off 81 employees in Poway, California, according to a WARN notice.
The facility, which specializes in manufacturing services for the aerospace and defense industries, will shut down by Aug. 1.
The company did not immediately return a request for comment from FreightWaves.
Amazon
Amazon is laying off 52 employees across four facilities in Sunnyvale, California, according to WARN filings.
The layoffs include 33 employees from Amazon Lab126, an engineering and technology hub, as well as 19 employees from technology and fulfillment centers in the city.
Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) did not provide a reason for the job cuts.
Running on Ice: Heart transplants get a second life
All thawed out
(Photo: Vector_Leart/Shutterstock)
There has been some new research around organ donors. Researchers have discovered a molecular process that occurs when donor hearts are preserved in cold storage, which contributes to failure after transplant, a study in both humans and animals shows. The team, a collaboration between Michigan Medicine and Mayo Clinic, also found a therapy to reduce that damage using medication that is typically prescribed for high blood pressure.
The current transplant process typically involves a cooler of ice, after the organ has been infused with a cold preservation solution. The longer the heart is stored like this, the higher the chances are that a transplant will have issues and additional complications post-surgery.
“When a donor heart is stored in the cold, physical changes occur in cardiac cells that cannot be seen by the naked eye,” said senior author Paul Tang, M.D., Ph.D., a heart transplant surgeon who conducted research with collaborators at both the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
“We observed special protein behaviors during cold preservation at the molecular level that accentuate harmful signaling and cause donor hearts to weaken following transplantation. Disrupting this process can greatly improve a donor heart’s resilience to ischemic injury and its function after transplantation.”
There is a chance that similar processes could be implemented into different organ transplants, but more research is needed to prove that theory.
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Secure Roads & Safe Trucking Act; escaping Yellowknife; theft victim speaks | WHAT THE TRUCK?!?
On Episode 842 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is looking at a scorching hot freight market in Savannah, Georgia. The port is seeing record container volumes, and the market is very tight with outbound tender rejects over 23%.
The Secure Roads & Safe Trucking Act just passed in Oklahoma. American Truckers United’s Shannon Everett and Harvey Beech talk about how the bill will take unsafe drivers off the roads. We’ll also learn what else needs to be done, and we’ll get his reaction to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy signing the English Language Proficiency executive order.
An $83 million freight fraud ring was busted early this week in Southern California. DK Consulting’s Dwight Young drops by the studio to talk about the time he was a victim of a cargo theft ring and the long-lasting impacts it has on operators in this space.
In 2023 over 20,000 residents of Yellowknife in Canada had to evacuate due to a devastating fire. Today, we’ll meet a trucker, Darko Vidakovic, who had to drive over 3 miles in reverse to escape the blaze.
Plus, a container ship in Norway almost hits a house, North Korea gives new meaning to drop shipping and more.
Time Stamps
3:15 My freight theft story | Dwight Young
15:10 Container ship almost hits house
15:50 Escaping the Yellowknife fire in a semi | Darko Vidakovic
27:00 North Korea’s drop shipping
27:30 Duffy signs the EO | American Truckers United
35:17 The Secure Roads and Safe Trucking Act | American Truckers United
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.
If you’ve been hauling freight over the last few years, you already know—this market hasn’t been kind to small carriers. Rates have been stuck low. Fuel hasn’t offered much relief. And too many loads are posted without the pay to back them up.
But this week, the data is showing signs that the market might be starting to shift. Not in a drastic way—but enough that smart carriers can get ahead of it if they understand what’s happening.
The data we’re pulling from is called SONAR. It’s FreightWaves’ industry platform that shows real-time freight activity—spot rates, shipment volumes, rejection rates, and more. But we’re not going to throw a bunch of graphs at you and expect you to know what it means. We’re going to break it down in plain language so you can make better decisions with your truck and your time.
Spot Market Rates Are Climbing – Slowly, But It Matters
(SONAR, National Truckload Index)
This chart shows the National Truckload Index (NTI). That’s the average linehaul rate per mile for dry van freight on the spot market.
This week, that number ticked up to $2.31 per mile.
That’s not a huge jump, but it’s meaningful. Two weeks ago, we were seeing spot rates hovering around $2.20. So this recent climb—about 5%—is the first clear sign of upward movement in a while.
What this means for you: Rates are starting to inch up going into Memorial Day, which lines up with what typically happens seasonally. Retail freight, grilling supplies, beverage distribution—these all see a bump before the holiday. So if you’re running spot market, now’s a time to start dialing in to where those loads are popping.
But here’s the catch: don’t just chase posted numbers. Spot rates might be improving overall, but that doesn’t mean every broker’s going to offer it up freely. You’ve still got to negotiate like it’s your business, because it is.
Freight Volumes Are Increasing – That’s a Good Sign
(SONAR, Outbound Tender Volume Index)
This chart shows the Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI). That’s just a fancy way of saying how many shipments shippers are offering out to the market each day. The higher the number, the more freight is available to move.
This week’s number sits at 10,448. That’s slightly up from last week, and what’s more important—it’s stable. In a market that’s been shrinking or flat-lining, a consistent climb is a positive indicator.
What this means for you: Shippers are putting more freight into the system. That means opportunities are starting to show up again. If you’ve been running the same lanes and seeing nothing but cheap or partial loads, it’s time to start exploring lanes where the volume is climbing. Because when freight gets tight, so does pricing—and that’s when you can take advantage.
Spot Rate Shifts by Region – The Map Is Turning Blue
(SONAR)
This map shows where spot market rates are rising or falling by region. Blue means rates are going up. Red means they’re dropping.
What we’re seeing this week is a whole lot of light to dark blue across the Midwest, Southeast, and parts of Texas. That tells us one thing—carriers in those areas are getting better rates over the last few days.
What this means for you:
If you’re based in or near:
Ohio, Indiana, or Kentucky
Georgia or the Carolinas
Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston
…you’re likely going to see stronger offers this week. That doesn’t mean chasing freight just because it pays slightly more—but if you’re already running those lanes, now’s the time to hold your ground on price and not settle for garbage just to stay moving.
Volume Hotspots – Where the Freight Is Coming From
(SONAR)
This last map is all about where the most outbound freight is coming from. Darker blue means more volume, which means more opportunities. White or light areas are slow.
What stands out right now:
California is heating up again (especially Southern California)
Houston and Atlanta are consistently staying active
Midwest markets like Chicago and Indianapolis are climbing back up
What this means for you:
You want to position your truck in zones where loads are abundant—because that’s where brokers have to compete more to get trucks. And when they’re competing, you get better rates. Think of it like this: in blue areas, you’re the one holding the leverage. In white zones, you’re just trying to stay loaded.
Other Things to Watch This Week – Don’t Miss the Bigger Picture
Diesel costs remain elevated, especially in California and the Northeast. Make sure your lane strategy includes fuel-efficient planning—not just chasing gross revenue.
Some carriers are running tighter this week, with roadcheck week just behind us. That means capacity is a little thinner than usual—and you might get a better rate if you’re available and reliable.
Imports are rising on the West Coast, which means those port-adjacent markets like LA, Long Beach, and even Phoenix are going to be flooded with inbound loads needing redistribution soon.
Final Word – Here’s How to Move This Week
This is not a full rebound. Not yet.
But this is the kind of early movement that smart carriers can benefit from—if you know where to look and how to act.
Here’s what you should be doing right now:
Get your breakeven dialed in and stop taking anything below it unless you absolutely have to
Run lanes where the volume and rate maps align—blue to blue
Use the holiday week to stack multiple short runs in good markets
Push back on bad rates and get back to real negotiation
The market doesn’t owe you anything—but right now, it’s starting to give you options. If you know how to read SONAR, it doesn’t just give you information—it gives you a strategy.
And in this game, strategy always beats hustle.
Lawmaker introduces bill codifying English proficiency for truckers
WASHINGTON — A change in policy this week by the Trump administration placing truck drivers out of service for violating English proficiency regulations was followed up on Friday by new legislation that, if passed, would codify the new policy into law.
Introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio, the bill, to be called Connor’s Law, is named after Connor Dzion, an 18-year old killed in Florida in 2017 by a distracted truck driver unable to read warning signs alerting to upcoming traffic.
Taylor will formally announce the legislation next week, according to his office.
The Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC), which lobbies on behalf of small-business truckers and owner-operators, petitioned to get the bill introduced on behalf of a group of grass-roots trucking organizations.
“This is a big win for public safety, for truckers who share the road with other truck drivers, and the motoring public alike,” said SBTC Executive Director James Lamb in a press release.
“We applaud Congressman Taylor, all co-sponsors, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for their commitment and leadership in moving forward with SBTC’s proposed common sense, life-saving legislation to make the roads safe again.”
SBTC’s partners pushing for the legislation include American Truckers United, National Owner Operators Association, Past Time for a Change, Professional Trucking Association Group, United Coalition of American Drivers and United Truckers of America.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the American Trucking Associations also support the bill, Taylor’s office confirmed.
According to a draft of the bill, to get a commercial driver’s license – in addition to passing driving tests and being able to provide certification of successfully completing driver training – an individual must be able to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records.”
A person operating a commercial motor vehicle and determined by an enforcement officer to be noncompliant with federal English proficiency laws “shall be declared out of service,” the bill states.
