The FMCSA is quietly revamping its National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB), aiming to transform it from a bureaucratic black hole into a real-time system for identifying unsafe carriers, shady brokers, coercive shippers and repeat fraud offenders.
With over 12% of trucks sidelined during last year’s CVSA Brake Safety Week, the 2025 focus on rotors and brake drums puts heavy-duty and vocational trucks in the crosshairs. This guide breaks down what inspectors look for and how clean, well-maintained rigs are more likely to pass or avoid inspection altogether.
Retaliatory tariffs from trading partners, like China’s response to the retaliatory tariffs, could linger, complicating cross-border freight.
Freight fraud and cargo theft have reached crisis levels, but recent FMCSA identity verification measures are chipping away at fraudulent registrations. Proactive enforcement and innovative tech solutions are starting to protect our supply chains.
Every week, thousands of loads move across the country before a single rate hits the load board. That’s because most freight—especially high-volume freight—starts with a contract. Shippers send out tenders to their core carriers, usually the same ones every week. But when those carriers say no? That’s when things start to shift—and it’s also when […]
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a group of Russian hackers has gone into overdrive. As Western countries began ramping up military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the GRU focused on the logistics and tech companies that support those flows.
The entire market shifts when carriers start saying “no” to contracted freight. Rising tender rejection rates signal tightening capacity and often precede spot rate hikes, while falling rates point to softening demand.
Small carriers should check out this SONAR data to learn what the market did this week.
What is detention pay and how do you know when its time to collect?
Key Performance Indicators are must-tracks for small carriers.
This article breaks down how to spot a fraudulent rate confirmation, how to verify a broker before you roll, and the systems every small fleet needs in place to avoid being scammed. The mentions of Landstar, CH Robinson, and other large brokerages in this article are solely for illustrative purposes. The rate confirmation shown below is an […]
Highway’s Michael Caney explores the importance of an identity layer in vetting practices, know-your-customer principles and technological solutions to verify carrier capabilities
From truck parking to preventative maintenance, many small fleets think big-fleet strategies don’t apply to them. Here’s what the big guys are doing, and how you can steal their playbook.
DAT is positioning itself not just as a load board, but as the freight industry’s central exchange through its acquisition of factoring and fintech provider Outgo.
Too many carriers treat the rate con like a formality, but buried in those few pages are the traps that can cost you detention pay, shift liability, or delay your check for weeks. In this guide, we walk through how to break down a rate confirmation like a fleet manager, flagging sneaky clauses, protecting your rights, and building a system to manage paperwork at scale. In trucking, reading the fine print is financial survival.
Deadhead miles don’t show up on rate confirmations, but they quietly bleed small carriers dry, fuel, time, equipment wear and revenue lost every mile you roll empty. This guide breaks down what deadhead really costs and offers five practical strategies, from triangle hauls to smarter rate negotiation, to cut it down, tighten your routing, and boost profit without needing a dedicated lane or a giant customer list.
Fraud Watch analyzes Overhaul’s 2025 Q1 Mexico cargo theft report
It takes work to land shippers as a small carrier, but a few small changes can mean the difference between winning and losing freight.
Commercial insurance rates have ballooned over the last few years. Small carriers can use some techniques to reduce their costs.
Despite tariffs and global political tension, direct-to-consumer brands and other e-commerce sales continue to drive cross-border trade. SmartKargo’s cross-border solution helps airlines and e-commerce companies ship with real-time visibility.
