Trucking

Ashley Coker Prince Wednesday, July 16, 2025

TextLocate transforms the driver communication landscape

The logistics industry has long struggled with inefficient communication methods that frustrate drivers and waste valuable time for brokers and carriers. TextLocate addresses these pain points through its innovative SMS-based system. As the dominant driver communication provider in the logistics industry, TextLocate combines chat capabilities and image capture with location tracking – a powerful combination […]

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Adam Wingfield Saturday, July 12, 2025

Dispatch Handoffs That Don’t Drop the Ball

When dispatch handoffs get sloppy, mistakes multiply and money slips through the cracks. Drivers get left in the dark, loads fall through the cracks, and your business starts to bleed in places you can’t afford. Whether you’re running two trucks or twenty, this article will show you how to build a clean, repeatable dispatch handoff […]

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Adam Wingfield Saturday, July 12, 2025

How to Build a Bulletproof Safety Binder from Day One

If you’re operating trucks without a complete, organized, and regularly updated safety binder, you’re playing a dangerous game — one that ends with audits, violations, or worse, lawsuits. Too many new carriers treat compliance like an afterthought. They get their DOT number, get insurance, start moving freight, and figure they’ll “clean it up later.” That’s […]

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Contributed Content Friday, July 11, 2025

What value does an LSP get from p44?

(The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.) Shippers don’t partner with LSPs just to move freight—they rely on them to orchestrate complex, responsive, and cost-efficient networks on their behalf. Whether managing global air freight for pharmaceutical companies, regional FTL capacity […]

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Adam Wingfield Friday, July 11, 2025

Building a Load Review Checklist That Prevents Mistakes

If you’re running loads without a formal review process in place, you’re running blind. Every missed appointment, every unpaid detention, every “I thought we agreed on that” moment — it all comes back to one thing: a lack of structure. And in this industry, mistakes don’t just cost time — they cost money, relationships, and […]

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Adam Wingfield Thursday, July 10, 2025

Building a Load Intake Process That Keeps You Organized

If your load intake process looks like scribbled notes, missed emails, and “I’ll remember it later” — you’ve already lost. Not to the load board, not to rates — but to disorganization. And disorganization is the silent killer in this industry. It’s what clogs your cash flow, confuses your drivers, and burns you out before […]

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Adam Wingfield Wednesday, July 9, 2025

How to Create a Maintenance Budget You Can Stick To

If your maintenance budget feels like a moving target, you’re not alone. Most small fleet owners and owner-operators either guess at their maintenance costs—or worse, react to them only after something breaks. That’s not a strategy. That’s survival. And in this industry, running your business in survival mode will kill your margins faster than a […]

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Adam Wingfield Wednesday, July 9, 2025

The Right Way to Create a Driver Scorecard That Sticks 

If you are running a moderate sized fleet with more than 15-20 trucks, measuring your drivers is important. Let’s cut through the fluff—most driver scorecards fail not because the data isn’t there, but because the leadership behind them doesn’t know how to use them. Slapping together a spreadsheet with a few red, yellow, and green […]

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Adam Wingfield Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Breaking the Million Dollar Ceiling with Less Than 5 Trucks

Let’s get one thing straight—hitting seven figures in revenue with a small fleet isn’t a fantasy. It’s a formula. But it’s a formula most small carriers never get close to cracking, not because they lack hustle, but because they lack the strategy and discipline required to operate like a high-performing business with low overhead and […]

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Adam Wingfield Tuesday, July 8, 2025

The One-Page SOP Every Owner Operator Should Be Using

Let’s say this upfront: if your dispatcher doesn’t have a one-page SOP taped to the wall, you’re already behind. I’ve walked into hundreds of dispatch offices—some as clean as a cockpit, others looking like a paperwork tornado touched down. But there’s one thing that separates a dispatcher who owns the day from one who reacts […]

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The ATA’s waning influence irks its leader

The American Trucking Associations (ATA), once the pre-eminent voice of the trucking industry, is losing ground. Its president, Chris Spear, is not pleased. Last week, I posted on X a chart from SONAR, based on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data, showing that independent owner-operators are capturing a growing share of the trucking industry […]

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Adam Wingfield Monday, July 7, 2025

How to Calculate Your Cost Per Hour Not Just Per Mile

Everyone in trucking talks about cost per mile. And yes, it matters. But if that’s the only metric you’re tracking, you’re missing a major part of the profitability picture. Because time—not just distance—is what really determines if you’re winning or bleeding in this business. Cost per hour gives you a real-world, down-to-the-minute view of how […]

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Contributed Content Monday, July 7, 2025

When everything is freight fraud, nothing is

(The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.) “BE AFRAID OF FREIGHT FRAUD!”  It’s no surprise when another freight fraud headline lands in our inbox, shows up on LinkedIn, or makes its way into a conversation.  Freight fraud is a trending […]

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Adam Wingfield Monday, July 7, 2025

How to Build a Weekly Operations Rhythm That Scales

If your trucking operation feels like organized chaos, you’re not alone. One truck becomes two, then three, and before you know it, your phone’s ringing nonstop, your drivers are texting about breakdowns, and you’re booking loads with no strategy—just survival. Sound familiar? That’s exactly why small carriers hit a wall when they try to grow. […]

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Adam Wingfield Sunday, July 6, 2025

The KPI Breakdown Every Dispatcher Should Know

As a carrier with enough units that you hire an internal dispatch team, understanding how to measure their performance is critical. If your dispatcher is only focused on picking loads and calling drivers, you’ve got a major blind spot in your operation. Because in today’s market, dispatch isn’t just about movement—it’s about measurement. And if […]

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Adam Wingfield Saturday, July 5, 2025

July Market Recap – What Small Carriers Did Right (and Wrong)

July didn’t pull any punches. Volatile rates. Tightening capacity. Diesel spikes that tested everyone’s cash flow. For small carriers, it was either a month of smart moves—or hard lessons. What separated those who protected margins from those who scrambled to survive? Discipline. Strategy. Execution. In this recap, we break down what small carriers got right, […]

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Adam Wingfield Saturday, July 5, 2025

Driver Coaching Scripts That Actually Improve CSA Scores

Many small fleets don’t have a safety problem—they have a communication problem. Unsafe driving, HOS violations, maintenance issues—those don’t happen in a vacuum. They happen when expectations aren’t clear, coaching is inconsistent, and drivers feel like they’re being scolded, not supported. If you want to improve your CSA scores, it’s not about throwing another training […]

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Adam Wingfield Friday, July 4, 2025

How to Sell Your Safety Record to a Direct Shipper

Let’s get something straight—many shippers don’t just buy capacity anymore. They buy consistency. They buy professionalism. And most of all, they buy risk reduction. You can have the cleanest trucks, the most reliable drivers, and the best on-time percentage in your market, but if you can’t sell your safety record in a way that builds […]

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FreightWaves Staff Thursday, July 3, 2025

SONAR releases lane-level seasonality comparison tool

SONAR has launched a new capability allowing users to search and visualize spot rates at the lane level and compare year-over-year seasonality directly within its charts. This enhancement to the high-frequency freight market intelligence platform aims to provide shippers, carriers, and brokers with critical insights for navigating the volatile transportation market. The ability to track […]

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Rob Carpenter Wednesday, July 2, 2025

CVSA Safe Driver Week Is Coming

Operation Safe Driver Week begins July 13, targeting speeding and unsafe driving behaviors across North America. For fleets, these blitzes can directly impact FMCSA data, ISS scores, and safety ratings, which affect your ability to win freight, retain insurance, and stay on the road. Here’s what to know, what’s coming next, and how to build a clean inspection strategy before it’s too late.

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FreightWaves Staff Saturday, June 28, 2025

Trucking Industry Crime Surge: 50 High-Stakes Incidents

The trucking industry is under siege from a relentless wave of criminal activity that threatens its stability and safety. In 2024, cargo theft incidents surged to 3,625 across North America, a 27% year-over-year increase, with losses exceeding $455 million and an average loss per theft of $202,364. The economic toll of cargo theft alone is […]

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Adam Wingfield Saturday, June 28, 2025

Why You Don’t Need 10 Trucks to Make 7 Figures

How Intentional Planning and a Lean Operation Can Beat Market Volatility There’s this belief floating around that 10 trucks is the magic number. That once you hit double digits, you’ve made it. That it somehow guarantees seven figures, financial freedom, or a smooth operation. But the truth is—and I say this as someone who’s coached […]

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Adam Wingfield Saturday, June 28, 2025

How to Budget Weekly Pay When Freight is Inconsistent

Inconsistent freight isn’t just a market trend—it’s a reality every small fleet owner has to face head-on. One week you’re running $3.20/mile on solid round trips. The next, you’re fighting for $2.10/mile spot market loads and dealing with detention that doesn’t pay. But your bills? They don’t care. Driver pay, insurance, maintenance, truck payments, and […]

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FreightWaves Staff Friday, June 27, 2025

DOT Secretary plans to use AI to solve carrier identity

The Freight Fraud Crisis The trucking industry is grappling with a surge in freight fraud, leaving carriers, brokers, and shippers vulnerable to sophisticated scams like identity theft and unauthorized double brokering. These schemes disrupt supply chains, undermine trust, and cause significant financial and logistical challenges. The root cause is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s […]

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Ashley Coker Prince Friday, June 27, 2025

Utilizing dash cams for corrective action training

Safety remains the biggest obstacle for carriers today, with a recent J. J. Keller Center for Market Insights survey revealing that 51% of carriers identify it as their primary challenge. Even minor accidents and incidents can significantly impact productivity, driver wellness and ultimately affect the bottom line of any transportation company. While proper training can […]

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Ashley Coker Prince Friday, June 27, 2025

Guess less, save more: Smarter reefer management that pays off 

Cold chain providers are accustomed to walking the line between maintaining product integrity while managing operational costs. Ongoing market tension, however, has made it more difficult to strike that balance.  For companies in food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive industries, maintaining profitability in a difficult economic environment requires an enthusiastic commitment to innovation. While […]

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Ashley Coker Prince Friday, June 27, 2025

Descartes releases next-gen visibility tech to further protect from fraud and theft

Freight fraud continues to plague the transportation industry, and threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated as technology evolves. Shippers and brokers often find themselves overwhelmed by manual verification processes that are both resource-intensive and prone to error. In today’s fast-paced logistics environment, teams are subject to the challenging balancing act of covering shipments quickly while simultaneously […]

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Craig Fuller, CEO at FreightWaves Thursday, June 26, 2025

ELP Rule Threatens 10% of Truckers, Risks Carrier CSA Scores

The English Language Proficiency (ELP) rule, now in effect, could significantly reduce trucking capacity. For a decade, large truckload carriers have embraced regulations like the ELD mandate and Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to limit market capacity, but effects were typically short-lived. The ELP mandate, enforced by a DOT Executive Order, requires commercial drivers to demonstrate […]

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Ashley Coker Prince Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Navigating the complexities of cross-border freight

As nearshoring efforts accelerate, shippers are increasingly rethinking their cross-border strategies. Unlike transporting goods across state lines, cross-border shipping demands specialized expertise, robust infrastructure and comprehensive security measures. To fully capitalize on the advantages of nearshoring, companies need partners who understand that success hinges on more than just moving trucks –– it requires mastery of […]

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FreightWaves Staff Wednesday, June 25, 2025

English Language Proficiency Standards Could Drive Rates Higher

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is intensifying enforcement of English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards, signaling major operational changes for the trucking industry. As of today, June 25, 2025, drivers who fail to meet these requirements face immediate grounding, potentially straining trucking capacity, increasing tender rejections, and driving up national truckload rates. FreightWaves estimates […]

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Rob Carpenter Monday, June 23, 2025

The Ultimate Guide to FMCSA’s June 2025 Rule Rollouts: What Every Fleet Must Know

Starting June 2025, the FMCSA will enforce long-delayed rules on driver medical certification and English proficiency, with direct implications for fleets, intrastate drivers and licensing agencies. From MVR downgrades to out-of-service roadside inspection orders, these rules shift from paper compliance to real-world enforcement. Fleets that fail to adapt may face costly violations or sidelined equipment.

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Rob Carpenter Monday, June 23, 2025

2025 Texas Trucking Show: A Reminder That Trucking is Still a People Business

The 2025 Texas Trucking Show might showcase the best trucks in the country, but it’s also a living, breathing example of why trucking still runs on relationships. From 7-Eleven’s Slurpee truck to Scania’s U.S. road debut with Bruce Wilson, remote-controlled semis, and hundreds of vendors, this year’s event served equal business opportunities, industry education, and community connections.

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Adam Wingfield Friday, June 20, 2025

When to Say No to a Load and Why It Matters

If you’re still saying yes to every load just to “keep the wheels turning,” you’re not running a business—you’re gambling with your profit and praying it works out. The hustle mindset might have gotten you your first truck, but it won’t keep you in the game. The carriers who last know that saying no is […]

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Adam Wingfield Thursday, June 19, 2025

The Real Impact of FMCSA’s English Proficiency Enforcement

Let’s get one thing straight up front—this isn’t about politics, and it’s not about opinion. This is about operational reality. The FMCSA’s renewed enforcement of English proficiency rules isn’t new, but it is hitting harder now, and if you’re not paying attention, it can cost you. Small fleets and owner-operators need to stop treating this […]

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Adam Wingfield Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Freight Theft Rings Are Growing and Small Carriers Are Targets

There’s a new threat moving faster than enforcement can keep up with—and it’s not just hitting the mega carriers. It’s hitting the small fleets. It’s hitting the owner-operators. And it’s hitting the guys who thought, “That would never happen to me.” Freight theft isn’t just a big city problem or a warehouse security issue anymore. […]

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