Trucking

Forest View, Illinois-based trucking company Chicago Suburban Express will close its doors on Friday.

Authorities in the U.S. have asked the Mexican government to investigate whether a Tijuana-based trucking company has denied the right of truckers to organize for bargaining purposes.

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 […]

The frequency of incidents involving cargo thieves acting upon inside information rose during the second quarter.

In collaboration with sponsors and subject matter experts, Reliance Partners hosted another successful forum detailing the current landscape of cross-border trade and discussing solutions for the challenges of customs, trade agreements, and insurance concerns.

Daimler Truck North America plans to temporarily lay off 2,000 factory workers in the U.S. and Mexico.

The U.S. is withdrawing from a three-decade-old tomato trade agreement with Mexico on Monday.

This week in Borderlands Mexico: U.S. trade with Mexico rises to $74B in May; Redwood Logistics opens office in Queretaro, Mexico; and Franke Group opens production plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

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 […]

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he will impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance recently announced its first-ever incentive program for zero-emission truck and charging deployment in the Puget Sound region. Zeem Solutions was selected as the subrecipient of the program after a competitive bidding process.

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 […]

When you bring up broker transparency at a truck stop or in an owner-op Facebook group, you’ll see two things happen fast: tension and division. Some drivers will shout, “Show me the money!” Others will tell you it doesn’t matter — that chasing rate details is just noise. What started as a call for fairness […]

In this business, your dispatcher can either be your biggest asset or your biggest liability. Period. They’re not just booking freight — they’re controlling cash flow, driver morale, and your company’s reputation with every call they make. And if you hire the wrong one, you’re not just dealing with inefficiency. You’re setting your whole operation […]

Motive introduces Positive Driving AI to detect safe behaviors like quick obstacle avoidance, shifting fleets to rewards-based coaching. Results show 64% fewer safety incidents and 43% lower turnover

President Donald Trump plans to impose a 35% tariff on imports from Canada starting Aug. 1.

(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 […]

Truck Parking Club accepts strategic investment from CAT Scale, North America’s largest truck weighing network, to make parking more accessible to truckers nationwide.

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 […]

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 […]

Let’s set the record straight—brokers aren’t the enemy. They serve a purpose. They connect capacity to freight when a shipper doesn’t have time to build direct relationships. But if you’re a small fleet trying to grow your business and secure long-term, profitable freight, depending on brokers will keep you running in circles. Shippers want more […]

WattEV recently broke ground on its sixth heavy-duty electric truck charging depot in California at the Port of Oakland

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 […]

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 […]

Tech platform ServiceUp has raised $55 million in Series B funding to streamline the vehicle repair process for fleet operators and insurers.

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 […]

In this edition: breaking down the new deadline for tariffs and expansion into Mexico.

Hotlanta’s tender rejections peaked at 11.2%.

Mexico’s automotive manufacturing industry exported 331,517 passenger vehicles and pickup trucks in June.

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 […]

Texas trucking tort reform aims to limit the ability to file lawsuits against trucking companies after accidents.

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 […]

If you’re the one still booking loads at midnight, chasing down PODs on your lunch break, and jumping under a truck on Saturday morning—this one’s for you. Every small fleet owner hits the same wall: you built the company, you know every lane, every customer, every truck. And now that it’s growing, you’re afraid to […]

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 […]

(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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

Everybody wants to scale. Get more trucks. Add more drivers. Land bigger contracts. But here’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud—if you can’t make one truck profitable on one lane for one year, you’ve got no business growing. Expansion doesn’t fix broken math. It magnifies it. It’s why so many small fleets go […]

This week in Borderlands Mexico: DP World sees big logistics opportunities across Latin America; Aerospace manufacturer plans $120M expansion in Texas; and Third-party logistics provider plans warehouse near Houston.

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

If you’ve been in the game long enough, you’ve seen this coming. Quiet acquisitions. Big-name brokerages merging. The same five players showing up on every load board. Broker consolidation isn’t a trend—it’s a tidal wave. And like every major shift in this industry, it’s the small carriers who feel the hit first. But this ain’t […]

Rising costs collided with depressed freight rates, according to ATRI’s latest operational costs of trucking benchmarking report. According to the data, the industry’s average cost of operating a truck declined slightly by 0.4% to $2.260 per mile.

Trade stakeholders in Arizona and Texas urge the Trump administration to maintain the Tomato Suspension Agreement between the U.S. and Mexico.

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 […]

If you’ve ever wondered how a company with trucks falling apart and drivers dodging scales can stay in business—don’t blame the carrier. Blame the system that let them in and never bothered to check if they belonged. The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is supposed to be the gatekeeper of safety in our industry. […]

Time is your most valuable resource when you’re running a small fleet. You’re chasing rate cons, handling maintenance issues, answering driver calls at all hours, and still expected to grow the business. It never stops. But here’s the truth—most of the stress isn’t coming from the hard stuff. It’s coming from the repetitive stuff. The […]

Border agents recently seized $31 million worth of narcotics from commercial shipments in Texas, Michigan, Ontario, and Quebec.

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.

Updated Jul. 2 @ 12:30 pm Uber Freight, listed as an unsecured creditor of Del Monte in its filing, responded to the news with a statement from a company representative. “Del Monte has been a valued customer of Uber Freight for many years. We are proud to serve a critical role to Del Monte’s business […]

At Samsara Beyond in San Diego, leaders from Nutrien Ag Solutions, Univar Solutions, and Sysco revealed how Samsara’s AI-powered platform enhances safety and efficiency in fleet operations, reducing incidents and streamlining processes

For a lot of new owner operators stepping into the industry, nobody hands them a guidebook. There’s no checklist stapled to the rate confirmation that says, “Hey, here’s what to look for before you take this load.” And too many carriers assume drivers just know what makes a run worth it—or worse, they shame folks […]

Many carriers skim through setup packets just to get the load—especially when they’re scrambling to fill backhaul miles or respond to a hot reload alert on a load board. That urgency makes it easy to treat all brokers like they’re the same, assuming the terms must be standard. But buried in that rush is where […]

The idea of “niching down” sounds good in theory—until you’ve got bills due, a driver asking where the next load is, and your load board options are thin. For small fleet owners, it can feel risky to specialize. What if the niche dries up? What if you’re limiting your options? But here’s the truth most […]

When most people shop for a truck, they focus on the big stuff: engine size, make and model, maybe even the sleeper setup. But one of the most overlooked specs on a truck—and one of the most important when it comes to long-term profitability—is your rear differential gear ratio. This single number can decide how […]

Stricter enforcement of the English language proficiency rule is already having an impact on the freight market between the U.S. and Mexico.

Load boards are one of the most misunderstood tools in trucking. Too many carriers treat them like their main source of business instead of what they really are—a tactical tool to bridge the gap, not build the whole strategy. If you rely on the wrong load board or use the right one the wrong way, […]

This week in Borderlands: Winner in global tariff war could be Mexico, report says; DutyFreeZone.com secures distribution rights for Corona beer; and Korean auto supplier opens factory in Mexico.

Let’s get this straight—adding a driver isn’t just about filling a seat. It’s about knowing exactly when your business can sustain it, when it needs it, and when waiting is the smarter move. Too many small carriers hire too early, chasing growth without the freight to back it up or the systems to support it. […]

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 […]

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 […]

Vay and Kodiak Robotics announced a strategic partnership integrating Vay’s remote driving technology into Kodiak’s autonomous technology stack. The collaboration introduces Kodiak’s Assisted Autonomy, enabling human operators to remotely control trucks in complex scenarios.

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 […]

CarriersEdge launched an English Language Proficiency Assessment in June 2025 to help trucking carriers comply with U.S. regulations under 49 CFR §391.11(b)(2). The tool evaluates drivers’ language skills for roadside inspections, using audio-visual cues.

You don’t need to be a freight analyst to know that profit in trucking is made—or lost—between the loads. It’s not just about what you haul. It’s about how you move between hauls. That’s where fuel gets wasted, hours get chewed up, and your driver’s clock gets burned with nothing to show for it. Bad […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Let’s get one thing straight—your business credit is not separate from your personal credit, especially when you’re just starting out. If you’re running a small fleet or even one truck, every lender, leasing company, and equipment finance company is going to look at your personal FICO score first. They’re not just betting on your business. […]

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 […]

Highway has changed the game of carrier identity.

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 […]

Estes Forwarding Worldwide said it was targeted by a cyberattack in May, but reports “no significant disruption.”

Samsara unveiled over a dozen AI-powered solutions at its Beyond event, including AI Multicam, Weather Intelligence, and a revamped Driver App, aimed at enhancing safety and efficiency in physical operations.

Milton, Pennsylvania-based logistics company Patton Logistics Group has announced it will purchase Milton Transportation and Warehousing and its sister company, BTR Inc.

Eliminating fuel fraud with unique QR codes and flexible business rules.

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 […]

Truckstop operationalizes its vast data warehouse with AI.

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 […]

NOAA forecasts above-average activity for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.

The trucking world keeps pushing a narrative of a driver shortage. Reality says the problem is more nuanced than that.

Tender rejections are at 6% and rising, two weeks before the holiday.

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.

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.

The deadline is July 18, 2025.

This week in Borderlands Mexico: Supply chain firms invest in new cross-border facilities; Japanese industrial supplier investing $5M in Mexico expansion; and Benchmark Electronics opens manufacturing facility in Guadalajara, Mexico.

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 […]

GXO Logistics has announced Patrick Kelleher as the new CEO and received approval for its Wincanton acquisition.

When it comes to freight theft, criminal tactics have shifted from straight theft to strategic theft as criminals are using new technology to bolster fraud and deception.

Kodiak Robotics announced it has selected Roush Industries as its manufacturing partner to scale the upfitting of trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver autonomous system. Starting in the second half of 2025, Roush will begin upfitting these autonomous trucks at its facility in Livonia, Michigan.

Attorneys in a $5 million Illinois trucking accident settlement hope their case brings safer changes to roadways.

Intelligence, security, and control for the inbound call process.

If you’re a small fleet owner wearing ten hats, let me hit you with something hard: just because you can do everything, doesn’t mean you should. That mentality will trap you in one truck. It’ll keep your business crawling when it should be scaling. And the longer you delay outsourcing the low-dollar, high-time tasks, the […]

Volvo Group and Daimler Truck have officially launched Coretura, a joint venture dedicated to developing a standardized software-defined vehicle platform for commercial vehicles.

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 […]

Freight fraud has emerged as one of the most rapidly growing and financially devastating risks in today’s global supply chain landscape. With global cargo theft losses exceeding $80 billion in 2023 and the average cost of a successful fictitious pickup surging to $365,000 per incident in Q1 2024, the industry has been desperately seeking more […]

A stretch of Interstate 40 between the Tennessee and North Carolina border has been shut down from flooding and a rockslide according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation

Companies across the U.S. and Mexico announced more than 8,790 freight-related job cuts in recent weeks.

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. […]