FreightWaves @FreightWaves

Lewie Pugh, Executive Vice President of the OOIDA, details how the initial Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) conversations initially fought for a mandatory minimum of 30 hours of behind-the-wheel practice—a safety metric that was stripped out at the last minute. Pugh argues that lowering the barrier to entry has fueled "CDL mills" and created a safety crisis on our highways, leaving carriers and shippers to bear the true cost of under-trained equipment operators.

In commercial transportation logistics, mechanical diagnostic velocity directly dictates network fluidness. Unlike standard automotive repair, where vehicle downtime is an administrative inconvenience, an immobilized Class 8 truck stalls revenue generation instantly. Modern diagnostics require technicians to operate as high-level systems engineers, troubleshooting complex electronic and pneumatic frameworks under strict time constraints.

Doug Marcello exposes what he terms a regional "fraudemic." Aggressive plaintiff groups are leveraging minor, low-impact sideswipes into catastrophic, multi-million dollar injury claims. In litigious hotbeds like New York and New Orleans, staging minor accidents and inflating basic soft-tissue discomfort into surgical claims has become a lucrative playbook.

Doug Marcello of Saxton & Stump unpacks the true mechanics behind rising commercial premiums. According to a recent study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the escalating legal crisis in transportation isn't actually being driven by high-profile nuclear verdicts. Instead, the real culprit is a dramatic 12% spike in private out-of-court settlements over the last five years—outpacing basic inflationary verdict increases by nearly fourfold.

"American heavy manufacturing is roaring back—and the hard data proves this isn't just a temporary trend." Looking at foundational indicators like coke carloads—a key fossil fuel derivative used to blast high-temperature furnaces—reveals an aggressive production ramp-up. Unlike historic cycles that relied entirely on coastal consumer imports, this multi-sector expansion is originating directly from industrial hubs across the Midwest, Southeast, and Texas.

When evaluating contract carrier risk, look at the lane-level rate velocity—not just aggregate national data. A visual index of the modern refrigerated freight market reveals severe capacity deficits emerging across multiple shipping corridors simultaneously. Because reefer equipment requires significant power consumption to protect temperature-sensitive loads during extreme summer heatwaves, operational overhead jumps independently of standard diesel pricing. Shippers who fail to lock in firm linehaul capacity early will find their contract routing guides collapsing as independent owner-operators pivot entirely to high-margin spot freight.

Craig and Max Fuller are tracing the shifting geography of freight volumes over the last 55 years. In 2018, the industry standard was a one-way import flow where the coastal ports generated freight and the Midwest consumed it. In 2026, the global supply chain is completely reconfiguring. Driven by massive investment in domestic AI data centers and nearshoring infrastructure, regional freight is increasingly originating straight out of the historic Rust Belt and Texas.

What is a reportedly small percentage of carriers that are vetted through the Highway compliance system are facing a looming requirement to hook their ELD up to the company’s system. July 5 is the deadline for connecting an ELD to Highway, according to the memo that has been circulating for several weeks. And the policy is a direct response to the new normal for brokers created by the Supreme Court decision in Montgomery vs. Caribe Transport II. vist.ly/59wfm

Thorn Run Partners is launching a new business unit focused on what it says is growing economic opportunities in the Western Hemisphere. The launch of the Washington lobbyist’s Latin America Business Opportunities Practice comes at a time of growing economic integration across the western hemisphere, “creating new opportunities for organizations seeking to establish or grow their presence in key regional markets,” is said in a release. vist.ly/59wfj

AI is coming for white-collar jobs, but it can’t turn a wrench. We need a serious reality check about the future of work.

Full Episode: youtu.be/GFtfH9dhqh4

Will there be more small carriers a year from now.. or fewer? On Brake Check, Sean Dehan from Truckstop shares his outlook on the future of small trucking businesses, explaining why regulation.. not freight demand, may be the biggest obstacle to growth.

Lewie Pugh, Executive Vice President of the OOIDA, targets the transactional risk blind spots shared by brokers and shippers. Pugh points out that enterprise distribution networks will casually put millions of dollars worth of high-value inventory on a truck to transit across the country without having any baseline visibility into exactly who is behind the wheel or their actual safety record.

Full Episode: youtu.be/GFtfH9dhqh4

After four of the toughest years in trucking, the market is finally shifting in carriers' favor. On Brake Check, Sean Dehan from Truckstop compares today's freight market to battling through last night's Team USA World Cup match, and explains why carriers who survived the downturn are in position to capitalize on new opportunities.

For years, cultural and educational narratives pushed students away from vocational paths, creating a massive shortfall of specialized mechanical talent. Chris Ingram, Team Lead at Beaver Truck Centre in Winnipeg, labels this the "million-dollar question," emphasizing that identifying individuals with both the technical aptitude and strict safety discipline required to service modern commercial fleets is a relentless hurdle for fleet operations.

Full Episode: youtu.be/GFtfH9dhqh4

Freight fraud isn't going away.. but the industry is getting better at fighting back. Sean Dehan from Truckstop joins Charles Gracey on Brake Check to explain why fraud attempts continue to rise, how scammers are evolving, and what platforms are doing to stay one step ahead.

🤝 The Q2 2026 Freight Brokerage Rate Report is out — and it's free to download. Sponsored by @Trckstopdotcom and Blue Book Services, this quarterly report pairs FreightWaves broker survey data with @SONAR_FW analytics to help brokers navigate the months ahead with confidence. What's inside: ✅ Key themes to watch in Q2 2026 ✅ FreightWaves broker survey insights ✅ Key takeaways for brokers in 2026 Download your complimentary copy 👇 #FreightBrokerage #Freight #FreightRates #Trucking #SupplyChain #SONAR #Truckstop #BlueBookServices vist.ly/59vzd

There is NO truck driver shortage. Let’s talk about what's actually happening in the freight industry—and why the math isn't mathing for over-the-road (OTR) drivers.