FreightCasts

What if trucking's biggest problems aren't being ignored...

What if they're being protected?

On this episode of Brake Check, Charles Gracey sits down with two of the most outspoken voices in trucking to tackle the issues drivers, carriers, and owner-operators are talking about across America.

First, Charles Claburn joins the show. With 30 years behind the wheel, more than 3 million accident-free miles, and decades spent advocating for truck drivers, Claburn shares his unfiltered perspective on retention, training, truck parking, regulations, and why so many trucking companies continue making the same mistakes.

Then Mike Cobb, CEO of the Federation of Professional Truckers (FOPT), joins Brake Check to discuss the organization's challenge to the ELD mandate, broker accountability, insurance requirements, FMCSA oversight, non-domiciled CDLs, and what real trucking reform looks like from the driver's seat.

Topics include:

ELD Mandate Debate

FMCSA & Federal Regulation

Truck Parking Crisis

Driver Retention & Turnover

Broker Accountability

Insurance Minimums

Non-Domiciled CDLs

Trucking Safety

Owner-Operator Challenges

The Future of Professional Trucking

Whether you're a driver, owner-operator, carrier, broker, or industry leader, this is a conversation you don't want to miss.

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#Trucking #OwnerOperator #ELD #FMCSA #TruckDriver #Logistics #Freight #Transportation #CDL #BrakeCheck

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In this episode, we kick things off with heartbreaking news from the freight analysis community as Donald Broughton, the bowtie-wearing analyst of freight markets, has died suddenly at home on May 30th. Broughton, who founded Broughton Capital in 2017 and was not known to have been ill, had spoken at the Transportation Intermediaries Association's annual meeting in mid-April and appeared on CNBC in mid-May with a bullish freight outlook. His trademark bow tie and intimate knowledge of freight transportation data made him one of the industry's most respected voices for drawing conclusions about the broader economy.

Meanwhile, aggressive consolidation powered by artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the brokerage sector. Cincinnati-based freight broker Fura announced Monday that it has acquired LG Logistics Solutions, marking its sixth acquisition as the AI-powered third-party logistics provider continues its aggressive roll-up strategy. Fura's approach is to migrate each acquired brokerage onto a shared automation platform that handles repetitive work, allowing every business to run leaner and more efficiently than it did as a standalone operation in one of the country's most fragmented service industries.

Finally, the country's biggest brokerage is rolling out its next massive AI initiative designed to continuously optimize supply chains around the clock. C.H. Robinson is launching the Lean AI Engineer this month, a follow-up to last year's Lean AI Planner that now autonomously drives 92 percent of Managed Solutions' shipments. This groundbreaking closed-loop AI system runs continuously, holding historical and current data simultaneously across the entirety of a network to proactively identify inefficiencies like multiple LTL shipments headed to the same destination that could be consolidated into a single truckload. The system can heal itself when something breaks without requiring an alert or human intervention first.

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Welcome back to WithSONAR!

In this episode, we’re walking through the latest enhancements to Key Market Insights—making it easier than ever to monitor the markets and modes that matter most to your business.

Inside the dashboard, you can:
Filter by Van or Reefer and search for specific freight markets
Save your most-used markets for quick access
Monitor tender rejections and spot market conditions in real time
Track whether markets are tightening or loosening with directional insights from WRI
Use the new AI Analysis feature for summaries of market shifts, demand drivers, and actionable strategies tailored to your business

These enhancements help teams better understand not just what is happening in the market—but why it’s happening and what actions to take next.

📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager.

💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights!

#freighttech #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics
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Welcome to a packed Monday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, hosted by Malcolm Harris and Michael Vincent! In this episode, we dive deep into a multi-state cargo theft operation that recently led to eight indictments in New York after diverting $4.5 million worth of freight—ranging from beef and copper to massive hauls of cigarettes. Michael also shares a frustrating personal story about the disappearing security of airport valet tickets after his $3,000 Martin guitar vanished on a direct flight. On a brighter note, we highlight the Broker Carrier Summit’s exciting launch of the "Veterans in Logistics" initiative in Kansas City, naming John Tozer to lead the charge in connecting military veterans with great careers in transportation.

Our first featured guest is small business credit fintech guru Gerri Detweiler, who explains why owner-operators must treat their business credit with the same urgency as their next load. Gerri breaks down how business credit reports are compiled behind the scenes by bureaus like Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax to influence lenders, fuel card issuers, and insurance companies.

Closing out the show is Aqil Naeem, founder and CEO of the e three group, the first AI transformation partner for middle-market and enterprise freight companies. Aqil explains that as traditional cybersecurity improves, sophisticated bad actors are pivoting to physical cargo theft because defenses in logistics haven't kept pace.

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In this episode, we kick things off on the rails, where a powerful House committee is backing strict scrutiny for the proposed Union Pacific-Southern Pacific merger. The bipartisan House Appropriations Committee added language to the fiscal 2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill during markup on June 2nd, urging the Surface Transportation Board to conduct a rigorous review of the $72 billion deal that would create the first all-freight transcontinental railroad. The committee specifically endorsed the STB's revised 2001 merger rules, which require applicants to not only preserve rail-to-rail competition but offer enhanced competitive options for railroad shippers.

Meanwhile, in the cargo security sector, federal prosecutors have indicted eight individuals in what they allege was a massive carrier impersonation scheme targeting shipments moving through logistics facilities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia between October 2025 and April 2026. Prosecutors allege the group stole approximately $4.49 million worth of products, including lamb, cheese, beef, copper and cigarettes, by obtaining legitimate carrier information and using it to impersonate those carriers at pickup locations with matching carrier names, MC numbers and DOT numbers on their tractor-trailers.

Finally, we explore how FedEx is teaming up with a major Chinese carrier to strengthen its air logistics footprint in Asia. FedEx Corp. and the air cargo arm of China Southern Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding in Guangzhou, agreeing to strategically collaborate on ways to improve the efficiency and service capabilities of their air logistics networks. Under the agreement, the companies will explore cooperation opportunities in several areas, including capacity sharing, routes, hub connections, network planning, fleet resources, ground operations and digitalization.

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