FreightCasts

What’s driving freight costs higher — fuel, tight capacity, inflation, or all of the above?

On this episode of Freightonomics, Zach Strickland and economist D.J. Donahue break down the latest economic data and what it means for transportation, consumers and the broader freight economy.

Producer prices are rising, with energy playing a major role. Diesel prices have surged, putting additional pressure on trucking and transportation costs, while elevated tender rejection rates point to a freight market that remains tight. The show also examines consumer credit, historically high credit card rates and what slowing credit growth could signal for consumer health and future freight demand.

The conversation then turns to trade policy and the latest tensions with Canada. Zach and D.J. examine proposed restrictions on Canadian imports, the potential economic impact and why some of the targeted trade flows may have a much smaller effect on overall freight volumes than the headlines suggest.

In the second half, Thomas Wasson joins Zach to explore the changing North American freight landscape. They discuss Mexican cross-border trucking, cabotage enforcement, falling Laredo freight volumes, shifting Mexico trade flows and the growing influence of data-center construction on freight demand. Data-center investment is generating demand for electronics, steel, concrete and open-deck capacity even as traditional consumer demand remains relatively muted.

The episode also dives into ocean freight rates, fuel costs, congestion and the impact of weather on trans-Pacific shipping. Finally, Zach and Thomas examine changing FMCSA data and what it really tells us about trucking capacity.

The bottom line? Capacity is not meaningfully growing yet, and the industry may be moving toward a smaller, more closely vetted and safer carrier base — but at a higher price.

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The freight market is heading into peak season with plenty of uncertainty. On this episode of FreightWaves Today, Malcolm Harris and Zach Strickland break down the latest data shaping trucking, logistics and the broader economy.

First, Eric Lemus of The Fulfillment Lab joins the show to discuss new Commerce Signal data showing operator margin cushions nearly disappearing as shipping costs rise faster than revenue. With parcel costs up sharply and peak-season surcharges approaching, retailers and 3PLs face growing pressure to control transportation spend while managing lean inventories. Lemus also explains why diversifying carrier strategies could deliver significant savings.

Then, Zach dives into the latest SONAR data, including tender rejection rates, tender volumes, spot rates, diesel prices, imports and the potential for tighter capacity as retailers replenish inventory heading into Q4.

Weather is also taking center stage. Ben Hershey of DTN explains how AI-powered weather intelligence and crash-risk forecasting can help fleets anticipate dangerous conditions, improve routing decisions and keep drivers moving safely. The discussion also examines what the developing El Niño pattern could mean for winter weather, freight corridors and mountain passes across the country.

In the second hour, Zach is joined by FreightWaves economist D.J. Donahue to unpack the latest economic releases, consumer credit, transportation inflation, tariffs and the growing influence of AI and data-center construction on the economy and freight demand.

Finally, Thomas Wasson returns to discuss major transportation and international trade issues, including U.S.-Mexico cross-border freight, cabotage enforcement, changing freight flows, maritime rates and the latest FMCSA carrier data. The conversation takes a close look at whether trucking capacity is actually growing — and what recent regulatory changes could mean for the carrier base.

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Josh Lovan has seen how trucking companies die. Not slowly, from rates. Fast, from one crash.

Before he became an advisor at J. J. Keller, Josh was Director of Safety and Security for a major carrier — the man in the room when the accident call came in, when OSHA showed up, when the lawyers started prepping for trial. He's sat in the depositions. He's watched a single wreck, with shared fault and complicated facts, turn into a verdict big enough to erase a company. And before trucking, he was a law enforcement detective running undercover operations — which is exactly the background you want advising fleets on security in the middle of a cargo theft epidemic.

Here's what he'll tell you that most safety conversations won't. The lawsuit doesn't start when the crash happens. It starts years earlier — in the driver file you didn't complete, the camera footage you never reviewed, the coaching conversation you skipped because the truck was making money. When the plaintiff's attorney gets your records, they're not looking for the accident. They're looking for the pattern. And most small carriers are handing them one without knowing it.We get into what actually gets carriers destroyed in litigation, how to

use dash cams to coach drivers instead of policing them, the safety management cycle that turns compliance from paperwork into protection, the hours-of-service exceptions most small carriers misuse, what a mock audit catches before the real one does, and — from a former undercover detective — how thieves and fraudsters are actually targeting carriers right now, and what stops them.

Good drivers are made great on purpose. This episode is the blueprint.

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The rate confirmation looks legit. The authority checks out. The email looks right. The money looks good.

Then the freight disappears .... or you deliver it and nobody pays you.

Freight fraud isn't just getting bigger. It's getting smarter. Stolen identities, fake carriers, double brokering, strategic theft and criminals who increasingly know exactly how to look legitimate long enough to get your truck .... or your customer's freight.

On this episode of Brake Check, we're putting BOTH sides of the transaction in the same room.

Jason Schaftlein, General Manager of McLeod Express, breaks down how a real carrier decides which brokers deserve its trucks, the red flags that kill a load, what five-truck fleets can verify themselves, what it really costs to operate compliant equipment, and what happens when legitimate carriers compete against bad actors.

Then former Chicago Bear and Bear Down Logistics President Desmond Clark takes the broker's chair.

What does a broker actually verify before trusting a carrier? How do legitimate small fleets avoid getting treated like criminals? How fast should brokers pay? What does running actual equipment teach a broker?

And yes .... we go straight at BROKER TRANSPARENCY.

Then comes the question underneath this entire mess:

How the hell did freight build a system where carriers don't trust brokers, brokers don't trust carriers...and criminals learned to exploit BOTH?

No fluff

No conference-panel answers

Just two people sitting on opposite sides of the freight transaction explaining who they trust, who they don't, and WHY.

If you're a carrier, owner-operator, freight broker, dispatcher, 3PL, shipper or fleet owner, watch this before you book your next load.

Because the paperwork can look perfect.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE PERSON BEHIND IT IS.

#Trucking #FreightFraud #FreightBroker #OwnerOperator #TruckingIndustry #DoubleBrokering #CargoTheft #Logistics #TruckDrivers #Freight

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining a massive milestone in cross-border commerce as US-Mexico trade smashed the monthly record at nearly $95 billion in July. Two-way trade surged 27.5% year over year, with Mexico now firmly holding its position as America's number one trading partner ahead of Canada and China. Laredo, Texas, retained its crown as the nation's busiest international trade gateway, handling nearly $37 billion in commerce while experiencing tight trucking capacity.Meanwhile, federal regulators are giving carriers some breathing room during a major technology transition. We discuss how FMCSA suspended enforcement of biennial update requirements and stopped deactivating USDOT numbers for missed filings. The relief covers deadlines on or after June 1, 2026, and remains in place while registrants transition to the agency's new MOTUS system, which launched in May.Finally, we unpack the federal government's aggressive crackdown on alleged CDL fraud as ICE launched a tip line for reporting suspected commercial driver's license fraud in partnership with the Department of Transportation. The tip line comes shortly after federal officials removed over 110 commercial driver training schools from a federal registry, with HSI already receiving more than 1,000 leads involving CDL-related businesses suspected of unsafe practices and potential connections to human smuggling, drug trafficking, and cartel activity.Follow the FreightWaves NOW PodcastOther FreightWaves Shows
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