FreightCasts

Cross-border freight constraints are tightening, diesel prices are swinging wildly, and AI is taking driver safety to the next level! On today’s episode of FreightWaves Today, we break down what shippers, brokers, and carriers need to know to navigate today's volatile supply chain.

IN THIS EPISODE

AI Fleet Safety Upgrades: Netradyne launches customizable AI agents to gamify driver coaching and pull instant live fleet data.

Cross-Border Squeeze: US authorities revoke ~25,000 Mexican driver visas. Combine that with capacity bottlenecks and trade friction, and cross-border constraints could last into 2027!

Tariff & Logistics Strategy: Guest James Edge breaks down how importers can rethink warehouse placement in Canada and US lanes to reduce tax exposure and speed up final-mile delivery.

Diesel Market Volatility: Ultra-low sulfur diesel futures swing by double digits! John Kingston explains why emergency red-dyed diesel policies won't solve the underlying global supply deficit.

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#Freight #SupplyChain #Logistics #CrossBorder #Trucking #DieselPrices #FleetSafety #SONAR

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Join host Thomas Wasson on Loaded and Rolling, live from day one of Trimble Insights 2026! In this episode, Thomas sits down with Trimble's George Lutz (Senior Director of Engineering) and Matt Brinkman (Lead Product Manager) to explore how Trimble is reshaping transport management.

Discover how Trimble TMS delivers a cloud-native, multi-tenant solution with both standard and Build-to-Order (BTO) tiers—tailored to meet the specific operational workflows of modern fleets. They dive into customer-centric engineering, AI-accelerated prototyping, real-world specialized load cases, and what’s next on Trimble's product roadmap.

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BIG FLEET vs. SMALL FLEET: WHO REALLY TREATS TRUCK DRIVERS BETTER?

BIG FLEET MONEY vs. SMALL FLEET RELATIONSHIPS....WHO ACTUALLY EARNS YOUR LOYALTY?

Every trucking company promises great pay, great equipment, great home time, and a place where you're treated like family.

Sounds fantastic RIGHT?

SO WHY THE HELL DO GOOD DRIVERS KEEP LEAVING?

On this episode of Brake Check, Charles puts two very different trucking operations in the hot seat to tackle one of the industry's biggest problems:

DRIVER RETENTION.

BEN PILE | WERNER ENTERPRISES

Werner has the resources, recruiting technology, freight network, and career-development opportunities most smaller fleets can only dream about.

But does BIGGER actually mean BETTER for the professional truck driver?We're digging into driver pay, career advancement, specialized freight, home time, training, and what happens when the promises made during recruiting don't match reality after orientation.

If you're building careers instead of filling seats, WHY DO DRIVERS STILL LEAVE?

DAVID FOOTE | BROWN DOG CARRIERS & LOGISTICS

On the other side, we've got a smaller carrier competing for those same professional drivers WITHOUT the mega-fleet recruiting budget.No giant marketing machine. No endless list of terminals.Just the promise of being treated like a PERSON instead of a truck number.

But is knowing your driver's name enough when another carrier offers $10,000 more a year?

CAN RESPECT REALLY COMPETE WITH A BIGGER PAYCHECK?

We're putting both sides to the test.

BIG FLEET vs. SMALL FLEET!

Recruiting promises vs. operational reality...

Career advancement vs. personal relationships...

Higher pay vs. long-term opportunity...

And the question that should make EVERY trucking company uncomfortable:

IF YOUR COMPANY IS SO GREAT TO WORK FOR, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP REPLACING DRIVERS?

Because trucking doesn't have a shortage of recruiting promises.

IT HAS A SHORTAGE OF PROMISES KEPT!

TRUCK DRIVERS, SOUND OFF!

Would you rather drive for a BIG fleet with more career opportunities or a SMALL fleet where you have a direct relationship with the people running the company?

And what's the ONE thing that would make you leave either one?Drop your answer in the comments. We want to hear from the people actually doing the job.

Like, subscribe, and follow FreightWaves for more Brake Check, FreightCasts, trucking news, and conversations with some actual damn teeth.

SMASH THE DAMN BRAKES AND LET'S GO FULL STOP!

#Trucking #TruckDrivers #WernerEnterprises #DriverRetention #TruckDriverJobs #OwnerOperator #TruckingIndustry #FreightWaves #BrakeCheck

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In this episode, we kick things off with a major AI expansion designed to let fleet managers build their own custom safety tools. San Diego-based Netradyne has expanded its lineup of⁠ AI agents running on its Netradyne Intelligence platform⁠, adding a Campaign Agent for driver coaching and a builder that lets fleet managers create custom agents by describing in plain language what they need. Customers created more than two hundred fifty agents within a month of release, turning coaching into competitions and automating recognition lists.

Next, we head south to examine a critical capacity crisis as⁠ severe driver shortages and aggressive visa restrictions squeeze cross-border trucking⁠ even as freight demand remains soft. U.S. authorities have withdrawn visas from approximately twenty-five thousand Mexican freight drivers, while an aging driver workforce and security concerns deter younger workers from entering the profession. Logistics provider TRAFFIX warns that North American cross-border capacity will remain constrained into twenty twenty-seven, with rates on some Canadian corridors climbing twenty-five to thirty-five percent over the past month.

Finally, we cover the freight industry's annual moment to confront a hidden epidemic as⁠ Freight Fraud Awareness Day returns on October fourteenth⁠ with advocates across transportation and insurance pushing for open dialogue about criminal schemes and prevention resources. This marks the third annual campaign, with supporters including Verified Carrier, Truckstop, and multiple insurance providers. Industry experts warn that cargo theft has been exploding, with some criminals leveraging their understanding of legitimate operations to exploit businesses.

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In today’s episode of FreightWaves Today, hosts Craig Fuller and Malcolm Harris dive into the latest developments, market trends, and high-impact discussions shaping the logistics and transportation sector:

Legal & Regulatory Watch: The show opens with key legal cases disrupting the industry, including a Fifth Circuit appellate court consideration regarding broker and carrier liability involving Penske, along with an EEOC age discrimination lawsuit filed against a Texas trucking carrier over insurance policy restrictions.

Cross-Border Market Intelligence: A look into Mexico’s automotive export trends highlights a widening gap between domestic demand and export-oriented manufacturing bound for North America, featuring recent production data from GM, Nissan, and Ford.

Electric Heavy-Duty Trucking: Rudy Diaz, Founder & CEO of Hight Logistics, joins the show to share real-world operational insights on running electric drayage fleets (including Volvo and Tesla models) out of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. He breaks down the realities of range, vehicle weight, charging infrastructure, and total cost considerations.

SONAR Market Update: A deep dive into data trends covering diesel price shifts, rising contract rates, spot rate movement, and tender rejection metrics as the market prepares for peak season.

Tech & Freight Innovation: Felipe Capella, Co-Founder & CEO of Loadsmart, discusses the evolution of digital freight brokerages over the past decade, the shift toward blended SaaS/service models, and how AI agents are transforming freight orchestration workflows.

Global Air Freight & AI Boom: Senior Editor Eric Kulisch breaks down how the surging AI data center expansion and semiconductor demand across Asia are driving massive air cargo volumes, altering traditional trade flows across the Pacific.

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