FreightCasts

In the latest episode of FreightWaves Today, hosts Malcolm Harris and Zach Strickland deliver a comprehensive look at the market trends, legal developments, and technological innovations shaping the freight industry. The show kicks off with the Morning Minute segment, spotlighting Volvo Trucks North America’s aggressive move to capture 15% of the heavy truck market by targeting vocational trucks with its new VNX platform. The hosts also cover a $51 million lawsuit filed by Edge Logistics against FreightTech Management Group over alleged kickback schemes and customer diversion, as well as pushback from the Sikh Coalition regarding the FMCSA’s proposed English language proficiency rules over concerns of enforcement bias during roadside inspections.

Shifting to technology, Brendan O'Driscoll, VP of Platform AI at Samsara, joins the show to discuss Samsara's newly launched Agent Studio. O'Driscoll details how their no-code builder allows fleet operators to easily deploy voice and chat AI agents, which serve as hands-free assistants for drivers on the road. He highlights how these proactive voice agents can predict Hours of Service (HOS) violations up to three hours in advance, help re-route drivers safely, and significantly reduce crash rates across fleets.

The conversation then turns to risk management with Andy Kuchar, President of Centerline Insurance Company. Kuchar breaks down the hidden liability risks freight brokers face when leasing or offering trailer pools to carriers. He warns that relying on contingent insurance or carrier policies often leaves brokers unprotected due to strict policy exclusions, emphasizing the importance of dedicated coverage and documented trailer maintenance schedules to mitigate major legal exposure.

Finally, Zach Strickland transitions into the Freightonomics segment to break down current market data. He analyzes the unusually flat tender rejection rate holding steady around 14%, contrasting it with record-shattering container throughput at the Port of Los Angeles and persistent inflation pressures impacting long-term planning across the supply chain.

⁠Follow the FreightWaves Today Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zac Rogers discusses the persistent tightness of transportation and awkwardness of dealing with a very uncertain global economy.

⁠Follow the Freightonomics Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

YOUR AUTHORITY IS STUCK, SO ARE YOUR TRAILERS....AND GUESS WHO'S PAYING?

FMCSA'S REGISTRATION SYSTEM IS CAUSING HEADACHES.

TRAILERS ARE SITTING IDLE, AND TRUCKING COMPANIES ARE LOSING MONEY WITHOUT TURNING A SINGLE WHEEL.

Welcome to another episode of BRAKE CHECK, where Charles goes after two expensive problems hitting American carriers: government compliance headaches and equipment that isn't earning its keep.

FIRST UP: SHANNA GRAY | S&B TRANSPORTATION

FMCSA's new Motus registration system is supposed to make life easier for legitimate carriers. But what happens when the system you're REQUIRED to use becomes the very thing standing in your way?Shanna spent more than FOUR HOURS trying to resolve ONE carrier's registration issue, with no answer. We're digging into Motus registration problems, FMCSA compliance, DOT inspections, driver qualification files, enforcement relief, and what carriers can actually do when government technology isn't cooperating.

YOUR DEADLINES DON'T DISAPPEAR, SO WHY SHOULD GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY?

THEN: TODD WALDRON | REPOWR

Your trailers might be costing you more money sitting still than you realize.REPOWR reports that trailers spend roughly 40% of their operational life idle. Meanwhile, carriers keep buying equipment, repositioning empty trailers and paying expenses on assets that aren't generating revenue. Todd joins us to break down how carriers can turn parked trailers into income, avoid unnecessary equipment purchases, protect their assets from fraud and make smarter decisions about renting, sharing or selling.

YOUR TRAILER DOESN'T HAVE TO MOVE FREIGHT TO MAKE MONEY, BUT IT DAMN SURE SHOULDN'T JUST SIT THERE COSTING YOU MONEY.

Two guests, Two expensive problems, One question every carrier should be asking:

HOW MUCH MONEY IS YOUR TRUCKING COMPANY LOSING BEFORE THE TRUCK EVEN MOVES?

No corporate fluff. No sales pitches disguised as solutions. Just real problems, real numbers and questions with some actual damn teeth.

LIKE, SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW FREIGHTWAVES for more Brake Check, FreightCasts and trucking conversations that put the people operating the equipment FIRST.

SMASH THE BRAKES, LET'S GO FULL STOP.

#Trucking #FMCSA #Motus #TrailerRental #OwnerOperator #TruckDrivers #FreightWaves #BrakeCheck #FleetManagement #TruckingIndustry

TRUCKERS & CARRIERS, SOUND OFF: WHAT'S COSTING YOUR BUSINESS MORE RIGHT NOW: GOVERNMENT RED TAPE THAT KEEPS YOU FROM MOVING, OR EQUIPMENT SITTING IDLE THAT YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO KEEP PARKED?

⁠Follow the Brake Check Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off by examining Volvo Trucks' aggressive expansion strategy as the Swedish manufacturer aims to capture fifteen percent of the North American heavy-truck market. That ambitious goal depends entirely on cracking the vocational truck segment, where Volvo currently holds just two to three percent market share. President Peter Voorhoeve is betting that Volvo's global construction-truck expertise, combined with surging demand from data center construction and infrastructure spending, will finally push the brand into double-digit territory in a segment that represents roughly twenty-five to thirty percent of the North American market.

Meanwhile, a bitter legal battle is exposing the cutthroat world of freight brokerage employee departures. Chicago-based Edge Logistics has filed a sprawling fifty-one-page federal lawsuit alleging that former employees orchestrated a scheme to systematically divert customers using confidential information and kickbacks funded by inflated freight charges. According to the complaint, Edge's expedited-freight division cratered sixty-six percent within weeks of the employees' May departures, while the workers allegedly established competing LLCs in April and arranged to transfer customer accounts to rival broker Freight Tec Management Group before they even resigned.

Finally, we explore a proposed federal trucking safety rule that is drawing sharp criticism from a major civil rights organization representing Sikh drivers. The Sikh Coalition submitted comments expressing concern that the English Language Proficiency rule lacks clear criteria for roadside inspectors and could lead to discrimination under the guise of enforcement. While the organization's analysis of FMCSA data showed that just zero point one nine percent of roadside inspections between twenty twenty-one and twenty twenty-five involved a driver's inability to communicate in English, ELP violations became a top five reason for out-of-service orders during this year's Road Check Week, consisting of nine percent of all OOS orders.

Follow the FreightWaves Today Podcast

Other FreightWaves Shows
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of FreightWaves Today, hosts Craig Fuller and Malcolm Harris kick off earnings season with an in-depth look at what lies ahead for public freight companies, comparing current Wall Street expectations against real-time high-frequency data. They are joined first by FreightWaves Finance Editor Todd Maiden to discuss Q3 earnings projections, JB Hunt’s upcoming reports and intermodal bid season, fuel surcharge dynamics, and capacity trends across the LTL sector.

The market analysis continues with a SONAR update from Zach Strickland, who breaks down an unexpected mid-October surge in the Outbound Tender Rejection Index, record import volumes fueling West Coast activity, and the latest regional spot rate shifts. Later, Jordan Kidd, Head of Product at Datatruck, shares how unified TMS technology and native AI solutions are democratizing operations for small-to-midsize carriers, enabling them to scale billing, tracking, and fleet management without ballooning overhead costs. Finally, Trains Magazine Editor Bill Stephens closes out the show with a look at the latest Association of American Railroads weekly report, examining strong intermodal growth, surging chemical carloads, and key regulatory updates from the Surface Transportation Board.

⁠Follow the FreightWaves Today Podcast⁠

⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices