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Thomas Wasson

Based in Chattanooga TN, Thomas is an Enterprise Trucking Carrier Expert at FreightWaves with a focus on news commentary, analysis and trucking insights. Before that, he worked at a digital trucking startup aifleet, Arrive Logistics as an Account Executive, and 5 years at U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. with an emphasis on fleet management, load planning, freight analysis, and truckload network design. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga with a MBA in 2020 and a Bachelors of Political Science from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2013.
Aug - 2023 -
03 August
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: The Taylor Swift $100,000 driver bonus

Media outlet TMZ reported that singer-songwriter Taylor Swift gave each truck driver who worked as part of her Eras Tour a bonus check of $100,000 before her Santa Clara, California, show last Saturday.

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Jul - 2023 -
27 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Yellow exec says bankruptcy coming Monday

The saga of less-than-truckload carrier Yellow may be coming to a close based on reporting that Yellow’s senior vice president of sales told staff their last day would be this Friday, and that the carrier would file for bankruptcy on Monday.

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20 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: J.B. Hunt’s Q2 freight bottom-cycle blues

Truckload and multimodal carrier J.B. Hunt told analysts on an earnings call Tuesday that it’s still too early to tell how the 2023 peak season for freight will turn out.

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13 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: FMCSA truck leasing panel drafts recommendations

The first meeting of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Truck Leasing Task Force (TLTF) discussed and drafted recommendations on Tuesday regarding limiting or eliminating the power a trucking company has over lease purchase agreements with drivers.

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06 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: The plight of the owner-operator

The freight recession’s impact on small fleets and owner-operators gained mainstream media attention on Monday with an article by Shannon Pettypiece, a senior policy reporter for NBC News. The article related the story of Arnesha Barron, a 39-year-old driver who in 2021 became an owner-operator after working at a trucking company for six years.

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Jun - 2023 -
29 June
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Yellow stares down the precipice

Negotiations between the Teamsters union and Yellow Corp. remain ongoing, with the fate of the nation’s third-largest LTL carrier hanging in the balance. Yellow is facing stiff resistance from the Teamsters over proposed operational changes that would consolidate operations between purchased regional carriers New Penn and Holland and integrate them into Yellow’s nationwide network.

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22 June
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Kearney supply chain report sees ‘Great Reset’; Loadsmith orders 800 autonomous trucks

Consulting firm Kearney recently released its 34th annual Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) report, “State of Logistics 2023: The Great Reset.” A major theme of the report is the great rebalancing from the carrier-dominated market of the past two years to a shipper-focused one as freight volumes fell against a backdrop of higher truckload capacity. The report notes that total U.S. logistics costs rose 19.6% in 2022 to a record $2.3 trillion or 9.1% of U.S. gross domestic product.

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15 June
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: FMCSA crash reporting expansion draws ire

A proposal by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to alter and expand reporting categories for crashes is drawing criticism from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which argues the FMCSA should take stronger action to protect driver safety records.

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08 June
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Heartland’s pay guarantee aids retention; From driver to CEO with Brittany Traylor

At the recent UBS Global Industrial and Transportation Conference, Heartland CEO Mike Gerdin and Vice President of Finance Josh Helmich highlighted freight market weakness and outlined the retention impact of their driver minimum pay program.

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01 June
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Back-office jobs still in demand; EPA electric truck plan draws concern

Using the California Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule, the Biden administration’s proposed Phase 3 truck rule sees the EPA potentially imposing stricter standards on carbon dioxide emissions for truck makers and buyers.

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May - 2023 -
25 May
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: No signs of 2nd-half freight recovery

On Wednesday, FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller sat down with Zach Strickland, FreightWaves’ head of freight market intelligence, to discuss freight market conditions and expectations.

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18 May
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: The problem with load boards and small carrier exodus

Load board fraud is gaining attention after The Wall Street Journal reported Truckstop, a leading load board provider, found reports of fraud increased 400% from Q4 2021 to Q4 2022, the highest level since 2004, when it began tracking the data. This article prompted Craig Fuller, CEO and founder of FreightWaves, to write an article on Tuesday arguing for massive load board providers to take greater responsibility for instances of fraud that take place on their platforms.

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11 May
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: International Roadcheck is next week; shipping execs weigh in on rates

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is holding its annual International Roadcheck next Tuesday through Thursday.

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04 May
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Inbound container volumes cloud freight rebound, FMCSA task force on truck leasing

SONAR ocean container booking data suggests that the predicted freight rebound in the second half of 2023 may be increasingly unlikely. Import and ocean container booking data is typically used as a leading indicator for future truckload volumes, as containers are offloaded in ports and transferred into intermodal or truckload orders.

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Apr - 2023 -
27 April
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Diesel technician demand remains extreme

The demand for skilled technicians to keep shops and maintenance terminals running continues to challenge recruiters due to high demand. A major source of lost utilization for fleets on the road is getting their vehicles repaired in a timely manner. A lack of technicians continues to plague shops, creating extra downtime and work order backlogs.

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20 April
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Martin Q1 earnings, ATA truck tonnage drops

Earnings season is upon us and the freight recession lingers worse than salmonella-carrying potato salad at a tailgate party. Wisconsin-based truckload carrier Martin Transport reported its Q1 2023 earnings Tuesday. While operating revenue improved 3.7% from $287.3 million in Q1 2022 to $298 million this year, the actual operating income declined from $35.9 million to $29 million.

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13 April
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Driverless truck exemptions; ATRI on driver-facing cameras

Trucking safety advocates are at odds with corporate-backed attempts at implementing a roadside safety exemption for autonomous trucks. For those unaware, current regulations require drivers to use three emergency reflective triangles, or at least six fusees or three liquid-burning road flares, if they stop on the road for reasons other than traffic.

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06 April
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Freight market downturn turns 1 year old

It has been just over a year since Craig Fuller, CEO and founder of FreightWaves, wrote an article titled “Why I believe a freight recession is imminent,” published March 31, 2022, in which he predicted the U.S. trucking market was heading toward a significant downturn.

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Mar - 2023 -
30 March
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: ELD mandate, trailer backlog and softening demand

Rachel Premack, editorial director at FreightWaves, was interviewed Tuesday about her article on the impact of the ELD mandate five years later.

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16 March
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Truck parking survey highlights public awareness challenges

Last month, CloudTrucks surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults about general perceptions of truck drivers and if they have heard of the truck parking shortage. The results, published in CloudTrucks’ 2023 Truck Parking Shortage Survey, highlight that while Americans generally have a positive view of truck drivers, most respondents didn’t know that the parking shortage had a major impact on their quality of life.

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09 March
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Knight-Swift CEO pans under-21 driver push; falling contract rates shutter North Carolina carrier

A plan to allow 18-to-20-year-old truck drivers to haul interstate cargo got a sharp rebuttal at the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) conference by Knight-Swift President and CEO David Jackson. The plan was conceived as a way to address the driver shortage and is strongly supported by the Biden administration and the American Trucking Associations (ATA).

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02 March
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Fear and loathing on the operations floor

Falling spot rates, falling contract rates and falling revenues create rising stress and blood pressure in truckload operations teams.

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Feb - 2023 -
23 February
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: FreightWaves owner-operator survey; OOIDA freight rate survey

On Tuesday, FreightWaves Research released survey data suggesting declining freight conditions are impacting owner-operators especially hard. An important takeaway is the potential for many more owner-operators to leave the industry if conditions do not improve.

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16 February
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: BP buys TravelCenters of America; ATRI reveals top bottlenecks of ’23

On Thursday, according to a news release, BP Products North America Inc., a subsidiary of BP, reached an agreement to purchase TravelCenters of America for $1.3 billion in cash. The purchase of TA is expected to add around 280 travel centers and double BP’s global convenience gross margin.

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09 February
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Cargo thefts surge 15% in 2022; LMI January data

FreightWaves’ Noi Mahoney reports that, according to CargoNet data, a surge in cargo thefts near the end of 2022 led to an estimated $223 million in goods being stolen across Canada and the U.S. 

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02 February
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Lunar New Year outlook; boxpocalypse now

Christopher Thornycroft, executive vice president at Redwood, joined us to talk about the Lunar New Year and what it means for freight demand. For those unaware, the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday began Jan. 22 and typically lasts two weeks. This year, it will end with the Lantern Festival on Sunday.

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Jan - 2023 -
26 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Morgan Stanley report says carriers, brokers ‘hungry for freight’

A report published Wednesday by Morgan Stanley Research highlights demand expectations and how carriers and brokers are hungry for freight.

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24 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Interview with Variant’s Josh Smith; Bank of America transportation outlook

Josh Smith, vice president at Variant and over-the-road operations at U.S. Xpress, spoke to FreightWaves about the Variant program and how technology and operations are vital to success in trucking.

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19 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Werner CIO on tech partnership; FTR Trucking Conditions improve

On Tuesday, FreightWaves interviewed Werner Chief Information Officer Daragh Mahon about the company’s recent partnership with Samsara, diving into how AI and updated legacy systems are transforming Werner’s 8,500-truck fleet. 

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17 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Congress debates age-old question; Class 8 orders’ December finish

A Republican-backed bill introduced by U.S. Rep Brian Mast, R-Fla., seeks to exempt underage truck drivers from rules that prohibit them from hauling containers to and from marine terminals.

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12 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: J.B. Hunt and Wabash make a deal; Susquehanna trucking outlook

Wabash and J.B. Hunt Transport have signed a multiyear deal that will supply J.B. Hunt with 15,000 trailers. The size and scope of the pact are significant, as the past two years saw pandemic-related supply chain disruptions throttle up new trailer orders, causing the average age of existing trailers to rise.

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10 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Scope 3 emissions; World Economic Forum vs. empty miles

On Tuesday, FreightWaves interviewed Josh Bouk, president of Trax Technologies, about the recent Securities and Exchange Commission rule-making recommendation back in March 2022 regarding scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 is a part of a larger greenhouse gas emissions overhaul by the SEC, the intent being for companies to disclose their impact on the environment.

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07 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: C.H. Robinson CEO out; Daimler Truck CEO’s outlook

Bob Biesterfeld, president and CEO of C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc., stepped down Tuesday. FreightWaves’ Mark Solomon wrote that according to a person familiar with the matter, this departure had been planned months in advance and mostly was a matter of timing. 

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04 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Inventory levels impact truckload contracted rates

Persistently higher inventory levels are causing a drag on truckload tender volumes as 2023 begins. 2019 and 2018 SONAR data indicates we may approach levels of pre-pandemic seasonality, but higher truckload capacity will continue to negatively impact rates until enough truckload supply leaves the market.

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Oct - 2022 -
12 October
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Party like it’s 2019; ATRI data on crashes

Outbound tender rejection rates, a measure of the percentage of truckload shipments tendered to carriers by shippers, have reached a record at 5.05%. For trucking, this will be a cause of mostly stress instead of celebration. 

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08 October
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Contract rates disappoint, so does BLS trucking job data

Uber Freight recently released a report on contracted rates. Its consensus is that contract rates are indeed falling, but like a game of contracted musical chairs, we still do not know when the music will stop. 

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05 October
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Sooner drones and trucking technicians

Atoke, a town of 3,000 people nestled in the Choctaw reservation in southeast Oklahoma, used to be home to herds of buffalo and bison (there is in fact a difference). Now this reservation, a hidden 11,000-square-mile parcel of land, has become one of the largest drone delivery testing sites in the world, according to FreightWaves’ Jack Daleo. 

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01 October
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Freight-matching battle; Kodiak autonomous tests

One of the most interesting takeaways in the chart above details how traditional freight brokerages that have built and marketed their own apps have taken the lead in downloads over third-party load boards.

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Sep - 2022 -
28 September
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Hurricanes and FEMA freight; power-only grows in importance

urricane season can frequently — and unexpectedly — change the trucking dynamic. Part of this involves the positioning of equipment in anticipation for hauling FEMA freight.

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24 September
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Container volumes and trucking; FedEx misses financial guidance

Inbound container volumes into the U.S. bode poorly for future trucking volumes. Trucking is the critical node for transporting goods, handling over 70% of freight in the U.S. at a given time.

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21 September
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: ATA truck tonnage data; Podcast on freight journalism

The American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.8% in August after a disappointing 1.5% drop in July. The ATA data primarily relates to contracted freight tonnage volumes and is a useful indicator of shipping activity.

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17 September
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Class 8 equipment outlook; railroads avoid strike

The outlook for trucking companies buying new or used Class 8 trucks can best be described like a 2005 Facebook relationship status — “It’s complicated.” 

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14 September
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Supply chain tech index; truck driver appreciation

FreightWaves, in partnership with MerQube, an index provider, on Tuesday released a supply chain tech index. This index is composed of companies identified by FreightWaves and MerQube as supply chain tech companies and traded on developed market exchanges.

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10 September
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: U.S. Xpress pivots from Variant; Truckload volumes’ post-Labor Day slump

U.S. Xpress is going through a reorganization following a recent round of layoffs. The technology-driven Variant program will be merged into a larger Highway Services group, which will include the legacy over-the-road business and the USX freight brokerage.

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07 September
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Driver training surges; trucking M&A remains strong

Driver training schools are seeing an influx of those interested in joining the trucking industry. 

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03 September
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Trucking and CPG sales, White House freight data exchange

For many over-the-road drivers, a major source of their meals can come from C-store locations built into truck stops like Love’s, Flying J and Pilot.

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01 September
Thomas Wasson

How I accidentally fell in love with truck dispatching — and left it all behind

A former dispatcher outlines his career path in the wild world of trucking. The only certainty is just how chaotic trucking can get.

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Aug - 2022 -
31 August
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Shippers’ ‘Empire Strikes Back’; trucking average length of haul declines

The trucking business is often cyclical, and understanding the changes in profitability is a great barometer for the general macroeconomic outlook.

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27 August
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Heartland Express expands fleet; CVSA concludes Brake Safety Week

On Monday, the Iowa-based truckload carrier acquired several assets from the Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI) portfolio

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24 August
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: FreightTech 100 nominations, accessing trailer pools with FreightVana

FreightTech 100 nominations end soon It’s the second most wonderful time of the year behind college football returning. If you or someone you know is innovating or disrupting the freight […]

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20 August
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Trucking’s intermodal service challenges; do carriers agree on California’s AB5? Survey says no

Rail service levels are impacting trucking intermodal growth plans. At a Deutsche Bank transportation conference on Tuesday, J.B. Hunt noted that intermodal demand remained strong but poor rail service appears to be creating a bottleneck. 

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17 August
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Trailer pools’ hedge rate declines; electric truck infrastructure interview

Trailer pools as a hedge against contract rate declines, Electric truck infrastructure — breakthroughs versus misconceptions

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13 August
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Costliest year in trucking; truckload drivers’ earnings up

ATRI: Costliest year ever in trucking On Wednesday, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released its annual report on the operational costs of trucking. The report, which has been published […]

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10 August
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Independent contractor legal battle; the hidden costs of compliance

Legal battle over trucking independent contractors The trucking owner-operator business model is getting more legal challenges. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision in May […]

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Jul - 2022 -
30 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Trailer as a service; large carrier Q2 earnings boon

Trailer pool services are gaining adoption. Wabash, a major manufacturer of equipment, recently announced a partnership with Phoenix-based freight brokerage FreightVana to supply the company with its trailer-as-a-service (TaaS) platform.

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27 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Owner-operator survey data; MC number cancellation data

FreightWaves recently conducted a survey of owner-operators outlining business issues and outlooks on profitability in 2022 compared to the previous year.

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23 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Owner-operator migration; net revocations of trucking authority rise

A common theme during the downward swing in the cyclical freight market cycle is the movement of owner-operators in and out of large fleets.

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20 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: AB5 protests gain momentum; chameleon carriers present risks

The Port of Oakland in California is experiencing a work stoppage and limited access to the container terminals as truckers escalate their protests against the state’s AB5 law.

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16 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Emissions proposals worry truckers; FMCSA load board debate.

New rules proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding disclosure of climate-related risks and greenhouse gas emissions could greatly impact the trucking industry.

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13 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: California driver protests; rail union strike.

The protests stem from the potential impact the AB5 law will have on the over 70,000 owner-operators who operate in California.

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02 July
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Holiday impact on trucking; CA AB5 law goes into effect

Loaded and Rolling: Holiday impact on trucking; CA AB5 law goes into effect; Inflation headwinds batter consumer spending in May

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Jun - 2022 -
06 June
Thomas Wasson

The insider’s guide to booking spot market loads

There are a few key factors to consider when looking to book spot market freight, according to my seven years as a freight broker.

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May - 2022 -
05 May
Thomas Wasson

Live demo preview: Carrier 360 by J.B. Hunt

J.B. Hunt showcases its tech-enabled multimodal marketplace to streamline efficiency

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Thomas Wasson

Live demo preview: TransForce TF1 Driver Recruitment Platform

TransForce showcases digital recruiting platform, matching drivers and carriers through technology

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04 May
Thomas Wasson

Live demo preview: Emerge Dynamic RFP, making procurement just a click away

Emerge, a tech startup based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is showcasing its AI-powered, dynamic Freight Procurement platform as part of its seven-minute live demo during The Future of Supply Chain event in Northwest Arkansas.

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Apr - 2022 -
04 April
Thomas Wasson

Live demo preview: Drivewyze Safety+ helps fleets grow safely with technology

Drivewyze, a leader in connected truck services and operator of the largest public-private weigh station bypass network in North America, is showcasing its Safety+ safety suite during a seven-minute live demonstration.

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Mar - 2022 -
23 March
Thomas Wasson

Network Transport expands, completes move into new headquarters

Network Transport completes its move into a new, larger company headquarters as part of its expansion strategy, which adds 100 jobs over the next 12 months.

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02 March
Thomas Wasson

Dude, where’s my stuff!? Talking about tracking with Ryan Rogers

In today’s episode, we talk about the challenges of tracking freight, and how we can change telephone calls into telematics updates. Our special guest is Ryan Rogers, CEO of freight location tracking startup TextLocate.

For many large carriers, communication is automated, but those fleets are in the top 1% of all registered carriers. For the rest of trucking, tracking still involves a phone call. In this episode, we look at ways to make tracking methods transparent and available to all.

Is it possible to make this simpler?

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Feb - 2022 -
17 February
Thomas Wasson

GSCW chat: Sandeep Kar, on automotive challenges, disruptions and opportunities

Sandeep Kar, chief strategy officer at Noregon Systems, joins FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week to talk about major changes and challenges facing the automotive industry.

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Jan - 2022 -
21 January
Thomas Wasson

Is the driver shortage fact or fiction? — Loaded and Rolling

MIT’s David Correll and aifleet’s Marc El Khoury join Thomas Wasson on this episode of Loaded and Rolling to talk about the much-touted driver shortage.

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19 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Driver as a service and the dangers of dwell

Driver as a service: J.B. Hunt becomes Waymo’s first self-driving freight customer, Commentary: The dangers of dwell, Market update: Outbound tender rejections decline amid rising spot rates

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14 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Supreme Court COVID ruling; Freight costs climb; Consumer confidence climbs

Supreme Court blocks COVID vaccine mandate for large businesses On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that blocked enforcement for vaccine or testing requirements for large private […]

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11 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Top 500 For-Hire Carriers; New trucking company; Tender rejections defy seasonality

FreightWaves’ Top 500 Largest For-Hire Carriers list FreightWaves just released the inaugural Top 500 list of the largest for-hire trucking fleets in the U.S. The ranking is based on tractor […]

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07 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Driver recruiting and supply chain pressures

Driver recruiting challenges, pay and demographics trends Driver recruiting remains a key challenge heading into 2022 due to pandemic, demographic and economic trends. Pay and wages remain a central theme […]

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04 January
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Cybersecurity risks rise; Schneider grows dedicated fleet

Cybersecurity and large fleets: Risks of cyberattacks on the rise Cybersecurity is becoming a major topic in trucking due to recent publicized ransomware attacks against motor carriers. Ransomware is a […]

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Dec - 2021 -
30 December
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Fleet availability; autonomous truck testing; driver employment data

Struggling for capacity: A briefing on fleet availability The holiday season in trucking traditionally sees lower driver activity due to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The driver’s home time […]

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28 December
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Trucking trends of 2021, holiday freight disruption

Trucking trends of 2021: Buying growth, expanding capabilities It’s the end of the year and for the trucking industry, disruption, record profits and new opportunities are all major themes to […]

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21 December
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Capacity crunch, transportation M&A, Cass Index spending records

Capacity crunch: Competition for carriers brings rising costs, new opportunities Continued freight demand and limited truckload supply are allowing trucking companies to be selective with which loads to take, causing […]

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16 December
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Truck tech, component shortages, trucking bottlenecks

In today’s newsletter: Enterprise carriers race to innovate; Component shortage delays electric vehicles; ATRI top truck bottlenecks of 2021. Enterprise carriers race to innovate by embracing new technologies and partnerships […]

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14 December
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Holiday trucking closures, firings and driver hirings

Central Freight Lines shuts down, U.S. Xpress fires truckload exec and ACT releases driver hiring data Central Freight Lines to shut down after 96 years Central Freight Lines to shut […]

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09 December
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Driver pay and parking prioritized

In this issue: AI Fleet raises $21 million; the American Transportation Research Institute ranks trucking concerns; and the Logistics Managers’ Index is expanded. Trucking in disruption: AI Fleet raises $21 […]

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07 December
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Investment conference equipment highlights, Knight-Swift acquires MME, transportation unemployment falls

Stephens investment conference trucking equipment highlights Supply chain challenges were the main focus at the Stephens annual investment conference earlier this month in Nashville, Tennessee. Executives said driver recruiting and […]

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02 December
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: ATRI on driver satisfaction; trailer material shortages; carrier income at record levels

ATRI research on truck driver motivations and satisfaction The American Transportation Research Institute released results on its analysis on what motivates truck drivers to become company drivers or owner-operators/independent contractors […]

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Nov - 2021 -
30 November
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Transload service starts, omicron variant spreads and length of haul increases

J.B. Hunt transload service starts as shippers deal with intermodal and port congestion J.B. Hunt Transport Services has started a transload service in the New York metro area. In a […]

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24 November
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: House hearing on driver shortage, Operation Open Roads, Class 8 used truck inflation

House Transportation Committee hearing on truck driver shortages In remarks to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, MIT Professor David Correll recently outlined yearslong research conducted by the MIT […]

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18 November
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Private fleets expand; trucking mergers and acquisitions; and detention on the rise

Private trucking fleets expand amid soaring spot rates According to a recent National Private Truck Council Report, private fleets continue to expand due to high spot market rates and dwindling […]

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16 November
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Rounding up the F3 Virtual Experience trucking discussions, chaining up for winter weather and looking at a tight labor market that is hampering hiring.

F3 Virtual Experience trucking roundup Last week FreightWaves hosted the F3 Virtual Experience, which involved industry leaders discussing topics related to the future of freight, key factors impacting markets, industry […]

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11 November
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Infrastructure bill, autonomous freight, sluggish November freight volumes

Infrastructure bill and trucking impact On Nov. 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) by a 228-206 vote after passage by […]

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09 November
Thomas Wasson

Loaded and Rolling: Respect my FMCSA authoritah!!

FMCSA new authority approval at record high from spot rates and tight capacity  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is setting records. New motor carrier authority approvals are at an […]

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