Freight

Chicago’s impact on freight transportation is a story of innovation, entrepreneurship, and risk-taking that spans decades.

CloneOps.ai has received funding from industry investors including Sope Creek’s Kevin Nolan, who sees a positive future for augmenting human talent in brokerage.

This week: Double brokers grab $1M in toys and porch pirates have a dance off

A family-owned Missouri trucking company with 265 trucks and 255 drivers recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

DAT Freight & Analytics spoke with FreightWaves about DAT’s acquisition of Trucker Tools and how it plans to address connectivity issues, fraud and customer needs in the new year.

Telematics is leading the way in efforts to gain control over trucking insurance premiums.

A West Virginia-based trucking company, which hauls coal, logs and wood chips, recently filed for bankruptcy.

The manager of a New York-based freight forwarding company is facing criminal charges alleging she violated federal export controls by illegally shipping oil and gas products to Russia.

Logistics firm Freight Essentials filed a federal lawsuit against WWEX Group and its affiliates, alleging that the company is engaging in fraudulent business practices with hidden fees.

Sankalp Arora, co-founder and CEO of Gather AI, and FreightWaves’ Grace Sharkey discussed during FreightWaves’ Domestic Supply Chain Summit the use of AI technology and drones to automate inventory monitoring and asset tracking in warehousing to improve efficiency and reduce human error.

Steve Blough, a co-founder of MercuryGate International Inc., speaks about how companies can use AI to strengthen decision making. 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is launching a $31 million project to increase truck parking statewide.

After years of volatility due to economic uncertainties and global disruptions, the freight industry is seeing early signs of recovery. However, this recovery comes with challenges, including tighter capacity and heightened expectations for operational efficiency.

A former NFL player and his business partner, who were co-owners of a construction business and trucking company, and their bookkeeper face fraud charges after prosecutors claim they engaged in a scheme to obtain $1.4 million through the Paycheck Protection Program.

Areas of California, Illinois and Texas have been key targets for cargo thieves in recent years.

In this edition: breaking down the FMCSA’s proposed rule on broker transparency and changes again at Roadrunner.

A co-owner of a Massachusetts trucking company was sentenced to two months in prison after admitting that he falsified driving logs and lied to investigators in connection with a fatal collision involving the driver of one of the carrier’s trucks.

Josh Allen, chief commercial officer at ITS Logistics, spoke Thursday about investments the logistics industry should make in 2025 to develop their companies and workforce.

Adam McElhinney, the CEO of Uptake Technologies, spoke about what opportunities the logistics community has to utilize AI.

Frank Kenney of Cleo gives insight into the undeniable market trend toward more data visibility and transparency as a selling point for any clients in the freight industry. Every company has unique needs and models, and those needs are best served by being as open as possible.

Ryan Joyce, a former CIA operations officer, drew on his experience tracking terrorist networks to execute the company strategy to fight freight fraud.

Nikola Corp. leader Ryan Clayton said the rising demand for hydrogen could require as many as 50 fueling stations in the next three years to meet the need.

Smitha Raphael, chief product and delivery officer at SnapFulfil, highlights why flexibility and seamless integrations in warehouse management tech are now top priorities for 3PLs and B2C companies.

Freight Masters Inc. owner Herman Shaw was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program.

A California logistics company has filed for bankruptcy protection, citing the loss of its largest “anchor” customers as one of the main reasons it is seeking to reorganize.

Pilot Flying J named Liz Leon as the company’s 2024 Road Warrior.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Fraud Watch, FreightWaves’ dedicated newsletter tackling the burgeoning crisis of freight fraud.

After Uber recently announced bookings growth, the company has launched a broker offering that could help support future shipment growth and brokerage penetration.

Uber Freight’s payout to Greenbriar signifies a shift, highlighting both Uber Freight’s evolving valuation and the foresight of Greenbriar’s strategic financial protections.

With the next Trump administration expected to drive regulatory changes, experts anticipate a surge in M&A activity across retail, e-commerce and FreightTech, as companies like Amazon and DoorDash look to expand in a pro-business environment.

Hurricane Rafael, which struck Cuba as a Category 3 storm, is not expected to hit the United States.

A family-owned cross-border trucking company — McKevitt Trucking, headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario – has ceased operations after more than three-quarters of a century.

Bipartisan bills including the Safeguarding Our Supply Chains Act and the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023 propose significant federal support to address the increase in freight fraud and organized retail crime.

Hurricane Rafael is expected to take aim at the United States after making landfall in Cuba, but the storm’s possible intensity and damage to the U.S. coast remain unclear.

Cargo insurance is one of the top expenses for carriers, but what does it really do and why is it so important?

A Miami trucking company and its five affiliates with more than 400 drivers recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $250 million for a multistate project to add electric truck chargers along the I-95 freight corridor.

The rapid expansion of global trade has complicated cross-border payments, adding costs and delays and heightening fraud risk. Financial institutions and fintech firms are implementing digital solutions to enhance transparency and security.

FreightWaves SONAR hosted a webinar Wednesday discussing its new shipper data consortium with Charles Odom, director of logistics at Halliburton.

As FreightVana CTO Don Everhart moves into his new role at Transflo, he answers FreightWaves’ questions on hot FreightTech topics.

A shuttered Illinois-based trucking company that once hauled general freight, liquids and gases, beverages and paper products recently filed for Chapter 7.

Taylor Swift, who is currently on her Eras Tour, paid over $15 million to ship stage equipment from the United Kingdom to the United States.

A Texas trucking company and its affiliated companies have shuttered operations and recently filed for bankruptcy liquidation, citing serious financial conditions as the main reason.

FedEx transported six giant pandas between the United States and China this week on what the company calls the “FedEx Panda Express.”

The first-ever Freight Fraud Awareness Day, taking place on Tuesday, aims to unite the supply chain community in tackling schemes like double brokering and cargo theft, which have seen a 400% rise since 2022.

Former American Trucking Associations CEO and President Thomas J. Donohue, hailed as “a powerful voice for all businesses, employers and their employees,” died Monday. He was 86 years old.

Hurricane Milton caused at least $160 billion in damage and economic loss, according to a preliminary estimate from AccuWeather.

Nonprofit groups loaded with crucial disaster-relief and medical supplies are at staging areas outside Tampa, Florida, after Hurricane Milton made landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast Wednesday before leaving a trail of destruction across the state.

Hurricane Milton smashed into Florida around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday as a Category 3 near Siesta Key and was making its way across Florida on Thursday.

Freight coordination platform Cartage has raised $3.3 million in a funding round led by Y Combinator. The company, founded by industry veterans, is using AI to streamline logistics without forcing brokers, shippers or carriers to change their preferred communication methods.

Food retailers with distribution hubs in Hurricane Milton’s path are preparing for the storm to make landfall overnight Wednesday.

Category 4 Hurricane Milton is expected to hit Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday, bringing catastrophic flooding and life-threatening conditions less than two weeks after Helene battered the state.

Some Florida ports shuttered Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton, which is expected to continue growing in size before making landfall as a life-threatening storm.

Former Amazon and Flexport executive Dave Clark has launched Auger, a $100 million-backed logistics software startup aimed at optimizing supply chain decision-making for midsize to large businesses by using AI and automation.

Tampa’s port is bracing for Hurricane Milton as the projected Category 5 storm rapidly strengthens as it barrels toward the state.

Logistics companies are stepping up to help in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath.

Tristen Utter was nearly finished with his first delivery to North Carolina when he was caught in the disastrous and deadly remnants of Hurricane Helene, stranding him for days with no way to contact loved ones.

J.B. Hunt and UP.Labs aim to invest in six startups over the next three years.

Hundreds of roadways are closed in North Carolina, including parts of two interstates, snarling delivery routes and posing a challenge for the logistics community as it works to get supplies to residents.

Ports are assessing damage after Hurricane Helene roared into Florida as a Category 4 storm.

Most Florida ports were closed Thursday ahead of Hurricane Helene’s arrival in the Big Bend region, threatening what meteorologists called a deadly Category 2 storm expected to grow stronger before making landfall.

Florida ports are preparing for Hurricane Helene, which is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday and bring life-threatening conditions with it.

The families of those who died in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore have filed wrongful death claims in federal court against the owner and operator of the container ship Dali.

Ports along the Gulf Coast are monitoring a storm in the Caribbean that AccuWeather meteorologists predict will strengthen into a hurricane and hit the area on Thursday.

A Transportation Intermediaries Association report says the freight industry is “under siege” from fraud and must evolve to fight the ballooning problem.

Paul Kroes, the trailer innovation leader at Thermo King, discusses the future of sustainability and innovation in refrigeration transportation.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday filed a federal suit against the owner and operator of the Dali, the container ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse.

Aaron Rudolf, who owns Rudy’s Performance Parts in Burlington, North Carolina, must pay $10 million in criminal and civil fines for an emissions defeat device scheme.

A former employee of Midwest Transport Inc. has filed a WARN Act lawsuit, alleging the trucking company failed to give a 60-day notice of a planned shutdown before laying off 650 employees, including 480 truck drivers.

Hurricane Francine, which made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 storm, did not cause widespread disruptions to local ports.

Ports along the Gulf Coast are assessing damage after Hurricane Francine smashed into Louisiana on Wednesday evening.

A life-threatening storm surge and extreme winds are expected to batter the Louisiana coast Wednesday as Hurricane Francine makes landfall.

Tropical Storm Francine is expected to make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday as a hurricane, bringing a life-threatening storm surge with it.

An Illinois-based trucking and logistics company that contracted with the U.S. Postal Service to haul mail and had more than 480 drivers ceased operations abruptly Thursday, according to sources familiar with the closure.

Weather forecasting agency AccuWeather is reducing its projected number of named storms during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season following an “unusual” August with low tropical activity.

U.S. and Guatemalan authorities say they have dismantled a human smuggling enterprise in Guatemala responsible for the deaths of 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio in 2022.

A former trucking company owner from Acworth, Georgia, reported to prison Thursday, a day after a federal judge denied a motion to postpone his surrender following his sentencing in a Paycheck Protection Program fraud scheme.

Corey Louis Hendrickson, 46, a former mayor of Willard, Missouri, and fleet dispatcher for Prime Inc., was sentenced to three years in federal prison for a scheme in which he used the names and Social Security numbers of drivers to steal money.

Nashville-based Universal Capacity Solutions ceased operations Tuesday, laying off around 130 freight brokers and office personnel after its parent company, publicly traded Universal Logistics Holdings, pulled the plug without warning.

CN said it received no response from Teamsters after making a final contract offer in a bid to avoid service disruption.

While contract talks between Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and union employees continue, a rail shutdown would reverberate through the supply chain connecting Canada and the U.S.

A Dallas family of seven has filed a federal lawsuit against a North Carolina trucking company and its driver after they were seriously injured in a crash involving an 18-wheeler last November.

The American Transportation Research Institute has launched a survey to study cargo theft in the trucking industry, which is estimated to be a $15 billion to $35 billion problem annually.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Thursday removed two ELDs from its registered list.

A former co-owner of now-defunct Westfield Transport of West Springfield, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to falsifying driving logs in connection with a June 2019 collision involving one of the company’s trucks.

Pilot Air Freight, an international freight shipping and logistics company, will pay $400,000 to settle a 2019 disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In this edition: Complications mount with cross-border freight, and the FMCSA wants input on guidance.

Gerald Ditz, who goes by Jerry, and Michael Alaniz, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in a stolen watch scheme.

Maine State Police are investigating after a tractor-trailer carrying a massive wind turbine blade overturned Friday morning, shutting down part of the roadway until at least Saturday.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Transportation Management Group, doing business as Wilson Logistics, for allegedly refusing to hire a deaf truck driver.

After roaring into Florida Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane, Tropical Storm Debby is crawling up the East Coast.

Hurricane Debby slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 1 storm on Monday, causing flooding as it makes its way toward the East Coast.

A federal lawsuit filed against the owners and operators of a cargo ship that sank off the Georgia coast in 2019 has been dismissed at the request of Glynn County.

New Jersey independent contractors who haul freight under STG Drayage’s operating authority will no longer be tendered loads in November unless the truckers get their own authority through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The Port of Long Beach received a $7.875 million grant for its data system, which port leaders say will help speed cargo deliveries across the country.

A New Jersey-based trucking company, cited numerous times for safety violations for both its drivers and equipment, recently filed for Chapter 11.

Charles Christian Haskell, 51, of Las Vegas, was charged with five counts of death by motor vehicle after a crash involving his tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 in Wilson County, North Carolina, on July 24.

Blue Thunder Trucking of Broadview, Illinois, and its three affiliates filed for bankruptcy liquidation on July 19.

A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by nonprofit Environment California accuses the Port of Los Angeles of violating the Clean Water Act.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged two more Florida executives with participating in a truck investment venture that allegedly bilked investors out of $112 million.