FreightCasts

In this episode, we dive into the factors that are causing perishable ecommerce to grow at breakneck speed. Our guest, Kasia Wenker VP of Solutions Engineering at ITS Logistics, breaks down what the future of fulfillment and delivery would be in the U.S. and wher the strongest applications are making the biggest changes. For more information, subscribe to ⁠Running on Ice the newsletter⁠ or podcast. ⁠Follow the Running on Ice Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, host Thomas Wasson breaks down the day’s top headlines — from Wawa’s first travel center with truck parking to Aurora and McLeod’s autonomous TMS integration, tariff-driven import surges, and shake-ups at the STB. Then, Thomas dives into the future of renewable fuels with special guests from Nopetro and Hexagon Agility. Nopetro’s Scott Brenner and Kevin Hyatt explain how fleets are adopting renewable natural gas (RNG) from landfills and dairy farms, while Hexagon Agility’s Eric Bippus and Ian MacDonald share insights on their record CNG truck orders and the rollout of Cummins’ new X15N natural gas engine. From infrastructure and maintenance savings to regulatory shifts and long-haul viability, this episode uncovers how RNG and CNG are shaping the next era of freight sustainability. ⁠Watch on YouTube⁠ ⁠Visit our sponsor⁠ ⁠Subscribe to the WTT newsletter⁠ ⁠Follow the Podcast⁠ ⁠More FreightWaves Podcasts⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover how Aurora and McLeod Software have partnered to integrate autonomous trucks directly with mainstream Transportation Management Systems (TMS), marking an industry first. This "plug-and-play" integration aims to streamline autonomous vehicle adoption for mid-sized fleets of 100 to 1,000 trucks, supporting vital functions like scheduling and invoicing, with a full rollout planned for 2026 to McLeod’s 1,200+ customers.  On the infrastructure front, convenience store giant Wawa has entered the travel center business, opening its first facility in Hope Mills, North Carolina, offering 18 free parking spots and high-speed diesel lanes. While primarily targeting short-haul drivers and mid-trip stops without offering showers, this initiative highlights the critical and ongoing need for more truck parking capacity.  In air freight, strategic partnerships are expanding capacity and control, with Atlas Air providing dedicated Boeing 777 freighters to Etihad Airways and DSV for key routes. These moves offer major players greater command over their capacity and schedules in complex supply chains, emphasizing reliability and logistics ownership.  Furthermore, Flexport has teamed up with BlackRock to offer up to $250 million in supply chain financing, including term loans, asset-based lines of credit, and crucial tariff financing. This initiative provides businesses with vital working capital to bridge the gap between inventory purchase and sales, directly addressing current trade risks and evolving supply chain financing needs.  On the trade policy front, Mexico is proposing a 50% tariff on a range of Chinese imports for its 2026 budget, aiming to protect domestic manufacturers and address U.S. concerns about Chinese goods entering via Mexico. Additionally, Mexico has implemented an immediate ban on finished footwear imports and suspended small-package shipments to the U.S., impacting e-commerce platforms as the U.S. ends its de minimis tariff exemption for low-value imports.  Finally, U.S. container ports saw a temporary jump in July volume due to front-loading ahead of potential new tariffs, but the overall trend reveals a six-month downtrend, with a projected 5.6% year-over-year decrease in total 2025 import volume. This unusual decline suggests a major strategic realignment, with some inbound volume diverting to other North American ports outside the U.S..  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach and Thomas try to sort through what has become a hyper political economic environment that is weighing heavily on supply chains. Also: The truckload market has started to pick up in front of Labor Day. ⁠Follow the Freightonomics Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dale Jordan from BDO USA discusses the tax implications of the One Big Beautiful Bill with JP Hampstead, including bonus depreciation, R&D expensing, and other provisions designed to stimulate manufacturing investment and reindustrialization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover how C.H. Robinson's aggressive adoption of AI has significantly boosted its stock price, even in a weak freight market, leading to a 52-week high. Learn about their new "Always-on Logistics Planner," an agentic AI-driven "digital teammate" within its Managed Solutions 4PL arm, which autonomously handles tasks 24/7 and has achieved 100% customer adoption among its clients. We confront the growing peril of escalating cargo theft, a critical concern in the industry, with North American cargo thefts surging 27% year-over-year in 2024, resulting in $455 million in stolen goods across 3,625 incidents. Hear how Ceva Logistics alone suffered over $18.3 million in losses from eight incidents, often due to security policy breakdowns like using unvetted carriers or inactive GPS trackers, making warehouses particularly vulnerable. Analyze major shifts in international trade, including a new EU-US trade truce framework designed to stabilize container flows for goods like pharmaceuticals and agricultural products on transatlantic lanes. However, this framework notably excludes automobiles, with continued high tariffs leading to a 16.8% decline in European car exports to the U.S. in the first half of this year, potentially shifting consumer demand towards domestic or Asian suppliers. Examine developments in workforce and infrastructure, as FedEx Supply Chain is laying off 611 employees in Memphis after Cummins Inc. moved a significant portion of its distribution to a new 3PL in Indianapolis for efficiency. In stark contrast, South Korea's Hanwha Group announced a $5 billion investment to expand its Philadelphia shipyard, aiming to increase shipbuilding capacity to 20 vessels annually and double the local workforce to 3,000 by 2025 as part of a larger $150 billion commitment to revitalizing the U.S. maritime sector. Finally, we unpack the serious rail regulatory turbulence caused by President Trump's firing of STB member Robert E. Primus, creating a 2-2 partisan split and leaving the board short two members. This controversial move comes just months before a major merger application (Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern) is expected and has already stalled other important rail proceedings, raising concerns that it could weaken the board and harm the freight rail network, consumers, and the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The official framework for the EU-U.S. trade truce has been released, aiming to halt escalating trans-Atlantic trade tensions and steady container flows. This agreement, though not yet legally enforceable, maintains existing tariffs on most European Union exports to the U.S. and on automobiles until reciprocal tariff reductions are implemented by Brussels. DHL Global Forwarding is expanding its cold chain logistics capabilities in Asia Pacific with the opening of a dual-certified pharmaceutical facility at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). This 38,000-square-foot site, the first in KLIA’s Free Commercial Zone, offers flexible storage certified for both 15–25°C and 2–8°C, enhancing DHL's leadership in healthcare logistics and addressing rising demand for temperature-sensitive transportation. Ceva Logistics has been targeted by a crime ring in eight separate incidents over the past year, resulting in the theft of high-value electronics exceeding $18.3 million. These thefts are largely attributed to repeated breakdowns in security policy, including outsourcing to unvetted motor carriers and inadequate warehouse security, amidst a broader 13% year-over-year increase in cargo theft incidents in the second quarter, where warehouses are significant targets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Thomas Wasson breaks down the latest trucking headlines — from federal threats to cut highway funds over English proficiency enforcement to CDL testing scandals, clean energy truck orders, and shifting credit conditions in transportation finance. Michael Caney, CCO at Highway, joins the show to discuss the company’s growth investment, the launch of the Trusted Freight Exchange, and the battle against freight fraud. Later, Zach Strickland, Head of Freight Market Intelligence at SONAR, shares insights on SONAR’s new Blue to Blue app, shifting freight market conditions, and what to expect heading into peak season. Watch on YouTube Visit our sponsor Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BMO’s transportation unit is a bellwether for credit and lending conditions in trucking. The bank’s loan book dipped to $13.67 billion in Q3, the lowest since early 2023, and while write-offs are down, provisions for potential credit losses and gross impaired loans remain significantly higher than pre-downturn levels. Canada Post has significant labor issues, which led to its largest-ever pre-tax loss of US$294 million in Q2 2024 due to a 36.7% plummet in parcel revenue. This decline was largely driven by uncertainty from a prolonged labor dispute, pushing shippers to private carriers and highlighting the high cost of instability. On the innovation front, we cover the expanded integration between Motive and Fleetio in fleet management technology. This partnership centralizes fuel, maintenance, and telematics data for fleet operators, automating workflows and providing crucial visibility into costs that can comprise up to 75% of operating budgets. Freight rates have taken a considerable dive, with Asia-to-U.S. spot rates falling 60-70% since a July frontloading surge. This is attributed to increased vessel capacity, limitations within U.S. Customs’ IT systems, and carriers actively shifting vessels to avoid new punitive port fees on Chinese-linked ships. Cross-border trade policy is changing, specifically the surging use of USMCA claims among Canadian and Mexican imports into the U.S.. This increase is prompted by new 50% tariffs on numerous products containing steel, aluminum, or copper, making compliance vital for managing costs despite administrative burdens and documentation requirements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. businesses are increasingly claiming USMCA exemptions as rising tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other goods push import costs higher. This has led to a sharp increase in USMCA compliance for goods from Canada, reaching 81% in June, and from Mexico, now at 77%. Massachusetts state troopers sentenced after involvement in a CDL fraud scheme. Calvin Butner received three months in jail and Perry Mendes one month, both for falsifying CDL test scores and giving passing grades to unqualified applicants. Three other individuals involved in the scheme are still awaiting their sentencing. Canada Post has also made headlines, reporting its largest-ever pre-tax loss of US$294 million in the second quarter due to a significant drop in parcel volumes. This decline, which has been steady since December, resulted from a prolonged contract dispute with mail carriers that pushed shippers to private carriers. Overall revenue for Canada Post was down 7.3%, with a 36.7% decrease in parcel revenue. Finally, be sure to tune into FreightWaves TV for WHAT THE TRUCK?!? today at noon, or catch a replay this evening on SiriusXM channel 146. You can also get tickets for upcoming events like the Crossborder Fleet Summit and the Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices