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On this Thursday, August 21st, hear about the strategic merger between Workhorse Group and Motiv Electric Trucks, which aims to create one of North America's largest medium-duty electric truck original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by combining their strengths in last-mile delivery and medium-duty vehicles. This all-stock transaction, valued at $5 million to approximately $105 million and expected to close in Q4 2025, is poised to target the $23 billion medium-duty truck market and generate at least $20 million in cost synergies by the end of 2026.  Richard Smith, son of FedEx's late founder Fred Smith, has been nominated for the company's board of directors, setting the stage for him to potentially follow in his father's footsteps as CEO. Currently serving as chief operating officer for FedEx Express International and Airline Operations, this nomination is widely seen as a key step in a succession plan, positioning him for increased responsibilities and to continue his father's legacy within the company.  Fraud-fighting tech company Highway has secured a strategic growth equity investment for its Carrier Identity platform, led by FTV Capital with additional funding from Lead Edge Capital. This investment aims to expand Highway's product suite and accelerate its growth in the freight brokerage market, providing crucial real-time carrier verification to help brokers combat skyrocketing fraud and improve efficiency within their networks.  Finally, don't miss out on upcoming FreightWaves events, including today's August state of freight webinar and the F3: Future of Freight Festival taking place in Chattanooga this October. You can also register for the Crossborder Summit at the very beginning of next month, and be sure to use the code MORNINGMINUTEF325 for a $900 discount on your F3 ticket. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

A significant leadership transition at Marten Transport, as CEO Tim Kohl retires at the end of September. Executive Chairman Randy Martin will step back into the CEO role on October 1st, following the refrigerated carrier's recent strategic moves to lower its tractor count and sell its intermodal unit.  The Port of New Orleans reported continued gains in cargo volume and trade activity through the first half of 2025. This growth was driven by higher container imports and improved schedule reliability, with overall volumes up 2% year-over-year and 9% compared to the second half of 2024.  Air Canada has restored services after a three-day labor dispute with flight attendants led to disrupted flight schedules. The airline reached a tentative settlement for a new four-year contract, though a full return to regular service may take seven to ten days as aircraft and crew are repositioned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air Canada flight attendant strike caused significant disruption to cargo transport. A tentative agreement was reached, allowing operations to gradually resume after a three-day stoppage. Air Canada's six Boeing 767 freighters maintained a modified schedule during the strike, providing vital continuity for cargo. The US imposed new reciprocal tariffs on over 90 trading partners, including a new 20% tariff on imports from Taiwan effective August 7th. In response, Foxconn plans new tech parks in the US and Mexico, a strategic pivot aimed at helping Taiwanese companies circumvent these tariffs and accelerate regionalized manufacturing. The bipartisan Secure Trade Act proposes a 10% baseline tariff on all imports and significantly higher tariffs on goods from China. This legislation aims to reshore manufacturing, reduce reliance on China, and strengthen the Committee on Foreign Investment's power to block foreign investments from "countries of concern". Shippers are adapting by moving from "just-in-time" to "just-in-case" inventory strategies. This involves consolidating shipments and building buffers to manage increased volatility, with a notable 32.2% surge in units shipped in March despite dropping order counts. Truckstop.com acquired Denim, a financial technology company specializing in automated invoicing and factoring. This acquisition leverages AI to automate 75% of payments in under a minute, improving cash flow and operational efficiency for carriers and brokers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New research from Noël Perry and Truck Parking Club suggests that truck parking problems are more about operational inefficiencies and a lack of awareness rather than an actual shortage of spaces. Although the U.S. has approximately 23.4 million truck parking spaces, only about 3% of this supply is open for public use, pointing to a vast amount of underutilized capacity. Bipartisan legislation, the Secure Trade Act, has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to give Congress more control over trade and tariff policy and to incentivize American-produced domestic goods. This bill codifies the 10% tariff baseline on all imports and establishes higher tariffs for China, including a 35% tariff on non-strategic goods and a 100% tariff on strategic goods, phased in over five years. Truckstop.com announced its acquisition of Denim, a transportation-focused financial technology business and factoring service that automates invoicing. This strategic acquisition aims to help both carriers and brokers better manage and increase security for their businesses, while also reducing time-to-cash and optimizing back-office processes by leveraging Denim's AI and automation to process 75% of payments in under one minute. Stay tuned to FreightWaves TV this afternoon for Loaded and Rolling and Check Call with Mary O'Connell. Remember to visit live.freightwaves.com to register for upcoming events like F3 and the Cross Border Summit to take advantage of registration discounts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air Canada is facing significant disruption as its flight attendants continue an illegal strike, defying a federal order to return to work. This has led to the indefinite suspension of all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights, impacting an estimated 500,000 people and disrupting crucial cargo shipments. A tragic Florida crash highlights dangerous gaps in commercial driver licensing standards, revealing a system with minimal practical experience requirements and inadequate attention to cultural and language barriers. The shift to automatic transmissions has removed a natural screening mechanism, and inconsistent state licensing requirements create alarming inconsistencies in driver preparation. California's Clean Truck Partnership is embroiled in multiple legal challenges, with OEMs suing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Department of Justice intervening to invalidate the deal. The core dispute questions whether federal Congressional action can override EPA waivers that allowed California's stricter emission standards, which CARB continues to enforce despite federal opinions. SONAR has launched its new "Blue to Blue" mobile app, providing small trucking carriers with affordable, real-time freight market data to identify high-demand, high-rate lanes and maximize profitability. Meanwhile, Xeneta's acquisition of maritime data company eeSea expands its capabilities to offer clients comprehensive data for managing ocean freight contracts based on both cost and service levels, reflecting a trend of strategic mergers in supply chain technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good morning, and welcome to your FreightWaves Warning Minutes! This episode covers US trade with Mexico, which continued to dominate in June, with volumes up 4.4% year-over-year to $73 billion. Mexico held its position as the top US trade partner, ahead of Canada and China, with key imports from Mexico including computers, passenger vehicles, and auto parts. We also discuss the Air Canada flight attendant strike, which saw the Canadian government order both parties back to the bargaining table and into binding arbitration just 12 hours after the strike began. This intervention, deemed necessary to protect the Canadian economy, was strongly opposed by the flight attendants' union, CUPE, which criticized it as undermining workers' rights and favoring Air Canada, leading to a delayed operational restart. Finally, Canada Post is dealing with ongoing labor issues, as it will resume contract negotiations with the mail carriers' union this Wednesday for the first time in three months. This follows the union's overwhelming rejection of Canada Post's final offer, continuing a contentious dispute that has spanned over 18 months and included a 32-day strike last year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Clean Truck Partnership has taken another significant blow, as four major truck manufacturers agreed with the FTC not to comply with the deal's zero-emission goals and settled a multi-state lawsuit. These actions effectively dismantled the CTP, which sought to push truck fleets toward a zero-emission future, especially after federal action eliminated waivers for California's related clean truck rules. The latest report from Cass Information Systems revealed that freight volumes fell faster in July, marking a three-month sequential decline and the largest year-over-year drop since January. Despite the slump in volumes, freight expenditures showed a positive trend for the fourth consecutive month on a year-over-year basis, indicating complex shifts in the freight market. BMO, a prominent lender to the trucking industry, is reportedly exploring the sale of its transportation finance business, with a potential sales price of around $1 billion. This unit's quarterly reports have historically provided valuable, granular data on the trucking industry's health, including insights into impaired loans and overall credit conditions. For more in-depth analysis, be sure to tune into FreightWaves TV for WHAT THE TRUCK?!? live at noon, or catch the replay on SiriusXM channel 146. You can also sign up for upcoming events like F3 and the Cross Border Summit at live.freightwaves.com, using the code MORNINGMINUTEF325 for a discount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Waabi announced the appointment of former Uber Freight CEO Leor Ron as its new COO, signaling a major transition from research and development to commercialization and scale. This strategic move aims to accelerate Waabi's journey towards a driver-out milestone by year-end and expand partnerships with industry giants like Volvo and Uber Freight. The US and China have extended a pause on higher tariffs for goods from each country until November 10th, narrowly avoiding proposed increases. This extension maintains the US levy on Chinese imports at 30% and China's tariff on American products at 10%, allowing for continued negotiations on key trade issues. Freight tech company GoodShip also announced a successful Series B funding round, securing $25 million to advance its AI-driven freight management platform. This platform has already proven its value for enterprise shippers, helping clients significantly reduce transportation costs by 3-5% and decrease late shipments by 20%. Tune into FreightWaves TV today for a new episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? at noon, with a replay available later. Don't forget to get your tickets for the upcoming F3 event (Use code MORNINGMINUTEF325 for $900 off) and register for the cross border logistics summit in early September, both offering valuable insights and networking opportunities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices