FreightWaves NOW

In this episode, we kick things off by examining the severe financial pressures facing trailer manufacturer Wabash National as Moody's slashes its debt rating for the third time in twelve months, dropping the corporate family rating to B3 on May fifth. The rating agency warns that Wabash's credit metrics will remain at unsustainable levels as trailer shipments have collapsed from over thirteen thousand units quarterly in late 2022 to just over five thousand in Q1 2026, while cash reserves have plummeted from $144.5 million to only $31.9 million. Next, we shift to the labor market, where April delivered a surprising surge of four thousand three hundred new trucking jobs, marking the largest one-month gain since September 2023. This jump is particularly significant following a twelve-month period where employment declined nine times, and industry experts say it reflects growing confidence driven by nearly six months of steady rate improvement and gradually tightening capacity. Finally, we unpack the dramatic collapse at Forward Air, where shares plummeted over forty percent after the company disclosed it is losing a major customer representing approximately ten percent of its $2.5 billion in annual revenue. The customer cited risk management and logistics diversification as reasons for the change, and the loss derailed Forward's take-private efforts, forcing management to pivot toward selling its intermodal unit and two smaller legacy businesses to delever the balance sheet. Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a major compliance crackdown that has shaken up the electronic logging device market. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration revealed that a staggering 67 devices have been revoked since January 2025, with two more manufacturers just added to the list for failing to meet minimum technical requirements. Carriers currently using these revoked devices face a tight deadline to switch to compliant ELDs or risk being placed out of service after the sixty-day grace period expires on July 7, 2026. Next, we explore the electric vehicle sector where Tesla's long-awaited Semi has just landed a blockbuster deployment order. Listen in to learn how WattEV ordered 370 Tesla Semi trucks in what will become California's largest single electric truck deployment, with more than 300 units operating under a joint program with the Port of Oakland. To support this massive fleet, WattEV plans to open truck-charging stations equipped with Tesla's Megawatt Charging System chargers that can add 300 miles of range in about thirty minutes. Finally, we unpack the Southeast's most ambitious infrastructure project as Georgia Ports outlined a nearly $5 billion self-financed investment plan to add five new big ship berths and support a projected 54 percent growth in container throughput. Researchers at Georgia Tech found that routing cargo through Savannah saves shippers more than $1,000 per container when delivering to key inland markets compared to West Coast gateways, cementing the port's dominance as the Southeast's logistics gateway of choice. Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a major freight broker navigating a brutally tough first quarter but projecting a significant turnaround ahead. RXO released its earnings Thursday morning, reporting a first-quarter adjusted EBITDA of just six million dollars, down sharply from twenty-two million dollars a year earlier. Despite compressed margins, the company aggressively shifted its strategy by increasing its spot mix to thirty-three percent of volume, helping produce what RXO described as the largest sequential increase in gross profit per load in more than three years. Looking ahead, the broker is forecasting a much stronger second quarter with adjusted EBITDA expected to land between twenty-seven million dollars and thirty-seven million dollars. Next, we explore the trade sector where billions of dollars in tariff refunds are finally beginning to flow through a newly launched federal portal. U.S. Customs and Border Protection rolled out its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries tool, known as CAPE, on April twentieth within the Automated Commercial Environment portal. The digital platform is processing claims far more efficiently than anticipated, with refunds potentially arriving in early May. However, a massive readiness gap is emerging, as CBP estimates roughly forty-six billion dollars in refunds is currently stalled for importers that have not completed ACH refund authorization or established proper portal access. Finally, we cover a controversial regulation governing commercial driver's licenses as a federal court denied a request to block the rule for non-domiciled drivers on Tuesday. A three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied a motion seeking to stay enforcement of FMCSA's rule, which became effective March sixteenth and specifies that non-domiciled CDLs are available only to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 visa holders, excluding asylum seekers, asylees, DACA recipients, refugees, and people with temporary protected status. While the stay was denied, the combined cases will move forward with petitioners' briefs due June fifteenth and oral arguments expected in September. Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off by examining a critical early bellwether for the logistics sector as GXO Logistics posts double-digit revenue growth in the first quarter, easily topping Wall Street expectations. The Greenwich-based contract logistics giant reported revenue of three point three billion dollars, up nearly eleven percent year over year, while swinging back to profitability with five million dollars in net income compared to a ninety-five million dollar loss a year earlier. CEO Patrick Kelleher highlighted record commercial pipeline momentum and the company's aggressive push into AI, automation and robotics to drive efficiency across strategic growth sectors. Next, we head to the mid-Atlantic port sector where Tradepoint Atlantic and MSC break ground on a massive Baltimore container terminal that developers hope will fundamentally reshape intermodal shipping in the region. The partners plan to invest one point two billion dollars to build the one hundred sixty-eight-acre Sparrows Point Container Terminal on the site of a former Bethlehem Steel mill, creating annual capacity of more than one million containers with berthing for two ultra-large vessels and seven ship-to-shore cranes. The terminal's first berth is scheduled for completion by two thousand twenty-eight, with full build-out targeted for two thousand thirty. Finally, we explore the geopolitical battle brewing over strategic canal infrastructure as Panama's bidding process for seized container terminals appears stacked against U.S. companies, according to a source familiar with the matter. After Panama's Supreme Court invalidated Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's concessions to run terminals at Balboa and Cristobal—key transshipment hubs connecting Asia-Americas trade routes—the government seized control and assigned temporary operating rights to APM Terminals while preparing a new concessions process. Despite President Trump's stated intentions for significant U.S. presence at the canal, American companies like SSA Marine and Ports America are not expected to score well under Panama's evaluation criteria. Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we kick things off by examining Union Pacific's massive eighty-five billion dollar acquisition of Norfolk Southern and the railroad's newly disclosed conditions for walking away from the deal. UP has made clear it will abandon the merger if the Surface Transportation Board orders widespread trackage rights or line sales as approval conditions, though it would accept a requirement to spin off one duplicative main line between Kansas City and St. Louis. If burdensome conditions trigger Union Pacific's exit, it will owe Norfolk Southern a staggering two point five billion dollar breakup fee. Meanwhile, out on the water, a critical geopolitical milestone unfolded in one of the world's most strategic maritime chokepoints. A Maersk ro-ro carrier became the first U.S.-flag vessel to safely exit the Strait of Hormuz under American naval protection after months in the Persian Gulf. The Alliance Fairfax, operated by Farrell Lines and part of the Maritime Security Program, completed the high-stakes transit at a fraught time as the U.S. and Iran exchanged threats amid a fragile ceasefire. Finally, we explore Amazon's aggressive expansion into third-party logistics as the e-commerce giant officially rebranded its freight and fulfillment services under the unified Amazon Supply Chain Services umbrella and opened them to all businesses. Backed by over eighty thousand trailers and one hundred freighter aircraft, the move transforms Amazon into a direct competitor to traditional carriers, with early clients including Procter & Gamble and American Eagle Outfitters. Wall Street reacted sharply, sending UPS stock down nine point five percent on fears of massive disruption to the freight transportation industry. Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices