FreightWaves

"We normally do not buy new equipment in the fourth quarter... but this year we’re buying all we can to meet customer demand." Premier Trailer Leasing CFO Craig Barth breaks down the surge in Q4 trailer orders and why fleets are already positioning for a massive 2027 rebound.

Schneider is shifting its eastern rail network from CSX to Norfolk Southern. Michael Baumgardt, EVP of Intermodal and Logistics at Schneider, explains how pairing company drivers, owned chassis, and containers with Norfolk Southern creates an asset-based powerhouse designed to win freight off the highway.

Before you wire money for a trailer rental, make sure you are talking to a legitimate company! Craig Barth, CFO of Premier Trailer Leasing, breaks down the essential verification steps truckers need to take before paying for equipment.

Is the real bottleneck in intermodal freight container availability or drayage driver capacity? Michael Baumgardt, EVP of Intermodal and Logistics at Schneider, and Shawn Tureman, VP of Intermodal Marketing at Norfolk Southern, unpack their newly announced eastern rail alliance and explain why company drivers give them control over their own destiny.

Freight scammers are exploiting Facebook Marketplace to rent out trailers they don't even own! Craig Barth, CFO of Premier Trailer Leasing, exposes a sophisticated new freight fraud scheme targeting drop yards and distribution centers.

Did big box retailers pull holiday freight forward early to avoid supply chain chaos? Schneider EVP Michael Baumgardt analyzes why import flows feel orderly rather than chaotic—and how peak season is tracking closer to pre-pandemic normal.

TFI CEO Alain Bedard said the company’s U.S. LTL business is lagging badly behind Truckload and Logistics, calling it “a rock in my shoe” and saying the segment must be corrected. He said a new manager has been brought in to lead the U.S. LTL operation, which he described as closer to a 97 operating ratio versus a sub-75 Canadian business, while TFI stock fell 14.71% after earnings. vist.ly/5qqmy

Postal operators in Norway and Germany are adding parcel capacity and temporary workers ahead of the Christmas rush. Posten Bring said it has added hundreds of parcel lockers and opened its largest terminal in Moss, while DHL’s Post & Parcel Germany plans more than 500 additional lockers and more than 10,000 temporary workers. vist.ly/5qqki

Arkansas Highway Police and federal law enforcement agencies reported 183 English-language proficiency violations, 44 criminal arrests and more than 1,000 motor carrier safety violations during a 48-hour commercial vehicle enforcement operation. Operation Highway Shield ran from Oct. 27-29 and included 1,724 FMCSA inspections, with 393 drivers and vehicles placed out of service. Officials also reported more than 330 unqualified or unauthorized drivers and 74 immigration violations. vist.ly/5qqhu

Covenant Logistics CEO David Parker said he expects truckload contract rates to rise by double digits in 2027 as carriers face higher operating costs, tighter driver capacity and continued federal safety enforcement. On Friday’s earnings call, Parker said, “We’re going to continue to raise rates,” and told analysts that another year of double-digit increases is his expectation. Covenant’s Q3 revenue rose 19.2% year over year to $353.9 million. vist.ly/5qqbx

Canadian National Railway reported third-quarter profit rose 6% as stronger grain, energy and automotive freight lifted revenue 15% to C$3.42 billion. Adjusted EPS of about $1.55 topped expectations, and CN said it is tracking toward the upper end of its full-year outlook. Higher fuel costs and an $84 million technology impairment weighed on reported margins, but adjusted operating ratio improved to 61.0%. vist.ly/5qpwd

FreightWaves Today | October 30 nitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1nxnRBPOE…

Why are freight analysts warning about severe peak season volatility despite a muted broader economy? Beau King, Director of Pricing and Market Intelligence at KCH Transportation, explains how compressing a month’s worth of shipments into 2.5-week windows creates sudden capacity shockwaves.

Jett McCandless, founder and CEO of project44 and LSP44, received FreightWaves’ first FreightTech Vanguard Award at the F3: Future of Freight Festival dinner in Chattanooga, Tennessee. FreightWaves said the award recognizes founders for long-term impact, while the FreightTech rankings highlight company influence. McCandless said the recognition meant a great deal and dedicated it to the people who handle freight’s toughest moments. vist.ly/5qpf8

Mexican truckers have suspended a nationwide strike that disrupted highways across 19 states after talks with the Interior Ministry and four industry groups, but leaders say protests could resume if authorities do not act on cargo theft, extortion and violence against drivers. The organizations agreed to working sessions on highway security, infrastructure, taxation, labor rules and social security, underscoring the pressure on Mexico’s freight network and broader supply chains. vist.ly/5qp7d

A $12 million cargo theft conspiracy. A $10 million fraud ring using stolen identities. A $273,000 seafood shipment redirected by fake delivery instructions. These cases share a common weakness that criminals keep finding: the gap between a legitimate carrier identity and who is actually controlling the freight. vist.ly/5qp3x

Georgia Ports marked the grand opening of the $134 million Gainesville Inland Port, which gives Northeast Georgia manufacturers direct Norfolk Southern rail service to Savannah five days a week. Officials say the terminal could shift 26,000 containers to rail in its first year, easing truck traffic on Georgia highways and expanding access to Savannah’s roughly 40 weekly vessel calls. The 104-acre site is designed for 200,000 containers annually at full build-out. vist.ly/5qp3q

Schneider National said it will begin using Norfolk Southern’s rail network in the East in January, a move the company says will expand market access and network flexibility. The deal comes as Schneider reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of 29 cents, below consensus, on revenue of $1.59 billion, and raised the bottom end of its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $1 to $1.10. vist.ly/5qnzu

RXO beat Q3 guidance ahead of its C.H. Robinson sale, posting $1.9 billion in revenue and $51 million in adjusted EBITDA as it shifted 59% of truckload volume into the spot market to capture rate volatility. Amazon absorbed an 11.5% jump in Q3 worldwide shipping costs ($28.30 billion) fueled by fuel and linehaul inflation, yet achieved a record 13.9% operating margin through regionalized inventory and package consolidation. CEO Andy Jassy warned transportation cost headwinds will increase in Q4. Covenant Logistics posted its first sequential and YoY adjusted EPS growth since 2022 ($0.50), driven by Managed Freight surging 68.4% and revenue per mile rising 19.8% after trimming its fleet and placing 80% of tractors under dedicated contracts. As freight brokers lean into spot exposure, mega-shippers deploy regional networks against shipping inflation, and carriers pivot to dedicated contracts, how is your team balancing spot volatility, fulfillment density, and committed carrier capacity?

Aurora Innovation cut its 2026 revenue forecast to about $9 million after a six-week manufacturing delay, but CEO Chris Urmson said the company still expects to produce more than 1,000 trucks in 2027. Third-quarter revenue was $3 million and operating loss widened to $257 million. Aurora said Roush should reach 20 trucks a week in early December and deliver 200 trucks by the end of February. vist.ly/5qnxk