May 12, 2026 admin

Check Call: Project44 launches Autopilot, an AI-enabled logistics operating system that offers infinite labor


It took more than a billion dollars to build out the platform, which founder Jett McCandless believe Project44 turns on Autopilot, Kodiak hits 28 driverless trucks, and a Chicago man gets five years for $10M in stolen freight.

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Project44 flipped on a no-code AI agent layer for brokers and 3PLs, and the math on staffing your ops team just shifted. Capacity stays tight, fraud keeps mutating, and the gap between teams running agents and teams running spreadsheets is widening fast.

Plus: Kodiak ramps to 28 driverless trucks, Radiant flags Hormuz-driven procurement complexity, and a Chicago fraudster gets five years for $10M in stolen freight.

On the Desk

Project44 turns on Autopilot

Project44 turns on Autopilot, putting AI agents directly inside broker and 3PL workflows

Project44 launched a no-code AI agent platform Monday with about 40 pre-built workflows covering check-calls, missing PROs, ETA confirmations and dwell exceptions. Eighteen months of agent deployment across the network produced a reported 4% reduction in freight spend and a 70% drop in manual coordination. Eastman Chemical is an early customer. The platform is currently free.

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Kodiak AI Q1 earnings

Kodiak AI hits 28 driverless trucks as Q1 revenue jumps 74%, Roehl Transport joins the network

Kodiak grew its driverless fleet to 28 trucks, logged 23,500 paid autonomous hours, and added Roehl Transport for four weekly round trips between Dallas and Houston. Q1 revenue climbed 74% to $1.8 million and a $100 million PIPE will fund the late-2026 long-haul launch. Brokers covering Texas dry van and reefer should price these lanes accordingly.

Read on FreightWaves →

Sponsored Insight · Presented in affiliation with Ryder

State of the Industry May 2026

White Paper: State of the Industry – May 2026

An in-depth read on trucking, maritime and intermodal markets, presented in affiliation with Ryder. Contract rates up roughly 8% since last fall, rejection rates still elevated, and intermodal pulling strong off the spread to truckload.

Download the report →

On the Desk

Chicago freight fraud sentencing

Chicago man gets five years for $10M freight fraud built on stolen carrier identities

Aivaras Zigmantas was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for posing as legitimate carriers and brokers to redirect copper and liquor shipments worth $10.1 million between 2020 and 2023. The case lands as DOJ stands up a National Fraud Enforcement Division. Identity manipulation, not warehouse break-ins, is now where most cargo theft starts.

Read on FreightWaves →

Shipper Radar

Radiant Logistics FQ3 earnings

Radiant says shippers are paying a premium for partners who can navigate the Hormuz rerouting and tariff stack

Radiant beat its fiscal Q3 with $214 million in revenue, citing high-single-digit rate increases on truckload renewals and growing shipper demand for help routing around the Strait of Hormuz, new customs regimes and tariff exposure. International volumes softened, but complexity premium is the story, and the Navegate trade-management platform is gaining shipper traction.

Read on FreightWaves →

Market Monitor

The Week Ahead

International Roadcheck: CVSA’s 72-hour inspection blitz kicks off today and runs through May 14, with ELDs and cargo securement as this year’s focus areas.

Catch Up

FreightWaves TV launches June 1, streaming 24/7

Breaking supply chain stories, live market shows and the industry’s most-watched programming, all on one channel starting June 1. Drop it on a second monitor while you cover your loads.

Watch FreightWaves TV →

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FreightWaves Event

Freight Fraud Symposium 2026

May 20, 2026 · Rock & Roll Hall of Fame · Cleveland, OH

Join us in Cleveland this May for the Freight Fraud Symposium, an essential and intimate event geared toward transportation executives, risk managers, legal counsel, and technology buyers. Share insights, debate the latest threat intelligence, and establish the new gold standard for transaction security.

Learn More →

That’s your Check Call for the week.

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