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On The Desk

M&A

FitzMark’s latest broker acquisition adds trade show logistics capabilities

FitzMark, the Indianapolis-based broker backed by Calera Capital, has closed its 11th acquisition since founding in 2006, picking up United Transportation Services (UTS), a Colorado 3PL specializing in trade-show logistics. UTS, founded in 1998 and based in Aurora, handles dry van, refrigerated, flatbed and specialty transportation along with packaging, warehousing and white-glove delivery, mostly for retail and hospitality clients. Terms weren’t disclosed. FitzMark runs a proprietary TMS serving more than 3,000 shippers and 25,000 carriers. UTS CEO and president Bruce Parsons framed the deal as expanding capacity and service for the shipper community with FitzMark’s national platform behind it; FitzMark founder and CEO Scott Fitzgerald pointed to shared core values between the two companies.

Todd Maiden  |  September 2, 2026  |  Read More →

Global Trade & Fulfillment

Flexport takes fulfillment network international with Canada, UK expansion

Flexport launched its first fulfillment operations outside the U.S., opening centers in Mississauga, Ontario (near Toronto Pearson) and Manchester, England. The Canadian site carries Health Canada certifications for medical products, supplements and consumer goods; inbound receiving started in July, with first customer shipments moving in September. The Manchester facilities use AutoStore robotic storage, fitting the same inventory into roughly a quarter of the footprint of a conventional warehouse. CEO Ryan Petersen said customer demand in Canada and the UK existed well before Flexport had a way to serve it; the new footprint lets customers store inventory domestically and fulfill orders in-country through a single platform, with continental Europe fulfillment planned for 2027. Flexport serves more than 13,000 companies. The expansion also plays defense against rising tariffs, tighter customs enforcement, and increased U.S. Customs and Border Protection scrutiny of importer-of-record registrations and broker due-diligence requirements.

Noi Mahoney  |  September 2, 2026  |  Read More →

The Stack

Broker Liability

2 key trucking groups in filing raise alarm on Penske decision fallout

The American Trucking Associations and the Truckload Carriers Association jointly filed an amicus brief asking the full Fifth Circuit to rehear en banc its August 4 panel decision in Crane v. Liberty Lane, a case stemming from a fatal 2018 crash in Bee County, Texas. In the supply chain at issue: Adient hired Penske Logistics, which used broker affiliate Penske Transportation Management, which hired carrier Liberty Lane — which then double-brokered the load to OK Trans without Penske’s knowledge. An OK Trans driver, Satnam Singh Lehal, was involved in the fatal collision. The panel had reversed lower-court rulings that favored Penske Logistics and PTM, holding that Penske’s assumption of control over the vehicle made it the driver’s statutory employer regardless of the parties’ paperwork. ATA and TCA argue the ruling effectively imposes statutory-employer liability on upstream carriers and brokers for the acts of downstream authorized carriers, conflicting with federal leasing regulations, and warn it could chill carrier-to-carrier cooperation, tighten capacity and raise costs industry-wide.

John Kingston  |  August 31, 2026  |  Read More →

Broker Liability

One man paints challenging outlook for brokers’ insurance

A TD Cowen research note built around an interview with an unnamed insurance executive lays out a grim outlook for broker liability insurance pricing following May’s Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II Supreme Court decision and July’s roughly $600 million verdict in Lipa v. C.H. Robinson. One “top 10” broker reportedly saw its liability premium triple at renewal; large brokers broadly are facing mid-teens to mid-20s percentage rate increases. One major broker’s excess coverage layer — the tier sitting above its primary $15 million layer — jumped from roughly $3 million to $10 million in cost. Only about 10 underwriters currently write broker auto-liability coverage, a number expected to fall to around 8 as more insurers exit the space. The executive described conditions going “ballistic” after Montgomery, then “haywire” again after the Lipa verdict. The report predicts consolidation pressure across the roughly 22,000-broker market, with smaller brokers facing the least sustainable insurance costs — though C.H. Robinson CEO David Bozeman and an RXO executive pushed back, arguing larger brokers can pass costs through to shippers and protect their margins.

John Kingston  |  August 26, 2026  |  Read More →

Tweet Of The Week

Broker Liability

The list grows: 2 more cases proceeding on broker liability

Two more federal broker-liability cases are gaining attention in the wake of Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, which removed F4A preemption protection for brokers in safety-related negligence claims. In Arizona, families of victims from an October 2023 crash sued J.B. Hunt, carrier Borderlands, and driver Shokhijakhon Bekmuradov, alleging J.B. Hunt was negligent in hiring, supervising, retaining and entrusting freight to Borderlands despite a pattern of safety-assessment alerts, crashes and inspection violations; J.B. Hunt sought summary judgment arguing it acted only as a broker under its Outsource Carrier Agreement, while plaintiffs counter that J.B. Hunt held itself out as the carrier to shipper Lincare and ignored Borderlands’ safety history — a ruling is still pending. In Nevada, a July 2022 crash involving a hay-hauling load killed a pickup-truck passenger; broker AONE Brokerage had booked the load through Lucky Transport, which then illegally sub-brokered it to GRK Transport and driver Bhupinder Singh. Judge Anne Traum denied summary judgment for both sides on August 11, finding evidence AONE breached its duty of care by continuing to work with Lucky despite knowing it illegally sub-brokered freight, and noting that illegal double-brokering “can put more high-risk drivers on the road.”

John Kingston  |  August 21, 2026  |  Read More →

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