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On The Desk

Broker Liability

The Biggest Shift In Freight Liability Since Deregulation Is Here, And Few Are Ready For It

Speaking at a town-hall session of FreightWaves’ Brokerage Compliance Symposium, transportation attorney Matthew Leffler argued that courts are steadily pulling responsibility for wrecks up the chain toward brokers, a change he compared to deregulation in its reach. He walked through the Lipe v. Lupus Superior verdict against C.H. Robinson: a 23% negligence finding on a $604 million award, stacked with the driver’s 45% through a borrowed-employee theory to reach 68%, which in Texas can mean liability for the entire amount. A proprietary tracking app helped persuade the jury of broker control, so Leffler said he would use third-party telematics instead, and would write about being contracted with a carrier, never about hiring a driver. His broader advice was a written carrier-selection policy that is updated often and enforced rigidly. C.H. Robinson says no final judgment is entered and it will appeal.

Adam Wingfield  |  October 27, 2026  |  Read More →

Earnings

C.H Robinson and Landstar stock prices slammed; insurance a factor

Both companies posted strong third-quarter numbers, but Wall Street focused on claims. Landstar reported heavier-than-usual claims charges and closed down 17.76% at $138.80, while C.H. Robinson fell 11.14% to $127.60. C.H. Robinson’s SG&A rose 29.7% on higher claims expenses plus a real estate impairment, its full-year SG&A outlook moved up to $585–$590 million, and operating cash flow dropped to $124.1 million from $275.4 million a year ago. Management says 2027 insurance renewal is going well and expects inflation to be “reasonable and manageable,” with details due by the end of December. FreightWaves revised the article to say the companies saw higher claims, not higher premiums.

John Kingston  |  October 28, 2026  |  Read More →

The Stack

Broker Liability

Federal guidance on carrier selection not around the corner: TIA’s Burroughs

TIA’s Chris Burroughs told the Brokerage Compliance Symposium that the association’s petition for a federal carrier-selection rulemaking will take a long time, since past efforts through Congress and CSA scores stalled. A quicker option, he said, would be FMCSA guidance listing the handful of checks a broker should run before picking a carrier, and TIA has also asked the agency to publish its list of high-risk carriers. On C.H. Robinson’s Lipe v. Lupus Superior verdict, now above $700 million with interest at more than 6%, he said the company plans to appeal rather than settle. He also said broker insurance renewals have not seen double-digit jumps since the verdict. FreightWaves’ author conducted the on-stage interview.

John Kingston  |  October 27, 2026  |  Read More →

Fraud Prevention

The Companies That Write The Standards Will Own The Next Decade Of Freight

Highway’s Michael Caney used his Brokerage Compliance Symposium talk to argue that freight’s fraud problem is really an enforcement problem: the industry has plenty of data and standards, but few that are shared and carry consequences. He pointed to insurance agents, telematics providers and factoring companies as groups that feed brokers data with little accountability. Caney said he sees carriers’ reported 90% tracking compliance land closer to 75% once verified. As the head of a vendor that sells vetting tools, he is pitching his own approach, and he said only 243 of Highway’s 1,500 customers have enrolled in its stricter Performance Guarantee standard. His call was for the industry to set enforceable rules itself before outsiders do.

Adam Wingfield  |  October 28, 2026  |  Read More →

Tweet Of The Week

M&A

Jacobs, RXO’s creator, backs its acquisition by C.H. Robinson

Brad Jacobs, who spun RXO out of XPO, told the Future of Freight Festival that the C.H. Robinson deal, valued at about $6 billion, was not his, but that he backs it because brokerage rewards scale and density: you have to find a truck faster than the other guy. He liked that much of the consideration is stock, so RXO holders can share in the synergies, and called RXO CEO Drew Wilkerson totally honest. On smaller brokers, he said they’ve been predicted to disappear forever and are still doing fine. He also said it’s not yet figured out who will own the trucks in an autonomous future, and discussed his building-products roll-up, QXO.

John Kingston  |  October 28, 2026  |  Read More →

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