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The freight industry’s essential weekly briefing
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FreightWaves Today
FreightWaves Today launched June 1st. The supply chain moves fast. Now your news does too. Craig Fuller and Julie Van De Kamp bring you a daily live show — real-time market analysis and interviews with the leading executives shaping freight & logistics. Live every weekday at Noon ET on FreightWaves socials and tv.freightwaves.com/today.
On The Desk
Lead Story
Transportation pricing index hovers near all-time high in June
The Logistics Managers’ Index transportation prices reading came in at 92.4 in June — just 3.6 points off the record set in May. Capacity has declined for seven consecutive months, and second-half utilization hit an 8-year high at 78.8. Survey respondents expect the market to stay tight over the next 12 months. For 3PLs repricing contracts heading into Q3, this is the baseline: the market isn’t giving ground, and any freight commitments underwritten at 2025 rates are already underwater.
Cargo Fraud
Eight charged in alleged $10 million international cargo theft conspiracy
Court documents outline a sprawling scheme involving stolen freight, alleged carrier impersonation, and shipments ranging from consumer goods to high-value merchandise. Eight defendants, a $10 million damage figure, and an international footprint — this is what organized freight fraud looks like when it fully scales up, and it’s a direct threat to every 3PL that moves high-value loads without layered vetting.
Sponsored Insight
Truckstop.com
White Paper: Q2 2026 Freight Brokerage Rate Report
Featuring responses from a freight brokerage survey alongside SONAR data, the report is designed to provide intelligence that brokers can use to inform their strategies in the months ahead.
3PL Technology
AscendTMS expands fraud-fighting toolkit with SearchCarriers integration
InMotion Global has integrated SearchCarriers into AscendTMS’ free CVQ platform — giving brokers and 3PLs another layer of carrier identity verification at the point of booking. Pair this with last week’s $10M theft indictment and the Highway ELD mandate below, and a clear picture emerges: the industry is building its defenses faster than fraudsters are upgrading their playbook.
Regulation & Operations
Highway, post-Montgomery, requiring ELD hookups for all carriers
The Montgomery ruling continues to reshape how the industry vets carriers, and Highway is responding with its sharpest policy yet: ELD connectivity required across the board. For brokers and 3PLs, this is the new minimum standard for carrier onboarding — and any provider not moving toward verified ELD data integration is falling behind on the compliance curve that’s being written right now.
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FreightWaves AI Excellence in Apply by July 10 |
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Last chance — nominations for the FreightWaves AI Excellence in Supply Chain Award close this Thursday, July 10. Submit your nomination →
Rail & Infrastructure
Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern submit more merger data
UP and NS have filed additional responses to the Surface Transportation Board’s data request on their proposed transcontinental merger. The STB process is grinding forward, and the data submissions are the clearest window yet into how the two railroads are building their case — and where the regulatory friction is likely to land. For 3PLs moving domestic intermodal, the outcome of this merger is one of the biggest structural wildcards in years.
3PL Spotlight
3PL Spotlight
Descartes adds last-mile tech in latest deal
Descartes has acquired Drivin, a Santiago-based last-mile solutions provider, for $30 million — adding Latin American footprint and route optimization capabilities to its already deep logistics software stack. The deal continues Descartes’ pattern of acquiring point solutions and folding them into its platform, and signals that last-mile intelligence is increasingly where enterprise 3PL tech investment is heading.
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Upcoming Events
Supply Chain AI Symposium
July 15, 2026 • Chicago, IL — The Old Post Office
Join FreightWaves in the heart of Chicago for a high-impact symposium on the real-world application of AI in global supply chains. From seed-stage founders to global enterprise providers, we’re gathering the entire supply chain ecosystem under one roof to explore how artificial intelligence is being embedded into every mile of the supply chain.
