| The Daily // Thu 10.08.26 | View in browser → |
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The Daily
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NEWSLETTER BROUGHT TO YOU BY — AURORA
More Miles. More Revenue. Our self-driving Class-8 trucks haul freight on public roads today with no one behind the wheel. Learn more.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Radiant Logistics buys Whitacre’s Dallas brokerage unit
Radiant Logistics has acquired the Dallas brokerage operations of Whitacre Logistics Services, adding an intermodal and over-the-road unit to its bi-modal broker platform, according to Todd Maiden’s reporting. The unit will become part of Radiant Road & Rail, and Jeff Vielhaber will keep leading the Dallas operation while also taking charge of Radiant Road & Rail’s new independent agent development program. Financial terms were not disclosed. Part of the purchase price is tied to future performance goals, which the article says is how most Radiant deals are structured.
The Dallas operation primarily serves building materials, manufacturing and packaging customers, and Radiant plans to add domestic and international forwarding, customs brokerage and other value-added services, supported by its technology platform. Founder and CEO Bohn Crain said Radiant is "keen to accelerate the growth of our bi-modal brokerage platform." Vielhaber said he wants to grow the Dallas account base and help Radiant expand its agent network nationally. The deal follows Radiant’s purchase of a majority stake in Mexico City-based Weport last year, which came shortly after it acquired Transcon Shipping, a California-based ocean and air freight forwarder.
Radiant keeps adding capacity through acquisitions and agent-station rollups, and this one gives its Road & Rail unit a Dallas base and a leader focused on recruiting agents. The article frames it as part of a broader consolidation in brokerage, as 3PLs expand capabilities and bundle services.
Red dye diesel break is being greeted with a big yawn
An executive order lets trucks use red dye diesel, which is sold without the 24.4-cent federal excise tax charged on over-the-road fuel, but trucking is not embracing it, according to John Kingston’s reporting. Matt Muenster of Breakthrough Fuel said that as of Oct. 6 no IRS implementing guidance had been published, so "the relief is not yet operational," and advised fleets to plan as if the deferred tax will be owed. OOIDA President Todd Spencer said wider use of red dye diesel "will provide minimal relief." NATSO and SIGMA called the order "mainly a farm-hauling measure," noting that selling dyed fuel at scale takes dedicated equipment and enough dyed supply at the rack. ATA’s Henry Hanscom said "The practical details here matter." NATSO and the ATA both pointed to supply and demand as the core problem, citing low diesel inventories and conflicts in the Middle East and between Ukraine and Russia.
Until the IRS issues guidance, the relief is not operational, and most truck stop lanes do not dispense dyed fuel. Trade groups say the real pressure on diesel prices is supply and demand, not the tax.
Tesla Semi lands 50-truck order from drayage carrier IMC
IMC Logistics is adding 50 Tesla Semis to its California fleet, with Standard Range models handling port drayage and Long Range models running lanes between Southern California and inland destinations, according to Thomas Wasson’s reporting. IMC announced the order in a release dated Sept. 22 and did not say how many of each model it ordered or when all 50 will enter service. Tesla rates the Standard Range Semi at 325 miles and the Long Range at 500 miles at 82,000 pounds fully loaded. IMC already runs battery-electric, hydrogen fuel-cell and renewable-diesel trucks, and its sustainability page sets a goal of replacing all of its diesel tractors in California by 2028. Its earlier fleet of 50 Nikola hydrogen trucks ran into trouble after Nikola filed for Chapter 11 in February 2025, and IMC’s chief commercial officer Brian Kobza wrote that "the future of trucking is likely a mix of diesel, electric, and hydrogen, each solving different problems."
IMC is adding battery-electric capacity after its hydrogen experience, and it joins WattEV and ZET SCALE among drayage-focused Tesla Semi orders. The mix of models and the delivery timeline are still undisclosed.
Zim lifts profit forecast 72% on strong demand
Zim Integrated Shipping Services raised its full-year 2026 earnings guidance on Oct. 6, lifting the midpoint of its adjusted operating earnings outlook 72% from the guidance it issued Aug. 19, according to Stuart Chirls’ reporting. Adjusted EBITDA is now expected at $2.7 billion to $3 billion, up from $2 billion to $2.4 billion, and adjusted EBIT at $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion, up from $700 million to $1.1 billion. Zim credited "continued strong market demand and favorable momentum in freight rates." The announcement did not update cargo-volume projections or say how much of the increase came from rates rather than demand. The carrier is awaiting regulatory approval for its pending acquisition by Hapag-Lloyd.
Container carriers are getting more from the market than they expected in August. Without a volume update, the stronger outlook reads as a rate story, and the pending Hapag-Lloyd deal remains a source of uncertainty.
Stripe taps FedEx data to expand small business access to financing
FedEx Dataworks said Tuesday it is working with Stripe Capital to explore how supply chain intelligence could help small and medium-sized businesses secure financing, according to Eric Kulisch’s reporting. The companies are developing a product that combines operational indicators such as shipment activity, inventory movement and fulfillment performance with traditional financial data, so Stripe can evaluate, approve and deploy funding faster than conventional lenders. The first joint solution is planned for early 2027, and FedEx will also use Stripe to add more than 50 payment methods for its global customers. "FedEx and Stripe power the physical and digital foundations of global trade," said Stripe co-founder and President John Collison. The deal joins other Dataworks partnerships with ServiceNow and Dun & Bradstreet.
FedEx is looking to earn from its shipment data beyond delivery, with small business lending as the next use case. The first joint product is not due until early 2027.
Brought to you by Samsara — built with operators, for operators. Blind spots cause some of fleets’ costliest, most complex collisions. Learn how AI-powered 360-degree visibility helps you spot risks in real time and protect drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
| Time | Guest | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 12pm | Ilhan Kolko | CEO and Managing Director, Aviro36 |
White Paper: Q3 2026 Shipper Rate Report
The Shipper Rate Report — presented in partnership with Trimble — is a quarterly publication using SONAR datasets to create the most in-depth rate and demand outlook for shippers.
Quoting at the speed of the market
How the Most Advanced Freight Brokers Are Turning Rate Quoting Into Infrastructure.
More Miles. More Revenue
Our self-driving Class-8 trucks haul freight on public roads today with no one behind the wheel.
What It Takes to Win in the Next Era of Drayage
Demand volatility, terminal congestion and driver shortages are squeezing drayage margins. FreightWaves and CargoWise Landside surveyed operators on where automation and digital investment are actually paying off.
High-Stakes Freight Brokerage: Risk and Accountability
Shippers moving high-value freight say lower-cost brokerage is starting to carry higher risk. FreightWaves and Werner surveyed where compliance gaps and carrier performance issues are driving accountability higher.
New Research: Tariffs Didn’t Raise Costs. They Raised the Execution Standard.
Infios research shows the 2025 tariff overhaul turned transport mode, tariff exposure and trade-route selection into variables shippers now have to manage actively, not fixed costs they can set and forget.
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Why Adding 3PLs Can Backfire on ShippersFreightWaves explains how adding 3PLs can backfire on shippers. |
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Hurricane Isaias: Category 3 Threat to Gulf & Supply ChainFreightWaves looks at a hurricane threat to the Gulf and the supply chain. |
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Railcar Market: Fleet Shrinks as Demand Rises (2026 Outlook)FreightWaves examines the railcar market as the fleet shrinks and demand rises. |
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends rapid-fire tech demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Join 1,000+ freight and logistics experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for a definitive look at the year ahead. Come for the insights, stay for the celebration and leave with the connections that will define your 2027.
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Whether the IRS issues red dye diesel guidanceBreakthrough Fuel’s Matt Muenster says Treasury has five days to confirm its legal authority, and no guidance had been published as of Oct. 6. Watch whether any fleets use the relief once it does. |
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Whether Hapag-Lloyd’s Zim buyout wins regulatory approvalZim raised its 2026 guidance while that approval is still pending. Watch for the decision and whether the stronger freight rates hold. |
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Whether more Tesla Semi drayage orders follow IMC’s 50WattEV has ordered 370 trucks, and Tesla is the primary manufacturer on a 2,500-truck ZET SCALE order. Watch for delivery timing and any model split IMC discloses. |
