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The Daily // Tue 09.08.26 View in browser →
The DailyTuesday · September 8, 2026
The five minutes that makes you the most informed person in freight today
Lead Story
‘Utter devastation’ from Amazon cargo jet crash, NTSB chief saysThe Amazon freighter aircraft that overshot the runway at Miami International Airport left a path of "utter devastation" as it plowed through vehicles and infrastructure, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homandy said Monday. Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 converted freighter operated on Amazon’s behalf by 21 Air, overran Runway 30 while landing Sunday afternoon after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, struck navigational equipment, then hit a parked van, a car and airport fencing before coming to rest roughly 1,300 feet past the paved runway. Five people died and at least five others were injured, three critically. Two of Miami’s four runways remain closed, and it’s unclear when they’ll reopen: investigators must first document the scene and gain access to the fuel-soaked wreckage, which isn’t yet safe to approach. "There’s fuel everywhere that will have to be remediated, but then they are also removing fuel from the aircraft. So we have to allow that to occur," Homandy said. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered and sent to NTSB headquarters for analysis, and investigators will examine pilot performance, 21 Air’s policies, FAA oversight, weather conditions and aircraft systems. Miami International Airport, a major hub linking Europe, North America and South America, lacks an engineered materials arresting system — a crushable safety bed installed at roughly 72 U.S. airports to help stop planes that overshoot a runway — and Homandy said the board will examine whether one could have reduced the damage. "If we are repeatedly investigating an accident or tragedy and our recommendations are not implemented, then we’re here again and again and again," she said. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days; a full report with recommendations could take a year or more. Why It Matters?
A runway overrun this severe at one of the country’s busiest cargo and passenger hubs will keep freight and passenger flights constrained for days, and the investigation’s findings on runway safety systems like EMAS could shape airport infrastructure requirements industry-wide. Top Stories
Exports of Mexican-made vehicles to the US rose in AugustMexico’s automotive industry posted mixed results in August: light-vehicle production fell 1.4% year over year to 344,940 units, while exports rose 1.3% to 300,475, according to Mexico’s national statistics agency INEGI. General Motors led all automakers, producing 79,230 vehicles (up 18.1%) and exporting 74,842 (up 16.8%), while Nissan’s output plunged 26% and Ford’s production fell 25.7%. BMW posted the sharpest swing, with production jumping 359% year over year to 9,391 vehicles. The U.S. remains overwhelmingly Mexico’s top vehicle export market, taking 1.72 million of the 2.25 million light vehicles Mexico shipped abroad from January through August — 76.3% of the total — well ahead of Canada’s 12.5% share. For the year, both production (down 0.7% to 2.65 million units) and exports (down 0.06%) are essentially flat, with GM and Stellantis posting double-digit production gains even as Nissan’s output has fallen more than 25%. Why It Matters?
More than three-quarters of Mexico’s vehicle exports are destined for the U.S., making automotive production a major driver of cross-border freight and particularly sensitive to changes in U.S. trade policy. Sponsored · Aurora
Lean Solutions Group acquires SupportZebra, expands AI-enabled outsourcingMiami-based Lean Solutions Group (LSG) is expanding its business process outsourcing operations with the acquisition of SupportZebra, a deal announced Aug. 24 that will push LSG’s Philippine workforce to more than 2,000 employees across Metro Manila, Cagayan de Oro and Cebu. Founded in 2011 and based in Cagayan de Oro, SupportZebra has more than 1,300 employees across the Philippines and Mexico serving over 40 clients in e-commerce, software, fintech, health care and insurance — markets LSG has identified for growth beyond its core transportation and logistics business. SupportZebra’s customers will gain access to LSG’s LeanTek AI platform, including LeanTek AgentEdge, which augments human support teams with AI-driven automation, and LeanTek Connect, which provides workforce and account-performance visibility. LSG CEO Jack Freker said the deal combines SupportZebra’s "expert service teams with our global footprint and AI" to extend the company’s "expert-in-the-loop" model — human oversight of AI-driven workflows — into new markets and verticals. Why It Matters?
The acquisition shows how companies are increasingly using AI and outsourced talent together to expand services and reduce the cost of scaling operations. For Lean Solutions Group, SupportZebra provides a larger talent base and new customers that can be brought onto LSG’s technology platform, while giving the company a path to diversify beyond its core logistics market. Fuel, congestion push trans-Pacific ocean rates near $9,500Escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. around the Strait of Hormuz — including Iran’s plans for a wider exclusion zone — along with rising Chinese crude imports have pushed bunker fuel prices back up to levels last seen in June, setting a higher cost floor for container shipping even as trans-Pacific spot rates show early signs of cooling from peak-season highs. Rates dipped slightly last week, suggesting no further increases in what is likely the final few weeks of peak season, though elevated demand since late May has kept prices at peak levels since early July. Current rates of about $7,600 per unit to the West Coast and $9,500 to the East Coast are back near levels last seen during 2024’s peak season. Severe typhoon-driven congestion at Asia’s container hubs is also likely contributing to elevated rates, with carriers increasing blanked sailings this week to recover disrupted schedules. Separately, the Panama Canal Authority postponed a planned additional draft reduction for Neopanamax transits, while Asia-Europe rates ticked down to $4,500 to North Europe and $4,700 to the Mediterranean, with Mediterranean lanes easing faster amid increased Red Sea transits and recent port strikes in Germany and the Netherlands adding to backlogs. Why It Matters?
An elevated fuel-cost floor layered on top of typhoon-driven congestion and Middle East shipping risk means importers shouldn’t expect trans-Pacific rates to fall much even as peak season winds down, keeping landed costs higher for longer. Police recover trailers after $155K Guinness heist, but 880 barrels remain missingPolice recovered two trailers stolen from a Guinness depot in Runcorn, England, near Skelmersdale, but the roughly 880 barrels of beer they carried — worth about £115,000 ($155,000) — remain missing. The theft unfolded in two rapid pickups on Aug. 31: one truck connected to a loaded trailer and left within 10 minutes, followed by a second about 90 minutes later; both trailers displayed GXO branding, though GXO had no control over the theft. Investigators say the first trailer was abandoned near Hall Lane around 3 a.m. Tuesday, and the second near Gillibrands Road two days later, where the truck pulling it reportedly cut off a student driver and her instructor — both of whom police want to interview. Detectives believe the missing beer may be sold through black-market channels and are asking businesses to report any unexpected bulk Guinness offers. Why It Matters?
This case shows why finding equipment does not mean recovering its cargo. Stolen freight can enter resale channels before investigators locate an abandoned trailer. Tweet
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FreightWaves Events
F3: Future of Freight Festival
Your team works hard every day to keep supply chains moving. This Labor Day, invest in their growth—and your company’s bottom line—by sending them to F3: Future of Freight Festival (Oct. 27-28 in Chattanooga). Get ahead of market trends and regulatory shifts, experience the latest FreightTech insights that directly impact your margins, and expand high-value relationships with 1,000+ supply chain leaders spanning the industry. October 27–28, 2026 · The Signal, Chattanooga
Sponsored Insight
Presented by CargoWise Landside
What It Takes to Win in the Next Era of DrayageHow automation and digital transformation enable growth and scale without adding costs. Presented by Fleetio
AI for Fleet Leaders: Moving from Experimentation to ImpactPresented by Aurora
Your next truck could drive itself.Aurora Driver 2 is hauling freight on public roads. From the Research Desk
In partnership with CargoWise Landside
What It Takes to Win in the Next Era of DrayageFreightWaves and CargoWise Landside surveyed drayage operators on the automation investments separating growth from margin compression amid demand volatility and driver shortages. In partnership with Werner
High-Stakes Freight Brokerage: Risk and AccountabilityFreightWaves and Werner surveyed shippers moving high-value freight and found compliance failures and limited visibility are turning low-cost brokerage into a reliability risk, not just a pricing one. In partnership with Trimble
White Paper: AI Agent Readiness and Adoption in FreightAI is moving beyond experimentation and into everyday freight operations. FreightWaves and Trimble surveyed carriers, brokers, shippers and owner-operators on where the industry is adopting AI today and what leaders expect next. Courtesy of Infios
New Research: Tariffs Didn’t Raise Costs. They Raised the Execution Standard.Infios-backed research breaks down how tariff volatility turned transport-mode selection and trade-route monitoring into daily operating decisions instead of annual ones. Watch on FreightWaves TV
What We’re Watching
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NTSB’s runway overrun investigation could reshape airport safety rulesInvestigators are examining whether an engineered materials arresting system could have reduced the damage from Sunday’s crash — technology installed at only about 72 U.S. airports. Watch for the NTSB’s preliminary report, expected within 30 days, and whether it renews pressure to expand EMAS installations nationwide. ▸
Trans-Pacific rates test whether peak season is really winding downRates dipped slightly last week even as an elevated fuel-cost floor and typhoon-driven Asia port congestion keep prices near 2024 peak-season highs. Watch whether blanked sailings and Mideast tensions keep rates elevated even as demand starts to ease. ▸
880 missing Guinness barrels test how fast stolen freight hits the black marketPolice recovered both stolen trailers but not the beer inside them, underscoring how quickly stolen cargo can be offloaded and resold. Watch whether tips on bulk Guinness sales lead investigators to the missing barrels — or to arrests in the case. That’s your Daily for today. See you tomorrow.
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