FreightWaves Today | June 8

Welcome to week two of FreightWaves Today with your hosts, Craig and Julie Van De Kamp. In this action-packed episode, we dive deep into the massive industrial momentum driving the current freight recovery, the realities of scaling AI in supply chains, and the mind-boggling logistics behind the biggest sporting event on the planet. A bipartisan House committee demands a rigorous look into the proposed $72 billion Union Pacific and Southern Pacific merger. Plus, federal prosecutors step up the fight against cargo security by indicting eight individuals in a massive $4.49 million carrier impersonation scheme. Meanwhile, FedEx signs a major collaboration agreement with China Southern Airlines to expand its air logistics footprint in Asia. Amrita Bhasin, co-founder and CEO of Sotira, joins the show to discuss an unprecedented surplus in the secondary liquidation market. Discover how shifting consumer habits—largely fueled by GLP-1 weight-loss medications—and changing food dye regulations are forcing massive stock liquidations of traditional junk foods, sugary cereals, and plus-sized apparel. Project 44 CEO Jett McCandless pulls back the curtain on spending over $1.5 billion in R&D to build context-driven AI workflows. He shares transparent insights on blowing out token budgets, reducing operational costs by $120 million, and why "founder mode" is essential for surviving the laggard carriers of the recent freight recession. Joe Ezzo, Energy Product Manager at Trimble, breaks down the volatility of crude oil prices (sitting at $91.16/barrel) following weekend geopolitical escalations. Learn how modern TMS platforms use predictive analysis to save dispatchers pennies at the rack while strictly enforcing the industry’s critical 75% trailer-fill safety rule to prevent rollovers. Daniel Rosenthal of Rocket Companies joins live from the Tournament Operation Center in Miami to detail the absolute chaos of orchestrating a 48-team, three-country FIFA World Cup. From managing 1,500 critical freight shipments a day to tracking the bespoke training demands of the Spanish National Team right here at their base camp in Chattanooga, find out what it takes when failure is not an option.