Nearly $1 million in Pokémon, sports and other trading cards disappeared from a FedEx truck in Santa Ana, California, after the driver discovered a missing rear-door lock outside a Professional Sports Authenticator facility on Oct. 13. Police say two pallets vanished and shipments were taken from a third, but they have not determined when or where the theft occurred, and no suspects or arrests have been announced. vist.ly/5p9xc

National reefer tender rejections remain elevated, with roughly 1 in 5 refrigerated truckload offers being rejected by carriers. Current metrics show reefer rejections holding steady at 21.44%. Meanwhile, refrigerated freight volumes dipped approximately 3% to a September 25th low before rebounding into early October, standing up ~1% month-over-month.

Brett Suma, President and COO of Bot Auto, explains why the company deliberately waited before expanding its autonomous Class 8 fleet. Suma outlines a conservative capital allocation strategy: raising equity simply to purchase depreciating Class 8 tractors fitted with $350,000 Autonomous Driving System (ADS) stacks creates unsustainable capital dilution and negative operating margins.

John Kingston highlights that whenever fuel prices spike, they instantly capture the #1 overall concern ranking for drivers and rank among the top 2–3 concerns for fleet operators—despite fuel prices being virtually absent from top concern lists during stable periods. Over the survey's 22-year history, fuel prices consistently alternate between complete absence and the #1 concern spot, demonstrating that standard contractual fuel surcharges only partially offset sudden fuel price spikes for carriers.

Brett Suma, President and COO of Bot Auto, details the AI architecture and safety redundancy engineering behind their autonomous Class 8 trucks. Suma reveals that Bot Auto runs 100 million simulated miles every single day, applying a foundation AI model to an expansive world model. This massive synthetic simulation volume exposes the autonomous software to extreme edge cases and rare highway scenarios that driverless trucks would almost never encounter in physical road testing—allowing engineers to solve edge-case behaviors before software updates hit physical trucks.

A. Duie Pyle has opened a 44-door less-than-truckload service center in the Cincinnati area, expanding its direct freight network in southwest Ohio just two weeks after launching a nearly 79,000-square-foot warehouse in central Pennsylvania. The moves support the West Chester, Pennsylvania-based carrier’s broader westward expansion strategy and its goal of strengthening direct service between the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets. vist.ly/5p98z

PACCAR will add a factory-installed touchscreen and fleet app platform, PACCAR Connect, to Kenworth and Peterbilt Class 8 trucks starting in early 2027. The system, covered under factory warranty, is designed to replace multiple aftermarket cab devices and give fleets access to Platform Science’s Virtual Vehicle app marketplace. PACCAR also says the portal will centralize vehicle health, diagnostics, mileage, location and warranty data for back-office teams. vist.ly/5p98i

🚨 Register for F3 for just $1,295! Use code LUCKYLAST50 at checkout to secure this exclusive offer before it’s gone! Join the freight industry in Chattanooga October 27–28 for F3: Future of Freight Festival, kicking off in just one week! Connect with industry leaders, gain valuable market insights, and experience the networking event of the year. 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁—𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻! vist.ly/5p96c

Shippers preparing for the 2027 bid season face a tougher question: will carriers invest in their networks? A SONAR analysis argues that lasting partnerships depend on committed resources and flexibility, not simply accepting individual loads. The report explains what it takes to move from “shipper of choice” to “partner of choice.” vist.ly/5p952

A new milestone for ammonia-fueled shipping: Mineral Europa has finished testing at sea and begun its first voyage to Australia. Fortescue has chartered the CMB.Tech vessel, which bunkered green ammonia in China before the trip. Its dual-fuel engine also allows it to use conventional marine fuel. Here are the details: vist.ly/5p95z

John Kingston explains that C.H. Robinson maintains a coveted investment-grade credit rating—a rating executive leadership will vigorously protect as they go to the debt markets to fund the cash portion of the $5.8B RXO transaction. While trial judgments of this magnitude create headline noise, enterprise acquirers routinely model multi-year legal appeals and post-judgment interest contingencies into M&A risk frameworks prior to signing definitive agreements.

Brett Suma, President and COO of Bot Auto, breaks down the core driver behind the company's 270% revenue growth and ~350 monthly load volume scaling between May and August. Suma explains that scaling driverless technology demands total alignment around customer-aware execution and high asset utilization. Because autonomous Class 8 tractors represent high-value, high-capital assets, deploying them into low-value, non-revenue promotional demos or static trade show displays degrades asset economics.

Great tech shouldn’t be a loud marketing gimmick—it should just work in the background. ⚙️🧠

Trimble's AI Revolution: Enterprise Insights from Trimble Insight 2026 | Loaded and Rolling xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1MJgNbmRZ…

The freight market is seeing fluctuating volumes and steady tender rejections, with a particular spotlight on the refrigerated sector. Learn why 1 in 5 reefer loads are being rejected nationally, and how rising diesel costs and fall harvests are impacting spot and contract rates. @SONAR_FW

Heartland Express reported its first net profit since 2023, posting third-quarter net income of $1 million, or 1 cent per share, versus an $8.3 million loss a year ago. Revenue fell 9% to $179.5 million, below estimates, but CEO Mike Gerdin said stronger freight volumes and improved customer pricing helped drive the turnaround. The carrier also cut net debt and improved its adjusted operating ratio to 97.6%. vist.ly/5p87w

If you’re a logistics executive, industry reports shouldn't just be light reading—they're your real-time benchmark. 📊💡 The biggest takeaway from Geotab's fleet data? Use macro insights as an operational litmus test.

The DOE/EIA benchmark diesel price climbed 9.7 cents this week to $6.276 per gallon, the figure most carriers use to calculate fuel surcharges. But the brief calm in futures markets did not last long — unconfirmed reports of potential peace talks involving Iran were enough to move prices back down, underscoring just how sensitive the diesel market remains to geopolitical headlines. vist.ly/5p7u5

FreightWaves Today | October 20 xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1jxXgBNVn…