Expert-Authored Situation Reports Integrated Directly Into the Freight Intelligence Platform

SONAR Research team delivers deep market analysis on macro forces reshaping freight and supply chain — with live data built in

SONAR, the leading real-time freight market intelligence platform, today announced the launch of SONAR Sitreps — a new research product that delivers deep, expert-authored situation reports on the topics most critical to freight and supply chain professionals. Sitreps are available immediately to all current SONAR subscribers at no additional cost.

SONAR Sitreps are authored by SONAR’s internal team of market experts and executives — analysts who work with SONAR’s proprietary data signals every day — and are built directly into the platform so users can move from reading analysis to examining live market data without leaving their workflow.

Each SONAR Sitrep is delivered in three integrated formats:

• Live Research Dashboard — SONAR data signals mapped in real time to the report’s thesis, updated continuously as market conditions evolve
• Detailed Written Report — a full situation report covering the analytical thesis, data evidence, and market implications, exportable as a PDF
• PowerPoint Overview — a presentation-ready slide deck for executive briefings, customer conversations, and internal strategy sessions

Three Sitreps are available at launch, reflecting some of the most consequential macro developments currently affecting freight markets:

• US Industrials & the Iran War Premium — How the Iran conflict is widening, not narrowing, the US industrial cost advantage, and what STVIF.USA and FTI.USA confirm about the industrial freight mix
• Fuel Surcharges in US Trucking: Mechanics, Math & Market Signals — The EIA-vs.-OPIS basis risk and cadence mismatch creating $0.08–$0.18/mi in avoidable FSC leakage, quantified through FUELS.USA and MPG.USA
• AI Data Center Construction & The Freight Demand Shock — The largest privately-funded infrastructure program in American history and its confirmed impact on freight demand, already underway

Subscribers can access SONAR Sitreps immediately by logging into the SONAR platform at sonar.surf and navigating to the new Sitreps tab in the main navigation.

About SONAR

SONAR is the leading real-time freight market intelligence platform, providing carriers, shippers, brokers, and financial professionals with the most comprehensive and precise data signals available in the freight industry. SONAR’s proprietary indices — including OTVI, OTRI, HAUL, and hundreds of others — give subscribers an unmatched view of supply, demand, capacity, and pricing across all major freight modes. Learn more at gosonar.com. Current customers can access sitreps at https://sonar.surf/sitreps

The post SONAR Launches Sitreps: appeared first on FreightWaves.

(An analysis of the decision by the DOT to withhold funds from New York can be found in the FreightWaves Playbook here.)

The battle over CDLs issued to non-citizens and non-domiciled drivers heated up on at least two fronts this week, with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) taking aim at the state of New York.

Separately, a lawsuit filed in federal court in Florida sought to reinstate CDLs that had been cancelled for 19 people who were considered non-domiciled in Florida.

DOT Secretary Sean Duffy said in a prepared statement released Thursday that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is part of DOT, would withhold roughly $73 million from New York because it had not revoked what it said were illegally issued non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and CDLs.

Move follows an audit from last year

In December, the DOT said it had conducted an audit that found that more than 50% of CDLs issued in New York to non-domiciled had been improperly issued.

When the DOT announced its findings, it said a FMCSA audit had sampled 200 records and found 107 “were issued in violation of federal law.”

Among the FMCSA findings were that CDLs had been issued to foreign drivers “without providing any evidence that it had verified their current lawful presence in the U.S.”

The action announced Thursday was the reaction to those findings. 

In a prepared statement, FMCSA administrator Derek Barrs said “New York’s continued refusal to fix these failures undermines that mission, and we will not allow federal dollars to support a system that falls short of the law.”

In the letter sent by FMCSA to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mark Schroeder, the state’s motor vehicles commissioner, Barrs said New York’s response to the December complaint was that the state “continues to dispute the legal and procedural merits of FMCSA’s determination of noncompliance. New York asserted that the determination is without merit and stated that it declined to take corrective action.”

“New York’s arguments are without merit,” Barrs said in his letter. “States must require proof of lawful presence, in the form of an unexpired (Employment Authorization Document) or foreign passport, and must ensure the expiration date of the CLP or CDL does not exceed the expiration date stated on the driver’s lawful presence documents. This is not a new requirement.”

As a result of its findings, Barrs said in the letter that New York would have  $73,502,543 withheld from New York’s National Highway Performance Program and Surface Transportation Program Block Grant funds. That is 4% of its allotment, Barrs said. 

State association plays it down the middle

The Trucking Association of New York (TANY) released a statement that did not overtly praise or criticize either the federal government or New York State.

It said the decision by FMCSA was “deeply concerning and carries consequences that extend well beyond the trucking industry.”

The loss in funding will impact infrastructure projects, TANY said. It also suggested that there was nothing wrong with New York’s laws as written. 

“New York’s CDL framework already requires compliance with strict federal standards, including verified work authorization, completion of entry-level driver training, and adherence to safety regulations governing driving behavior and controlled substances,” the TANY statement said. 

But then it added: “These standards must be consistently enforced, and the integrity of the CDL program must be upheld. Ensuring strong oversight and accountability is essential to maintaining a level playing field for law-abiding drivers and carriers while protecting public safety and preserving economic opportunity.”

The association said it “stands ready to work with state and federal partners to restore compliance and rebuild confidence.”

Pushing back in Florida

The lawsuit involving Florida drivers was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The plaintiffs are 19 individuals identified only by their initials. The defendants include Barrs, Duffy, FMCSA, the DOT and Dave Kerner, the executive director of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The plaintiffs, according to the suit, either held or had applied new or renewed non-domiciled CDLs or CLPS by Florida. They are all domiciled in a foreign country, according to the lawsuit but operate commercial vehicles in the Sunshine State.

The suit cites recent changes in federal law regarding non-domiciled CDL holders, as well as similar policies in Florida to stop processing applications from non-domiciled applicants seeking new or renewed licenses.

“The combined effect of the Federal Defendants’ and State Defendants’ actions has been catastrophic for Plaintiffs: they cannot work, they cannot earn a living, they face financial ruin, and they have been deprived of vested property and liberty interests without due process of law — all without any individualized determination of fault, misconduct, or safety

concern,” the suit says.

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The post DOT cuts funding to NY, cites non-domiciled CDL policies appeared first on FreightWaves.

The U.S. Postal Service has drawn a hard line on driver eligibility for its massive linehaul network. In a letter dated April 16, 2026, Chief Logistics Officer and EVP Peter Routsolias notified all suppliers that effective May 1, non-domiciled holders of Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) may not transport mail under Postal Service contracts or ordering agreements unless they have been screened and badged by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

“Suppliers must ensure that any driver assigned to Postal Service work has satisfied all applicable screening and clearance requirements before performing service,” the letter states. “It is the supplier’s responsibility to provide the required forms and information for clearance processing.” Suppliers with questions are directed to contact their designated Administrative Official.

The directive enforces a phase-out first announced in January 2026, when USPS said it would work with contracted providers to eliminate unvetted non-domiciled CDL operators, citing alignment with Department of Transportation safety initiatives and recent audits of non-domiciled licensing practices.

The policy arrives after a rocky history. In late October 2025, USPS briefly halted loading of trailers pulled by non-domiciled CDL drivers. The result was immediate chaos: canceled loads, missed trips, and delayed sorts across a network that moves roughly 55,000 truckloads and nearly 2 billion miles annually. On a supplier call, Routsolias admitted the agency had underestimated the scale of the Postal Service’s reliance on non-dom CDLs. “We didn’t understand the magnitude of how many people were using non-domiciled CDLs, and quite honestly, the amount of omits was astronomical,” he said. Service impacts forced a rapid reversal.

Capacity pressures have only intensified. Major contractor 10 Roads Express, which handled significant USPS volume, is shutting down in early 2026 after losing key contracts, removing thousands of drivers and tractors from the market. Office of Inspector General reports and industry investigations have long highlighted vetting gaps, hours-of-service violations, and fatal crashes involving some mail-hauling contractors, lending urgency to the safety push.

Carriers now have just two weeks to complete USPIS screening or find replacement drivers. While the goal is improved accountability, the move risks further tightening an already strained third-party capacity base at a time when USPS faces ongoing cost and service challenges. Transportation providers must act quickly to protect their mail-hauling business.

The post USPS imposes strict May 1 deadline on non-domiciled CDL drivers for mail transport appeared first on FreightWaves.

More layoffs have hit supply chain-related companies across the United States, signaling that while trucking spot market conditions have stabilized in some lanes, contract freight — particularly in dedicated and warehouse-linked operations — remains under pressure.

Recent WARN filings, company disclosures and media reports show 829 job cuts tied to contract losses, facility closures and shifting supply chain strategies across multiple states over the last three weeks.

Contract churn drives warehouse job cuts

Saddle Creek Logistics Services is laying off 168 workers at its New Caney, Texas, facility near Houston, with cuts effective June 11 after a customer opted to bring operations in-house. The affected roles are primarily forklift operators and warehouse workers.

The move follows earlier 2026 layoffs by Saddle Creek, including 151 workers in Bessemer, Alabama, highlighting a broader trend of shippers reevaluating outsourced logistics networks.

Similarly, Ryder System is exiting warehouse operations in Waterloo, Iowa, after a contract was not renewed. The closure will result in 153 layoffs by July 24, though the company said it will help transition workers to the incoming logistics provider.

Trucking firms cut drivers, dockworkers after lost business

In the trucking sector, Day & Ross USA is eliminating 149 jobs across five states following lost business tied to contract negotiations in 2025.

About 100 of those cuts are at its Hamilton, Ohio, facility, including 36 dockworkers and 54 drivers. Another 32 employees are being laid off in Utica, Michigan.

Fuel hauler Sentinel Transportation LLC is also reducing headcount, cutting 126 employees across 25 locations in California in permanent layoffs. The company, a subsidiary of Phillips 66, operates more than 30 terminals nationwide.

The cuts reflect continued softness in certain freight segments, particularly contract freight tied to industrial and energy demand.

Multi-state closures hit regional logistics networks

Legacy Supply Chain Operations is closing four facilities across Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee, eliminating 133 jobs. The company did not disclose a reason for the closures in state filings.

Meanwhile, last-mile delivery provider Pave It Forward Logistics abruptly shut down operations March 31, laying off 100 workers in Lebanon, Tennessee, according to local reports. Employees were reportedly given no severance or transition support.

Freight market signal: volatility persists

The layoffs cut across warehousing, dedicated contract carriage and last-mile delivery — segments closely tied to shipper demand cycles and contract stability.

A common thread: customer decisions.

• Shippers bringing logistics in-house
• Contracts not being renewed or renegotiated
• Facility consolidations across regional networks

For freight markets, the trend reinforces a familiar pattern in the downcycle: capacity exits not only through bankruptcies, but also through incremental job cuts tied to contract churn.

Layoffs spread across trucking, warehousing as contracts shift

The post Logistics layoffs top 800 as contracts unwind across trucking, warehousing appeared first on FreightWaves.