Freight Morning! 👋 Florida’s attorney general is taking legal action after the August 12 Turnpike tragedy that killed three people, targeting the carrier and states involved in licensing the driver.

At the same time, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is putting California, New Mexico, and Washington on notice: enforce English proficiency rules for CDL holders, or risk losing federal safety funds.

💬 More In Freight News:

⬛️ Federal Raid Halts Hyundai Battery Plant Construction
⬛️ Trucking Jobs Drift Lower In August
⬛️ Sentenced In CDL Bribery Scheme
⬛️ Container Shipping Profits Slide In Q2

Federal Raid Halts Hyundai Battery Plant Construction 🚧 🚔

Federal agents detained 475 workers this week at Hyundai’s $7.6B EV battery complex near Savannah, marking the largest single-site enforcement operation in Homeland Security Investigations history. The Sept. 4 sweep followed a months-long probe into subcontractor hiring practices and brought construction to a standstill.

Workers found without legal authorization were turned over to ICE. Officials said the operation was meant to safeguard U.S. jobs and protect workers from exploitation. South Korea’s foreign ministry expressed regret after some of its citizens were detained and sent consular staff to Georgia.

Hyundai said none of those arrested were directly employed by the automaker and that production at its nearby EV assembly plant was unaffected. The plant, a joint venture with LG Energy Solution, is key to Georgia’s economic strategy and part of Hyundai’s broader $21B U.S. investment pledge.

Trucking Jobs Drift Lower in August 🚛

U.S. truck transportation employment dipped in August to 1.523 million jobs, down 900 from July and about 6,600 fewer than a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The sector has now trended slightly lower for five straight months, remaining well below its early 2022 peak.

While trucking jobs have been flat to declining, the broader transportation and warehousing sector hit 6.75 million positions, the second-highest on record. Growth is being driven by warehousing and delivery, which saw large upward revisions for June and July, pushing August warehouse employment to 1.83 million jobs.

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What Else Is Moving 🚚

Florida AG Targets Carrier Over Illegal U-Turn 🚨

At a Thursday press conference in Tampa, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced legal action tied to the Aug. 12 fatal semi-truck crash on the Florida Turnpike that killed three people.

Uthmeier said his office issued a criminal subpoena to White Hawk Carriers, the California-based employer of driver Harjinder Singh, and sent legal demands to California and Washington over their role in licensing him. Singh, accused of making an illegal U-turn that caused the crash, faces vehicular homicide and manslaughter charges in Florida and up to 90 years in prison before possible deportation.

The case has fueled wider scrutiny of state licensing practices. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that California, New Mexico, and Washington could lose 100% of federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding if they don’t enforce English language proficiency rules for CDL holders within 30 days.

FREIGHT SNIPPETS ✂️

🪪 Boston Man Sentenced in CDL Bribery Scheme | A Boston man was sentenced this week for conspiring with former Massachusetts State Police troopers to falsify CDL test results in exchange for bribes. Eric Mathison, 48, received one year and one day in prison plus three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in March to conspiracy to commit extortion. Prosecutors said Mathison arranged bribes of premium bottled water, energy drinks, and candy for former MSP Sergeant Gary Cederquist in exchange for false passing scores. Cederquist gave passing marks to 40 unqualified applicants, including drivers who failed or skipped parts of their CDL tests. He was convicted in May on multiple fraud and extortion charges and will be sentenced later this month. Read more.

🏛️ Family Sues After Angie Stone Crash | The children of R&B singer Angie Stone filed a wrongful death lawsuit after her fatal March crash on I-65 in Alabama. The suit names the van driver, trucking company, and Daimler/Detroit Diesel, alleging the truck’s collision avoidance system failed and the driver never braked. Read more.

🤝 Logistics Plus buys LoadDelivered | The Erie, PA–based 3PL acquired Chicago’s LoadDelivered Logistics for an undisclosed amount. LoadDelivered will keep its brand while joining the Logistics Plus brokerage division, boosting transportation management offerings for shippers. Read more.

💵 Trump Sets 15% Tariff On Japan | A new order makes “nearly all” Japanese imports subject to a 15% duty, retroactive to Aug. 7. Goods below 15% now get an added levy, while those already above are unchanged. Shippers can seek customs refunds through standard channels. Read more.

💡 Hitachi Energy To Invest $1B In U.S. Grid | Hitachi Energy will invest over $1B to expand U.S. grid manufacturing, highlighted by a $457M transformer plant in South Boston, VA—the largest of its kind in the country. The projects aim to meet rising demand from AI data centers and U.S. manufacturing, while creating thousands of jobs and strengthening energy security. Read more.

Pallets of News 🚛

DOJ Forms Trade Fraud Task Force to Enforce Tariffs 🥸

The Trump administration is escalating its trade enforcement efforts with the creation of a new Trade Fraud Task Force, unveiled by the Department of Justice.

The group will coordinate across DOJ, DHS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to investigate and prosecute companies or individuals attempting to evade U.S. tariffs.

The task force’s mandate is to pursue tariff dodging schemes such as undervaluing imports, misclassifying goods, or misrepresenting country of origin.

Container Shipping Profits Slide in Q2 📉

The global container shipping industry reported $4.4B in net income for Q2 2025, down 56% from Q1 and nearly 64% lower year-over-year, according to analyst John McCown. It’s the third straight quarterly decline after the sector’s surge during the Red Sea crisis.

McCown said even his $5B earnings forecast proved “too optimistic”, as U.S. tariffs and trade initiatives are cutting volumes through American ports. With U.S. trade lanes making up about one-third of global container miles, the slowdown is rippling across the industry.

MEME OF THE DAY 😂