Freight Friday! 👋 We’re starting the day with an interesting update from CargoNet’s Q1 2025 cargo theft report. While overall theft incidents have decreased by 7% year-over-year, the types of goods being targeted are shifting.

More on the changing landscape of cargo theft ahead 👇

💬 More in Freight:

⚫️ UNFI Hit By Cyberattack

⚫️ Cass Freight Index: Mixed Results In May

⚫️ B-1 Enforcement Is 'Resetting' Trucking Market

UNFI Hit By Cyberattack 💻

United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), a key distributor for Whole Foods, Cub Foods, and co-op grocers nationwide, was hit by a cyberattack last week that disrupted shipments and left some store shelves empty.

The company discovered “unauthorized activity” on its network June 5, prompting a shutdown of parts of its system. UNFI has since been working to restore ordering and receiving platforms, but stores have reported shortages in frozen foods, dairy, and other essentials. Whole Foods confirmed the disruption was tied to its supplier, UNFI.

Smaller grocers and co-ops have turned to alternative suppliers like Sysco, Amazon, and Walmart to keep shelves stocked.

UNFI is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts as the investigation continues. CEO Sandy Douglas said the company is gradually restoring operations and expects core systems to be back online by June 15, though full order volumes may take longer to stabilize.

The cyberattack adds to ongoing challenges for UNFI, which has recently undergone cost-cutting and layoffs. News of the incident sent its stock down as much as 17%, wiping out nearly $300 million in market value.

Cass Freight Index: Mixed May Results 🚨

The Cass Freight Index showed mixed trends in May. Shipments fell 0.4% month-over-month and 4% year-over-year, with seasonally adjusted volumes down 3.4% as pre-tariff inventory builds begin shifting toward destocking. After sharp growth in 2021 and 2022, shipments have now declined for three straight years and remain on pace for another drop in 2025.

Freight spending rose 1.4% month-over-month and 0.8% year-over-year, marking the second consecutive annual increase after over two years of declines. The increase in expenditures is being driven by higher rates, which rose 5% year-over-year, offsetting weaker volumes. A higher truckload (TL) mix and lower less-than-truckload (LTL) mix contributed to the rate growth.

The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, which isolates base rates excluding fuel and accessorials, fell 0.8% from April and is up just 0.6% year-over-year, signaling that truckload pricing momentum remains limited despite improving seasonality.

TOGETHER WITH ROSE ROCKET.

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What Else Is Moving 🚚

Q1 Freight Theft Trends 📊

CargoNet’s Q1 2025 cargo theft report shows a continued drop in overall incidents but a shift in what thieves are targeting.

The U.S. and Canada reported 787 cargo thefts in Q1 — down 7% year-over-year and 8% from Q4 2024. Despite fewer cases, stolen goods totaled $63.3 million, with the average loss at $237,095. Direct theft incidents rose by 29%, while identity fraud cases dropped 44%. Thieves are increasingly targeting essential goods, with major spikes in food (meat theft up 242%, beverages up 65%-94%) and copper (up 85% amid high prices).

California remains the top state for theft (249 cases), though incidents there are down 21% year-over-year. Texas held second place with 89 thefts. Fridays continue to be the most active day for thefts, accounting for 21% of cases as criminals take advantage of weekend delays in reporting.

CargoNet notes fraud tactics are evolving, with more thieves using business email compromise (BEC) schemes to intercept loads. This makes fraud harder to detect compared to traditional identity theft. Equipment thefts also surged, with 135 tractors (up 38%) and 204 trailers (up 39%) stolen.

CargoNet’s VP of Operations Keith Lewis said while overall thefts are down, the shift to higher-value and essential commodities requires ongoing vigilance.

FREIGHT SNIPPETS ✂️

🐄 B-1 Enforcement 'Resetting' Trucking Market? | At the Wells Fargo Industrials & Materials Conference, Schneider CEO Mark Rourke and J.B. Hunt COO Nick Hobbs said tighter cabotage enforcement could help stabilize trucking supply and demand. Both cited misuse of B-1 visas—meant for cross-border trips but often abused for domestic freight—as a factor keeping capacity elevated. “There’s a lot of noise starting to spark about cabotage, and that’s a big driver of cheap rates,” Hobbs said. Rourke added that recent enforcement at the southern border has already slowed the flow of foreign carriers, tightening capacity, especially in the Southwest and Southeast. Both also noted that upcoming English-language proficiency checks could further limit supply. Hobbs said he’s seeing early signs the market is nearing balance. Read more.

🌊 Import Surge Expected | U.S. ports are bracing for a summer import surge as retailers rush to bring in goods during a 90-day China tariff reprieve, according to the Global Port Tracker. After slowing shipments in April to avoid higher duties, importers resumed orders in late May ahead of the July and August deadline. Despite the rebound, volumes remain below 2024 levels. June imports are forecast at 2.01M TEUs (down 6.2% YoY), July at 2.13M TEUs (down 8.1%), and August at 1.98M TEUs (down 14.7%). September could see the steepest drop, down 21.8% YoY. Total H1 2025 imports are projected at 12.54M TEUs, up 3.7% YoY but still below earlier forecasts. Read more.

❌ Cloudflare Outage | A widespread tech outage hit multiple major platforms on Thursday, affecting Amazon Web Services, Google, OpenAI, Spotify, and others, according to CBS News. Tens of thousands of users reported issues on Downdetector.com, with outages spiking around 2 p.m. EST. Cloudflare, which supports many impacted companies, confirmed intermittent service failures and began seeing partial recovery by 3:12 p.m. EST. The outage was traced to Google Cloud, which affected some Cloudflare services but not its core systems. Spotify was hit hardest, with 46,000 outage reports. Other affected platforms included Discord, Google Meet, Snapchat, YouTube, Etsy, UPS, Paramount+, Shopify, Verizon, and more. Read more.

TOGETHER WITH CARRIERSOURCE.

Melton Truck Lines: Review Of The Week 🏆

This week, we spotlight Melton Truck Lines, a leader in the flatbed trucking industry with over 70 years of experience. Based in Tulsa, OK, Melton is known for its expansive fleet of modern, safe, and meticulously maintained equipment, offering reliable, award-winning transportation services across North America.

Serving over 5,000 customers with a remarkable 98% on-time pick-up and delivery rate, Melton operates across the U.S. and Canada. With more than 40 years of experience in cross-border shipping, they are one of the most dependable international flatbed carriers in the industry. Melton Truck Lines has terminals in Laredo, TX, El Paso, TX, Masury, OH, and Birmingham, AL.

Melton has earned a 4.8/5 rating on CarrierSource from 9 reviews. 

DOT Number: 34666
Headquarters: Tulsa, OK
Fleet Size: 1424

🔋 PepsiCo Expected Fuel Savings | PepsiCo expects to save nearly $1 million in fuel costs by using daytime charging for its fleet of 50 semitrucks at its Fresno, California, bottling plant, according to an April 28 press release. The savings come through Pacific Gas and Electric’s Flex Connect program, which also boosted the site’s charging capacity from 3 megawatts to 4.5 megawatts. Without Flex Connect, PepsiCo would be limited to charging only overnight from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., said Dejan Antunovic, the company’s electrification program manager. Read more.

🚛 Freight Only Bridge Approved | President Trump has approved a privately funded project to build and operate an elevated guideway crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas. The Green Corridors project will connect inland terminals near Monterrey to I-35 in Texas, aiming to reduce truck congestion, cut wait times, and improve cross-border efficiency. No public funds will be used. The private group will build and maintain inspection facilities for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, though the government is not obligated to provide specific staffing or service levels. Read more.

🇲🇽 U.S. & Mexico Tariffs | The U.S. and Mexico are close to reaching a deal that would lift President Donald Trump’s 50% steel tariffs on Mexican imports up to a set volume, according to sources familiar with the talks. The potential agreement would update a similar arrangement made during Trump’s first term. Read more.

Pallets of News 🚛

Pharr Makes Multiple Busts 🚨

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility made two major drug seizures in recent weeks, uncovering millions of dollars’ worth of narcotics hidden in commercial shipments arriving from Mexico.

In the first incident on May 30, officers intercepted a tractor unit operated by a 39-year-old Mexican citizen driving without a trailer. After detecting anomalies during a non-intrusive imaging scan, a full search uncovered 40 packages of cocaine weighing 96 pounds, valued at $740,000. The driver, a resident of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, was arrested, and Homeland Security Investigations continues to lead the case.

Just days later, on June 10, officers seized nearly $6.7 million worth of methamphetamine concealed inside a shipment of tomatillos. After referring the tractor-trailer for further inspection, officers deployed non-intrusive imaging and a canine team, which led to the discovery of 166 packages of meth weighing 754 pounds.

“The cargo environment remains a prime target for traffickers, but our officers and technology are a strong deterrent,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez.

MEME OF THE DAY 😂