FreightWaves Today | September 11

Julie Van de Kamp (0:00)

That's it, I can't see.

I am Julie Van de Kamp. Joined today by Malcolm Harris. It's going to be a great show. We have National Funding Founder and CEO, Dave Gilbert, to talk about why a full order book doesn't always mean our trucking business is ready to expand. We also have the COO of ServiceUp, Andy Klobnock, talking about how his company is untangling one of fleet management's biggest headaches and getting vehicles repaired without the paperwork chaos. So, lots going on, a great lineup today, and so happy to have you here, Malcolm.

Malcolm Harris (0:54)

Happy to be here. It's been quite the week here on FreightWaves Today. We had, of course, myself and Zach Strickland yesterday, then of course, us on Wednesday. It's been a fun time, a lot of great conversations, and today heading into the weekend is going to be no different.

Julie Van de Kamp (1:07)

Yeah, it's going to be great. We've got a great lineup for next week as well. We are going to be traveling a bit in the beginning of the week. We have an event in New York that we will be hosting, and then we'll be back for the normal show, the back half of the week with a great guest lineup. So, lots going on at FreightWaves and Sonar.

Lots happening in the market as well. Or not a lot happening in the market. It's kind of a little bit of the slow summer doldrums early fall still when it comes to what's happening with Freight.

Malcolm Harris (1:35)

For sure. I think to your point that you mentioned earlier in the week, just you can't really get a good snapshot of everything post-labor day until you get like an actual sample size of data to refer to. So, I think we'll see some, how do I want to say this? I guess a proper alignment and movement next week as we have more data to look at.

Julie Van de Kamp (1:55)

We'll see. I hope so.

Malcolm Harris (1:56)

So, I hope to see everybody at F3, for those that are not there. I know we're going to keep plugging in, but the future of Freight Festival October 27th and the 28th is going to be a fantastic time. We spoke on it a little bit on What The Truck?! earlier and throughout the duration of the week here, but tickets are on sale. It is going to be one of the best events of the year. So, make sure that you are visiting us here in the heart of the scenic city here in Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 27th, as well as the 28th at The Signal. I'm excited for this.

Most importantly, I'm excited for the Morning Minute. Three great stories. Let's get to them now.

Julie Van de Kamp (2:31)

We kick things off with a severe warning from the Teamsters Union to United Parcel Service. Brace for a strike when their contract expires in 2028 Teamsters President Sean O'Brien has put UPS and its 330,000 unionized drivers and package handlers on notice through a series of union podcasts. He's declaring that rank and file members will walk out if the company doesn't meet demands for even better terms than the current agreement. Among the key strike triggers are expected attempts to roll back health and pension benefits, automation and deployment of autonomous trucks, and alleged outsourcing of last mile delivery to non-union subsidiaries like Roadie. O'Brien has been blunt about his pessimism, stating, I am not optimistic of coming to a tentative agreement without striking UPS.

Over at the ports, construction is officially underway on Delaware's largest ever maritime infrastructure project. It's a massive $669 million container terminal along the Delaware River. The Delaware container terminal, sited on 137 acres of former DuPont industrial land in Edgemore, began major construction in 2026 after federal dredging and seawall permits were reissued in April. The facility is designed to handle 1.2 million 20-foot equivalent units per year, served by 2,700 feet of key, 7 ship-to-shore gantry cranes, and 26 rubber-tired gantry cranes. The terminal will feature a 45-foot birth depth capable of accommodating post-Panamax vessels of up to 16,000 TEUs, positioning it among the top tier of East Coast terminals. State officials project the terminal will create nearly 6,000 new jobs once fully operational. The first waterside phase is targeted for completion by the end of 2028 with first containers potentially moving through by late that year. Finally, 25 people in China were killed after a cargo ship that was undergoing repairs caught fire. The fire broke out Thursday morning at about 11:15 AM and put out around 2.3 that afternoon according to Chinese state media. The vessel identified as the Liberia-flagged Dry Bulk Carrier Ocean Melody, had 42 people on board at the time of the incident. Twelve individuals were evacuated safely and five were injured and taken to hospital in stable condition while the remaining 25 were later found dead. The 20-year-old Ocean Melody had arrived at the Qingdao Shipyard on August 31st for repair and inspection when the fire erupted. The cause of the fire remained unclear as of Thursday evening, with authorities saying an investigation was underway.