Happy Good Friday. A major scam is cropping up on Amazon Relay involving phishing, stolen identities, and unpaid carriers. Also in the news: the ripple effects of the Port of Baltimore closure, Yellow Corp's $7.8 billion pension turmoil, and sentencing in a trucking company payroll fraud case.
Today's Newsletter is Brought to You by Turvo.
TOP LANE MOVERS POWERED BY GREENSCREENS.AI
*Greenscreens.ai, forecasts real-time truckload buy prices that are suited to each freight brokerage's purchasing power using AI and machine learning. Its engine takes into account over 130 attributes and data points in each rate forecast.
🐔 WHAT’S COOKIN’ IN FREIGHT
In addition to colossal insurance payouts, the Baltimore bridge collapse will send ripple effects to several key exporter states.
🚢 Port of Baltimore Closure Ripples Across States. When the Francis Scott Key Bridge went down, it sent shockwaves across several states, hitting exports hard. Supply Chain Professor Jason Miller charts the impact. Leading in exports through Baltimore is Wisconsin, with over $4.4 billion in transportation. Iowa and Pennsylvania are not far behind, pushing out machinery and mining goods. In total, we're looking at $15.5 billion worth of exports being impacted. The closure's thrown a wrench in the works for mid-Atlantic truckers. There's a domino effect in our transport networks, turning what's usually a smooth operation into a logistical puzzle. As the dust settles, everyone's bracing for the long haul, looking for smart fixes to keep goods moving without missing a beat.
⚖️ Yellow's $7.8 Billion Pension Dispute. Yellow Corp's legal saga unravels with a $7.8 billion pension dispute and a tossed $137 million lawsuit against the Teamsters. Caught in a whirlwind, Yellow sought bankruptcy court to tackle its pension fund claims, steering clear of arbitration. The judge's ruling keeps the case in court, inviting a wide audience to weigh in. Meanwhile, the Teamsters fended off Yellow's breach of contract accusation earlier this week. With an August trial looming, this legal showdown could potentially set a new precedent for pension obligations in bankruptcy.
🚔 $1.4M Trucking Company Payroll Fraud Case. Veronica Rios, an administrative assistant at Texas Chrome Transport and MJR Truck Lines, spearheaded a bold payroll fraud operation that cost the companies a total of $1.4 million. From 2017 to 2020, Rios exploited her position to overpay employees in return for kickbacks, even adding phantom workers to the payroll, resulting in overpayments ranging from over $140,000 to more than $424,000. The scheme, which involved six co-defendants receiving probation through plea deals, relied on interstate wire communications, bringing the case to federal court. Rios's actions have earned her a 63-month prison sentence, that's around five years.
TOGETHER WITH TURVO
Invite your shippers, carriers, and partners on to your Turvo Network to share, communicate, and solve supply chain issues in real time. Turvo’s unique collaboration technology unifies people, processes, and data, bringing together everyone involved in a shipment for 100% visibility, better on-time deliveries, and a superior customer experience.
Join companies of all sizes using Turvo’s TMS Platform, Mobile App, and the most popular Driver App in the industry. Ask For A Turvo Demo Here.
Amazon Relay Scam
Carriers want answers from Amazon about the increase in scams originating from Amazon Relay. Amazon Relay allows truck drivers and carriers to book loads directly through Amazon, offering a seamless connection to a wealth of freight opportunities. However, this platform has also become a fertile ground for scammers looking to exploit the system.
Here's What's Happening
The Setup: Fraudulent entities create shell companies and secure Amazon Relay accounts to access power-only loads. They then target brokers with phishing emails, directing them to fake DAT login pages to capture their credentials.
The Execution: Armed with these credentials, scammers pose as the brokers on DAT, redirecting carriers to scam-controlled email addresses.
The Impact: Unwitting carriers fulfill these loads, only to find themselves uncompensated as scammers siphon off the fees.
Key Stats and Trends
Increase in scam loads: Reports of scam loads appear almost weekly, according to truckers.
Identity theft: Scammers steal brokers' identities by phishing for DAT credentials.
Financial losses: Carriers end up running loads for free, while scammers pocket the payments.
Protect Your Business
Verify Communications: Always confirm the authenticity of emails and links.
Guard Sensitive Information: Be cautious about sharing personal or business data.
Looking Forward
Let's face it: these Amazon Relay scams aren't going away anytime soon. That means we all need to step up our game when it comes to security and staying sharp. As tech gets smarter, so do the scammers.
It's clear we've got to work together more—yes, that means everyone from the big guys at Amazon to the experts who know all about cyber schemes. We can build a more secure freight community by building stronger shields and sharing what we know.
TextLocate makes it easy for brokers to communicate directly with drivers via SMS-based text messaging—no app to download—without having to use personal communication devices. Features like 2-way text chat, one-time location updates, and image capture (think BOLs and PODs) all inside a simple dashboard give brokers the quick updates they need to make better decisions about freight. Instead of wasting time calling drivers, brokers simply automate the process through TextLocate and save hours at very little cost investment.
AROUND THE FREIGHT WEB
🦅 Eagle Escape. A trucker became an unexpected bird rescuer in South Dakota, giving an eagleshelter after finding it injured by another semi. After regaining its strength, the bird flew free around the cab, prompting a call to police.
🍓 Produce Season Primer. As spring nears, freight brokers and truckers brace for the produce season's impact on volume, capacity, and pricing. Here's what you need to know.
📦 Supply Chain Alert. The U.S. is set to expand its import ban list over forced labor concerns, impacting carriers with ties to electronics and apparel from China's Xinjiang region.
🏒 Recovered Goods. After a mysterious disappearance, the Penguins have successfully recovered stolen Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads. The culprits were not identified.
🚚 Dangling Sysco Truck Update. A pickup driver faces charges after causing a crash that left a semi-truck dangling over the Ohio River. Charges include operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and wanton endangerment.
🤖 AI in Freight. Garrett Allen, Co-Founder of Loadpartner, was a guest on the Everything is Logistics Podcast. He shared his insights on AI in Freight, from preparation for businesses to addressing job concerns.
🎣 FREIGHT CAVIAR TECHNOLOGIES
FreightCaviar Technologies is launching a shipper database & CRM for freight brokers called ShipperCRM. We've been relatively quiet about the project since October 2022, but are now ready to share with you something truly special.
Join us on April 9th as we unveil ShipperCRM 2.0. Head over to ShipperCRM.com to learn more.
FREIGHT MEME OF THE DAY
Also, check out:
🎧 The FreightCaviar Podcast. Listen to this week's podcast on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
🎧 The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics is a podcast that highlights and inspires supply chain entrepreneurs, sharing their stories and building a community from the ground up.
Want to get your brand noticed by freight brokers? FreightCaviar can help. Work with us to get your services featured in our newsletter, podcast, and more. Plus, we write great articles about what you do. Get in touch with Paul at pbj@freightcaviar.com to learn more.
I’m Adriana, a writer and editor at FreightCaviar. I’ve covered everything from freight tech to industry lawsuits and market shifts, helping scale us to almost 14K subscribers. My goal: to make logistics stories digestible, clear, and fun to read.
Keep up with the freight broker world in 5 minutes.
Join over 14K+ subscribers to get the latest freight news and entertainment directly in your inbox for free. Subscribe & be sure to check your inbox to confirm (and your spam folder just in case).
