Eric Bratton
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Samsung’s $186 Million Freight Dispute: Who Funds Cargo Release?
Samsung’s complaint and CMA CGM’s response put inland responsibility, rail-storage payment and shipment evidence at the center of a consequential freight dispute.
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FMCSA Lets Driverless Trucks Replace Roadside Triangles—What Shippers Must Verify Before Tender
FMCSA’s five-year exemption lets qualifying Level 4 carriers use cab-mounted warning beacons instead of roadside triangles. Shippers still need to verify lane eligibility, cargo recovery, contract responsibility and performance evidence.
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The 2027 Freight Plan Starts Now: Protect Service, Challenge Cost and Preserve Options
A year-end planning guide for supply-chain and transportation leaders: defend the budget, secure the deliveries that matter and build a network that can adapt through 2027. By Eric Bratton, Founder…
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Intermodal Shipping: A Shipper’s Guide to Lower Delivered Cost and Reliable Service
A shipper’s quick reference to intermodal lane selection, delivered-cost savings, pricing negotiations and reliable service—from individual loads to enterprise transportation networks.
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Freight Consolidation: What Could Shippers Gain—and Give Up?
The proposed C.H. Robinson–RXO combination raises a practical question: what can scale improve, and what might fewer independent options cost? FIR weighs both sides and outlines how shippers, brokers and…
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Q4 Freight Demand Is Splitting by Industry—Higher Shipment Dollars Don’t Guarantee More Loads
Updated industry shipment totals reveal an uneven freight picture. FIR separates dollar growth from physical production and identifies the signals that should guide Q4 capacity commitments.
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Fake MOTUS Portals Are Turning Registration Updates Into Credential-Theft Traps
FMCSA warns of fake MOTUS registration portals. FIR explains the credential, identity and freight-release controls carriers, brokers and shippers should use.
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The G7’s 100-Million-Barrel Fuel Release Starts a 20-Day Delivery Test for Freight
The G7’s 100-million-barrel program includes a substantial diesel release in the first 20 days. Freight savings remain conditional on delivered product, regional availability and the benchmark written into the contract.
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FedEx Supply Chain Has a New Owner—What CMA CGM’s $1.4 Billion Deal Means for Shippers
The sale expands CEVA’s North American warehouse network and pairs FedEx and CMA CGM in ocean and planned air agreements. Customers should separate potential coordination gains from the contract, carrier-choice…