Carriers take the big brokers to court

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Author

Reed Loustalot
October 02, 2026

TRUCK PARKING CLUB

Friday Bulletin • October 2, 2026

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The Big Thing

Six Carriers Just Took the Big Brokers to Court

Every owner-operator has looked at a rate on the load board and wondered how anybody hauls it for that. Six family-owned fleets think they know the answer, and they put it in a federal lawsuit.

On September 23, Stevens Trucking, Western Flyer Express, Freymiller, IWX Motor Freight, Christenson Transportation, and E.O.S. sued C.H. Robinson and Total Quality Logistics, two of the largest freight brokers in the country, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The case is built on RICO, the federal racketeering law, with counts tied to wire fraud and forced labor, plus a false advertising claim.

The core allegation is simple. The carriers say the brokers knowingly handed freight to illegal operators: chameleon carriers that shut down under a bad safety record and reopen under a new DOT number, run drivers past their hours, manipulate logs, and carry too little insurance. At the same time, the suit says, the brokers told shippers that freight was moving on safe, compliant trucks. Legitimate fleets could not match those rates. The plaintiffs say they were priced out of freight moving from Graphic Packaging International's mill in Texarkana. One carrier says it was undercut by at least 15%, and the complaint claims broker margins grew from 5% to 8% before 2021 to 15% to 20% today. They are seeking damages for lost contracts, lost profits, and lost market share.

The brokers tell a different story. C.H. Robinson said it rejects the allegations and their "fundamental inaccuracies about how the freight market actually works," that every carrier it uses is federally authorized and insured, and that "no freight broker sets rates. The marketplace does." TQL had not commented publicly. None of the claims have been proven, and civil RICO cases are hard to win. The carriers have to show a pattern of racketeering and that it directly cost them business. If they clear that bar, the law allows triple damages.

What this means for you. The case puts a name on something compliant carriers have complained about for years: rates getting set by whoever is willing to cut the most corners. However the court rules, the same question is already moving in Washington. FMCSA sent its broker transparency rule to the White House for review on August 27. It would require brokers to keep electronic records of every transaction, including charges and payments, and hand them to the carrier or shipper within 48 hours of a request. The rule already missed target dates in May and July, and the White House review can take up to 90 days before it is published for public comment.

Two fronts are open now: a courtroom in Texas and a rulebook in Washington. Both come down to the same thing, who gets paid for the miles you run.

Read more: Land Line | CDLLife | Métier Law

Mile Markers

Where the numbers landed this week.

Diesel: $6.382/gal, down 14.7 cents and off last week's record of $6.529. It still sits about $2.63 above where it was a year ago. (EIA)

Spot rates (all-in, national average): Van $3.01, Reefer $3.63, Flatbed $3.60 per mile, each up 4 to 5 cents on the week. Linehaul held flat to a penny or two lower, so fuel surcharges drove the whole gain. Linehaul is still running 28% to 36% above a year ago. (DAT)

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News

Carriers Are Raising Driver Pay. Three fleets moved on pay in the same stretch. Anderson Trucking Service raised company flatbed drivers 16.7%, from 60 to 70 cents a mile, effective September 21. Roehl Transport's raise takes effect October 4 and puts its top earners over $100,000 a year. Nussbaum lifted activity, detention, and relay pay across the board. They follow earlier 2026 raises at Averitt, Maverick, and Melton. Tight capacity and firmer rates are finally showing up in driver paychecks. Read more on Heavy Duty Trucking

Freight's Long Slump Just Ended. The Cass Freight Index shipments reading rose 2.1% from a year earlier in August, its first annual gain since January 2023 and the end of a 42-month downturn, the longest on record. Cass's Truckload Linehaul Index jumped 11.3% year over year, its biggest move since June 2022. More freight moving and firmer rates mean the floor under your week is finally lifting. Read more on Cass Information Systems

Fleets Are Buying Ahead of the 2027 Engines. August Class 8 truck orders came in around 18,200 units, up about 31% from a year ago even as they eased from July, according to ACT Research. Carriers are ordering now to get in front of the pricier, cleaner engines the EPA requires starting in 2027. Translation: a lot of new iron is headed for the road, and the trucks sharing your lot are about to get newer. Read more on Transport Topics

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