Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026:
Charger Logistics partners with Kodiak for autonomous hauls
Kodiak and Charger completed their first delivery on Sept. 8, 2026.Kodiak AI
Autonomous trucking company Kodiak AI and Charger Logistics (CCJ Top 250, No. 171) recently announced a collaboration for autonomous freight delivery.
Through the collaboration, trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak's autonomous driving system, are hauling refrigerated and dry freight for consumer packaged goods and food and beverage customers on the 435-mile lane between Charger’s terminals in Dallas and Laredo, Texas.
Currently, the companies are operating with a safety driver behind the wheel with the intent to transition the lane to driverless operations once Kodiak completes its safety case.
This collaboration marks Kodiak’s first route serving Laredo, the highest-volume commercial land port of entry in the United States.
"Autonomy lets us build a network that serves both our customers and our drivers," said Andy Khera, President, Charger USA. "Combining our in-house TMS, managed transportation, and the Kodiak Driver creates a nearly fully automated ecosystem that gives our customers long-term capacity continuity through changing labor markets and freight demand, while bringing our drivers home every night."
[Related: Kodiak aims for late-2026 launch of long-haul driverless trucks]
Charger operates across North America as an asset-based carrier, with temperature-controlled transport freight among its core service lines. The companies expect to expand the collaboration to additional lanes in Charger’s network over time as Charger integrates the Kodiak Driver into its own fleet.
"Charger came to us knowing what they wanted from autonomy and what they need to see before scaling it," said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak. "That clarity makes for a strong collaboration. The Dallas–Laredo lane extends the Kodiak Driver into a new corridor, and gives both companies the operating foundation we need to scale driverless service."
Kodiak plans to launch long-haul driverless service by the end of 2026.
Earlier this year, Charger announced an agreement with autonomous truck developer Aurora for autonomous hauls on the same lane of Dallas to Laredo.
[Related: Charger Logistics deploying Aurora driverless trucks in Texas]
FMCSA, other enforcement officials issue 122 OOS violations in North Dakota
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration inspectors recently partnered with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies for a commercial vehicle safety operation in Williston, North Dakota.
The collaboration resulted in:
- 109 inspections, including 20 hazardous materials checks
- 494 total violations
- 122 out-of-service violations
- 47 enforcement actions, including 27 citations and 20 warnings
FMCSA conducted the operation in partnership with the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Watford City Police Department, and the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office.
USPS contractor guilty of fraud
Khayyam Arif Oglu Farajov, 40, an Azerbaijani national, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain payments from the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Farajov faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Farajov owned and operated Talishco LLC, a trucking and freight brokerage company in Orlando, Florida. In May 2022, Farajov enrolled Talishco in the USPS “Freight Auction” program to transport bulk mail for the USPS. Between June 2022 and January 2023, Farajov bid on and was awarded hundreds of contracts to transport mail across the country on behalf of the USPS.
After being awarded the contracts, Farajov routinely and intentionally did not send trucks to do the work. When USPS staff asked where the trucks were, he made false excuses, such as claiming he had lost contact with his drivers or that they were running behind schedule, which forced the USPS to reassign the work to other carriers.
Farajov then went back into the platform and exploited the system by falsely marking the loads as delivered and triggering payment from USPS even though he had not performed the contracted routes.
Farajov fraudulently obtained more than $1 million from this scheme. After he received the funds, he funneled them through a series of bank accounts belonging to shell companies he owned. After reconsolidating the fraud proceeds into two personal investment brokerage accounts, Farajov invested the fraud proceeds in the stock market for his personal enrichment.
The United States traced the fraud proceeds and seized the contents of Farajov’s brokerage accounts. Farajov has agreed to forfeit the seized brokerage accounts and pay an additional $993,979 in restitution to the USPS.
Medium-duty Freightliners recalled over fire risk
Approximately 24 Freightliner Business Class M2 vehicles are being recalled due to an issue in which the underbody insulation may contact hot exhaust components, potentially increasing the risk of fire.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents, the recall affects model year 2025-2027 units equipped with a specific configuration of gasoline engine and underbody insulation.
The remedy is currently under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Nov. 30. Owners can contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 with recall number F1041. NHTSA’s recall number is 26V-635.
