This week’s closing Green Deals edition is packed with some great Early Black Friday savings, starting with the freshly launched Bluetti holiday lineup, which includes the new Apex 200 2,560Wh Power Station that just hit the market with an exclusive $1,044 starting price. That’s not all, as we also have Jackery’s early Black Friday offers, too. There’s also Velotric’s best prices of the year, with a bunch of first-time discounts, like the 2026 Discover 3 Ultimate Comfort Commuter e-bike with a FREE $136 bundle at $1,899 + more from $1,199, as well as a spotlight on Segway’s F3 Electric Scooter at its $650 annual low. You’ll also find Worx’s 40V 20-inch cordless snow thrower, AeroGarden’s Trio grow light, and more – plus, all the deals from across this week at the bottom of the page, including yesterday’s EcoFlow DELTA Gen4 power station launch deals, the full Lectric Black Friday Sale lineup, and more. Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories. more…
PS Logistics announced it has acquired peer Roane Transportation Services and its affiliates, adding 189 power units to its flatbed network. PS Logistics subsidiary, Loudon County Trucking, was the buyer in the transaction. The deal also included Roane’s logistics and leasing operations. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Rockwood, Tennessee-based Roane transports building materials and electrical products across the Southeast and Midwest U.S. through a network of more than 170 company and third-party drivers. The company’s physical locations include the Rockwood headquarters and terminals in Memphis, Tennessee, and El Paso, Texas. Roane Logistics provides warehousing and freight brokerage services. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); “The acquisition of Roane Transportation strengthens PS Logistics’ presence in East Tennessee, expanding our footprint in a region that is critical to the aluminum manufacturing sector and enhancing our ability to support both existing and new customers,” said Houston Vaughn, president of PS Logistics’ trucking division. Roane will continue to operate under its current banner as a division of Loudon County Trucking. Steve Kennedy, co-founder of Roane, will continue to lead the day-to-day operations. “For our team and customers, it means we keep the local leadership, culture, and service you know, while gaining the resources and scale to invest further in our people and operations,” Kennedy said. Subsectors within the flatbed market, like data center construction, have performed strongly this year. Freight broker Landstar System (NASDAQ: LSTR) noted outsized heavy-haul demand when it reported third-quarter results last week. Its flatbed business grew 34% year over year in the period as loads increased 4% and revenue per load jumped 29%. Birmingham, Alabama-based PS Logistics provides asset-based transportation and non-asset offerings like brokerage, third-party logistics and managed transportation. It operates a fleet of more than 5,000 trucks and 9,800 trailers out of 65 locations across the Eastern U.S. The company has been rolling up family-owned flatbed trucking and logistics businesses since 2016. Those deals include 32 trucking companies and five non-asset logistics businesses. It acquired fellow Birmingham-based carrier Buddy Moore Trucking and its more than 500 power units two years ago. Shortly after, it acquired the flatbed fleet (90 tractors and over 240 over-length trailers) of Kenly, North Carolina-based ELS. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot3', [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); Why it matters? This deal highlights the ongoing consolidation in trucking through major carriers like PS Logistics, which continues its strategic rollups by expanding into key regions. Additionally, it underscores strong market demand and performance across specialized flatbed subsectors, such as data center construction. More FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden: Higher shipment weights help ArcBest beat Q3 expectations Peak season inventory surge bolsters TL carriers’ double-digit rate ask Pamt Corp. reports Q3 net loss, books 109.1% truckload OR The post PS Logistics expands Tennessee flatbed presence with Roane acquisition appeared first on FreightWaves.
A tractor-trailer hauling leeks concealed more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine as it approached the Texas border. Federal officers discovered 909 packages of suspected narcotics during an Oct. 30 inspection of a commercial truck entering South Texas. The drugs carried an estimated street value of $984,063. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the seizure Nov. 2 as part of Operation Southern Surge. A similar leek shipment concealed $10.75 million in methamphetamine during an August inspection at the Pharr International Bridge in Pharr, Texas. A canine alerted CBP officers during the commercial truck’s inspection at the South Texas border. Inspectors searched the shipment of leeks and uncovered cylindrical bundles concealed among the produce. Testing confirmed the substance as methamphetamine, weighing approximately 1,082 pounds. Another Texas border inspection uncovered nearly $15 million in methamphetamine hidden inside a celery shipment in August. Federal operation targets border smuggling CBP detailed the seizure during a Nov. 2 news conference in Laredo, Texas. Officials connected the discovery to Operation Southern Surge, which began Oct. 19. The initiative expanded enforcement resources across several South Texas crossings. Additional personnel, canine teams and screening technology supported efforts to identify suspected smuggling activity. As of Nov. 2, CBP reported 89 arrests and more than 1,600 pounds of narcotics seized under Operation Southern Surge. Authorities also reported seizing 15 firearms, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition and over $360,000 in illicit currency. Weeks earlier, CBP seized $30.4 million in suspected methamphetamine from a commercial salt shipment at Laredo’s World Trade Bridge. The latest seizure carried an estimated street value of approximately $909 per pound. By comparison, October’s Laredo salt shipment carried a reported value of approximately $8,952 per pound. The August leek shipment in Pharr, Texas, had a similar valuation of approximately $8,923 per pound. CBP previously explained to FreightWaves that estimated street values can vary by geographic market. However, CBP has not explained why two leek shipments intercepted in South Texas carried estimated methamphetamine values differing nearly tenfold per pound. Questions remain about the trucking operation Federal authorities have not publicly identified the carrier responsible for transporting the freight. CBP has not disclosed the driver’s identity or confirmed whether anyone faced arrest. Investigators also have not identified the intended delivery destination or announced criminal charges connected to this particular truck. Officials have provided no public indication that the transportation company knew about the concealed contraband. FreightWaves contacted CBP requesting additional details about the shipment, driver and trucking company but had not received a response by publication. Why it matters Commercial trucks routinely transport agricultural products across international borders, creating opportunities for criminals to conceal contraband within legitimate freight. This seizure underscores the importance of cargo security, documented custody and accountability throughout transportation operations. Click here for more articles on cargo theft and freight fraud by Phil Brink. $500,000 SIG Sauer shipment stolen in fictitious pickup, two arrested in California – FreightWaves Stolen shoes on eBay lead police to $1 million in missing BNSF train cargo – FreightWaves Police recover $54K in Hot Wheels after BNSF freight train burglary in California – FreightWav The post CBP seizes 1,000-plus pounds of meth in produce truck at Texas border appeared first on FreightWaves.
Fleetworthy is adding AI-powered capabilities to its fleet management platform, giving customers new tools to monitor toll activity, identify spending trends and receive recommendations without manually reviewing reports. The new technology, called RADAR (Real-time AI, Decisioning and Automated Resolution), is embedded directly into the company’s existing software rather than offered as a standalone chatbot or analytics product. RADAR is initially launching exclusively within Fleetworthy’s Toll Management product, with general availability for Toll Management customers expected in the first quarter of 2027. The company also plans to introduce RADAR capabilities in its safety and compliance and weigh station bypass products, with beta versions expected around the same time. Fleetworthy announced the new technology at its roadshow in Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 4. Fleetworthy developed RADAR to help fleet managers identify operational issues, including toll leakage and problems that could keep vehicles or drivers off the road, Chief Product Officer Shay Demmons said. Toll leakage can include discrepancies between what a fleet should have paid and what it was actually charged, such as higher plate-based toll costs. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); The launch comes as trucking companies face rising operating expenses. The average cost of operating a truck reached $2.336 per mile in 2025, up 3.4% from the previous year, while toll expenses increased 13.2%, according to the American Transportation Research Institute. RADAR allows fleet managers to ask questions about their toll activity, including why a particular charge appeared or how a transponder is performing. RADAR does not use information from other Fleetworthy customers to generate industry benchmarks. Instead, its answers and insights are based exclusively on each customer’s own data, giving fleet managers a view of their individual toll activity, spending trends and potential opportunities for improvement. The platform uses a commercial large language model to explain results in plain language. However, the AI model does not generate the underlying figures. Those calculations come from defined queries against the customer’s Fleetworthy data, which the company said are auditable. The technology also displays fleet-specific insights on the platform’s dashboard, highlighting toll anomalies, spending trends and potential cost-saving opportunities. It can recommend next steps based on those findings, while fleet managers retain control over operational decisions. Because RADAR draws on information from customers’ Fleetworthy accounts, the company said it takes steps to protect confidential customer information from being shared with other users. “We’re doing all the things necessary to make sure that we’re not exposing any confidential information that shouldn’t be shared with someone else,” Fleetworthy President Mike Precia said. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot3', [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); Fleetworthy has already tested RADAR with several customers, incorporating their feedback into the product’s development. “They’ve been able to quickly identify toll leakage that otherwise was difficult to find,” Demmons said. Customers have also used RADAR to identify trucks without transponders and locate transponder information without searching through reports, he noted. Fleetworthy didn’t disclose the specific companies who have tested the new technology. If a response is inaccurate or conflicts with fleet’s records, the company recommends contacting its customer support team for assistance. Moreover, while RADAR is a significant step in Fleetworthy’s incorporation of AI into their systems, the company views the tool as something that supports human decision making, not replace it. “AI from our perspective is we believe we want it to be human centered, meaning it’s not a black box,” Demmons said. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot4', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0'); }); Fleetworthy’s broader AI strategy RADAR is part of a broader effort by Fleetworthy to incorporate artificial intelligence across its fleet management platform. The company began building its AI capabilities about 18 months ago, establishing a dedicated department to explore how the technology could address operational challenges for its customers. That effort has included investments in the company’s underlying data infrastructure, connecting information across its products to support the development of AI tools. Precia said Fleetworthy sees opportunities to use AI to help customers identify inefficiencies, understand fleet performance and make better operational decisions. The company also plans to eventually expand RADAR beyond surfacing insights and recommendations to helping customers resolve operational issues through guided workflows. Those capabilities would allow fleet managers to investigate a problem, review its potential impact and receive guidance on how to address it. “We don’t want to stop at, ‘Hey, here’s the highest areas you should know about,’ but more so on how we actually resolve those issues,” Demmons said. Fleetworthy has not established a timeline for the workflows. It also has not finalized pricing for RADAR. Demmons said basic functionality, including the ability to ask questions, would likely be included in the core product, while more advanced workflows could carry an additional cost. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot5', [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1665767778941-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1665767778941-0'); }); Why this matters As trucking companies face rising operating costs, identifying unnecessary expenses and operational inefficiencies is increasingly important. Fleetworthy’s RADAR aims to help fleet managers find issues such as toll leakage and missing transponders more quickly, while giving the company a foundation to expand AI capabilities across its fleet management platform. The post Fleetworthy launches RADAR, new AI fleet management technology appeared first on FreightWaves.
#fwtv_3dYwC96kZk .fwtv-panel{border:1px solid #d0d0d0;padding:18px;border-radius:6px;line-height:1.6}#fwtv_3dYwC96kZk .fwtv-panel p{margin:0 0 12px}#fwtv_3dYwC96kZk .fwtv-note{font-style:italic;color:#666;margin-top:16px;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #e0e0e0}US pilot training is struggling to keep pace with modern warfare. Emil Mikhailov, founder of Sorian Aerospace, discusses why current training methods are outdated and how new technologies like their “Sandman” supersonic trainer jet are essential for preparing pilots for future conflicts, including collaborative combat with unmanned aircraft. He highlights the high cost of training with top-tier jets and the alarming statistic of general aviation fatalities matching airmen losses in the Vietnam War.Sorian Aerospace is preparing to fly its autonomous supersonic trainer, dubbed the Sandman, in the Mojave Desert as early as Q1 next year, targeting a gap in US military air training that the company’s founder says has left American pilots drilling against threats last updated for 1985. The aircraft is designed for aggressor squadrons — the “red air” adversaries used to sharpen fighter pilot skills — and can function as either a predator or prey in advanced combat scenarios. Emil Mikhailov, CEO and founder of Sorian Aerospace, said the core problem is that high-end jets are too costly and too fragile for routine training. “Every time you fire up the engine on those planes, you start to draw down the life cycles of those,” he said. The alternative — decommissioned third-generation aircraft — does not replicate modern threats. The Sandman is purpose-built to fill that void, operating in special-use airspace outside FAA Part 23 and Part 25 jurisdiction so the company can iterate quickly without the regulatory and capital constraints that have sunk every previous US aircraft startup. Mikhailov cited a stark historical record: the United States has a 100% failure rate for every new aircraft manufacturing company that has attempted to launch over the past 70 years, which he attributed to firms starting inside the expensive FAA-certified commercial framework before establishing a revenue base. Sorian’s strategy is to build a military-useful product first, establish an industrial base and balance sheet, and expand from there. “It has to be priority number one. Whatever you try to build right now, in most of the cases, you cannot find the components from local suppliers. And if they say they’re local suppliers, you see the receiving box with Indian or Chinese markings on the box.” That supply chain dependence is especially acute for small jet engines. Mikhailov noted that low-thrust engines used on kamikaze drones — traveling at roughly 0.4 to 0.5 times the speed of sound — are cheap enough to be purchased on Alibaba, making swarm attacks difficult and inexpensive to field. He argued the US must rebuild domestic production capacity for thrust-class components across a wide range of vehicles to reduce that vulnerability. On the drone-warfare front, Mikhailov pointed out that the two most advanced drone nations today are Russia and Ukraine — and that both source their components from the same set of Chinese manufacturers. “The way how they put it together is actually where the know-how comes into play,” he said, arguing that real-world conflict experience, not component origin, determines battlefield effectiveness. His answer is to replicate that learning cycle through high-fidelity training rather than live conflict. The Sandman is also designed to support the emerging manned-unmanned teaming doctrine — including the US military’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program — where pilots must learn to operate alongside autonomous wingmen. Mikhailov said the playbook for that interaction is still being written, and Sorian wants to give government partners a programmable platform to develop and refine those tactics. General aviation safety underpinned the urgency: Mikhailov noted that from 2005 to 2025, general aviation fatalities in the US will total roughly 8,000 — the same order of magnitude as US airmen killed over nearly 20 years of the Vietnam War.Sorian Aerospace’s Sandman autonomous supersonic trainer is targeting a first flight in the Mojave Desert in Q1 of next year, designed to replace Cold War-era aggressor aircraft for US military training.Mikhailov cited a 100% failure rate for new US aircraft manufacturers over the past 70 years, attributing it to launching inside costly FAA-certified frameworks without first building military revenue.US drone defense faces a dual vulnerability: cheap kamikaze engines available on Alibaba and near-total reliance on foreign suppliers for key drone and jet-engine components.This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above. The post Drone Wars & Pilot Skills: Is US Military Training Outdated? appeared first on FreightWaves.
#fwtv_bugrxdw0mk .fwtv-panel{border:1px solid #d0d0d0;padding:18px;border-radius:6px;line-height:1.6}#fwtv_bugrxdw0mk .fwtv-panel p{margin:0 0 12px}#fwtv_bugrxdw0mk .fwtv-note{font-style:italic;color:#666;margin-top:16px;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #e0e0e0}Joby Aviation’s Chief Policy Officer, Greg Bowles, discusses the exciting future of eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft). Learn how these ‘flying cars’ are set to transform urban air mobility, logistics, and daily commuting. From overcoming regulatory hurdles with the FAA to strategic partnerships and manufacturing scale, Joby is leading the charge in a new era of aviation. Discover their plans for initial market launches in cities like New York, Florida, and Texas, and how they’re addressing safety, noise, and public acceptance.Joby Aviation plans to launch commercial eVTOL service in New York City, Florida, and Texas as its initial markets under the federal eVTOL Integrated Pilot Program (EIPP), with flying operations planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the company’s Chief Policy Officer said in a recent interview. The disclosure signals that the decade-long certification effort is entering its final stretch, with infrastructure, pilot training, and airspace frameworks largely in place. The company entered formal FAA certification in 2018 and is now approaching type certification for its six-propeller, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Under the EIPP executive order, Joby is permitted to conduct limited commercial operations in key states ahead of full type certification. Florida was selected as one of the first EIPP states, and Joby marked the milestone last week by recreating the world’s first commercial flight — the 1914 St. Petersburg-to-Tampa route — using its own aircraft. The vehicle currently in testing targets routes up to 100 miles. To keep fares competitive, Joby is prioritizing high-density, bidirectional corridors that minimize empty “deadhead” legs. Routes such as JFK to Manhattan — currently served by Blade Air Mobility, which Joby acquired — take roughly seven minutes and are priced from $249. Joby said it plans to begin replacing Blade’s existing helicopter trips with Joby aircraft in the coming year. “As we get rid of the current constraint for vertical lift, which is noise — it comes to supply chain. And we gotta turn the knob on manufacturing,” said Greg Bowles, Joby’s Chief Policy Officer. The aircraft’s six-propeller architecture is central to both its safety case and its noise profile. Each of the six motor stations is dual-redundant, meaning a complete propeller failure requires two independent failures at a single station. In a hover scenario with one station lost, the aircraft can compensate by adjusting the diagonal motor and maintaining controlled flight on the remaining four. Bowles said the quiet acoustic signature — a deliberate design outcome of using multiple smaller electric motors rather than a single large rotor — is critical to community acceptance and regulatory approval. On airspace integration, Joby cited its acquisition of autonomous flight company X-Wing, which has developed camera, microphone, and LiDAR systems to detect other aircraft and drones. The company said it recently completed the world’s first coast-to-coast autonomous flight series with a large aircraft and announced a new set of defense contracts with the Air Force the day prior to the interview. Bowles noted that the FAA’s new digital air traffic control system — the Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNACCS) — replaces analog infrastructure that had relied on eBay-sourced components, and will enable smarter airspace management for eVTOL operations. Bowles expressed confidence that broad public access to Joby’s service will come well before 2035, though he stopped short of a firm date. He pointed to a landing demonstration at Toyota’s North American headquarters in Plano, Texas — touching down at half-court on a basketball court with landowner permission — as evidence that the aircraft requires minimal ground infrastructure. Toyota is listed as one of Joby’s key partners. Manufacturing scale, he said, is now the primary variable determining how quickly the service can expand beyond its initial dense urban markets.Joby plans initial commercial eVTOL service in New York, Florida, and Texas under the federal EIPP, with operations targeted for the 2028 LA Olympics.The company will begin replacing Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter routes — such as JFK to Manhattan, priced from $249 — with Joby aircraft in the coming year.Manufacturing scale, not certification or airspace, is now Joby’s binding constraint to expanding service beyond high-density urban corridors.This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above. The post Flying Cars Are HERE: Joby Aviation on eVTOL Revolution [2025 Outlook] appeared first on FreightWaves.
#fwtv_s6l22d5dvxQ .fwtv-panel{border:1px solid #d0d0d0;padding:18px;border-radius:6px;line-height:1.6}#fwtv_s6l22d5dvxQ .fwtv-panel p{margin:0 0 12px}#fwtv_s6l22d5dvxQ .fwtv-note{font-style:italic;color:#666;margin-top:16px;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #e0e0e0}REGENT is building electric seagliders that merge the best of boats and planes, operating on a cushion of air over the water known as ground effect. CEO Billy Thalheimer explains how this innovative technology allows for super-efficient, silent travel at speeds up to 180 MPH, overcoming traditional limitations of electric aviation. Discover how seagliders are poised to transform regional travel, coastal logistics, and even military missions with $5 billion in orders already secured.REGENT, a Rhode Island-based startup building battery-electric “seagliders,” has accumulated $5 billion in orders for a craft that operates in three modes — float, foil, and fly — and is regulated as a maritime vessel rather than an aircraft. The order book spans ferry operators, airlines, oil-and-gas companies, and luxury travel customers, with first commercial deliveries targeted for late 2027 or early 2028, CEO and co-founder Billy Thalheimer said in a recent interview. The distinction matters for logistics: because seagliders stay within one wingspan of the water surface at all times, the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization classify them as wing-in-ground craft, putting the U.S. Coast Guard — not the FAA — in the primary certification seat. That regulatory path, Thalheimer argues, is faster and better suited to the vehicle’s operating environment than traditional aviation certification. The commercial variant, called the Viceroy, is a 15,000-pound craft carrying 12 passengers and two crew. It cruises at roughly 180 mph and has a battery-electric range of about 180 miles. A hybrid variant aimed at defense customers is in development and would extend range to approximately 1,600 statute miles — enough to hop between Pacific island chains for logistics, medevac, and sensor missions. “We will service those. We can do some of the American island chains — Caribbean, Puerto Rico, stuff like that. Alaska, places where you don’t have these sort of rush services. But then internationally, we can service every single coastline,” Thalheimer said. The logistics pitch centers on underserved island and coastal markets where next-day delivery infrastructure is thin or nonexistent. Thalheimer noted that Prime-style shipping does not reach several Hawaiian islands and is largely absent in island chains worldwide. Because the craft can use existing docks and ports, ferry operators can adopt it without building new shore infrastructure. On the Jones Act question — a perennial friction point in U.S. coastal freight — Thalheimer said REGENT is already in compliance. The company just opened a quarter-million-square-foot factory in Rhode Island, meaning the vehicles will be U.S.-built from the start. “We view it as a requirement and something we are doing anyways,” he said. U.S. operations will also use American-owned vessels and American crews, satisfying the cabotage law’s conditions. Takeoff is engineered to occur at around 50 mph using a “blown wing” system — small propellers distributed across the wing that force high-speed prop wash over the surface, generating lift at low airspeed. The craft then climbs to a cruising altitude of about 30 feet above the water. Triple-redundant fly-by-wire flight control systems handle pitch, roll, and altitude automatically; operators input only left, right, faster, and slower. REGENT plans to begin sea trials and commercial operations in 2028 after moving production tooling into the new factory and completing Coast Guard certification.REGENT has $5 billion in orders for its Viceroy seaglider, with commercial deliveries planned for late 2027 or early 2028.The 15,000-pound, 12-passenger craft has a 180-mile battery-electric range; a hybrid defense variant targets 1,600 statute miles.Regulated as a maritime vessel by the Coast Guard, REGENT’s U.S.-built craft is structured to comply with Jones Act requirements from launch.This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above. The post Electric ‘Flying Boat’ Lands $5 Billion in Orders appeared first on FreightWaves.
#fwtv_FexIK7atYm4 .fwtv-panel{border:1px solid #d0d0d0;padding:18px;border-radius:6px;line-height:1.6}#fwtv_FexIK7atYm4 .fwtv-panel p{margin:0 0 12px}#fwtv_FexIK7atYm4 .fwtv-note{font-style:italic;color:#666;margin-top:16px;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #e0e0e0}Florida is rapidly becoming the epicenter of the new space race, with groundbreaking public-private partnerships driving down costs and opening new frontiers. Rep. Mike Haridopolos explains how the private sector has dramatically reduced the cost of putting a pound into space by 95%, fueling job growth and innovation. Discover why the Sunshine State is set to lead America to the moon and beyond, fostering a new ‘Silicon Valley’ for aerospace. #SpaceCommercialization #FloridaSpace #PrivateSectorThe cost of putting a pound of payload into space has fallen 95% thanks to private-sector competition, the congressman representing Florida’s 8th Congressional District and chairman of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee said at the Up Summit near Kennedy Space Center this week. The figure underscores a structural shift in the economics of the space industry — one with direct implications for satellite communications, defense logistics, and the domestic supply chains that support them. The congressman, who has represented the Space Coast since 1989, said the region has moved from roughly four launches a year to four launches a week, a cadence that is pulling manufacturers, defense contractors, and technology companies into the area. “We’ve reduced the cost of putting a pound into space by 95% by using the power of the private sector,” he said, adding that the job creation spans college-degreed engineers as well as high school graduates working as machinists and welders. “What I love about SpaceX and a lot of these emerging companies, they embrace like capitalism is a better product at a lower price.” For freight and logistics professionals, the satellite density enabled by lower launch costs is already a tangible reality. The congressman pointed to Starlink as an example of connectivity infrastructure — available on planes, trucks, boats, and RVs — that bypasses the expense of terrestrial cable networks. He said the ability to communicate at lower cost through satellite systems is now a national-security priority as well as a commercial one. On supply chain resilience, the congressman drew a direct line from COVID-era disruptions to a legislative push for domestic manufacturing. NASA received $24 billion in base funding over the past two years, plus an additional $10 billion passed in a separate bill last July, money he said is intended to anchor supply chain investment at home and reduce dependence on foreign sources. Florida’s diverse energy grid and growing STEM workforce — he cited University of Central Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Florida Tech as feeders — are central to that argument. The congressman said he expects the United States to return to the moon’s South Pole in less than two years, partly to secure water ice and solar energy resources ahead of China. He framed the race in explicitly competitive terms, noting that the Chinese “don’t share our values” and have a poor environmental record on resource stewardship. Blue Origin’s lander and SpaceX’s Starship, he said, are the vehicles most likely to drive the next wave of satellite deployment and further compress launch costs. Florida is also positioning itself as the host for a proposed new space academy, competing against Huntsville, Alabama, and Texas. The congressman argued that Texas’s recent election results signal a shift toward policies less friendly to the aerospace sector, while Florida offers available land, a trained workforce, and a regulatory environment he described as more business-friendly than California or New York. The Up Summit itself, held at a federal facility on the Space Coast, was organized in four months — a timeline he called “record time for the government” and evidence that the region can execute quickly.Private-sector competition has cut the cost of launching a pound of payload into orbit by 95%, according to the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee chairman.NASA received $24 billion in base funding plus an additional $10 billion passed in July to support the space race and domestic supply chain investment.Florida’s Space Coast has gone from roughly four launches per year to four launches per week, driving demand for manufacturing, defense, and logistics workers at all skill levels.This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above. The post Florida’s Space Race: 95% Cost Drop Fuels Private Sector Boom appeared first on FreightWaves.
#fwtv_Fq2CaGxmtIY .fwtv-panel{border:1px solid #d0d0d0;padding:18px;border-radius:6px;line-height:1.6}#fwtv_Fq2CaGxmtIY .fwtv-panel p{margin:0 0 12px}#fwtv_Fq2CaGxmtIY .fwtv-note{font-style:italic;color:#666;margin-top:16px;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #e0e0e0}BETA Technologies just secured landmark FAA authorization for passenger flights in their electric VTOL aircraft, marking a monumental step for electric aviation. Chip Palombini, Head of Product at BETA, explains how these electric aircraft are revolutionizing cargo, logistics, and soon, passenger mobility with unprecedented reliability, lower operating costs, and zero emissions. Discover how BETA’s innovation is making hub-bypass and time-sensitive deliveries a reality today, and what this means for the future of air travel.Beta Technologies is positioning its electric fixed-wing aircraft as a tool for hub bypass — cutting the multi-stop routing that inflates air freight transit times — and has secured UPS as its largest single order holder, Chip Palombini, head of product at Beta Technologies, said at the UP Summit at Kennedy Space Center. The aircraft carries a 1,240-pound payload across 250 miles, with 200 cubic feet of usable volume, figures the company calibrated specifically for delivery and logistics customers. The hub-bypass pitch is straightforward: a package moving from Burlington, Vermont, to Buffalo, New York, today can travel roughly 1,300 miles before covering the roughly 300-mile direct distance, touching hubs like Manchester and UPS’s Worldport facility in Louisville along the way. Beta argues its aircraft eliminates that circuitous routing and also pushes back shipper cut times — a development Palombini said “is worth money.” “It’s well known that UPS at Worldport, they can’t land another jet there. So you’d either have to build another runway or figure out ways to deliver packages that aren’t going through Worldport.” Beta has logged more than 250,000 miles on its prototypes and is participating in 7 of the 8 programs under the FAA’s EIPP initiative, which Secretary Duffy referenced at the same summit. The company has already flown a human heart for United Therapeutics, its launch customer, as part of an EIPP mission in Maryland and Virginia — a proof point for the time-critical medical cargo segment Beta expects to serve first. Reduced operating costs, not emissions alone, are what Palombini said resonate with freight customers. The electric motor has just two moving parts, no oil and no gearbox, enabling higher reliability and faster dispatch. Palombini drew an analogy to his own 2019 Tesla Model 3: “I have 80,000 miles on the car. I’ve only changed the windshield wipers and the tires.” He said the same maintenance simplicity applies to Beta’s aircraft. On payload economics, Palombini acknowledged that a full battery weighs the same as an empty one — a known constraint — but said the aircraft’s volume profile partly offsets the limitation. Unlike a Sprinter van, where a center aisle consumes roughly 40% of interior volume, Beta’s aircraft can utilize all 200 cubic feet of cargo space. The company sees its niche not as a direct competitor to the Cessna Caravan but as a vehicle that creates new service lanes where the Caravan’s economics don’t work. Martine Rothblatt of United Therapeutics, speaking separately at the summit, noted that 10 kilograms of payload equates to 100,000 doses of one of her company’s pharmaceuticals — underlining the value density that makes medical cargo an early priority. Beta’s commercial sequencing follows that logic: delivery and logistics combined with medical first, then defense, then passenger mobility in dense urban corridors such as Manhattan and San Francisco. Passenger eVTOL service remains on Beta’s roadmap but is not imminent. Palombini compared the trajectory to the ride-hailing market, where black-car service once signaled exclusivity and is now ubiquitous. “With the reduced cost, the increased availability, and the access to the third dimension of transportation,” he said, broader consumer access would follow as the cost curve declines.Beta Technologies has flown more than 250,000 prototype miles and is active in 7 of 8 FAA EIPP programs, including a completed heart transport for United Therapeutics.The electric fixed-wing aircraft carries a 1,240-pound payload up to 250 miles, targeting hub-bypass routes for customers including UPS, its largest single order holder.Two moving parts per motor, no oil, and no gearbox underpin Beta’s reliability and reduced operating cost argument — the primary commercial selling point over incumbent aircraft.This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above. The post Flying Taxis & Cargo: Electric Aviation’s Future Takes Off appeared first on FreightWaves.
The Surface Transportation Board is signaling that state and local restrictions on rail customers’ facilities may face greater scrutiny under federal law, issuing a sweeping policy statement that questions aspects of earlier agency decisions involving privately owned terminals and other rail-served projects. The statement, which becomes final Nov. 9, also lays out arguments for treating government or private efforts to take exclusive possession of railroad rights-of-way as categorically preempted — potentially avoiding a detailed inquiry into how each taking would affect train operations. The document essentially serves as a consolidation of existing law, and suggests potentially stronger federal protection for rail infrastructure and access to freight service, while stopping short of binding decisions or a blanket exemption from state and local oversight. “The Board is not making any binding determinations in this policy statement,” the agency says. Individual disputes will still turn on their facts, circumstances and applicable law. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); A closer look at restrictions aimed at rail customers The statement addresses preemption, the principle under which federal law displaces conflicting state or local requirements. Under the ICC Termination Act of 1995, the STB has broad, exclusive jurisdiction over transportation by rail carriers and certain related infrastructure. One central question is how far that protection reaches when a local government regulates not a railroad, but its customer. The board acknowledges that its precedents “have not always been entirely consistent” on that issue. It offers a modified analytical framework for determining whether rules nominally directed at customers actually regulate the common-carrier rail service those customers receive. The proposed inquiry asks two threshold questions: Is the facility developed or used to receive or tender common-carrier rail service, such as a transloading or off-loading facility? And does the government action restrict or dictate that service — including its volume, frequency, timing, configuration or commodity mix? If both answers are yes, the action may be subject to the board’s preemption analysis. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot3', [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); The board makes the point that directing a restriction at a customer does not necessarily make it different from directing the same restriction at the railroad. A cap on how much rail traffic a facility can receive can constrain the carrier’s service just as effectively as an order addressed to the carrier itself, the statement explains. Earlier decisions come under scrutiny The board illustrates its reasoning through two earlier cases: SEA-3, decided in 2015, and Valero Refining, decided in 2016. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot4', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0'); }); In SEA-3, the agency had declined to preempt a city’s challenge to a zoning decision allowing an existing rail customer to expand its facility from three rail berths to eight. In Valero, the board held that it lacked jurisdiction over an existing customer’s construction of an off-loading facility intended to receive common-carrier unit-train service. State and local authorities denied a construction permit based at least partly on the effects of increased rail service and the commodity to be transported. The new statement questions an approach focused on the stated target of regulation rather than its operational effect. “SEA-3 and Valero read ‘transportation by rail carrier’ to ask what is the stated object of the regulation, whereas a better reading might ask what was regulated in effect,” the board writes. Preventing the SEA-3 expansion, the statement reasons, would effectively dictate how many cars the railroad could deliver at a time and could require more trips, different scheduling and changes to yard storage. In Valero, denying permission for the project constrained both the type of train service and the commodities the carrier could deliver. Those observations, the board says, do not decide a new case or categorically overturn the earlier outcomes. But they provide a potential basis for railroads and customers to challenge restrictions previously understood as outside the board’s jurisdiction. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot5', [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1665767778941-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1665767778941-0'); }); Stronger arguments against taking railroad land The statement also reexamines how to analyze attempts to take exclusive possession of railroad property through eminent domain, adverse possession or similar state-law claims. Such disputes have sometimes been evaluated under an “as-applied” test, requiring a fact-specific assessment of whether the taking would unreasonably interfere with present or future rail operations. The board now identifies “strong policy arguments” for using categorical preemption when a taking would exclude rail use from a validly held right-of-way or other transportation property. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot6', [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1665767872042-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1665767872042-0'); }); The board argues that it makes little sense to prohibit a locality from blocking a rail facility through zoning while potentially giving it greater latitude to take the property outright. The agency does not adopt a definitive approach covering every case. It also distinguishes exclusive takings from routine, nonexclusive uses — such as road crossings or underground utility easements — that may remain appropriate for case-by-case review. Why it matters for investment and local control The board says greater clarity could reduce disputes and litigation costs and help remove inappropriate impediments to rail transportation serving manufacturing, agriculture and energy facilities. The initiative followed a September 2025 request from six railroad and shipper organizations, including the Association of American Railroads, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, American Chemistry Council and National Grain and Feed Association. For communities, the document reinforces an important limit on local leverage, that a requirement can be preempted even when the STB does not actively regulate the particular activity or offer an alternative remedy. The board points to ancillary tracks, which fall within its exclusive jurisdiction but generally do not require its construction authorization, as an example. Local environmental permitting cannot necessarily fill that gap. The statement similarly explains that preemption can reach some common-law damages claims, not just ordinances and permits, when those claims effectively regulate rail operations. Not every lawsuit against a railroad is preempted, however; the relevant analysis still applies. Not a blanket exemption The board expressly rejects the idea that every rail-connected business gains federal protection from local law. Rail customers themselves are not directly under its jurisdiction, and much regulation of their facilities should remain outside it, the statement says. A manufacturing facility with an incidental rail component generally remains subject to local zoning, absent discriminatory treatment of rail transportation. Requirements governing portions of a project unrelated to receiving or tendering common-carrier service likewise may remain enforceable. Nor does the statement treat federal environmental and safety laws as automatically displaced. The board says potentially overlapping federal statutes should be harmonized where possible, including the Federal Railroad Safety Act, Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Finally, the agency warns that a strong federal legal position does not excuse poor relationships with communities. “Railroads should not use ICCTA preemption as an excuse to be unresponsive to local public officials,” the board writes, urging communication, information sharing and cooperation even where local regulatory authority is limited. “The Association of American Railroads (AAR) welcomes the Surface Transportation Board’s policy statement clarifying the federal framework governing rail transportation and the preemption of conflicting state and local regulation,” AAR President and Chief Executive Ian Jefferies said in a statement. “On a bipartisan basis, Congress established a nationally uniform system for interstate rail transportation. By bringing decades of Board and court decisions together in one practical resource, the statement can help communities, shippers, railroads, and public officials better understand how that framework applies, reduce uncertainty and resolve disputes more efficiently in ways that benefit those states and localities and the domestic economy. Avoiding a patchwork of state and local laws and regulations supports a reliable national rail network that serves manufacturers, farmers, energy producers, and consumers across the country.” Why it matters: The STB is signaling that cities and states may have less room to block or limit rail-served projects, even when their rules target the railroad’s customer rather than the railroad itself. Subscribe to FreightWaves’ Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your inbox. Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here. Read more: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Humor is good,’ Union Pacific CEO says of video rate threat STB orders Union Pacific to make alleged rate hike threat video public Intermodal leads weekly gains as US rail traffic rises 3.5%, says AAR CN 3Q profit rises 6% as freight revenue climbs Schneider to shift eastern rail business to Norfolk Southern from CSX The post STB signals broader protection for rail-served projects against state and local restrictions appeared first on FreightWaves.
