Lunar’s new home DC fast charger puts your EV battery to work
Transportationvia Electrek
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Lunar Energy has unveiled a 25-kW home DC fast charger that will do more than just power up your car really fast. Paired with its next-generation home battery system, the Lunar Fast Charger will also let a compatible EV help keep the house running during an outage and potentially earn money by sending electricity back to the grid. more…
Lunar Energy has unveiled a 25-kW home DC fast charger that will do more than just power up your car really fast. Paired with its next-generation home battery system, the Lunar Fast Charger will also let a compatible EV help keep the house running during an outage and potentially earn money by sending electricity back to the grid.
For most carriers, growth follows a familiar script: buy a truck, then buy or lease a trailer to go behind it. Repeat. The script is simple, but it ties up scarce capital in depreciating equipment over its life, or locks in a long-term contract, often before a carrier knows whether the freight to support it will last. Matt Harb, Chief Product Officer at REPOWR, spends much of his day talking with carriers who are living that tradeoff. Speaking with The Long Haul at F3 in Chattanooga, Harb said his goal in those conversations is to understand what carriers need from the trailer on their back, though the discussion rarely stays there. “They’re feeling the heat from every different part of the industry,” he said, pointing to fuel costs, broker relationships, and the hunt for good loads as constant pressures. REPOWR’s answer is a trailer-sharing marketplace that lets fleets access trailer capacity short-term instead of committing to long-term capex, now backed by software built for the fleets that supply the trailers. How the marketplace works REPOWR works with large and mid-sized fleets to reduce repositioning costs, giving small fleets short-term access to equipment. Harb said the platform carries about 3,500 trailers nationwide at any moment, including flatbeds, reefers, and dry vans, with rentals ranging from three days to 90 days. Roughly 75 fleets list equipment in a given month. Rates are daily, with no hidden fees, and carriers pick up and return trailers with inspection forms at both ends. In many cases, Harb said, another trailer is waiting at the drop location. He acknowledged that the Airbnb comparison is not universally loved inside the company, but conceded it fits. “We’re Airbnb or Turvo for trailers,” he said. The model also works both ways. Carriers that need repositioning or have idle trailers can list them for others to use, which Harb said can offset payments or generate extra revenue during slow stretches or while a carrier is committed to power-only work for the holidays. The hidden price of power-only Power-only has grown because it removes the capital commitment of owning a trailer. Harb argued that it also removes something carriers rarely price in. “They give up control mostly,” he said. Filtering a load board for power-only freight, he noted, typically leaves a fraction of the available loads. “You’re giving up lanes. You’re giving up better rates,” he said. Control, in his view, is what carriers trade away, and it quickly becomes a flexibility problem. “Control is the biggest piece, and control really kind of boils over into flexibility,” Harb said. To help carriers who need a trailer for a limited stretch, REPOWER recently launched short-run pricing. For most trailers on the marketplace, rentals shorter than 14 days run at nearly half the usual cost. Suppliers benefit because their equipment gets repositioned faster, which is how the company can offer the lower rate. The same logic applies to repositioning generally: Harb said a trailer owner who relies on a loadout broker may pay $500 to $600 for a move that REPOWR’s platform can handle at little or no cost. Renting as a way to test the market Harb said the most common mistake he sees is not about equipment type. It is about business structure: attaching long-term capital to a decision before it has been tested. He described a 15-truck fleet that regularly rents 10 to 15 trailers a month on the platform and was preparing to buy three trucks and long-term lease reefers because shippers had promised good lanes. His advice was to rent first. The economics of buying are steep. “A trailer is not eight grand anymore. I mean, a new dry van trailer is $45,000, and a used one needs to be under 10 years old for many shippers,” Harb said. What rental does, he said, is let carriers experiment: “It’s the flexibility to change quickly, to add quickly, to reduce quickly, and to do all that without any sunk costs.” Buying or signing a long-term lease, by contrast, means “you’ve just hitched your wagon to a depreciating asset.” That approach also applies to adapting to shippers. Harb said he often hears from carriers whose customers change specifications, such as a move from roll-door equipment to swing-door trailers, leaving them stuck with a trailer they committed to for 12 months. Some carriers use REPOWR on both sides, listing the equipment they cannot use and renting what the shipper now wants. “You can stay agile as those shippers’ needs change,” Harb said. Drop-and-hook without owning the trailers Harb said he believes the vast majority of freight now moves through drop-and-hook, and he argued that some carriers assume they are locked out because they cannot meet the trailer-to-tractor ratios shippers want, commonly three-to-one or more. REPOWR changes that, because a carrier can match a trailer commitment to the length of the project. “You’re not matching a short-term commitment to a long-term commitment,” he said. Quality, accountability and onboarding REPOWR takes safety and security seriously. Pickup and return inspection forms categorize trailer issues, and the company scores fleet quality, which affects how listings rank and are priced. Harb said REPOWR has stopped working with suppliers whose equipment repeatedly was not there when carriers arrived. Accountability runs both ways. Carriers’ insurance is on file, and every listing details equipment such as air-ride or spring-ride suspension and swing or roll doors. “It’s our job to hold both accountable,” Harb said. To join, carriers need at least six months of active authority and must clear a Persona identity verification, Highway authority check, and a safety-screen phone call that Harb said filters out applicants. Signing up is free and takes about six minutes using DOT number and identity verification. Booking a trailer takes about seven minutes and requires two certificates of insurance, one naming the supplier as additionally insured. Harb said 85% of pickups happen the same day or the next day. Rentals are charged in 30-day increments, with no extensive credit check. The supply side: automating trailer repositioning with TOP The marketplace only works if trailers are available where carriers need them, which is the challenge REPOWR’s Trailer Optimization Platform, or TOP, is built to solve. In the interview, Harb described the logic behind the low rental rates: “We’re stopping them from having to have all this idle equipment or pay for these repositions.” According to REPOWR, TOP is an automated capacity planning platform designed to execute trailer repositioning, not just analyze it. The company says fleets typically pay to reposition about 3% of their trailers each month, usually through phone calls, spreadsheets, and brokers at $400 or more per move. Harb puts the going rate for a loadout broker at $500 to $600, but this number increases when capacity is tight. Here is how the platform works: Import the network. Fleets share trailers and locations by CSV, data feed, or TMS integration. Set targets. Locations roll up into markets, each with a target trailer range. Balance automatically. When a market runs long, TOP lists surplus trailers on the REPOWR marketplace. Carriers reserve and move them as part of normal activity. The result, REPOWR says, is that a repositioning move earns revenue for the trailer owner instead of costing money. For carriers renting on the platform, it also means a steadier supply of equipment in more markets. REPOWR’s illustrative model for a 2,500-trailer fleet puts annual repositioning costs at $225,000 without TOP and $135,000 with it. Adding coordination costs and marketplace revenue, the company projects total savings of about $197,000 a year. Those are the company’s projections, not independent results. REPOWR says a 6,000-trailer fleet was onboarded in two days, and that the platform is built for fleets of 150 or more trailers. Fleets can send 90 days of repositioning data, and REPOWR says it will return a projected savings analysis with no commitment required. A warning on rental fraud Harb closed with a caution for the whole industry as trailer rental scams target owner-operators. His rule is blunt. “Nobody is doing trailer rentals with Zelle or Cash App,” he said. Carriers should talk to a person, verify that the provider owns the equipment, and treat unrealistic prices as a warning sign. “I saw one that was $180 for three months of a trailer, like maybe rethink that,” he said. He added that scammers are copying branding and websites. “People are spoofing websites now.” His message to carriers weighing their next equipment move was simple: “You don’t have to be stuck.” Click here to learn more about the Trailer Optimization Platform. The post Trailer Flexibility Is Becoming a Growth Strategy for Carriers appeared first on FreightWaves.
#fwtv_b1vJDFIp8bE .fwtv-panel{border:1px solid #d0d0d0;padding:18px;border-radius:6px;line-height:1.6}#fwtv_b1vJDFIp8bE .fwtv-panel p{margin:0 0 12px}#fwtv_b1vJDFIp8bE .fwtv-note{font-style:italic;color:#666;margin-top:16px;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #e0e0e0}The freight market is seeing some interesting trends with mixed volumes and rising rates across modes, but small carriers are under immense pressure. We’re breaking down tender rejections, spot rates, and contract rates, highlighting why some carriers face layoffs and bankruptcies despite a recovering market. Plus, learn about the lowest truck count since early 2022.The U.S. trucking market shed roughly 100,000 for-hire tractors over the past year — including about 51,000 in a single month this past summer — pushing the active tractor count to its lowest level since early 2022, FreightWaves data shows. The capacity exodus is the clearest signal yet that the prolonged freight recession has permanently squeezed out a meaningful share of the carrier base, particularly among small fleets. The shrinkage is not evenly distributed. Fleets running between 20 and 1,000 trucks are actually up 12% over the last five years, but the edges of the industry are contracting sharply. Carriers with 1 to 6 trucks have erased their entire pandemic-era expansion, while fleets with more than 1,000 trucks are down about 9% as larger carriers deliberately park equipment to maximize utilization rather than grow headcount. “It’s not necessarily that trucks are disappearing, it’s that they’re moving up,” said Julie Van de Kamp. “The 1 to 6 truck carriers have really erased the entire pandemic boom when so many trucks came in after that tight capacity market.” The root cause, Van de Kamp said, is a lag effect: rates are rising but have not climbed fast enough to rescue carriers whose finances were battered during a prolonged period when rates ran well below costs. Diesel topping $6 a gallon adds further pressure for any operator not fully offsetting fuel costs through surcharges. Increased regulation and liability concerns are compounding the squeeze on small fleets, while large carriers face a persistent driver recruiting and retention challenge. On the rate side, conditions are improving. The all-in spot rate (NTI USA) stood at $360 as of the broadcast date of Friday, November 13, up 2.86% month over month. Truckload contract rates (VCRPM1 linehaul) hit $2.88, a 25% jump year over year. Intermodal contract rates (IMCRPM1 USA) reached $1.78, up more than 6.5% year over year — still representing substantial savings versus truck for shippers willing to convert freight. Overall tender rejection rates (STRI) are holding just below 13% at 12.87%, down roughly 1% month over month but supported by the tightening tractor supply. Flatbed and refrigerated tender rejections are both hovering around 20% to 21%, levels that have held since late September. Dry van rejections are softer at 10.4%. Volumes, measured by the STVI index, rose about 4% from October 1 (11,068) to the current reading of 11,405, even as the index slipped 3% to 4% week over week. Van de Kamp flagged early signs of pre-peak tightening out of California and rising volumes in parts of Texas and the western Midwest, including Kansas. She advised shippers to budget for higher contract rates into 2027, pursue mode conversion to intermodal where feasible, and monitor reefer and Midwest demand trends. For carriers, she offered a pointed reminder: “Really understand your true costs when pricing out that freight.”For-hire tractor count has fallen roughly 100,000 in a year, hitting its lowest level since early 2022, with 51,000 tractors lost in a single summer month.Small carriers (1–6 trucks) have erased all pandemic-era growth while mid-size fleets (20–1,000 trucks) are up 12% over five years, reshaping industry structure.Truckload contract rates are up 25% year over year at $2.88 linehaul, but diesel above $6 a gallon and lagging rate recovery continue to push smaller carriers into failure.This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above. The post Trucking Recession Continues: Why Carriers Face Layoffs and Bankruptcies appeared first on FreightWaves.
Freightos founder and former CEO Zvi Schreiber has accused the company of “rigging” a shareholder vote by omitting one of his proposals from its proxy card. He said properly executed proxy forms would automatically count as votes against the proposal. The proposal is included in Freightos’ proxy statement but cannot be supported through the company’s standard proxy voting process. Shareholders who want to vote in favor must attend the Dec. 16 annual general meeting in person at Freightos’ offices in Modi’in, Israel. Schreiber has now written to the full board, giving it until Tuesday, Nov. 17, to issue a revised proxy card that allows shareholders to vote on all resolutions. He said he would “escalate” the matter if the company does not make the change. Schreiber did not comment on what that escalation would be. The dispute comes ahead of Freightos’ Dec. 16 annual general meeting, where shareholders will consider three proposals submitted by Schreiber. In a proxy statement filed Nov. 4, Freightos urged shareholders to reject all three, which seek to remove Chairman Udo Lange, introduce annual elections for all directors and refocus the business on its digital freight-booking platform. The proposals are the latest development in a dispute between Schreiber and Freightos over the company’s direction and financial performance. Schreiber stepped down as CEO in January and left the board in February. He publicly launched his shareholder campaign on Sept. 9, after submitting his three proposals to Freightos in July. He remains a 6% shareholder in the company. Schreiber argued that Freightos should prioritize growth of its Platform business, which facilitates digital freight bookings, rather than its Solutions segment, which sells software and data products to logistics companies. He has also questioned the company’s emphasis on software, arguing that advances in artificial intelligence could make those products easier to replicate. The advisory resolution and proxy card dispute Schreiber’s second proposal calls for the board to appoint a chairman with experience scaling growth-stage technology companies and refocus the company’s strategy on rapid growth, with greater emphasis on its Platform segment. The recommendation is advisory and nonbinding, meaning the board would not be required to act on it even if shareholders approve it. Despite that, the board still defended its current strategy, arguing that its solutions and platform businesses support one another. “The Board believes that prioritizing near-term Platform growth at the expense of this integrated approach could undermine the very foundations of the company’s long-term growth potential,” Freightos said. The company argued that the recommendation was “abstract and imprecise” because it combined two separate issues: the qualifications of the board chairman and the company’s business strategy. Both matters, Freightos said, fall within the board’s authority rather than shareholders’ rights under the company’s articles of association. Freightos also specified how shareholders’ proxy votes would be counted on the proposal.“The shares represented by this proxy, when properly executed, will also be voted “against” PROPOSAL 4,” Freightos said. Schreiber criticized the provision, arguing that it undermines shareholders’ ability to exercise their voting rights. “They said something which I believe is completely, you know, essentially rigging the vote,” Schreiber said. “It’s a very basic principle of corporate law that shareholders can vote. It says it in the articles… I don’t understand it.” The only way a shareholder will be able to vote in favor of the resolution is if they show up in-person at Freightos’ offices in Modi’in, Israel. Schreiber said he does not expect shareholders to attend in person. “In practice, I can tell you, I was managing these meetings. Virtually zero, if not zero shareholders actually travel,” Schreiber said. “If I remember correctly, last year, there was zero people actually voting in person at the meeting.” Freightos’ responses to Schreiber’s other proposals The first proposal is to remove Lange from the board, a move Schreiber tied to Freightos’ growth and decline in its share price since Lange became chairman in July 2025. Freightos shares had fallen approximately 62% between July 28, 2025, and Sept. 8, 2026, while the Nasdaq Composite gained about 25%, according to Schreiber’s campaign. Using historical closing prices from Nasdaq for both dates, Freightos shares show a slightly smaller decline of approximately 59%, while confirming the Nasdaq’s roughly 25% gain. These figures reflect a different measurement period than those in FreightWaves’ earlier coverage, which found that over the preceding 12 months, Freightos shares had fallen about 78%, while the Nasdaq Composite had gained roughly 16%. Freightos’ board argued that removing Lange before the end of his term would disrupt leadership continuity as the company works toward profitability. Lange was re-elected to the board in 2025 with 99.9% of votes cast by shareholders present at the meeting, according to the proxy statement. Schreiber also voted in favor of Lange’s re-election in 2025, but has since changed his position following disagreements over Freightos’ strategic direction. “Removing the independent Chairman of the Board in the middle of his elected term would disrupt the continuity of the Board’s leadership and oversight at an important stage in the Company’s development,” the company said in the proxy statement. The board also questioned the broader rationale behind Schreiber’s proposal. “The proposal could be perceived as a mechanism targeting a specific incumbent (Lange) rather than establishing a durable, principle-based governance standard.” The third proposal would amend Freightos’ articles of association to require annual elections for all directors beginning in 2027. Directors currently serve staggered three-year terms, with different classes standing for election at successive annual meetings. Schreiber argued that annual elections for all directors is generally good business practice, separate from his disagreements with Freightos’ current leadership and business strategy. Freightos opposes the change. “This stability allows management to resist short-term market pressures and enables uninterrupted focus on achieving key financial milestones,” the company said in the filing. Voting requirements and deadlines The proposals carry different voting requirements. Removing Lange as chairman and approving Schreiber’s advisory recommendation each require a majority of votes cast by eligible shareholders. The proposed amendment to Freightos’ articles of association, which would establish annual elections for all directors, requires approval by at least two-thirds of votes cast. Shareholders will also vote on Freightos’ own proposals to re-elect directors Ezra Gardner and Pablo Pinillos and reappoint EY Israel as the company’s independent auditor. The board recommended voting in favor of both proposals. Shareholders of record as of Nov. 5 became eligible to vote. Votes must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 15 to be counted. Why this matters The dispute puts Freightos shareholders in the middle of a debate over the company’s leadership, governance and long-term strategy. The outcome could influence who oversees the business, how directors are elected and whether Freightos shifts its focus toward its digital freight-booking platform. The post Freightos’ founder accuses company of ‘rigging’ proxy vote as company opposes his proposals appeared first on FreightWaves.
