Trucks, Beasts & Brokerage Blasts
Good morning! ☀️
Happy Monday, supply chain friends! Today’s headlines are a wild ride:
🛻 Tesla’s Cybertruck just proved it’s not quite road warrior ready—46,000 trucks are being recalled because a trim piece might just...fly off.
🚓 Meanwhile, GM and the Secret Service are cooking up the next-gen presidential limo, aka The Beast. (Rumor has it it can call a sub. No big deal.)
📦 And over in Bentonville, Walmart’s making waves in freight, launching its own brokerage program and eyeing Amazon’s logistics turf like it’s Black Friday.
From runaway trim to White House whips and retail giants playing 3PL, The Dash is delivering the goods—fast, funny, and right to your inbox. Let’s roll.
“If you aren’t first, you’re last.”
Cybertruck Recall Adds to Tesla’s Rough Ride
Tesla’s biggest Cybertruck recall yet just hit—over 46,000 trucks are being pulled back due to a trim piece (the cant rail) that can fall off and become a road hazard. That’s 8 recalls since launch, adding to past issues like faulty wipers and stuck pedals.
And it’s happening while Tesla’s dealing with sliding sales, a 40% stock dip, and major PR backlash tied to Elon Musk’s political antics. Once hyped as Tesla’s pickup market breakthrough, Cybertruck is now facing some serious speed bumps.
🔗 Why It Matters for Logistics:
The transportation world was watching Cybertruck to see if it could be a legit player in fleet or last-mile delivery. But let’s be real: tech-forward doesn’t always mean road-ready. With reliability in question and recalls stacking up, this feels less like innovation and more like a cautionary tale.
🔥 Hot Take:
You can’t haul freight with hype. Cybertruck’s got the headlines, but the logistics industry needs trucks that work, not ones that break (or break the internet).
GM & Secret Service Team Up on the Next 'Beast'
This week, GM and the U.S. Secret Service sat down to talk about something seriously next-level: the next-gen presidential limo, aka The Beast. With a $14.8M contract (and potential to grow to $40M+), the goal is clear—armored SUVs built for modern threats and tech that’s as bold as the badge.
Spotted: a Cadillac Escalade with the presidential flag at GM’s Global Design Center in Michigan. No official rollout date yet, but development takes years (the current one can supposedly call a nuclear sub—Obama's words, not ours 👀).
🔍 Why It Matters:
What starts in the presidential fleet doesn’t always stay there. Think: secure comms, advanced armor, next-level durability. This project could influence future fleet trucks, armored transport, and high-value delivery vehicles.
🔥 Hot Take:
If GM can build The Beast, imagine what they could do for your fleet. Don’t sleep on the trickle-down tech.
Walmart Steps Into the 3PL Ring
Walmart is officially throwing its hat in the 3PL ring—and it's not a small splash. They've started inviting select carriers to join their new freight brokerage program, aiming to leverage their massive private fleet, store network, and marketplace seller volume to move more freight, faster.
🛠️ Here’s the Deal:
Carriers with 10–1,000 trucks, solid safety records, insurance, and tracking tech are being onboarded now. This move builds on Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) and is a direct swipe at Amazon’s FBA model (yep, the one sellers love to hate).
🔎 Why It Matters:
Walmart’s not just another shipper anymore—they’re shaping up to be a full-service logistics powerhouse. And if they get it right, they could give traditional brokers (and Amazon Freight) a real run for their money.
🔥 Hot Take:
Walmart’s not just chasing Prime shoppers—they’re coming for the freight lanes, too.
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for March 26 2025, from iLevel Logistics Inc.