Freight Pulse & Law Update: Limpet Mines Return to Hormuz as a Cabotage Crackdown Threatens Cross-Border Capacity (Nov. 1, 2026)

Two capacity threats surfaced this weekend: one on the water, one at the border.

What happened in the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran struck at least four tankers between Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, using limpet mines for the first time since 2019, according to Windward and gCaptain.

• A small boat attached two explosive devices to the Panama-flagged crude tanker Louise 1 about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, starting an engine-room fire; the crew was safe.

• Projectiles hit the laden, Qatari-owned LNG carrier AL Mayeda south of Lavan Island, and Oman evacuated 25 crew from the burning tanker RITI off Musandam.

• Transits have not slowed: roughly 24 AIS-visible transits Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, up from 18 in the prior window. Watch war-risk premiums and routing plans first.

Why is cabotage enforcement a capacity risk?

Knight-Swift CEO Adam Miller told FreightWaves that stepped-up U.S. cabotage enforcement is costing Mexican drivers their visas over alleged violations at previous carriers, even where Knight-Swift trucks were not involved. Expect cross-border driver availability to tighten.

What did Schneider's Q3 signal?

Schneider posted Q3 net income of $49.5 million, up from $19.4 million a year ago, on revenue of $1.59 billion, up 9%, per FreightWaves. A new deal makes Norfolk Southern its eastern intermodal rail provider from Jan. 1, 2027, with transitions starting this month.

Mid-Atlantic / I-95 regional

Delaware's SB189 gives a 15-day cancellation right on injury settlements signed within 30 days of a crash, including commercial-truck claims; it takes effect March 24, 2027. OOIDA warns it could push truckers' insurance rates higher. Verify notice and repayment rules before closing claims.

Key takeaway: Risk is repricing from the Strait to the border to the claims file. FlowOps by Lanta gives supply chain management companies real-time visibility across inventory, dispatch and documents, so exceptions surface before they cost money.

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Tags: freight news, shipping law update, logistics, supply chain, 3PL