The Morning Mile — Friday, Oct. 2

Good morning, drivers. Here is what you need to know to start Friday, October 2.

Freight bottlenecks: USDOT announced $426 million in INFRA grants for 12 projects in 12 states — including a 20-mile I-4 expansion in Florida and a Wichita bypass projected to carry about 5,000 trucks a day.

Cargo theft, convicted: A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted two men Tuesday in a $2 million cargo-theft ring that bought real trucking companies to bid on legitimate loads — then disappeared with the freight. Sentencing is set for Jan. 20, 2027.

Cloned load: Cook County investigators intercepted a semi hauling 75 drums of glycerin worth $60,000 after cloned shipping documents rerouted it toward a cross-dock in Thornton, Illinois. The driver, police say, apparently had no idea.

Twice rejected: Florida inspectors destroyed 16,960 pounds of seafood after a box truck was denied entry at I-95's Station 16B — then spotted the same load the next day, frozen and re-presented as a different shipment.

Put the video down: An Iowa distracted-driving blitz on I-80 issued nine citations in 3.5 hours — most to commercial drivers actively watching videos on dash-mounted devices.

Wet roads, close calls: A dashcam caught a Volvo jackknifing across I-80 in Omaha during Hurricane Polo's rains, missing a car by inches — while on rain-slick I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass, trucker Ricky Sequin pulled a fellow driver from a burning rig minutes before it exploded.

Drive safe, and we'll see you tonight.