Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

Trucking companies across the country have been shutting down due to low rates and high operating costs. While many have blamed cheap labor and chameleon carriers, a group of trucking companies is suing what it believes is the root cause: freight brokers. Six trucking companies – Stevens Trucking, Western Flyer Express, Freymiller, IWX Motor Freight, Christenson Transportation and E.O.S. – say they are losing millions of dollars to unsafe, unlawful carriers. They are suing C.H. Robinson and T

David Parker, CEO of Covenant Logistics Group, discusses the evolving freight landscape, including the impact of emissions standards, the move away from commoditized OTR, and surprising insights into specialized markets like live chicken hauling. He shares his views on the future of electric and autonomous trucks, and how economic factors like GLP-1 drugs are affecting consumer freight.

More than a dozen American trucking companies have filed for bankruptcy in the past month, according to an industry news report. Some 16 firms, accounting for more than 250 jobs, have filed for Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 proceedings, FreightWaves reported earlier this month. Diesel prices, the lifeblood of the trucking industry, hit a record average of $6.53 a gallon on September 22 amid the impact of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. Diesel has increased $2.76 over the past year, accordin

A squeeze on the driver supply in key markets is linked to the higher lead times, Groendyke Transport President Joe Morrissey told Trucking Dive. Federal regulatory scrutiny over CDL schools, English language proficiency and non-domiciled CDLs have created ripple effects throughout the trucking industry, Morrisey said. Tougher enforcement for these federal regulations have tightened the driver supply, including bulk carriers, he said.

Grain transportation cost indicators published by the USDA AgTransport dataset show broad increases across most freight modes in the week ended September 23, 2026, according to the federal agricultural transportation data series. The dataset tracks truck, shuttle train, barge, Gulf vessel and Pacific vessel indices that together describe farm-to-export logistics costs. For the week ended September 23, the truck indicator stood at 246, up from 237 a week earlier. The barge indicator reached 27

Kristopher Lunsford, 46, of Henderson, Nevada, was charged by indictment with six counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering, according to a September 25 statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Officials say that Lunsford induced hundreds of victims to invest in a trucking business by purchasing leases for semi trucks. Victims were falsely told that Lunsford would handle purchasing the trucks, hiring the drivers, and insuring the trucks “whil

Truckers have been required to meet English-proficiency standards for decades. However, that requirement hasn’t always meant that violators were prevented from breaking the rule again. Around 2014, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance stopped issuing out-of-service orders for English-proficiency violators. CVSA’s stance on the issue remained the same until 2025, when the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association submitted a petition. Since out-of-service orders resumed, the Federal Mot

Rising gas prices aren’t only hurting consumers; they’re also affecting America’s shipping industry. Rumors have been swirling online that truckers nationwide could strike Oct. 1 amid record-high diesel prices. The average cost of diesel is $6.47 per gallon, according to AAA. It hit a record high Tuesday at $6.57 a gallon. Cherri Harris, CEO and owner of Swint Logistics Group, told “NewsNation Live” on Sunday that truckers are feeling the pressure.

Progressive Insurance is recognizing Fahad Al-Kadhim of Macomb, Mich., as the recipient of a 2024 Freightliner Cascadia as part of the Keys to Progress program. The award recognizes Al-Kadhim’s commitment to service and will help him take the next step toward building his own trucking business. His story reflects a lifelong commitment to serving others.

Short-haul freight is up 35% year to date, and that shift is changing the truckload market. In this SONAR update, we break down why under-100-mile freight is growing, why long-haul volumes are slipping, and how intermodal is pulling freight out of over-the-road networks. You’ll also get the latest read on tender rejections, which are still holding above 14%, and what that says about carrier optionality heading into peak.

A claim that U.S. truckers are planning a nationwide strike on October 1 over soaring diesel prices has spread rapidly across social media, but there is little evidence so far of an organized nationwide is strike being planned. As diesel fuel reaches a record high of $6.51 a gallon, videos and AI-generated posters have circulated claiming that frustrated truckers are going to take action and warning that a strike could disrupt freight deliveries and cause food shortages across the country.

A Wisconsin trucking company recovered $53,000 in labor costs after its owner used Claude AI to audit telematics data and identify a driver whose on-duty, not-driving time in the yard averaged more than 110 minutes per shift — far beyond any reasonable pre-trip or post-trip inspection window. The finding, surfaced in roughly three minutes, underscores how small carriers can use readily available AI tools to perform analysis that would otherwise require dedicated back-office staff.

A small trucking company is back on the road after an incorrect “inactive” designation by the FMCSA prevented them from working for almost two months. Lisa Hall with Savoy Transportation in Houston, Texas told the small company’s story to KHOU11, which was published on the internet just yesterday, September 22nd. Hall detailed her discovery of the incorrect “inactive” designation by the FMCSA, apparently triggered by a glitch in the transition to the new Motus system. “I only heard about it b

Diesel prices are climbing again. As of late September 2026, the national average has crept above $6.51 per gallon in many regions, with some areas seeing $7.00 or higher. For truckers operating on razor-thin margins, it’s becoming unsustainable. Industry chatter and viral social media posts suggest that independent truckers—tired of fuel costs eating their profits—are organizing a potential strike beginning October 1st. While a nationwide trucker strike is not officially planned or backed by

Ag shippers are still watching the proposed merger between Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. Mike Steenhoek of the Soy Transportation Coalition says emotions run high on both sides of the deal, with supporters saying a combined railroad could create better opportunities for shippers. “One of the fundamental realities that is widely acknowledged within supply chains is that whenever you have a handoff going from one railroad to the next or going from trucking to rail or going from trucking t

A new round of trucking bankruptcies has swept across the U.S. in recent weeks, with carriers ranging from small owner-operators to fleets operating dozens of trucks seeking Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 protection. At least 16 trucking, delivery and transportation companies entered bankruptcy proceedings between late August and Sept. 21, according to federal court filings and carrier records reviewed by FreightWaves.

A Memphis police affidavit says truck driver Robert Wilson offered a $110,000 chicken shipment to settle a drug debt. Officers interrupted the reported exchange behind an Economy Inn on Sept. 15. Several people unloaded frozen cargo from his semi-trailer nearby. The discovery led to 12 arrests, three recovered firearms and multiple drug charges.

The artificial intelligence industry has been booming, and it is triggering a wave of data center construction. Spending in the U.S. hit $81.5 billion in the first half of 2026, already surpassing the full-year total for 2025, according to ConstructConnect. Every one of those facilities needs servers, graphics processing units, networking equipment and power infrastructure physically delivered to the build site, which means more high-value cargo is moving overseas and on roads.

Dalilah Coleman was riding with her stepfather, Michael Krause, when their car stopped for road construction on a California highway. A tractor trailer struck them from behind, leaving the child and her stepfather with what a lawsuit describes as catastrophic and permanent injuries. (Second Amended Complaint, paragraphs 15 through 21 and 96 through 99.)

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday the Trump administration will temporarily increase how long gas and diesel truck drivers can drive, as fuel costs remain elevated amid the Iran war. Under the 90-day waiver from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), truck drivers hauling gasoline and diesel can drive for up to 16 hours within a 24-hour window — an increase from the 14-hour limit under normal conditions. The waiver took effect Wednesday and expires on D

USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen A. Vaden joined 170 farmers from 13 states Sept. 11 in Iowa to hear about farmer and fertilizer retailer experiences with the highly consolidated and uncompetitive fertilizer manufacturing industry. Vaden said the U.S. Department of Agriculture is working on actions related to the fertilizer market, including efforts to address competition and enforcement of antitrust laws. Addressing farmer profitability is a top priority for the Illinois Corn Gro

The Q2 report shows that shippers paid significantly more to move freight, even as shipment volumes declined. At the same time, spending increased 6.4% from the prior quarter and 28.1% year over year, reflecting a market in which freight demand remains soft but available capacity has tightened. National shipment volume decreased 1.1% from the first quarter of 2026, the second consecutive decline, for a combined two-quarter decrease of 1.4%. Compared to last year, volumes dipped 2.8%, reversin

Trucking rates are rising again, but this may not be another typical turn of the freight cycle. Instead, government enforcement is removing capacity from the market at a pace industry observers haven’t seen before, potentially resetting what it means to be a safe, compliant carrier — and what those carriers need to be paid. “It’s a good time to be a carrier. A good carrier,” Matthew Harding, senior vice president of market intelligence at TriumphPay, said during a market outlook panel at McLe

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will temporarily add flexibility to its hours of service (HOS) rules for truck drivers handling gasoline and diesel shipments. Short-term supply chain disruptions can delay gasoline and diesel shipments, which in turn can impact freight delivery shipments. By giving truckers transporting these critical supplies the ability to drive additional hours if they are not fatigued, the

Record-high diesel prices are still on the rise — creating another challenge for farmers as the fall harvest and grain shipping season ramp up. Diesel prices are adding pressure to fall farm expenses as harvest activity expands, with the national average nearly $6 per gallon and more than $2 above last year. The Energy Information Administration says on-highway diesel averaged $5.967 per gallon September 7, up 36.8 cents from the previous week. Diesel was $2.201 per gallon higher than the com

Grain harvest is underway, and one Midwestern state is providing an exemption. An influx of agricultural truck traffic has led state officials to grant a waiver of state requirements to ensure an “efficient and effective collection of the harvest.” Iowa issued a harvest proclamation on Sept. 10, which temporarily grants an exemption from the state’s size, weight and permit requirements. Ag haulers transporting overweight loads of soybeans, corn, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer, manure

Truck financing is shifting fast: small fleets are borrowing to keep trucks running, not to add new ones. Dave Gilbert of National Funding breaks down why repair costs, insurance, fuel and downtime are changing the math for owner-operators and small carriers.This conversation gets into the real issue for trucking businesses right now: cash flow. Even with freight demand holding up in spots, many fleets still can't justify new equipment when used truck prices, maintenance bills and uncertainty

Trucks carry approximately 65 percent of U.S. freight by weight and 75 percent by cargo value, making commercial trucking central to the nation's supply chains and economy. A Congressional Research Service report updated Sept. 11 examines commercial trucking policy questions Congress may address during surface transportation reauthorization, as current authorizations expire Sept. 30. The Trump administration has aligned with trucking industry preferences on worker classification, adopting the

The SEMO Tank anniversary marks 50 years of a business that began in dairy transportation and developed into a broader source of equipment and support for tank fleets. Founded in 1976, Semo Tank/Baker Equipment Co. now serves sanitary, food-grade, dry-bulk, fertilizer, and chemical applications from four U.S. locations. The Perryville, Missouri-based company has acknowledged the milestone in its 50th anniversary message. Its present operation combines new and used equipment with leasing, repa

Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a proclamation allowing farmers to haul heavier loads of grain, fertilizer and manure on Iowa roads without permits. The proclamation took effect immediately and runs through October 10. It applies to vehicles carrying corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer and manure. Farmers can exceed normal weight limits up to 90,000 pounds gross weight without getting a permit. The exemption covers all highways in Iowa except the interstate system.

On Sunday, September 13, the American Trucking Associations will mark the start of the 38th annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, an annual celebration recognizing the nation’s nearly 3.6 million professional truck drivers.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) will implement a new Teton Pass self-certification program for drivers of certain types of vehicles. On September 10, WYDOT announced the WY22 SAFE PASS program to improve mountain pass driver safety on Teton Pass. Once the program is in place, drivers of certain large vehicles will be restricted from using Teton Pass if they have not completed the WY22 SAFE PASS certification. Drivers of the following vehicle types will be required to obtain c

On September 9, 2026, CHP held a truck driver appreciation lunch at the Chowchilla River Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility located off of SR 99 in Merced County. With help from the Clovis Elks Lodge and the California Trucking Association, CHP served more than 400 free lunches to truck drivers passing through the facility “as a small thank-you for all they do each day on the road.”

With the federal government making moves to target and remove unqualified commercial drivers from American roads, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is now turning to truckers to assist in shutting down CDL fraud. On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations directed truckers to an official tip line for reporting immigration and/or employment exploitation. In its release, the department pointed to several examples of individuals

Thousands of commercial vehicles were inspected during an unannounced hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) inspection and enforcement operation over the summer. On September 10, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) released results from a surprise HM/DG inspection initiative that took place in the U.S. and Canada from June 8 through 12, 2026. A total of 5,046 commercial vehicles were inspected over a five-day period. Of these, 683 commercial vehicles were placed out-of-servi

For Brad Shippert, of rural Dixon, driving his monster truck Against the Grain is not as smooth a ride as many might think. For a start, the truck has no doors. Shippert gets into the truck by literally climbing under the truck and then climbing up into the driver’s seat. There, he fastens a safety harness that is so tight it can make taking a deep breath a challenge. “It’s so tight that you really have to remember to breathe in and out. And I’m wearing a fire suit, so it’s hot,” he said. The

Off the top of this Overdrive Radio edition, the voice of Atlantic Logistics CEO Rob Hooper talking about trust, responding specifically to a question about whether all the shipper, broker and carrier friction in today’s freight markets is driving wedges between the relationships.

The Nebraska Salt and Grain trucking company of Gothenburg will no longer operate its own fleet of trucks, the parent company, NSG Logistics, LLC announced. The company was founded in Gothenburg more than 50 years ago, in 1975, and the family-owned business grew to be the largest fleet of hopper-bottom tractor-trailers in Nebraska.

Federal prosecutors charged a California restaurant operator after agents seized more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine. Investigators found the drugs inside his residence and Hyundai Sonata, according to a federal affidavit. Searches also uncovered three firearms, a digital scale and $11,800 in cash. The operation grew from a wider organized crime investigation involving long-haul truck drivers.

Lawmakers introduced new legislation intended to prevent shady trucking companies “from exploiting USDOT registration systems to illegally operate on American roads.” On September 4, 2026, Rep Dave Taylor (OH-02) and Shomari Figures (AL-02) introduced the Registration Enforcement for Vehicle Operations of Known Evaders (REVOKE) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.

As America has an intense national debate about the cost of AI data centers and who stands to benefit, one often overlooked industry that has seen a boost in business from AI is trucking. Sprawling data centers don’t just sprout from fields, even if it seems that way. All the components that go into a data center, from HVAC systems to tubing and wiring and semiconductors, arrive primarily by truck (or train and then truck). And for a freight business that has been hurt by successive rounds of

Continuing its deregulatory efforts, the Trump administration on August 28—claiming the Obama-era Department of Transportation exceeded its authority—announced its intention to stop regulating the fuel economy of stand-alone engines. According to the interpretive rule, the government’s authority to set fuel-economy standards extends only to whole vehicles, not their component parts. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison said in a statement, “Th

Alberta’s separation from Canada would force businesses to navigate a costly redesign of supply chains, creating new layers of red tape and uncertainty for industries such as trucking and aviation, according to one transportation industry leader. Jeff McCaig, chair of Calgary-based Trimac Transportation Group, said businesses that depend on provincial or federal licences and regulatory approvals would likely feel the effects of separation sooner and more acutely than sectors governed by

Today, ATA welcomed the introduction of the Stop Auto Fraud Act of 2026, bipartisan legislation to make motor vehicle collision fraud a federal crime, improve safety for drivers, and lower insurance rates nationwide. The legislation—which was introduced by U.S. Representatives Laura Gillen (D-NY), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), and Vince Fong (R-CA)—targets insurance fraud schemes in which bad actors deliberately cause, stage, or fabricate motor vehicle accidents to file

Multiple Tampa Bay area commercial driver’s license schools say they were blindsided after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) ordered them to shut down as part of a nationwide crackdown on trucking schools. 13 schools in Florida and 110 nationwide received shutdown notices Monday from the DOT. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the schools were being shut down after graduates were later found to have failed English language proficiency requirements during roadside inspect

Texas investigators linked an organized theft case to 176 grain loads weighing approximately 9.12 million pounds. The inquiry now covers more than 200 confirmed or potentially stolen shipments. Authorities value the agricultural product under examination above $800,000. Three men face criminal charges, while additional arrests remain possible. The case began March 11 after Guadalupe County deputies received a complaint from Barbarossa Road. Witness accounts and evidence pointed toward a wider

During a news conference in Detroit on Monday, he announced that 270 trucking schools have been shut down, accused of not having enough qualified instructors, lacking appropriate vehicles and facilities to train people, or allowing people to pass their tests even if they don’t speak English."You have to speak English to operate a commercial vehicle. I didn’t create that rule; President Trump didn’t create the rule; that rule has been in place for decades," Duffy said.

The U.S. truck freight market has turned decidedly more favorable for carriers, with capacity constraints driving sharply higher spot rates and beginning to lift contract pricing even as underlying freight demand remains relatively subdued. FTR expects the recovery to continue into 2027, although the key question is whether carriers will be able to add capacity as they normally would when rates improve. Comments from two fleet executives at the FTR Transportation Conference suggest doing so m

Agriculture export prices just saw their largest 12-month increase since 2022. Federal data showed a 5.7% bump year-over-year in July. For soybean, wheat, or corn growers, this seems to be good news — including for Ben Brown’s family, which is wrapping up their corn harvest in west central Missouri. Brown is a senior research associate at the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri.

Today, American Trucking Associations Chief Advocacy & Public Affairs Officer Henry Hanscom released a statement in support of a joint operation by the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security to permanently close 270 fraudulent CDL schools: ATA applauds the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Department of Homeland Security for continuing their aggressive crackdown on fraudulent CDL training providers and other bad actors that have undermi

Cargo thieves know holiday weekends mean freight can sit unattended for extended periods, according to Overhaul. The company said trailers staged outside big box store receiving facilities are prime targets for pilferage and straight theft, while distribution centers and warehouses operate with reduced staffing and scaled back security, giving criminals a larger window to operate, and delaying the discovery of losses.

On May 21, 2026, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met to mark up the newly released Build America 250 Act, the long-awaited five-year Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill that the transportation industry has anticipated for more than a year. The legislation included several significant victories for the trucking industry. Among them were meaningful investments in truck parking initiatives and long-sought language allowing hair testing results to be incorporated int

President Donald Trump's administration announced on Friday a change in federal policy that would relax fuel efficiency requirements for medium- and heavy-duty commercial trucks, arguing that the current regulations grant the government powers it does not legally possess. The decision represents another step in the Republican administration's broader campaign to roll back federal regulations affecting the automotive and trucking industries. The government has pushed for changes related to fue

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sent its broker transparency rulemaking to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on August 27, clearing the last internal checkpoint before publication and moving a document that had missed two target dates this year into the final stage of executive branch review. The listing shows the rule as pending review, with the stage recorded as proposed rule, consistent with the supplemental notice FMCSA has had on its agenda.

Tender rejections are still running near 13.5% — and that could mean the freight market has found a short-term bottom ahead of Labor Day. In this SONAR update, we break down what stalled rejection declines mean for capacity, why this still looks like a supply-led cycle, how intermodal pulled pressure off truckload this summer, and where dry van, reefer and flatbed spot rates are heading next. If you run a fleet, broker freight or buy transportation, this is the signal to watch right now.

The latest bankruptcy filings show financial pressure continuing to work through the freight economy, with both small carriers and larger logistics and distribution companies confronting debt loads, thin asset bases and restructuring challenges. A wave of bankruptcy filings swept through the freight and logistics sector from late July through Aug. 25, hitting trucking companies, freight forwarders, distributors, warehouses and other supply-chain businesses across the U.S.

FMCSA announced Thursday that it has completed pre-tests for its Flexible Sleeper Berth and Split Duty Period pilot programs and is reviewing the results ahead of a planned full launch in 2027. The programs are designed to evaluate whether giving drivers more control over when they take breaks and rest periods can maintain or improve safety. FMCSA launched the initiatives in September 2025 as part of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s Pro Trucker Package.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to ease some truck emission rules, but not all of the revisions are good. Truck drivers have a few days left to let the agency know what it needs to do to make the proposal more trucker-friendly. In July, the EPA filed a proposed rule to revise a 2023 truck emission rule. That rule set new emission standards for model year 2027 and newer trucks, including: Codified engine deratements/“limp mode”, 10-year/450,000-mile manufacturer warranty for emission

More trucks are expected at a major Southwest Detroit freight terminal as it expands — testing the city's recent progress keeping them off neighborhood streets. Why it matters: Southwest Detroit residents have endured decades of heavy truck traffic that brings noise, pollution and safety concerns to residential streets. State of play: The $112 million Detroit Recharged project will modernize and expand Norfolk Southern's Livernois Intermodal Facility near Livernois Avenue and Federal Street.<

Paccar is recalling 5,919 model year 2027 Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks because the power distribution box may be contaminated with oil, according to a July 27 defect notice the manufacturer filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Failure of the unit, which routes electrical power through the cab, can cause a loss of drive power, anti-lock braking, exterior lighting, windshield wipers or the defogging system, increasing the risk of a crash.

Each day, millions of 70-foot semitrucks traverse America’s roads, delivering goods across the country. But when drivers need to sleep, finding a place to safely park their trucks is another story. According to the Department of Transportation, more than 3.6 million truck drivers transport products across America. But there are only around 311,000 places for them to legally pull over and rest — approximately one spot for every 11 drivers. The department says that’s led seven out of 10 drivers

Medium- and heavy-duty truck tariffs were among the major sticking points in U.S.-Canada trade talks last week, which broke down Friday, ratcheting up trade tensions between the wo countries. After talks fell through on Friday, President Trump imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion of the country’s exports on Saturday. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by saying the longtime allies were “at war” over trade and announced dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs on American goods starting

Ford used to be a major player in the heavy-duty trucking game, holding a 15% share of the market by the mid-1970s. Come 1997, the story would be all over for Ford, as it exited the market for good, selling the entirety of its heavy-duty trucking operations to Freightliner. The Blue Oval firm experienced both highs and lows while operating as a heavy-duty truck manufacturer, and during the '70s, it was certainly on a high. Ford had opened its Louisville plant in '69 to be a dedicated L-Series

A coalition of 22 state AGs – including Jay Jones, the attorney general in Virginia – won a temporary restraining order in a case involving the Trump administration effort to go after immigrant truck drivers. The administration is trying to strongarm the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators into handing over its database of state-owned records containing the sensitive personal information of 17 million truck drivers, so that it can target the 200,000 immigrants with CDLs. 

Oklahoma’s attorney general on Monday unveiled a new attempt to settle a decades-old case with six poultry companies who have been court-ordered to clean up eastern Oklahoma waterways. Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced he planned to ask federal Judge Gregory K. Frizzell to sign off on a nearly $44 million, seven-year settlement with poultry companies Tyson Foods, Cargill, George’s, Peterson Farms, Cal-Maine and Simmons Foods.

Every experienced driver has a story about it, or knows someone who does. A truck follows a navigation app built for cars, and the app cheerfully routes it toward a bridge it cannot clear, a road it is too heavy for, or a turn it physically cannot make. The low-bridge strike is one of the oldest and most avoidable disasters in trucking, and it happens in large part because the mapping tools most people use were never built for a truck.

In recent months, several companies have told federal regulators that the hours-of-service rules don’t work for them. They’ve asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to grant their truckers an exemption, saying they’ll be able to meet an equivalent level of safety with more flexibility. FMCSA allowed the public to comment on each of the exemption requests. The majority of those comments have pushed back. In many cases, it has been truckers and safety groups who have asked the ag

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY) introduced the Strengthening Transportation Oversight and Preventing (STOP) Improper Licensing Act to clear America’s highways of hazardous drivers. This bill requires federal safety regulators to audit states issuing non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens and unqualified drivers. A dangerous driver anywhere is a threat to families everywhere. 

Tony Broyles from Overdrive Logistics shares his rare ‘dual perspective’ having worked on both the shipper and broker sides of the freight industry. He breaks down common misconceptions and reveals why understanding both ends of the supply chain is crucial for success and building lasting relationships. From managing budgets to carrier-friendly freight, discover the unspoken truths that drive the market.

David Stephany is a tall, beefy recruiter for one of the largest long-haul trucking companies in the US. He is here today to give his pitch to eight new students at Lincoln Land Community College’s truck-driver training centre in Springfield, Illinois, complete with promises of $37,000 (€27,000) a year jobs straight out of trucking school and more than $50,000 (€40,000) after a few years of experience. He lists benefits they will receive if they sign on, such as health insurance, eye-sight an

Knee-high soybeans cover hundreds of acres of Kellogg Family Farms, and century-old barns dot the homestead. But the most striking part about the farm in Ithaca, Michigan, are the piles of old machinery scattered across the property. “Some of this equipment we’ll never use again,” said sixth-generation owner Dennis Kellogg. “But it’s amazing how if I need a part of something that’s similar that’ll work on even a different brand, I’m able to go and find something that’ll work.”

The trucking market is not in a short-lived cyclical rebound but the early stages of a multi-year recovery driven by structural, government-enforced capacity reduction — that is the core argument made by RXO Chief Strategy Officer Jared Weisfeld in a recent FreightWaves interview. Weisfeld said enforcement actions around non-domiciled CDLs, English language proficiency, CDL mill crackdowns, ELDs and cabotage rules have been ongoing for roughly 12 months and amount to “the largest structural c

The Trump administration has vowed to fight "tooth and nail" against a coordinated push by nearly two dozen states seeking to block federal authorities from obtaining more than 17 million commercial driver records. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy accused state attorneys general of shielding undocumented immigrants that are operating commercial trucks.

Demand for new heavy-duty trucks has continued to strengthen despite equipment market uncertainty as truck and engine manufacturers adjust to proposed revisions for emissions regulations. U.S. Class 8 retail truck sales surpassed year-ago levels for a second straight month, with Omdia Automotive data showing that July purchases increased 2.2% to 19,254 units from 18,838 reported during the same month last year. However, sales were down 5.9% from the 20,452 units sold in June.

The train was sitting just outside a depot in Memphis when the bandits made their move.  Emerging from a black Kia Soul under the cover of darkness, the three men clambered on top of CSX Corp. railcars. They broke the container locks and grabbed more than $20,000 of items, including women's clothing destined for a Belk department store, Lazer Blocks toys and two cases of Fre non-alcoholic chardonnay. The thieves filled their vehicle and hid the rest in a nearby wooded area, planning to

Fleet managers nationwide are fundamentally shifting their operational focus from reactive problem-solving to proactive risk prevention and early intervention, according to recent research from J. J. Keller & Associates.

Bartlett Grain Company on Thursday held a grand opening for a new state-of-the-art grain export facility in Bureau County, a news release says. Because of high winds and inclement weather, the Bartlett open house was moved from the facility to the McCormick Event Center at 205 E. 3rd, Rock Falls, for safety reasons.

The aftermath of a Supreme Court decision regarding freight brokers is leading several large carriers and brokers to highlight their competitive advantage. Trucking leaders on Q2 earnings calls in July suggested the high court’s decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II et al. is increasing challenges for certain businesses, where small brokers may be unable to absorb higher insurance costs and low-quality carriers may be passed over.

Louisiana size and weight enforcement agencies have some explaining to do. A recent evaluation of the statewide commercial vehicle size and weight enforcement programs called into question practices employed by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and Louisiana State Police. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor said an audit found these agencies are not effectively enforcing truck weight and size regulations.

Freight rates are up, but trucking jobs are not. Numerous stars have aligned to create the current freight market conditions. Historically, when rates start to spike, an increase in trucking jobs soon follows. It’s simple economics: higher rates indicate higher freight demand, which requires more supply. Today’s trucking industry bucks historic trends, to say the least. Over the past year and a half, the federal government has set out to clean up trucking. That includes enforcin

Too often, regulators and lawmakers have turned to technology as the “solution” for a lack of safety in the trucking industry. Truckers, however, argue that this constant search for the next technological advancement has caused many to ignore some of the most basic and logical ways to improve safety. For instance, the reasoning behind why there has been a regulation on the books for decades that requires truck drivers to be proficient in English shouldn’t take a lot of explainin

A recent performance audit accuses the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and Louisiana State Police (LSP) of failing to properly enforce truck weight and size regulations. In an August 5 report, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor found that LSP and DOTD are failing to effectively enforce weight restrictions on large commercial trucks, resulting in “trucks that are potentially overweight and oversize but lack required permits are driving on state highways and

American farmers spent an estimated $1.4 billion more on diesel during the 2026 planting season than they did a year earlier, according to a July analysis released by the congressional Joint Economic Committee Minority. The report estimates diesel costs for planting corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice increased 63.2% nationwide between the 2025 and 2026 planting seasons, driven by higher fuel prices.

For the past four years, the freight market has been in recession, which began in 2022 after post-pandemic consumer demand dipped. This left thousands of new carriers—or companies tasked with moving cargo—saddled with excess trucks, competing in an environment marked by low shipping rates and high costs. As a result, many carriers went out of business. Despite the odds, companies in the logistics industry have managed to carve out their own growth paths as supply chains have become more

Data centers designed to support artificial intelligence (AI) are taking a large bite out of transportation capacity, putting more pressure on already rising transportation costs. Data centers not only consume gigawatts of electricity, but also transportation capacity on the ocean.

PACCAR has launched a PACCAR truck recall covering 5,919 new Kenworth and Peterbilt vehicles whose power distribution center boxes may be contaminated with oil, creating a risk of losing engine power, antilock-brake functionality, exterior lighting, windshield wipers, or windshield defrosting. The recall spans highway tractors and medium- and heavy-duty vocational trucks used across tank and bulk operations. For fleets running model-year 2027 equipment in fuel, chemica

Federal authorities say a three-day commercial vehicle enforcement operation across four Midwestern states resulted in approximately 766 out-of-service orders and the arrest of 86 truck drivers. The second wave of Operation Highway Shield was conducted July 28-30 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

This week, Trimac Transportation announced the acquisition of a major food-grade bulk logistics provider headquartered in Ripon, California. On August 4, Calgary-headquartered Trimac announced the acquisition of “one of California’s largest multi-faceted food-grade bulk logistics providers,” California Freight, for an undisclosed amount.

Shippers paid significantly more to move freight in the second quarter of 2026, even as shipment volumes declined, according to the latest U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. National shipment volumes fell 1.1% from the first quarter, marking the second consecutive sequential decline. Compared with a year earlier, shipments were down 2.8%. At the same time, spending increased 6.4% from the prior quarter and 28.1% year over year, reflecting a market in which freight demand remains s

Trucking is experiencing its AI breakthrough moment. For brokers navigating an increasingly complex market, the tools to optimize operations are finally here. A recent Boston Consulting Group survey found that emerging AI solutions are significantly improving processes for Logistics Service Providers—nearly half cited plans to deploy AI for more efficient workflows and greater profitability. Because reactive pricing is one of the hardest problems in logistics, it’s the one we decided to solve

Paccar is recalling close to 6,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks for a potential problem that could cause a loss of engine power, ABS (antilock brake) functions, exterior lighting, windshield wipers and defogging. The power distribution center (PDC) box may be contaminated with oil in these vehicles.

Federal lawmakers are trying to pass a new transportation bill called the BUILD America 250 Act. The BUILD America 250 Act would authorize $580 billion in transportation funding over the next five years. The bill also contains an amendment increasing commercial truck weight limits from 80,000 to 91,000 pounds.

In business, losing a bidding war is usually bad news. Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) lost one in 2023, and that defeat quietly became one of the smartest financial decisions in the company’s history. The rival on the other side of that story was Yellow Corp, a nearly 100-year-old carrier that ranked as the third-largest less-than-truckload freight company in the count

Owner-operators were asking that more than a year ago now, just a few months into the Trump administration, after a late 2024 transparency rulemaking proposed to put more onus on brokers to share freight-transaction records. Since the release, favored by big majorities of owner-operators, there'd been no further action at that time by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Two U.S. senators are calling into question the accuracy of crash data collected by the federal agency overseeing the trucking industry. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Edward Markey (D-Mass.), sent a letter Wednesday, July 29 to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs requesting information on the agency’s tracking of large truck and bus crashes. Their request follows a

Specialty chemicals distributor Univar Solutions’ annual Carrier Awards this year celebrated several tank truck carriers, including Highway Transport, Quality Carriers, and Quest Liner, who received “Excellence in Service and Partnership” honorable mention awards; and Dixon Bros., one of nine recipients of Univar’s “Superior Excellence in Service and Partnership” award. Presented during the company’s annual carrier recognition event, the awards highlight carriers whose service excellen

Throughout most of trucking history, manufacturers, fleets, and owner-operators had to contend with state-imposed regulations on total truck lengths and weights. These regulations often varied wildly, which meant that trucks might be legal in some states and not in others, in some cases even in neighboring states. In the 1950s, engineers tried to solve this problem with a big rig to rule them all: the McCullough Road King. The Road King was designed to beat regulations by combining the semi w

C.H. Robinson verdict headlines have centered on the staggering number: $604 million. The harder and more useful story for tank carriers, freight brokers and bulk shippers is why a Dallas County jury was willing to look beyond a federal Satisfactory safety rating—and why it separately concluded that an independent carrier’s driver could be treated as operating for the broker’s benefit and subject to its control.

The spot market gravy train rates of early 2026 seem to be ending. Spot rates continued to drop last week, according to weekly reports from FTR Transportation Intelligence and DAT Freight & Analytics.  Average broker-posted rates fell 8.5 cents from the previous week—but were still up 46.6% from the same week last year, according to FTR. And, when factoring out estimated fuel costs, FTR’s annual rate comparison was even stronger: up 51.6% year over year.

All over the nation, chameleon carriers are hiding in plain sight. A bill in the Senate wants to prevent these high-risk trucking companies from blending in. This week, Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Andy Kim, D-N.J., introduced the SAFE Act. S5150, which is identical to the House version introduced by Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., aims to develop an advanced automation tool to help detect applications from chameleon carriers.