Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

Truck capacity is shrinking just as shippers most need room to grow. ACT Research’s June For-Hire Trucking Index shows freight rates holding near record territory while capacity keeps tightening, as Class 8 tractor sales continue running below replacement levels and new federal driver rules squeeze the labor pool. For shippers trying to expand volumes, the truck capacity shortage isn’t going away soon.

As oil prices hit $100 a barrel this morning amid President Trump’s war with Iran, the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee – Minority released a new report today that found that American farmers spent $1.4 billion more on diesel fuel during this year’s spring planting season than they did last year. Trump’s war with Iran has caused diesel prices to skyrocket, which has harmed farmers at a time when they already face increased costs and new challenges due to Trump’s tariffs. The repo

One of the largest nuclear verdicts in history against trucking was handed down Thursday in a Dallas courtroom, a more than $600 million judgement that has quickly thrust C.H. Robinson into the post-Montgomery legal landscape. A jury in Dallas County Court handed down a verdict of approximately $604 million in a case involving a March 2021 crash in Jackson, Mississippi. The case was filed in the Texas courtroom because the carrier whose truck was involved in the wreck, Lupus Superior,

Freight demand is stronger than previously believed. It just hasn’t reached all trucking markets yet. The OOIDA Foundation’s July freight market update said a growing economic reliance on artificial intelligence could be a cause for concern. Wholesale trade and manufacturing sectors increased unexpectedly, but the dependence on the physical buildout of AI could end any freight recovery if there’s a significant downturn in capital expenditure, the Foundation said. Increase

Beginning farmers are often described as the future of American agriculture. But the 2022 Census of Agriculture shows they are not simply younger versions of today’s farmers. Their age, work patterns and farm characteristics paint a more complicated picture of what it means to start farming in the United States today.  USDA defines a beginning farmer or rancher as someone who has operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less.

Is USDA preparing to right a lilting ship? On July 15, USDA announced a modern makeover of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), an agency of massive market consequence and designated statistical guardian of the farm economy. NASS has lost faith with some farmers who question its role as purported watchdog of America’s bins and bushels. According to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, a NASS rehaul is in the works, and her aims are backed by common farmers in flyover c

Multiple trucking businesses recently began processes to relieve their debts, highlighting continued market challenges even as some promising signals emerge. Carriers with a range of operations made financial resets, though Chapter 11 bankruptcies gave the possibility for reorganizing businesses. Notably, Mountain Valley Express closed down its operations, VP of Sales Oscar Tapia said in a LinkedIn post.

Monster Logistics LLC, the Akron, Ohio-based freight brokerage, has expanded its vetted carrier network to more than 175 partners, broadening its capacity for bulk liquid transport, dry bulk logistics, and hazmat freight movements across the United States. The expansion is designed to meet the operational demands of chemical and industrial manufacturers that require specialized equipment, regulatory compliance, and reliable carrier access.

The trucking industry is weighing in on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal to change diesel emissions rules, with some groups saying the revisions could have been a bigger step toward addressing concerns from small-business truckers.

An agricultural supply chain company based in Omaha was ordered to pay $10 million for its role in a scheme to bribe Mexican officials to deliver trains of goods across the border. Scoular, a grain company, agreed to a three-year deferred prosecution agreement in connection to the case filed in the Western District of Texas for one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Truck drivers have received relief from DEF-induced headaches from the Environmental Protection Agency over the past year. But what happens if a new administration comes in and reverses everything? EPA has made several moves to mitigate issues caused by faulty diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) technology. In addition to inducement deratements that force trucks to a crawl, truck drivers have reported significantly lower performance with engines that require DEF.

As trucking fleets dealt with recessionary conditions in the freight markets for the third year in a row in 2025, they saw their average costs to operate a truck rise by 3.4% from the previous year. That’s according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s 2026 Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking

The Trump administration announced Thursday it is investigating 75 entry-level truck driver commercial driver’s license schools across the U.S. that are suspected of fraudulently helping put non-citizen drivers on American highways. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are partnering to address fraud regarding the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs to illegal aliens.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would join the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in its mission to crack down on fraudulent and illegal practices in commercial driver’s license (CDL) schools. Through this new partnership, DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will work with DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to identify and address fraud regarding the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) t

BulkLoads is expanding its presence in agricultural transportation through the acquisition of Livestock Network. Executives say the acquisition will unite two of the trucking industry’s longest-established freight communities while giving livestock haulers access to a broader suite of business services.

North American Class 8 truck orders rose to 30,500 units in June, up 16% from May—and 241% year-over-year, according to preliminary data from FTR Intel. Prior-year comparisons have now exceeded 100% for five straight months, FTR reported. Orders were about 68% above the 10-year June average and represent the second-largest June net order total since FTR began tracking the metric. The sequential gain suggests demand momentum remains intact despite tightening 2026 build availability.

House Bill 664 did away with Idaho’s split speed limits, which capped the maximum speed for trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds at 70 mph on rural stretches of interstates. Now, large tractor-trailers can legally zip down some roadways at 80 mph. What does this change mean for regular Idaho drivers and their experiences on the road?

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed significant changes to its 2027 heavy-duty diesel emissions rule that could reduce the cost of next-generation trucks while easing some of the uncertainty that has complicated fleet buying decisions. The EPA proposed rule would leave in place the stringent nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions standard scheduled to take effect with 2027 model-year heavy-duty diesel engines. However, it would delay some of the rule's costly implementation

The proposal centers on one of the trucking industry’s regular maintenance headaches: DEF-induced engine derates. Under current regulations, trucks experiencing emissions-system failures can be programmed to reduce engine power or speed until repairs are completed. Fleets have long argued that sensor failures and other DEF-related issues can sideline otherwise operational trucks, resulting in costly downtime.

Livestock haulers will gain access to the full BulkLoads ecosystem, from fast factoring and livestock-specialized insurance to a purpose-built TMS and market insights, as the two platforms come together. SPRINGFIELD, Mo., July 13, 2026. BulkLoads, the largest bulk freight marketplace in North America, today announced it has acquired Livestock Network (livestocknetwork.com), the leading load board and online community for the livestock

One proposal could put more weight on the roadways potentially impacting motorists, bridges, and taxpayers across the country. As millions of Americans hit the road for summer vacations, Congress is weighing a proposal that could put significantly heavier semi-trucks on interstate highways in the future.

The Trump administration is proposing to slash Biden-era truck emissions regulations in a move officials say would save the trucking industry about $12 billion and ease supply chain costs that make everyday goods more expensive for Americans. "Collectively, these savings will be passed on to American families through lower costs for food, household goods, and other products trucks deliver, while still maintaining strong environmental protections and ensuring clean air," read

One truck driver says the hardest part of today's economy isn't the long hours or demanding work. It's knowing his father did the same job a generation ago and was able to comfortably support a family and build wealth. In a recent Reddit post, the driver explained that his father worked as a car hauler in California during the late 1990s and early 2000s. According to him, his "boomer father" wasn't a CEO or business owner. He was "just a normal truck driver hauling cars.

Two private companies have applied to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for relief from Hours of Service (HOS) rules that could lift those restrictions for five years. Exemptions are not the same as waivers from FMCSA, which generally have a much shorter duration. Most of the exemptions that are in place now were granted by FMCSA for four to five years. 

The Port of Savannah will open a high-volume freight corridor on July 16, saying it will give truck drivers faster access to the Port of Savannah and a more streamlined route to inland markets. Specifically, it will streamline the flow of goods by linking the port with the Interstate-16 highway corridor into Atlanta, thus removing rail crossing and truck traffic from Savannah neighborhood streets.

Preliminary North American net orders for Class 8 heavy-duty trucks surged in June, driven by soaring freight rates and a rapidly recovering trucking market, according to FTR and ACT Research.  

Most of the trucking job losses over the last three years can be attributed to a driver glut created by the coronavirus pandemic. The number of truck drivers peaked in 2022 after a surge of new carriers entered the market to capitalize on skyrocketing rates amid unusually high economic activity in the wake of the pandemic. Once the world began to normalize, too many drivers on the road put downward pressure on rates, creating a nearly four-year freight recession. More than 120,000 truc

Grain transportation signals were mixed in late June, with stronger year-over-year rail and barge movement but softer weekly rail volume and lower ocean freight rates. U.S. Class I railroads originated 28,074 grain carloads for the week ending June 20. That was down 3 percent from the previous week, but 8 percent above last year and 29 percent above the three-year average. Secondary shuttle railcar bids averaged $75 below tariff for July, while non-shuttle bids averaged $38 abov

American pork, Mexican avocados and Canadian canola are among the many agricultural products that can move across North America without tariffs under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. But six years after the massive trade agreement went into effect, many farmers are worried the markets and certainty it provides could fall apart in the coming months. The three trading partners will decide whether to renew the USMCA for another 16 years, let it expire in 2036 or begin an

Chris Waddell’s grandfather used to drive cows down what’s now Mitch Owens Road in Ottawa when it was nothing more than a gravel farm route. If he saw anyone along the way, they were his neighbours, ready to lend a hand to get the cows to pasture. "It's changed so much now that it's not even safe to drive a tractor on the road," Waddell said.

What is a reportedly small percentage of carriers that are vetted through the Highway compliance system are facing a looming requirement to hook their ELD up to the company’s system. July 5 is the deadline for connecting an ELD to Highway, according to the memo that has been circulating for several weeks. And the policy is a direct response to the new normal for brokers created by the Supreme Court decision in Montgomery vs. Caribe Transport II.

Market volatility and a fast-paced technology environment are converging to create opportunities in transportation markets, freight leaders told attendees at a less-than-truckload (LTL) industry conference taking place in Florida this week. These are “exciting times for everyone in this room,” FedEx Freight President and CEO John Smith told attendees at SMC3 Connections, which runs through Wednesday, July 1, at The Breakers Palm Beach. Roughly 400 people turned out for the event, repre

The cost of diesel fuel remained a major profitability factor in May, as small trucking businesses saw increased revenues largely consumed by higher fuel prices. The rate of inflation, largely pushed by fuel costs, also rose in May, increasing non-fuel costs for trucking businesses.

Cargill Ltd.’s influence over Canadian agriculture is set to grow under a proposed takeover of grain-handling assets in the prairies. Article content The Minnesota-headquartered agribusiness wants to buy three grain elevators and a 50 per cent stake in a British Columbia port terminal from a competitor, giving it more control over supply chains.

For years, commercial trucking insurers have encouraged fleets to participate in telematics programs by offering premium discounts in exchange for access to electronic driving data. Programs that once focused primarily on rewarding safe driving have gradually become an increasingly important part of commercial underwriting. Progressive Commercial’s Smart Haul program has been one of those initiatives, allowing eligible motor carriers to share telematics data with the insurer in exchange for p

With US agricultural freight expected to increase by 1.5%/year over the next two decades, continued investment in inland waterways, rail and rural truck routes is required to ensure efficient exports and reliable seasonal movements, according to the US Department of Transportation (UDOT)’s latest National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP) reported by World Grain. Agriculture is one of the largest users of the US freight network with corn, soyabeans and wheat dominatin

You passed the test. You earned the CDL. So why does your first week on the job feel like starting from scratch? It's a question thousands of new drivers ask themselves every year — often while standing in a freight yard, staring at a load of steel beams and wondering exactly how they're supposed to secure them.

You passed the test. You earned the CDL. So why does your first week on the job feel like starting from scratch? It's a question thousands of new drivers ask themselves every year — often while standing in a freight yard, staring at a load of steel beams and wondering exactly how they're supposed to secure them.

“And think carefully about this because if in writing some article that's negative you effectively dissuade people from using autonomous vehicles, you're killing people.” As the title of this piece already indicates, the words in quotes are those of Elon Musk.

The initiative is expected to significantly reduce harvest wait times for growers. Company representatives were joined by members of Team Pillen as well as delegates from the offices of Senator Pete Ricketts and Senator Deb Fischer, highlighting local support for the agriculture sector. This move underscores Green Plains strategic focus on operational efficiency and enhanced partner collaboration.

After several years of weak demand and low pricing in the trucking sector, carrier capacity has contracted, driving transportation costs higher. As a result, rail has become a more cost-effective option for many companies seeking to manage logistics expenses. The shift is especially evident in intermodal transportation, where freight containers move by a combination of rail and truck. Railroads have seen growing volumes as shippers take advantage of lower transportation costs and impro

July 1 brings a wave of new laws that could change life behind the wheel for truckers. Every day on the road comes with new risks. Now, states are rolling out new laws that could affect safety, cargo theft, lawsuits and who can get a CDL.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has finalized a rule eliminating a long-standing requirement that commercial driver’s license holders self-report traffic convictions to their state licensing agency. The new rule removed what many trucking stakeholders viewed as a redundant compliance burden.

Rising trucking rates and tightening truck capacity are prompting many U.S. shippers to move freight back to rail, particularly for long-haul transportation, The Wall Street Journal reports.  After several years of weak demand and low pricing in the trucking sector, carrier capacity has contracted, driving transportation costs higher. As a result, rail has become a more cost-effective option for many companies seeking to manage logistics expenses.

Mack Trucks reconfigured its long-haul lineup last year with the introduction of the Pioneer — its most aerodynamic, connected and driver-focused Class 8 highway truck to date. Following a development journey that began in 2017, the Pioneer went into serial production in August.

Bartlett, a Savage Company (Bartlett), and Shell Rock Soy Processing, LLC (SRSP) today announced their intent to combine their soybean crush businesses. The combination brings together two highly complementary organizations with a shared commitment to connecting U.S. farmers to expanding markets for food, feed and renewable fuels. Together, the companies will create a larger, more robust platform for long-term growth, while preserving the operational strengths and relationships that have driven

NMFTA researchers say dozens of registered ELDs may be built on the same software platforms, allowing compliance and security concerns to persist even after individual devices are removed from the market.

Consumers, producers, and policymakers alike are increasingly concerned about food affordability and the factors driving costs throughout the agricultural supply chain. One often-overlooked contributor is a network of federally authorized commodity programs, also known as checkoffs. Once established for a given commodity, these organizations impose mandatory assessments on producers amounting to nearly $990 million last year; these are costs that ultimately affect consumer prices.

The Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) has filed a court petition seeking to force federal regulators to decertify the commercial driver’s license programs of New York and California. The petition, filed June 10, asks the court to review actions by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation and order the agencies to revoke the authority of New York and California to issue CDLs, escalating a dispute over immigration-related l

A trucking company sued the federal government seeking more than $11 million in refunds for fuel taxes paid on diesel used to power refrigeration units on its trailers. New Prime Inc. filed the lawsuit against the United States, claiming it should not have paid federal excise taxes on diesel fuel used for off-highway purposes in refrigerated trailer units from March 2018 through 2021, according to a complaint filed Monday in the US District Court for the Western District of

Americans are paying too much for almost everything, and a major driver is the cost of moving freight by truck. While other countries modernize their freight systems, more than 70% of freight by weight in the United States is transported via aging diesel fleets: an expensive habit that’s hitting Americans hard. A first set of costs comes at pumps and registers. Diesel’s a notoriously volatile commodity, and when prices spike – as they did after Russia invaded Ukraine and as

States keep rewriting truck weight rules. Some truckers aren’t happy about where things are headed. Lawmakers are putting the spotlight on certain loads. Such loads include milk, farm products and construction materials. Supporters argue that heavier trucks mean fewer trips, less traffic and lower emission. But many truck drivers see a different picture. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association warns that heavier trucks could pose greater safety risks and increa

With US agricultural freight expected to grow 1.5% per year over the next two decades, continued investment in inland waterways, rail and rural truck routes is required to ensure efficient exports and reliable seasonal movements, according to the National Freight Strategic Plan.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is removing obsolete rules from its trucking regulations, aiming to reduce compliance costs and paperwork without affecting safety. FMCSA predicted last year that eliminating obsolete verbiage would “save the motor carrier industry millions annually.” Burdensome trucking regulations in 2024 led to “nearly 25,000 unnecessary violations,” the agency said.

The truckload market appears poised for a prolonged period of rate hikes, as the upcycle has just gotten underway. A pronounced shift in truck capacity is benefiting large, well-capitalized carriers, while posing significant risks to shippers that failed to foster sustainable partnerships during the multiyear freight recession. The capacity levers being pulled continue to favor large carriers. It started last year with stricter enforcement of non-domiciled CDL rules and English-languag

America’s supply chain is undergoing a technological transformation, and trucking is leading the charge.   In testimony on Capitol Hill, American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear delivered a clear message to lawmakers: the road to a safer, stronger, and more competitive freight network runs through smart, targeted policy decisions.   Spear emphasized that the trucking industry is already investing billions in advanced technologies to modernize operatio

Leaders in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Congress got an earful after a coalition of carrier vetting platforms put aside egos and competition for a day and advocated for real safety improvements in trucking.  Representatives from Highway, Verified Carrier, GenLogs, Descartes, FreightValidate, Truckstop, and the Transported Asset Protection Association went to Washington, D.C., last month on what could go down as the most auspicious single days in trucking's recent

Cattle, goats, horses, sheep, pigs—hundreds of millions of livestock are transported by truck around the country each year. As these animals are travelling, they may experience overcrowding, extreme temperatures, lack of water, and other harsh conditions that can lead to injury or death.   The law governing the humane treatment of these animals was established in 1873. It generally prohibits animals from being confined for more than 28 hours during interstate transpo

The ink wasn’t even dry on last month’s column before I found myself eating crow. I wrote: “Owning trucks used to mean owning customers. Now it’s about owning risk.” Turns out, I had seriously underestimated how much risk was about to land on every freight broker’s doorstep. That’s the result of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, the C.H. Robinson broker liability case. The Montgomery decision means freight brokers can be s

Every night, across thousands of truck stops and highway shoulders from Ohio to Oregon, commercial drivers burn fuel and clock minutes searching for a legal place to park — not because they want to keep driving, but because federal hours-of-service rules leave them no choice. It’s a mundane crisis, largely invisible to the traveling public, but one that industry groups say has compounded for years alongside aging road surfaces and a Highway Trust Fund running on revenu

HR8870, which next goes to the House floor for a vote, includes the bipartisan Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. The provision would give the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration some teeth in going after fraudsters by restoring the agency’s authority to impose civil penalties. The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act was introduced in February as a standalone bill by Del. Eleanor Holmes, D-D.C., in the House and by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., in the Se

Despite the ongoing tightening of the domestic truckload market, the trend of shrinking load lengths that began in 2024 shows little sign of reversing. Since June 2024, the average length of haul in SONAR’s tender data set has declined from approximately 607 miles to just above 500 miles — a 21% drop, with 11% of that occurring over the past year alone, making it a fairly linear trend. Is this part of a sustained structural change, or something that could flip in the near future and exacerbat

States are rewriting truck weight rules – and some of these changes are raising red flags. Lawmakers are zoning in on specific loads, from construction materials to farm goods and milk.

Despite evidence that truck drivers are reducing speeds to conserve fuel, supply chain experts say the impact on delivery times should be minimal. Commercial truck drivers drove 4 percent slower in late April compared with the start of the year, according to a transportation analytics company INRIX, in conjunction with the increase in diesel fuel prices driven by the war in Iran.

Large grain supplies, strong export demand and rising fuel prices are driving transportation markets. Rail volumes have eached record levels, barge traffic has rebounded after winter disruptions, and export activity remains strong through the Gulf and Pacific Northwest. At the same time, higher diesel and bunker fuel costs are raising freight expenses across every major transportation mode. Grain continues moving at a rapid pace, but at a much higher cost than a year ago. For grain com

The US Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling that allowed a man injured in a truck accident to proceed with his lawsuit against a freight broker. That case focused on a man identified as Shawn Montgomery. He was in a parked vehicle that was struck from behind by a speeding semi-truck.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate today seeks to help modernize the American trucking industry by repealing the federal excise tax. On June 2, 2026, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) introduced the Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act. The bill would repeal the repeal the 12% federal excise tax (FET) on heavy trucks.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced eligible landowners have from June 1 until Aug. 31, 2026 to review and consider base acre increases on farms enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, as authorized by provisions included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  Signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on July 4, 2025, the Act provides landow

A $580 billion transportation bill under consideration by Congress includes an amendment that would allow states to significantly increase truck weights as part of a pilot program. H.R. 8870, also known as the BUILD America 250 Act, passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 22 and is now under consideration by the full House. The bill includes an amendment submitted by U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson to create a pilot program to allow states to

AI is coming for one of the most important industries in the US: truck drivers. A new bill recently introduced in the House would establish rules for workers in the new industry, creating the first federal framework for autonomous commercial trucks, including provisions on remote workers and workforce training grants.

May brought news that trucking prices are hauling upward, and fast. Increased hauling costs often mean a noticeable uptick in price tags for the many goods those trucks deliver. This was a bad omen for Republicans — rising prices have historically complicated things for the party in power during midterm elections.

America’s trucking fleet could soon see changes in both efficiency and weight limits under a new amendment being discussed in Washington. The BUILD America 250 Act would allow states to participate in a pilot program permitting six-axle trucks to operate at up to 91,000 pounds, up from the current federal standard of 80,000 pounds.

For many of us, day-to-day driving is a pretty uneventful experience. Sometimes, it can even be relaxing or exciting. And thankfully, it’s not often that it actually feels scary. But when you work as a truck driver, sitting behind the wheel is a whole different story. The job comes with long, exhausting hours on the road, late-night drives with no one around, heavy winds, steep routes, and intense traffic to get through in a vehicle that size. It’s a lot to handle. So when one R

The first key step toward turning into law the sweeping surface transportation bill was approved overwhelmingly Friday by the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) committee, raising the question of which of its many provisions is the most significant for the trucking sector. The bill, known also as the BUILD America 250 Act, has a 5-year authorization period, replacing a bill that also was in effect for that length of time. 

According to SONAR’s National Truckload Index, spot rates have reached new daily highs of around $3.22 a mile, the highest since March, 2022, and after relative stability in 2024 and 2025. In the fresh produce industry, this recent rise signals a supply chain shift that directly impacts how food moves from field to shelf.  On one hand, fresh produce is partially responsible for these increases. It’s no coincidence that prices are spiking as the season begins to really take hold. While

A Texas county jury has handed down a $49 million judgement against a trucking company that may no longer be in business, a figure about halfway between the $10 million minimum size of a verdict considered nuclear and some larger recent cases lost by trucking interests

Commercial auto insurance posted a $4.9 billion underwriting loss in 2024. That is the fourteenth consecutive year of losses. The combined ratio finished at 107.2, meaning insurers paid out $1.07 in claims and expenses for every $1.00 they collected in premiums. AM Best says the line has accumulated more than $10 billion in net underwriting losses in the last two years alone. Among the top 20 commercial auto insurers, 14 posted combined ratios above 100 in 2024. Fourteen of twenty. The majority

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs sat down with me and Matt Leffler in our Chattanooga studio this week for a live taping of Freight Expectations. What I came away with — beyond the hour of substantive policy conversation — was the clearest articulation yet of why this administration is having a measurable, real-time impact on freight markets that previous ones did not.

The trucking industry faces rising costs, intense competition, and consumers wary of spending more money. "Trucking companies operate in a challenging financial environment, where even minor shifts in market conditions can result in major impacts on cash flow and solvency. Rising insurance premiums, fluctuating fuel prices, maintenance costs, and driver shortages all create significant pressure on profit margins," bankruptcy attorneys Ford & Semach shared on their website.

The industry-average commercial auto liability insurance premium cost rose by 37.8% over the decade ending in 2024 to an all-time high of 10.2 cents per mile, frequently outpacing general inflation, according to research released Tuesday by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). Insurance Cost and Availability landed at the no. 3 spot on (ATRI) 21st annual Top Industry Issues report.

Owner-operator and Overdrive 2025 Small Fleet Champ Wes Oberman's mostly-open-deck Oberman Logistics business makes good on growth goals with a transparent promise to owner-operators leasing there: 15% of the gross for costs, no insurance chargebacks.  Since his big win last fall in the 3-10-trucks division, the owner-operator's moved to 13 trucks, including his own 2026 Kenworth T680, by keeping that promise. 

The FMCSA added 12 more ELDs to the board today. Twelve electronic logging devices were pulled from the registered list in a single announcement, the largest single-day revocation event since the eight-device Gorilla Fleet Safety sweep in May 2025. The devices are 888 ELD from MAUMAU LLC, Dragon ELD, Action ELD, Mondo ELD HOS from Mondotracking Solutions, two versions of First ELD from First ELD LLC, two devices from Power ELD LLC including MTL ELD and USPower ELD, Sam Freight ELD from Sam Fr

BNSF Railway has canceled longstanding reciprocal switching rates for some unit grain train shipments, which has forced Union Pacific customers to pay a higher per-car merchandise train rate, UP said in a complaint filed with federal regulators on Friday. “This action almost tripled the switching rate for unit train grain shipments bound for Union Pacific,” UP’s complaint states. “Indeed, BNSF informed multiple customers and Union Pacific that it would refuse to perform reciprocal swit

Some of the nation’s largest trucking organizations have found common ground in the fight against the scourge of chameleon carriers skirting safety regulations and starting new motor carriers to avoid penalties for poor safety performance. A new letter sent by a coalition of eight trucking organizations to Reps. Sam Graves (R-Missouri) and Rick Larsen (D-Washington), the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, urges the advan

Timpte, Inc., a leading manufacturer in the agriculture and transportation industry, today announced the launch of two new e-commerce platforms designed to better serve customers and expand access to its growing portfolio of products and aftermarket solutions. The new platforms, Thunder Armor store thunderarmorusa.com and the Timpte Equipment Trailer store timpteequipmenttrailers.com, represent a strategic step forward in how Timpte connects with custo

Picture this: a massive semi-truck barrels down the highway next to you, its company name splashed across the side in bold letters. Looks legit, right? Well, that name might have been completely different six months ago, and the company might have changed it specifically so nobody could look up its dismal safety record. This is the quiet, dangerous world of so-called "chameleon carriers," trucking companies that swap names, Department of Transportation tracking numbers, and c

The first half of May 2026 told a clear story across the bulk trucking network. Rates are climbing, volume is growing, and capacity near origin markets is tightening. If you move corn, sand, aggregates, or any other bulk product across the country, the numbers from the past two weeks will shape your decisions for the rest of the month. This update covers 18,220 verified bulk freight loads hauled across 47 origin states through May 15, 2026. Here is what the data shows and what it means

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a man to sue a major logistics company after he lost part of his leg in a semi tractor-trailer crash, a decision that could have big ripple effects across the trucking industry. The justices ruled unanimously in favor of Shawn Montgomery, whose parked vehicle was hit by a speeding truck driver on an Illinois highway in 2017. He wants to sue C.H. Robinson, the country’s largest freight broker by size, over its role in putting the driver on the road

Load boards are the operational backbone of spot freight sourcing in the trucking industry. For independent owner-operators and small fleets, navigating these platforms efficiently determines how consistently trucks run loaded — and how profitably. Professional dispatch services bring a structured methodology to this process, applying market knowledge and negotiation skills that transform load board access into a reliable revenue stream. This article covers how dispatchers work

Trucking companies track everything that affects the bottom line: fuel costs per mile, driver wages and retention, equipment financing, and insurance premiums. But there is one category of operational expense that gets less attention, and it is draining margins faster than most carriers realize.

Scott Cornell has worked enough cargo theft cases to know that the most dangerous schemes rarely announce themselves. They usually appear disguised as something routine. Cornell, Chief Risk Officer at SPG Cargo & Logistics, joined me recently on the Fraud Watch podcast to discuss what the industry is now calling the Trojan Driver scam. What stood out most was not just the method itself, but how he described uncovering it. There was no dramatic breakthrough. It started with small in

The nation’s highest court delivered a major blow to freight brokers Thursday, ruling they can be sued for putting unsafe carriers on the road. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a truck driver, Shawn Montgomery, who had sued C.H. Robinson for a crash with another truck that left him an amputee. The ruling resolves a split among federal courts and opens the door for negligent-hiring lawsuits against brokers to proceed nationwide. For years, brokers have

The Supreme Court of the United States handed down its decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, this morning. It was unanimous. Nine to zero. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the opinion. Justice Brett Kavanaugh filed a concurrence, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, saying the case was closer than the majority opinion suggested, but agreeing with the result. A negligent-hiring claim against a freight broker is not preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization A

The autonomous trucking industry emerged in the mid-2010s as advances in artificial intelligence, sensors and computing power made self-driving freight transport commercially viable. Many experts on autonomous mobility see this as an easier market to tackle compared to goals like developing robotaxis. Industry bulls argue that highway routes are more predictable, making them a simpler task for autonomous technology. Meanwhile, trucking labor costs are high, and the trucking sector face

The fertilizer space has turned into a gigantic mess at the worst possible time. The conflict in the Middle East has squeezed one of the most important supply corridors in the world, and that pressure is moving straight through to the farm.  A large share of global nitrogen, phosphate and sulfur fertilizers depends on inputs and shipping routes tied to that region. When traffic slows and production takes a hit, supply tightens everywhere.

If you've been hauling bulk this month and felt like rates finally started moving in the right direction, you weren't imagining it. April closed out with the median rate across all bulk freight at $4.73 per mile, up 11% from March. That's the biggest single-month jump we've seen in the last year, and it pushed us $0.42 above our trailing 12-month median. After a stretch of mostly flat months, the market moved.

A trucking company’s safety problems do not always begin with the crash that makes headlines. In many cases, warning signs may already exist within a carrier’s federal safety history long before a catastrophic accident occurs. Failed inspections, repeated maintenance violations, hours-of-service (HOS) issues, unsafe driving citations, and prior crashes can all become part of a company’s record over time. The greater concern is that some trucking companies continue to operate des

In 2025, lawsuit abuse in the transportation industry reached an inflection point. Claiming the No. 2 spot on ATRI’s Top Industry Concerns list, it’s clear just how complex and far-reaching this issue has become. With costs on the rise and profits trending downward for many, fleets literally cannot afford to ignore the consequences of litigation. Understanding the road that brought us here is straightforward enough; finding a solution that gets us out of this mess is another thing enti

Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary McLane is planning to deploy self-driving trucking technology from Aurora Innovation on routes in Texas and across the U.S. Sun Belt by the end of the year, expanding on an autonomous freight pilot program the companies began in 2023, McLane and Aurora announced Wednesday.  Temple, Texas-based McLane is one of the largest distribution companies in the U.S., with more than 80 distribution centers that cover nearly every ZIP code in the country, and 25,000 e

A High Plains grain shipper has brought two major cases before the Surface Transportation Board, arguing a short line railroad’s lease terms and rates are blocking a lower-cost western outlet for wheat, sorghum, and corn. The dispute could matter well beyond one company because it touches rail competition, interchange access, and grain shipping costs to western markets. Weskan Grain says it wants to move grain west from Scott City East in Kansas to its Stockton, Colorado, facility, whe