Competitor Cites SONAR for Market‑wide Freight Rejection Rates
Roper's CEO (parent of DAT) quoted "freight rejection rates" to describe the state of the freight market to investors in their latest conference call. There is only one place you can get market-wide rejection rates: SONAR. Happy that SONAR data is being used to describe market conditions, even from our largest competitor.
Seeking Vintage Nikola for Motion Museum Collection
I am looking for a vintage Nikola conventional to acquire for the Motion Museum if anyone knows of where I can source one https://t.co/uguo9axys1
Tesla Semis Set to Transform Trucking Spotlight
It’s hard to understate the level of attention Tesla Semis will bring to the trucking industry
Management Loves Cutting Reps; Floor Brokers Should Worry
I suspect that management teams will love cutting out the carrier sales reps - but I’d be concerned if I were a floor broker.
DAT Loses Ambassador; Ken Steps Into Role
Sad day for FreightX, as DAT lost its public ambassador. Ken assumed the role when the last one stepped down. https://t.co/f9z31wiIfN
Data Shows Truck Driver Shortage Is Myth, Not Reality
Gord and I used to go at it on a number of issues (but in those days there were only like 10 people on FreightX, at least until Gord got banned and we dropped down to 9). I came from...
Deregulation Endangers Highways, Undermines Truckers' Livelihoods
I wrote a NY Times Op Ed today about the erosion of safety on our highways, caused by a lack of enforcement, under funding, and efforts by a power lobby arm to deregulate whom can become a truck driver. ...
Lowering Driver Barriers Backfired, Fueling Illegal Trucking
There was a naive effort to lower the barriers of entry of truck drivers, thinking that it would help the bottom lines of the fleets that are members of the ATA. What happened was unexpected: we did flood the trucking...
Higher Entry Standards Could Boost Trucker Wages and Safety
5000 people die in accidents involving a tractor trailer every year - a large percentage of which are caused by driver error. The trucking industry has promoted a driver shortage, which has lowered the barriers to entry, all in a...
Permitting Delays Keep Coal Alive Despite Abundant Gas
Indeed, considering we are burning off natgas at the same time. Coal plants are easy to convert to natgas + we are swimming in it. The only reason that coal is an answer for energy is that our slow permitting processes...
Flatbed Demand Peaks Then Falters Amid Agricultural Slowdown
DAT: Take every possible position, and you can't be wrong. Tuesday: "Flatbed is inches from an all-time record." Today: "Flatbed is feeling the ag slowdown... equipment demand is pulling back, and it's showing up in the data." https://t.co/a3jgX1oX8W
Truckload M&A Fails: Heartland as Cautionary Example
Truckload M&A rarely works out. Heartland is the poster child of what happens when deals go wrong. https://t.co/xhIBLVqmbB
Ammonia Shortage Threatens Global Food Security, Requires Gas Infrastructure
The same folks that are screaming about a food crisis were part of the same groups that screamed about banning fossil fuels - without realizing that ammonia comes from natural gas and America is literally downing in it (often burning...
Rail‑shipped Petroleum up 9%, Foreshadowing Export Surge
Just getting started. Petroleum products via rail jumped 9% MoM. Rail is upstream to exports, meaning that we should see the export number increase in coming weeks. https://t.co/XMD4ZYt0CO
Get Real-Time Freight Data for $199/Month
Everyone that cares about the freight or goods economy should have access to SONAR's high frequency national freight data. This is specifically built for monitoring the situation, offering SONAR's high frequency market data. It is just $199/month. GetFreightData https://t.co/pEFTjITBlH
US Manufacturing Surge Fuels Trucking Market Tightness
The PMI for US manufacturing blew out the forecast at 54, the highest levels since May 2022, further confirmation that US manufacturing is ramping. It all supports our view that volumes are helping to drive tightness in the trucking market,...
Trucking Rates Set for Double‑Digit Surge, Supercycle Looms
Knight Swift is projecting double digit contract rate increases by the end of the year, a more bullish forecast than their Q1 report. Any thinking that the tightness was situational is gone, as UBS suggests that a trucking rate "Supercycle"...
SONAR Launches National Bulk Rate Index for Truckloads
SONAR introduces a national bulk rate index that tracks our new bulk truckload rates https://t.co/5l48WKnaTC
SONAR Data Indicates Potential New TL Rate Supercycle
After a bullish KNX call, UBS asks about "another TL rate supercycle?" Indeed. SONAR's data certainly suggests so.... https://t.co/yqFfD1X8AW
Petroleum Rail Shipments Jump 15.5% Amid Rising Prices
Petroleum rail shipments surge 15.5% YoY. We expect this to accelerate as oil prices stay elevated and new oil production comes online. https://t.co/ybdZfwN2NM
Shippers Rush to Lock Early Peak-Season Capacity
"KNX is seeing shippers scramble to secure asset capacity with some even attempting to secure peak season solutions much earlier than usual." https://t.co/9OM6bbTAxq
Maersk Overtakes Novo in Revenue, Remains Top
Maersk ekes out Novo’s revenues by $5B USD. It is still the most important Danish company
Tesla Semi Set for 2026 Volume Production, Optimism Rises
I’ve been critical of the Semi in the past, but I’m becoming more optimistic looking at Musk’s track record of eventually getting it right. The Semi timeline pushed out 7 years late, but I’m confident they wouldn’t ramp production without addressing...
Oregon Trail Gets Museum Exhibit Celebrating Gaming History
Oregon Trail is the longest running video game and at its core it’s a transportation game. We are going to devote an exhibit at the Motion Museum honoring the game, history, and impact on society. https://t.co/TRmpI4I4KH
Only U.S. Citizens Should Own Domestic Trucking Companies
It should be a law that you must be an American citizen to own a trucking company that operates in the US. Why? Because foreign operators are not within the reach of American justice system. https://t.co/jxA6cv9H3T
Industrials Surge Unnoticed: Evidence Everywhere
The industrials are cranking, but no one wants to believe it. But there are signs everywhere.
Major US Airports Still Rely on Paper Sequencing
It’s insane that many of the busiest airports in the US still use paper for ground and flight sequencing
US Manufacturing Set for Historic Surge Amid Defense Boom
This is massive for US manufacturing segment, increasing procurement of weapons by 85%. Defense production is already 8% of US manufacturing, this increase would represent one of the biggest increases in history. Combine this with AI buildout, energy production and infrastructure...
Truckload Spot Rates Surge to Cycle High, Diesel Drop Irrelevant
Truckload spot rates hit new cycle high on the daily at $3.22/mile, the highest levels since early March 2022. A week ago, daily truckload rates were at $3.07/mile. Spot rates are cooking despite diesel costs cooling, proof that the surge...
Trump’s Energy Push Eclipses Disastrous Tariffs
Trump’s Liberation Day Tariffs might go down as one of the worst industrial policies in American history, but his unleashing of investment and development of American energy and critical minerals may go down the most impactful industrial policy in history.
ATA's Fake Driver Shortage Erodes Industry Trust
One of the primary roles of a trade association's role is to establish goodwill between the industry and public. Unfortunately, due to the ATA's campaigns about a fake driver shortage that undermined the livelihoods of truck drivers and economics of...
Trucking Industry Swamped with Bad News
There has never been more news focused on the trucking industry - and unfortunately, very little of it is good.
Executives Suspect CH May Benefit From Losing SCOTUS Case
I've spoken with a few senior executives at large brokers that believe that CH wants to lose the Supreme Court case. I'm not convinced, but their thinking is that it would destroy a large swath of the freight brokerage industry...
AI Reviews Guide Museum Design with Visitor‑focused Insights
Minatur Wunderland is the most popular tourist attraction in Germany. I had AI go out and mind the TripAdvisor reviews for what visitors loved & hated about their visit to the Hamburg atttraction. I then asked AI to do the...
Policy to Balance Trade Deficit Fuels Decades of Growth
This will have exponentially more impact on balancing the trade deficit than any tariff policy and will drive massive American economic growth for today and the next few decades. Also massive for driving demand in the domestic goods economy.
US Industrial Surge Reshapes Freight Market Beyond Retail Imports
This is a very different freight market, unlike any that we have ever tracked. The center of the country, led by industrials, are the drivers are freight - not imports for retailers. American industrials are ramping, driven by a mix of...
Jobs Lag Demand; Firms Prioritize Automation Before Hiring
Jobs are much slower to come online than demand - it’s a lagging indicator. Supply chains move first. Jobs will increase once the suppliers have confidence in a sustained recovery. Manufacturing has been obliterated for so long that employers are slow...
Flatbed Rejections Hit Record 56% Amid Tight Capacity
Flatbed rejections hit the highest levels ever recorded at 56%. As the industrials strengthen, demand for flatbed capacity is going to increase. Unfortunately, the flatbed industry has zero slack. https://t.co/Sc233rJkrV
AI Data Centers, Defense, and Energy Fuel Industrial Renaissance
Our market experts have looked at the freight data to determine what is creating the industrial renassaince: - Construction of AI data centers - Defense - Power plant & transmission expansion - Petrochemicals - Heavy duty trucks and equipment - Steel and Aluminum...
Crowdsource the Biggest Unsolved Transportation Mysteries for Museum
Concept for the Motion Museum - "Transportation's Greatest Mysteries" What events should we include? https://t.co/s4K6suWThZ
Rust Belt Shifts From Freight Receiver to Producer
The most remarkable pattern is showing up in our high frequency freight data for the first time since we launched in 2018. The center of the country: the rust belt and and the industrial heartland is no longer just recipients of...
Freight Data Signals Unprecedented Manufacturing Surge Ahead of Official Stats
We've been flagging a surge of activity in the freight modes connected to heavy industry and manufacturing - flatbed & rail for the past few months. Supply chains are upstream to consumption and freight data tends to signal activity first,...
Wholesale Diesel $2 Cheaper—Truck Stops Won’t Pass Savings
The spread of retail to wholesale fuel is almost $2.00 a gallon. This is the second-highest spread we have ever measured. What this means: Large carriers buy their fuel on wholesale rack arrangements and pay a floating index price (OPIS)....
Trucking Spot Rates Surpass 2022 Levels, No Cooling Ahead
Trucking spot rates are now above 2022 comps with no sign of cooling. Note: Diesel was higher in April 2022. https://t.co/vFlXIvLMnY
Flatbed Demand Soars, yet over Half of Loads Rejected
Flatbed is "industrial trucking" and the vibes are very strong. Flatbed rejections are above 54% - more than half of all flatbed truckloads are being rejected. The flatbed industry is enjoying strong tailwinds from data centers, power plants, transmission lines,...
BoA Survey Shows Goods Economy Strength at Four-Year High
BoA’s shipper survey shows increasing strength in the goods economy, with the highest reading in 4 years. This provides affirmation that the recent capacity tightness is not just less trucks, but a more complete recovery, including demand.
Logistics Generates $11 Trillion Annually—A Massive Industry
People don't understand how obscenely large the logistics industry is. Worldwide logistics revenue is $11 trillion per year.
Wholesale Diesel Plunges; Retail Lags—Buy Cost‑plus
Diesel wholesale rack prices have dropped $.70/gallon in the past week and could drop another $.50 -.70 gallon over the weekend. Meanwhile, retail diesel has only dropped $.15/gallon since last week and if past trends hold the truckstops will be...
Oil Drop Boosts Truckers' Margins, Spot Rates Unchanged
Oil is collapsing, now down to $79 a barrel on crude. This will provide overnight relief to any motor carrier that is on wholesale or cost plus deals with the truckstops. But is unlikely to change trucking spot rates because...
SONAR Expands with Barge Rates and River Market Intel
The world's leading freight market intelligence platform (SONAR) is about to get far smarter for barge shippers: Over the next few weeks, we are releasing: - Barge rates - River market intelligence and conditions - Barge commodity and volume tracker https://t.co/DHZYuwffSw