Regulators Need Field Presence: FMCSA Moves to Chattanooga
This makes a ton of sense. The regulators should be in the field. FMCSA to Chattanooga?
Truckers Profit as Spot Rates Outpace Diesel Surge
Truckers just came off the strongest quarter in years. They are happy to pay the higher diesel, so long as they get to enjoy the much higher rates that are currently being painted in the market. 80% of...
Compliance Crackdown Cuts Drivers, Fleet Growth Stalls
This checks out. It doesn't tell us about total truck counts which have been falling since peaking in April 2025. The compliance crackdown has been far more effective in getting drivers off the road, but not doing the same with...
Indiana's Freight Market Evolution: Indy Ranks 9th Nationwide
It is important to watch how this shapes freight markets in Indiana. Indianapolis is the 9th largest trucking market in the US. https://t.co/ltctV6fb43
Force Chinese OEMs to US Production, Transfer IP
I think we should rip a page from the Chinese playbook and tell Chinese OEMs if they want to sell to American consumers, they must open up production in the US with an American OEM. As part of that arrangement,...
Immersive 400-Year Walk Through History at Motion Museum
The Motion Museum will have more than a dozen model layouts, but our flagship will be a walk through time, featuring scenes from the past 400 years. Our designer helped to launch the first Rain Forest Cafe, Ripley's, and Caesar Forum...
Shippers Face Prolonged Rate Increases as Supply Tightens
Shippers should prepare for higher rates for longer, according to investment firm SIG. "Tender rejections and spot rates have been supported by tightening supply, a dynamic we expect to continue building over the next several years."
Railroads Shift From Coal to Profitable Intermodal Networks
Coal used to be the lifeblood of the railroads, but over the past twenty years, the railroads have repositioned their networks around intermodal. Intermodal is far more profitable for the railroads. https://t.co/2oXyYJGqDN
Rising Energy Costs Outperform Tariffs in Reducing Trade Deficit
Higher energy prices will do far more to balance the trade deficit than tariffs could ever dream of.
Tax Incentives Boost Industrial Activity, Freight Data Confirms
It makes sense that industrials have been ramping over the last few months. The One Big Beautiful Bill provided one of the biggest tax incentive packages in history to drive manufacturing investments. The freight data suggests it is working as...
Higher Spot Rates Signal Strength, Not Bearishness
We get asked this often. Why is DAT so bearish? We’ve been trying to understand it as well. Here are the blog headlines from the flatbed market over the past few months. It’s doom and gloom. DAT’s data suggests the opposite. The...
Fund FMCSA, Enforce Rules to Stop Truck Fatalities
15 people die from accidents involving heavy duty trucks. The fix is obvious: fund the FMCSA and enforce the rules to get bad actors off our roads
March Trucking Spot Rates Jump $0.48 to $3.18 per Mile
Trucking spot rates finish +$.48/mile for March on the daily. They started at $2.70/mile on March 1 and finish off at $3.18/mile. https://t.co/C4NHcEJZyJ
1980s Trucking Paid So Well, Reps Got Company Cars
How do you know that trucking was more lucrative in the 1980's? This was every truckload sales rep was issued as their company car https://t.co/DaCeK0AGVA
Flatbed Freight Hits Historic Volumes, Half Loads Rejected
CNBC: Recent freight charts mirror the COVID surge Flatbeds, which are almost always industrials or raw materials, are seeing some of the strongest volumes and rate strength in history with half of all flatbed truckloads turned down by motor carriers. https://t.co/70Idw1v0UM
One in Five Trucks Unsafe, Leading Accident Predictor
22% of all trucks on the road are unsafe at any speed and this is the number one predictor of accidents. There should be more outrage at the failure of trucking companies to ensure their equipment is maintained and safe.
SONAR Launches Real‑Time Rail Dashboard for Bulk & Intermodal Data
Excited to introduce SONAR's rail dashboard, which offers high-frequency bulk and intermodal data at your fingertips.
Critical Trucking Regulator FMCSA Severely Underfunded
The FMCSA is the most important regulator in trucking. Its job is to monitor the 800k registered motor carriers that transverse the highways. The problem: it is critically underfunded
Intermodal Spot Rates Rise Amid Tight Trucking, China Container Surge
Intermodal spot rates are starting to respond to tight trucking conditions and surge of containers from China post-CNY https://t.co/16XPKA9srV
From River‑Rail Junction to Global Logistics Hub
Chattanooga began as the city where the river met the railroad and it has become a global leader in logistics. Diesel runs through Chattanooga's freight founders.
Freight Rates Surge 12% as Flatbed Capacity Tightens
CH Robinson, the largest freight broker, ups their rate forecast to +12% this year. They also mention the incredible strength of flatbed trucking. According to SONAR, nearly half of all flatbed loads are being rejected by carriers. Source: FreightCaviar https://t.co/zBb6ZV8OkV
Flatbed Trucking Signals Bullish Freight Market Surge
Despite the noise around the war, this is the most bullish setup we’ve had in the domestic freight market since COVID. The industrials are roaring back, as proven by the strength of flatbed trucking.
Driving a Semi: Japanese Students' Iconic American Experience
We used to host Japanese exchange students and would take them down to the truck terminal to drive a semi and stop at the Pilot. It was the highlight of their American experience. Nothing is more American than traditional trucking culture....
Stolen Kit Kats Reveal Widespread Cargo Crime
It’s going to take a load of stolen Kit Kats for people to realize how pervasive and common cargo crime is.
Catch My Early CNBC Interview on Freight Outlook
I will be on CNBC at 5:15 AM ET today. Talking about the state of freight. Tune in!
Truckloads Surge as LTL Consolidates in Freight Recovery
The Cass Shipment index is an important barometer of freight activity, but there are some important nuances. The freight market had been in one of the biggest recessions in history. But in late November, we saw a surge of activity that has...
Chicago Stays Among Nation’s Tightest Housing Markets
Chicago was one of the first markets to tighten. Despite tightness spreading to other major markets, Chicago remains one of the tightest markets in the country. https://t.co/mLkRlRBTH3
Atlanta's Capacity Tightens Sharply, Rejection Rate Hits 13.6%
When capacity first started to tighten, Atlanta stayed out of the rally. In recent weeks, Atlanta has started to sharply tighten. Rejections at 13.62% https://t.co/3hELRXDncJ
Dallas Surge Redirects Trucks, Balances National Capacity
When a big market like Dallas surges, large carriers prioritize loads inbound to take advantage. This takes trucks from other parts of the country, but smoothes out the capacity map across the US.
Dallas Shifts From Backhaul Nightmare to Extreme Tightening
I'm old enough to remember when Dallas was a backhaul market and one of the worst places to send trucks to. That is has not been the case for many years and certainly not now. The Dallas market is experiencing...
Texas Capacity Tightens; Dallas Rejections Hit 19% High
Capacity out of Texas is tightening faster than any other market. Rejections out of Dallas surged to 19%, the highest levels since 2021! https://t.co/0Um53N20C4
Truckload Volume Index Hits 4‑Year High, Up 12% YoY
SONAR Truckload Volume Index continues to climb. +12% YoY, highest levels in 4 years https://t.co/7CorH9A2bO
FreightWaves Launches Low‑Cost National Freight Market Monitor
FreightWaves will be introducing a brand new low-cost data, new, and research platform of national freight market summary data for website browsers next week. We call this FreightWaves Market Monitor. It is a roundup of our national data, making it...
Flatbed Rates Surge, Contradicting Miller’s Flat Forecast
Can someone explain this why Jason Miller believes that flatbed spot rates are flat or down slightly in March? Is DAT's flatbed data that far off from Truckstop and SONAR (two completely independent data sources)? Even if you use Miller's...
DOT Actions Finally Boost Truck Drivers' Earnings
The hard working truck drivers are finally able to make hard earned money thanks to the DOT’s efforts
SBA Launches Huge Financing for Specialized Truckers
Reefer, hazmat, and flatbed truckers and logistics service providers were just given a massive financing vehicle by the SBA.
FreightWaves Launches Top‑Rated Daily Freight Market Show
FreightWaves Today, our daily freight market show coming in May, is now the most successful ad-supported show we've ever launched at FreightWaves. I will be the host alongside Julie, featuring Zach, Malcolm, Charles, and our team of market experts. Each...
Inevitable Conflict Drives Need for Self‑Sufficient Supply Chains
We’ve never been good at fixing things we blew up and we are the world’s best at blowing things up. It was never a matter of if we’d get into a kinetic conflict with Iran, but when. All the more...
Zero‑Carbon Policies Spark Australia’s Fuel Shortage Crisis
Australia faces a massive gasoline and diesel shortage, which is a travesty of its own making. NIMBYism and zero carbon policies are killing first world economies https://t.co/zOWEhNZ4qm
Truckers Praise Sec. Duffy as First Supportive DOT Leader
@SecDuffy is a rockstar among truckers who feel that he is the first DOT Secretary that has their back...
Truckstops Exploit Tax-Driven Diesel Price Gaps; West Coast Policies Blamed
The major truckstops already do this arb. They will move their diesel purchases between PADs to take advantage of price deltas at the rack. But a good portion of the diesel cost delta is actually tax and transportation related. The...
New Map Shows Diesel Cost Per Mile by Location
We've created a new map, which tracks the estimated cost per mile for buying diesel, depending on where you purchase fuel. https://t.co/JKDNneabWc
Flatbed Load Rejections Hit 50% This Weekend
Flatbed rejections remain extremely elevated as we head into the weekend. Half of all flatbed loads are being turned down by operators. https://t.co/RMKQZhvvwh
America Must Secure Supply Chains by Reshoring Production
This is the primary reason that I am adamant about moving production back to the Americas. It’s more expensive, but without it, we are incredibly vulnerable. If kinetic war breaks out in Asia, our supply chains are at substantial risk....
Truckload Van Rates Set to Beat 2021 Record
The record truckload van spot rate is $3.55/mile, hit in late 2021. I have conviction that we will surpass that this year. If we don’t, I will go to Turkey and get this haircut. https://t.co/vzD4gUx7Xc
Auto Rail Shipments Near All‑time Highs Amid Economic Uncertainty
Despite the noise in the economy, auto shipments via rail are near all time highs https://t.co/JLtQ05WOqa
US Chemical Rail Shipments Set New Historic Record
Last month, the US shipped more chemicals via rail than any other time in history. With a week to go, March will break that number... https://t.co/uOZuXMwy6j
Rates Surge Above Market Peaks Even Amid COVID
Wowzer... Sherif is see rates far above market peaks, even during the COVID slam https://t.co/7CmmVuEBD6
Turning a Fountain Into a Realistic Offshore Oil Rig
For the Motion Museum, we are going to convert the fish fountain that was inside of the Cabelas to the Gulf of America and put a giant offshore oil rig in the middle of it. Think Maelstrom from Epcot. We...
Van Spot Rates Surge to $3.04/mile, Bears Stunned
Trucking van spot rates back up to $3.04/mile on the daily. Not looking good for the bears. https://t.co/QNrWq6PjDl