UPS Drivers Skew BLS Wage Data, Ignoring Small Fleets
Mr Spear’s argument about truck driver pay going up during the truck driver shortage is flawed. He fails to mention that the BLS survey picks up UPS truck drivers, which received the largest bump in pay in their history and make up an outsized portion of the BLS truck driver wage survey. Plus, the BLS (or ATA data) does not pick up small and independent trucking fleets, which now make up the largest portion of truck driver employment.
ATA Admits Truck Driver Shortage Narrative Was Flawed
The ATA's Chief Economist has suddenly reversed course on the truck driver shortage after their member fleets realized how damaging this narrative was to their own interests. The ATA has attacked me and accused me of "peddling narratives" to drive...
ATA's Driver Shortage Stance Reveals Capture Gone Awry
The ATA's position on the truck driver shortage has never made sense to me. After all, the whole goal of regulatory capture is to restrict new participants from joining the industry. Regulatory capture gone wrong.
Flatbed Truckloads Surge 61% on Manufacturing Demand
YoY truckload volumes, by mode: Flatbed +61% Reefer +17% Van +3% Flatbed volumes are at all time highs, led by manufacturing and heavy industry, not housing https://t.co/qst2cb1rhu
DAT’s Blind Spot Fuels Non‑Compliant Carrier Boom
The ability for non compliant motor carriers to thrive is directly related to activity that takes place on load boards. How can DAT, the largest load board in the country, not realize how pervasive the compliance crisis had become? It’s because they...
DAT's Warning on CDL Rules Proved Market Reality
Let’s hope that no one investing money in trucking stocks listened to DAT last summer when they consistently said that enforcement of English Language Proficiency and non-domiciled CDLs would have a negligible impact on the market.
SONAR Tender Rejections Predict Trucking Stock Moves
The connection is clear: Large trucking equities trade based on forward trucking market conditions and the best signal is SONAR's Tender Rejections Chart: SONAR Truckload Rejections vs. JB Hunt Stock Price https://t.co/R8Mc1l5UyF
Hedge Funds Flock to SONAR Amid Rising Tender Rejections
This SONAR chart: Outbound Tender Rejection Index (blue) vs. Knight-Swift stock price (yellow). There is a reason that hedge funds buy SONAR and it is our fastest growing cohort. https://t.co/erT8QvKIr6
Defense Production Outpaces Auto, Drives Truck Freight
US automotive production is $180B. US defense manufacturing is $220B. Don’t understimate the impact of defense production on American trucking freight.
Defense Manufacturing Tiny; Truckers Thriving Today
5% of US maufacturing is related to defense production. Today is a good day for truckers.
Driver Anonymity Fuels Organized Crime in Freight Networks
The issue is we literally have no idea who hundreds of thousands of truck drivers are due to the elimination of barriers to entry over the past decade. Organized crime is coordinating illicit activities against our freight networks every single day.
Intelligence Warns: Fill Tanks; Energy Sites Likely Terrorist Targets
Spoke with a senior intelligence official that recommended everyone top their tanks off, not due to a known threat, but the high probability that energy assets are prime targets for terrorists.
SONAR Surpasses DAT After Starting Under $1M ARR
SONAR did less than $1m in ARR five years ago, so we win this one by a mile despite DAT’s attempt to exploit their market share in load boards to prevent customers from working with competitive data offerings.
DAT's Load-to-Truck Ratio Skewed by Ghost Loads
Anyone that has used DAT knows that a signification portion of the postings are ghost loads, hence the reason that DAT’s load to truck ratio data is garbage.
Agentic AI Poised to Disrupt Load Board Industry
If you believe that DoorDash or MasterCard/Visa could be disrupted by agentic AI, then it’s inevitable that agentic AI could disrupt load boards. Who is building this? We will partner with you on data
DAT Prioritizes Load Board Over Data Services
You can tell that DAT was never meant to be a data company. Freight market data is secondary to the load board. That is their focus.
Higher Diesel Prices Boost Profits for Large Truck Fleets
A weird irony is that most mid and large trucking fleets make more money with higher diesel prices due to fuel surcharges.
English‑language Violations Ground 104 Trucks Daily, Record High
Trucks taken out of service for English Language violations just hit an all time high. 104 trucks per day. https://t.co/fTIcZIXxJi
Truck Deaths Outpace 9/11; We Must Identify Drivers
During September 11, 2700 Americans died. America implemented massive security procedures for aircraft, fought two wars, and spent trillions to ensure it would never happen again. We created massive surveillance and implemented identity tracking at airports to ensure we know...
Illinois Risk Pool Bleeds From Fraudulent Chameleon Carriers
The Illinois State risk pool is an insurer of last resort. Unfortunately, due to the massive amount of fraud coming from chameleon carriers and fleets with fabricated safety records, it is bleeding out. https://t.co/PttPnIgNtk
Key Industry Court Case Hearing Scheduled for Next Week
The hearing for one of the most important court cases in the industry is coming up next week
Free 30-Day Access to SONAR Freight Data for Comparison
I agree, I am unhinged. That is why I am giving SONAR's freight data for free for the next 30 days. Now users can compare SONAR's market data vs. DAT's to see which dataset reflects market conditions better. In the...
War Historically Fuels U.S. Trucking Demand
I was asked if a war with Iran would be bad for the trucking market. We looked at the data and have yet to find a single American military engagement in the past 50 years that didn’t stimulate goods movement across...
Illinois Trucking Fraud: State Insurers Allow Under‑insured Carriers
Trucking has become a cesspool of fraud - this time involving the State of Illinois and its insurance pool. Carriers are criminally under insured and the state agency is aware of it. Often, they will own many trucks and only...
Midwest Freight Surge Signals Major Shift From Coastal Decline
Freight from the midwest and rustbelt have been on fire, while the coastal cities have been very quiet. SONAR has been picking this up for the past two months - and it is a massive shift from the freight economy...
Early KNX Investors Would See 50% Gains, Attracting Hedge Funds
If you had bought KNX when we first started to talk about the freight market movement due to the compliance crackdown, you’d be up 50%. That is why SONAR’s fastest growing clients are financial firms and hedge funds. https://t.co/nW6G2BWC6n
Flatbed Trucking Signals Manufacturing Revival Surge
I have zero doubt that we are seeing manufacturing starting to rip. Flatbed is naturally the first mode to signal it, as flatbeds haul heavy industrial raw materials. We talked about greenshoots a few weeks ago, and it was exciting, but...
Chicago Trucking Rejection Rate Hits 18.19%, Conditions Tighten
Trucking conditions out of Chicago continue to tighten, with rejection levels now at 18.19% https://t.co/Hrh76IsdXW
Bloomberg's Messaging Network Remains Irreplaceable Despite Alternatives
There are plenty of offerings that have the same functionality and data as Bloomberg. But thr Bloomberg network (messaging) is the glue. No AI can replace that.
Brokers Seek DAT Alternative as Prices Soar, Truckstop Leads
There isn't a day that goes by where we don't hear that a large broker is trying to figure out how to fire DAT. A never ending cycle of subscription rate increases, combined with an arrogance in how they treat...
Freight and Manufacturing Renaissance: Early Signs on Fox Business
I will be on Fox Business' Making Money Today with Charles Payne at 2:25 ET today to discuss the current state of freight and manufacturing renaissance that we are seeing early signs for.
New Senate Bill May Double Trucking Rates, Boost Wages
The most significant legislation for freight since deregulation has been introduced in the Senate and could set off a trucking rate super cycle. This would create conditions that would bring back living wages to truck drivers, provide massive incentives to...
Flatbed Trucking Booms as Manufacturing and Data Centers Surge
Trucking market conditions continue to be very tight, but nothing as significant as flatbed activity. Flatbeds are going hyperbolic, as demand for rust belt industrials (think steel) and manufacturing components heat up. Flatbeds are always on the front end of...
Outbound Tender Rejections Surge to 14% Cycle High
Outbound tender rejection rates hit new cycle high at 14%. This rally is not slowing. https://t.co/LgTV2YoYEW
English Violation Rate Hits Record 103 Daily
The compliance momentum is increasing. English proficiency out of service violations are up to 103 per day, the highest in history. https://t.co/3Zplufl4lC
Last Tickets: Fireside Chat with RXO CEO on Freight Market
Still some tickets left to our first event of the year. We have a great speaker lineup and I am very excited to speak with RXO’s CEO in a fireside chart to discuss state of this crazy freight market.
Shippers Pull Freight From Load Boards, Favor Direct Carriers
We have spoken with large brokers and hearing a trend - some shippers are demanding that their freight is not posted on load boards for fear of theft or compliance shutdowns. This is an emerging policy. The winners in this are asset...
AI Boom Fuels Data Demand for Small Innovators
SONAR is having the best quarter in years. One of my board members asked if I were concerned about the rise of AI and if it would be a drain our data business. I told her that we are seeing...
Trucking Fleets Peaked June 2023, Now on Decline
The number of trucking fleets increased over the past 20 years, without slowing down. That all changed in June 2023, when the number of fleets peaked and has dropped ever since. We expect that number to continue to shrink over...
Compliance Crackdown Reshapes US Carrier Market, Says RXO CEO
RXO CEO: the compliance crack down is the biggest structural change to the U.S. carrier market since industry deregulation https://t.co/72I5GCAt7d
Dalilah Law Could Double Trucking Rates, Cut Drivers
Trucking rates could enter a super cycle if The Dalilah Law passes in Congress. A doubling of trucking spot rates would be possible and the effects felt almost immediately with approx 20% of the truck driver population being...
Proposed Law Threatens Trucking Capacity by Revoking Non‑Citizen CDLs
This law, if passed, would immediately revoke CDLs for non citizens or those that don’t have lawful permanent residency or work permits. It wills be far more impactful to trucking capacity than any other action, largely because it is immediate and...
Mexican Civil War Threatens US Supply Chains More than Tariffs
A Mexican civil war would be far more catastrophic to American supply chains than tariffs - Michael Vincent
DAT Confirms UCC Filings Target Brokers, Not Small Fleets
I spoke with DAT’s leadership tonight. They clarified that the language was not as clear in the Terms and Conditions as it should have been and that it was not intended for fleets. They told me they have not filed...
Small Fleets Should Report DAT UCC Filings to FTC
If you are a small fleet that has struggled to get another factor because of a UCC filed by DAT, you should report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
DAT's Hidden Clause Lets Them File UCCs—Seek Lawyer
This is sketchy even for DAT standards. DO NOT SIGN DAT’s standard agreement without an attorney reviewing. We’ve had multiple reports of DAT filing UCCs against companies that sign their standard agreement. They snuck language into their terms and conditions that...
Eroded Driver Standards Driving Fatal Truck Accidents Up
Fatal accidents involving heavy duty trucks have doubled on a per mile basis since 2010. This is despite all of the technology and systems implemented that should make trucking safer: anti lock brakes, trailer side guards, collision avoidance systems, automatic transmissions. Many...
Heavy‑Duty Truck Fatalities Rise 40% Over Decade
You should be. Fatalities involving heavy duty trucks are up 40% in the past decade
For‑Hire Drivers Leaving Could Trigger Major Capacity Crunch
You aren’t bullish enough. Derek Leathers suggests that a large portion of the drivers that are being forced out of the industry operate in the for-hire segment and the capacity crackdown could be significant. https://t.co/wU6Q1k0USz
Bootstrapped Coder Battles Freight Fraud with Community Backing
No VC, no outside investors. No marketing budget. Just a dude coding on a mission to stop freight fraud and a community on X that is rooting for him.