South Texas is the tightest produce origin in the country. All nine lanes out of Mexico crossings through South Texas are now at Slight Shortage — a first in our 2026 tracking. All-in reefer truckload rates climbed again this week, with Dallas up +17%, Miami +9%, and Baltimore +8% on loads of asparagus, broccoli, cucumbers,… Continue reading Reefer Produce Report: South Texas goes full squeeze; every lane hits slight shortage
Month: March 2026
Flatbed report: The construction boom that fueled flatbed is fading
Nonresidential construction spending fell 0.6% in December, and the numbers underneath that headline are worse than they look for flatbed carriers and brokers. Manufacturing construction — the single largest nonresidential subcategory and a core flatbed freight driver — dropped 2.5% in December alone, its 11th consecutive monthly decline, and is now down nearly 16% from… Continue reading Flatbed report: The construction boom that fueled flatbed is fading
5,472 People Died in Large Truck Crashes in 2023. The Data Tells Us Why. And It Is Not the Story Being Told on Social Media.
Let’s start with what is not in dispute. In 2023, 5,472 people were killed in traffic crashes involving large trucks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the most reliable national crash database that exists. Seventy percent of those people — 3,837 of them — were not in the… Continue reading 5,472 People Died in Large Truck Crashes in 2023. The Data Tells Us Why. And It Is Not the Story Being Told on Social Media.
Rip tide of change roils ocean shipping
Trade, not bombs, is the fuel today that creates world powers, and it’s useful to remember that ocean shipping serves as the de facto “tip of the spear” for the majority of transnational business, so whatever disrupts maritime has a significant ripple effect through the rest of the supply chain, not to coin a pun.… Continue reading Rip tide of change roils ocean shipping
Truckload’s tightness persists into spring
Chart of the Week: SONAR Truckload Rejection Index, National Truckload Index – USA SONAR: STRI.USA, NTI.USA National tender rejection rates (STRI) have only declined slightly since peaking in early February, while dry van spot rates are rising again as fuel prices surge. The takeaway is that the truckload market may be entering the early stages of a… Continue reading Truckload’s tightness persists into spring