All rates cited below exclude fuel surcharges, and load volume refers to loads moved unless otherwise noted. The rate charts exclude 2021 and 2022 years influenced by the pandemic. Analysis for the week ending Saturday, May 23rd, 2026, week 21. North America added two rigs last week per Baker Hughes’ May 8 count, with Texas… Continue reading Flatbed Report: Permian rigs are back. So are flatbed demand and spot rates
Month: May 2026
The FMCSA finally has a regulator who shows up — and the freight market is responding
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,… Continue reading The FMCSA finally has a regulator who shows up — and the freight market is responding
Nuclear verdict alert: almost $50M against a mystery Texas trucking company
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. The jury verdict came last week in Ector County,… Continue reading Nuclear verdict alert: almost $50M against a mystery Texas trucking company
One Week After Landmark SCOTUS Ruling: Why Truckload Spot Rates Just Hit All-Time Highs — And Why This Is Only the Beginning
One week ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous 9-0 decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II that is already reshaping the $800-billion-plus truckload brokerage sector. The Court ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA) does not preempt state-law negligent hiring claims against brokers. In plain English: brokers can now be… Continue reading One Week After Landmark SCOTUS Ruling: Why Truckload Spot Rates Just Hit All-Time Highs — And Why This Is Only the Beginning
Borderlands Mexico: Desteia using AI to ease looming customs compliance crunch
Desteia using AI to ease looming customs compliance crunch As U.S. companies brace for stricter enforcement of Mexico’s Manifestación de Valor Electrónica (MVE) requirements on June 1, supply chain technology provider Desteia is launching an autonomous platform aimed at reducing compliance headaches for importers moving freight south of the border. Mexico’s mandatory electronic customs value… Continue reading Borderlands Mexico: Desteia using AI to ease looming customs compliance crunch