Month: June 2026

The truckload sector is currently trapped in a tale of two entirely different economies, leaving many carriers dealing with an incredibly fragmented market. On one side, traditional consumer-facing freight remains under immense pressure. As retail demand fluctuates and discretionary goods movement slows down, April retail data highlighted an overall spending drop of 1.6% year-over-year, with… Continue reading Dry Van Report: The two-tiered freight market; Navigating today’s split economy

The April 2026 AEM Farm Equipment Flash report delivered a mixed picture for agricultural machinery demand — and a cautionary signal for flatbed carriers who haul it. U.S. combine sales rose 3.4% year over year in April, while Canadian combine sales surged 42.7% above April 2025 levels — a bright spot in an otherwise soft… Continue reading Flatbed Demand Report: Farm machinery sales signal flatbed headwinds ahead

The United States and Iran reached agreement on a deal to end the war and lift restrictions on the vital Strait of Hormuz that stranded thousands of ships in the Persian Gulf. Reports said that the memorandum of understanding, the terms of which were not released, will be signed June 19. It would suspend sanctions… Continue reading U.S.-Iran peace deal reopens Strait of Hormuz

Routing guides are crumbling. Truckload contract rates set early in the 2026 bid season aren’t holding, management teams at some of the nation’s largest carriers told investors at a conference last week. Mini-bid activity has spiked, and some shippers have been forced to rebid their entire book as tender rejections surge, Spencer Frazier, head of… Continue reading Routing guides are crumbling: ‘It is different this time’

Chart of the Week:  LTL Monthly Cost per Hundred Weight, Van Contract Rate per Mile – USA SONAR: LTL.USA, VCRPM1.USA The headline numbers look impressive. LTL all-in revenue per hundredweight is up sharply on SONAR’s LTL.USA index, with the current reading at $46.13, well above the six-month average of $41.31 and at its highest level in… Continue reading LTL’s paper gains