Contract Rates Up 8% Since Fall as Capacity Stays Tight Through Mid-Year
Long-term contract rates climbed roughly 8% from last fall, with spot and contract pricing both rising as tender rejection rates stay elevated and shippers…
Tess Crawford
Markets, Rates & Carrier Business
Tess Crawford tracks the money in trucking — spot and contract rates, diesel cost trends, lane capacity, freight demand, carrier earnings, bankruptcies, M&A, layoffs, and insurance pricing. She writes for the dispatcher checking the load board between calls and the small-fleet owner reading the P&L over coffee.
Brent Crude Falls 5.7% as Hormuz Deal Hopes Pull Diesel Off Peak
International oil benchmark drops to $103.61 per barrel — down from $115 earlier this week — on diplomatic progress in the Strait of Hormuz.
California Subpoenas Gas Stations Over Anomalous Diesel Pricing
State fuel watchdog targets stations charging outlier prices as diesel volatility squeezes small fleets.
Gasoline Hits $4.48 — Up 50% Since Iran War Started
Pump prices jumped 31 cents in a week as conflict drives fuel costs to levels not seen since 2022, squeezing owner-operator margins on every deadhead mile.
Diesel Surges Past $4.48 — Strait of Hormuz Closure Hits Fuel Costs
National diesel average climbs $1.32 year-over-year as crude tops $100/barrel and Middle East shipping lane remains shut.
Upgrading from 2022 to 2028 Trucks Saves $12,845 First Year on Fuel
Fleet Advantage data shows newer Class 8 models cut operating costs by nearly $13,000 per truck annually as diesel climbs past $5 per gallon — fuel…
Diesel Hits $5.35/Gallon — Auto Haulers Absorb $1.80 YoY Spike
National diesel average sits $1.80 above year-ago levels as Iran supply warnings push auto transport costs up 16.7% from pre-conflict baseline.
Cummins Lifts 2026 Outlook as Truck Orders and Spot Rates Climb in Q1
Engine maker's raised forecast signals carrier demand is firming — what improving order activity means for fleet expansion and rate momentum.
Capacity Plummets 10.9 Points in April — Tightest Freight Market in a Decade
Transportation capacity hit 28.4 on the Logistics Managers' Index — the second-fastest decline on record — while spot prices jumped 5.6 points to 95, the…
Diesel Jumps 29 Cents in One Week — Futures Signal More Pain Ahead
DOE benchmark diesel hit $5.64/gallon this week, erasing three weeks of declines. Futures climbed 28 cents in five trading days as Hormuz blockages persist and…
Shipper Spending Jumped 21.8% Year-Over-Year in Q1 as Diesel Hit $5
Capacity exits — not freight volume — drove the largest quarterly spending surge since the pandemic boom, while shipments stayed flat.
Brent Crude Falls to $111.43 as Hormuz Closure Drags On
International benchmark drops 2.7% despite strait remaining largely shut — diesel and fuel surcharge implications for small fleets.