Diesel Spike Erodes Carrier Margins as Wholesale Outpaces Retail
Retail diesel up 31% since July, wholesale up twice that pace. J.B. Hunt warns of 5-10% Q3 earnings hit. Small fleets face margin squeeze with no guarantee of…
Tess Crawford
Markets, Rates, Fuel & Carrier Business
Tess Crawford tracks the money flowing through trucking, spot and contract rates, diesel and crude markets, fuel surcharges, lane capacity, freight demand, LTL tonnage and yield, plus the carrier-business side: 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.
$110K Chicken Load Traded for Drug Debt, Driver and 11 Others Arrested
Memphis police interrupted an independent contractor unloading frozen cargo behind a hotel. The driver told officers he owed a drug debt. Twelve people face…
Iran War Cuts More Diesel Supply Than Russia Conflict Did
Bloomberg estimates show the Iran conflict has removed more diesel from global markets than the Russia-Ukraine war, driving pump prices to record highs.
Brent Crude Falls to $103.38 as Hormuz Flows Stay Limited
Brent dropped 2.3% to $103.38/barrel Sept. 17, but Saudi pipeline shutdown keeps diesel on track to stay above $6/gallon.
Dry Van and Reefer Spot Rates Rise, Flatbed Falls 6 Cents
FTR reports dry van spot rates up 6 cents last week, reefer up 3 cents, flatbed down 6 cents. DAT shows lower national linehaul averages across all three…
Diesel Hits $6.26/Gallon as Freight Posts First Growth in 42 Months
Spot rates lag fuel surge by 15 cents per mile. Cass Index turns positive for the first time since 2022. Tender rejections at 14% signal tight capacity into…
Diesel Hits $6.33/Gallon, 50 Cents Above Prior Record
Saudi pipeline shutdown and refinery losses push diesel to new high. Tom Kloza says next 100 days could be rougher still for fleets and owner-operators.
Diesel Spike Cuts Natural Gas Truck Payback to Under 3 Years
Energy Vision report says RNG trucks now pencil faster for fleets replacing pre-2013 diesels, but fueling infrastructure remains the gate.
LTL Tonnage Climbs in Q3 as Freight Market Recovery Continues
Weight per shipment keeps rising at LTL carriers through third quarter 2026, extending a freight rebound that started earlier this year.
Truck financing rates hit 12% as banks exit mid-size fleet market
Three-and-a-half-year freight recession shredded carrier credit profiles while lenders left the sector. Fleets of 50 to 200 units now face a capital squeeze.
Diesel Could Hit $7 to $9 a Gallon by November, Strategist Warns
Jeff Currie sees 'extremely high' risk of $5 retail gas and diesel as high as $9/gallon if crude keeps climbing.
Spot Rates Rise Across All Three Equipment Types for First Time Since May
Dry van spot jumped 9 cents, reefer 13 cents, flatbed 3 cents in the week ending September 11. Year-over-year gains top 39% across the board.