Spot Rates Run 40% to 70% Above Contract on Infrequent Lanes
RXO exec says contract awards on low-frequency routes carry almost no chance of being honored when capacity is tight. Shippers who proactively raised rates…
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.
Two Brothers Left Cox Automotive to Build a Mobile Fleet Shop
Kyle and Kevin Coltrain watched their family's mobile maintenance company get rolled up twice, then launched Coltrain Onsite with 70 techs across 15 states.…
Schneider Locks Double-Digit Contract Rate Hikes as Spot Nears 2021 Peak
One-way fleet captured double-digit contract increases in Q2. June spot market resembled March 2021. Schneider raised full-year EPS guidance 18%.
Rail Volume Up 2% to 6%, Intermodal Gains Drive Truck-to-Rail Shift
Four Class 1 railroads raised guidance after Q2 earnings showed broad-based volume growth. Union Pacific domestic intermodal set a fourth straight quarterly…
Spot Rates Hold at $3.51/Mile as Diesel Falls, Capacity, Not Fuel, Drives Pricing
Knight-Swift truckload operating income up 69% year over year. Tender rejections at 14.36%, flatbed at 23%. Carriers say regulatory pressure and driver…
Tender Lead Times Hit 3.74 Days, Up Six Years Running
Shippers are booking trucks further in advance even when capacity is loose. That's changing how freight moves and who gets it.
Freight Rates Hold Near Record as Capacity Tightens to 43-Month High
ACT Research's June index shows rates at 70.2, down from May's record but still among the strongest in 17 years, while capacity climbs to 55.0 and driver…
Rush Enterprises Buys Into MCT Refrigeration Service Network
The joint venture expands Rush's footprint beyond truck dealerships and into reefer trailer service, parts, and rentals.
Why Capacity Won't Flood Back This Time
Litigation, regulation, and insurance costs are blocking the new-carrier surge that ended past rate cycles, says Triumph Financial CEO Aaron Graft.
Supply Chain Cuts 1,222 Jobs as 10 Freight Firms File Bankruptcy
Amazon, Temco, and Freight Handlers account for most layoffs from July 10-24 while seven trucking companies seek Chapter 11 protection.
Freight Tonnage Flat in May as Capacity Crunch Lifts Rates
Import volumes hit record highs while domestic freight demand barely budged. Tight capacity, not tonnage growth, is driving the rate rally.
ArcBest Cuts 300 Jobs, Closes Terminals to Save $40M as Costs Climb
Fort Smith carrier books $80M in charges to restructure operations and scrap its Vaux trailer-loading system while industry-wide operating costs rise 3.4%.