Intermodal Volume Up 10.9% as Truckload Rates Push Freight to Rail
Domestic intermodal jumped 10.9% in the week ending June 13 as rising truckload rates and trans-Pacific frontloading drive the biggest rail-truck modal shift…
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.
Brent Crude Falls to $78.36: Down $1.19 as Iran War Premium Fades
Oil dropped another $1.19 per barrel June 18, now just $8 above pre-war levels. Diesel relief continues for fleets that saw fuel spike $2/gallon in March.
Teamsters Vote to Challenge UPS Over Roadie Gig-Driver Use
Union claims UPS subsidiary violates 2023 contract by routing deliveries to nonunion gig workers, while UPS says Roadie handles same-day orders outside the…
Oil Falls Back to $80: Brent Down 3.2%, U.S. Crude at $78.72
Brent crude dropped 3.2% to $80.50 per barrel June 16, while U.S. benchmark crude fell $2.03 to $78.72. The slide continues a two-week retreat from the $98…
177-Truck Border Carrier Liquidates as Freight Bankruptcies Spread
Triple RRR Carriers, GLS Materials, and four other trucking companies filed Chapter 7 or 11 in the past 10 days. Logistics firms cut 548 jobs.
Oil Falls $4.37 on Iran Deal, Diesel Relief Coming for Fleets
Brent crude dropped to $82.96 per barrel June 15 as a tentative deal to end the Iran war took shape. What the pullback means for fuel costs.
LTL Rates Hit $46 Per Hundredweight, But Diesel, Not Demand, Drove It
All-in LTL revenue per hundredweight reached a five-year high in May 2026, but strip out the fuel surcharge and base rates are flat to negative. The truckload…
ArcBest, ABF Freight Raise LTL Rates 5.9% June 22 as Spot Market Jumps
The Fort Smith carrier's general rate increase takes effect June 22, six weeks earlier than the usual August cycle, as spot rates climb across all freight…
Oil Falls 3% on Iran Talk Progress, Still $17 Above Pre-War Level
Brent crude dropped to $87.58/barrel June 12 after Trump claimed breakthrough in Iran negotiations. Diesel and fuel surcharges remain elevated for fleets.
LA Port Forecasts 9.3M TEUs, Down 7%, as China Share Drops to 40%
Port of Los Angeles approved a $3.4 billion budget for fiscal 2026-2027 while projecting container volumes will fall 7% to 9.3 million TEUs as China's share of…
Brent Crude Hits $93, Up 33% Since War Started in February
Oil climbed to $93.15 a barrel June 11 after Trump threatened to seize Iran's oil. Brent was at $70 before the war.
Dry Van Spot Rates Drop 4¢ While Reefer Falls 11¢ in Post-Holiday Week
Flatbed held gains at $2.93/mile as dry van and reefer gave back ground despite freight volumes climbing across all three segments.