Operating Costs Hit $2.26 Per Mile, Highest Non-Fuel Cost on Record
Dispatch teams are making load decisions without margin visibility while rates fail to keep pace with the highest operating costs ever recorded.
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 Hits $110.37, Up 2% on Strait of Hormuz Tensions
International oil benchmark climbs to $110.37 per barrel as geopolitical risk tightens supply. What the move means for diesel costs and small-fleet fuel bills.
LTL Rates Jump 12.5% Year-Over-Year, Sharpest Climb Since Yellow Exit
Less-than-truckload pricing momentum hits highest level since summer 2023 as new bids and general rate increases work through the market.
Manufacturing Input Costs Hit Four-Year High at 84.6
ISM prices-paid gauge climbed for the fourth straight month, the highest reading since May 2022, as manufacturers face sustained cost pressure that flows…
Brent Crude Up 11% for the Week: Closes at $109.88
International oil benchmark gained roughly 11% over five trading days despite Friday slip, keeping diesel costs elevated for small fleets.
Traffix Sees Double-Digit Rate Hikes Holding Through 2026
Ontario brokerage reports spot and contract rates surging in March and April as capacity exits and freight volumes climb, a new cycle that could reshape…
Why Small Fleets Should Diversify Fuel, Even With Diesel Stable
Natural gas, renewable diesel, and electric all hedge different risks than diesel. Fleets with multiple fuel sources weather price shocks better than…
PCE Inflation Hits 3.5%, Highest in Three Years on Fuel Spike
March year-over-year inflation jumped to 3.5 percent as diesel and gasoline prices climbed, tightening margins for owner-operators and small fleets already…
Used Truck Sales Up 10% in March, Still Miss Seasonal Forecast
ACT Research reports 24,900 units sold, a year-over-year gain but below the seasonal norm for spring buying.
Oil Slides to $108.51 but Diesel Still Pinches Small Fleets
Brent crude fell $1.93 overnight, a drop that barely registers against fuel costs running 40% above pre-pandemic norms.
Spot Rates Hit $2.66 Flatbed, $2.35 Reefer, 12-Year High
Flatbed climbs for the 17th straight week while dry van and reefer hold steady, all three equipment types running 23–37% above year-ago levels.
Oil Hits Highest Price Since June 2022 as Hormuz Conflict Drags On
Crude surge driven by U.S.-Iran standoff and choked Strait of Hormuz flows: no end date in sight for fuel cost relief.