March Tonnage Posts Strongest Year-Over-Year Gain Since October 2022
ATA reports 2.1% first-quarter tonnage increase — the best three-month stretch in nine years — signaling contract freight demand is finally climbing.
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.
TFI Truckload Profit Beats Forecast — LTL Margins Slide in Q1
TFI's truckload division lifted Q1 earnings 8¢ above consensus despite weather delays, while the newly combined LTL group posted weaker margins year-over-year.
Dozen Small Carriers and Brokers File Bankruptcy in April Wave
New Jersey 57-truck fleet leads mid-April cluster of Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 filings spanning six states as margins stay tight.
Werner Launches Asset-Based Intermodal Into Mexico Cross-Border Lanes
Omaha carrier deploys Werner-owned containers and 30 years of cross-border experience as nearshoring shifts freight patterns south of the border.
Marten Transport Q1 Operating Ratio Hits 99.1% Despite Revenue Gains
The Wisconsin truckload carrier's operating income fell to $1.6 million in Q1 2026 as costs outpaced a modest uptick in per-tractor revenue.
STG Logistics Cuts $1B in Debt, Plans May Exit from Bankruptcy
Intermodal marketing company settles with minority lenders, gains $150M fresh capital and majority ownership shift to Fortress and Invesco.
Wabtec Q1 Revenue Up 13% on Locomotive Deliveries and Rail Tech Buys
Rail equipment maker posts $2.95B in sales as freight segment locomotive deliveries jump 52.5% and digital acquisitions lift backlog $8.5B year-over-year.
Chinese Cargo Carrier Air Central Wins US Approval for July Flights
Air Central received one-year DOT authority to fly 747 freighters from Zhengzhou to Chicago and Los Angeles three times weekly starting July 2026.
Ocean Rate Surge Hits Domestic Trucking: What Iran Conflict Means for Your Lanes
Trans-Pacific container rates jumped 22% in a month as Middle East disruptions cascade through Asian transshipment hubs — and the ripple is already reaching…
Brent Crude Jumps 2.3% to $101.38 as Iran Talks Stall
July Brent crude rose to $101.38 per barrel Monday — a 2.3% gain tied to stalled Iran negotiations. What the move means for diesel and settlement statements.
Norfolk Southern Q1 Earnings Drop 2% as February Weather Cuts Rail Volume
Winter storms knocked intermodal traffic down 4% in February; coal up 9% but fuel costs and CSX-BNSF alliance bite into margin.
Texas Cargo Theft Down 22%, But Organized Crime Drives Losses Higher
Fewer incidents in Q1 2026, but thieves are targeting higher-value loads — and total losses held flat at $131.6 million across the U.S. and Canada.