Import Volumes Sit 36% Below 2021 Peak as Domestic Rates Climb
Ocean container requests are running near multi-year lows for April, leaving the current freight market flip driven by domestic factors — not the import…
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.
Covenant Reports Driver Market Tightening for First Time in 40 Months
Chattanooga carrier sees Q1 net income fall to $4.4M but says capacity is shrinking, driver pay talks are back, and rate momentum is building into Q2.
Descartes Buys Fleet Safety Platform Idelic for $28M Cash
The deal adds 40 billion miles of driver data and AI-powered accident prediction to Descartes' logistics network — the 36th acquisition since 2016.
Union Pacific Posts Record Q1 Revenue Despite 1% Volume Drop
Operating income up 4% to $2.45 billion as the Class I railroad improves velocity and cuts terminal dwell to 19.7 hours — but premium traffic falls 9%.
Norfolk Southern Profit Falls 27% in Q1 as Insurance Bump Ends
The Class I railroad posted a sharp earnings drop after insurance payments from the East Palestine derailment dried up — a reminder that one-time windfalls…
Brent Crude Swings $4 in Morning Trade, Settles at $105.38
June Brent crude bounced between $103 and $107 per barrel Friday morning on Iran ceasefire speculation before closing up 0.3%.
Knight-Swift Targets 10%+ Rate Hikes as Capacity Exits Accelerate
Phoenix mega-carrier reports Q1 loss but tells investors mini-bids are multiplying and awarded contracts are being rejected because prices moved since January.
Flatbed Spot Rates Jump 8¢ While Dry Van and Reefer Slide
Flatbed linehaul climbed to $2.61/mile last week — the second straight 8-cent gain — while dry van and reefer rates dropped as load counts fell across all…
Diesel Drops 21 Cents, Then Crude Hits $100 — What Happens Next
National average fell to $5.40/gallon this week, but Brent crude spiked over $100/barrel as Iran ceasefire uncertainty keeps the Strait of Hormuz in play.
Unbundled Maintenance vs. Full-Service Lease: The Cost Gap Widens
For fleets running 10 or more trucks, the choice between managing maintenance in-house and paying a bundled monthly rate now carries a bigger margin penalty…