FreightWaves Today

We begin with the domestic "Compliance Crunch," a sudden and significant contraction in US trucking capacity driven by intensified immigration enforcement actions causing non-citizen drivers to exit the market, independent of demand. This rapid capacity disappearance resulted in a noticeable -6.7% decrease in unique US DOT numbers between September and October 2025, leading to intense regional vol...

U.S. rail traffic increased for a second consecutive week for the period ending Oct. 4, 2025, with overall volume up 3.6%. North American rail volume also saw gains, rising 4.7% for the week, notably boosted by substantial weekly growth in Mexican rail traffic, which saw intermodal units jump 82.9%. Trade volatility means tariffs are serving as the "Tariffs are the wake-up call supply chains neede...

Maritime trade disputes have escalated with the US and China implementing reciprocal tonnage fees effective October 14th, while the U.S. is aggressively targeting Chinese-made container cranes and intermodal chassis with staggering tariffs up to 270%. The instability is creeping into vital cross-border operations, specifically the US-Mexico e-commerce corridor, following Mexico's mid-August move t...

The U.S. Trade Representative has announced new tariffs on Chinese-made container cranes set to go into effect on November 9th, in response to China’s use of unfair trade practices in shipping and shipbuilding. These levies, which include 100% tariffs on ship-to-shore container cranes, could stack with existing duties, bringing the total assessed tariffs on some Chinese exports to between 125% and...

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The trucking industry faces a major disruption as PE-backed flatbed operator Montgomery Transport LLC abruptly filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased operations immediately. This sudden shutdown put approximately 1,000 employees out of work, including 600 truck drivers, highlighting the fragility of transportation companies in today’s economy. Global trade flows are shifting as U.S. maritime ga...

Enforcement activities by ICE, targeting non-domiciled CDL holders in southern states, have triggered a capacity shock, rerouting trucks to the Midwest and East Coast and causing regional spot rates to spike despite overall soft national freight volume. Globally, the macro picture confirms a rapid cooling, with new data projecting that US import container volumes will fall below the 2 million TEU...

Ocean container rates on the eastbound Trans-Pacific are falling by double digits in a surprise move from China carriers ahead of new US port fees. The ship tax, which begins next week, charges China-owned or operated ships $80 per net tonnage for each voyage to the U.S. and could cost major players like Cosco and OOCL as much as $2.1 billion in 2026. Autonomous trucking company Kodiak AI just deb...

Dry van rates are surging nationwide, despite weak trucking volumes and low tender rejections, an inversion that points to hard supply contraction driven by behavioral reactions to immigration enforcement efforts. We also analyze the broader, longer-term metrics from the Logistics Managers’ Index, which recorded a September reading of 57.4, marking the seventh consecutive month the index has remai...

The Suez Canal anticipates a recovery following potential Middle East resolutions, with the waterway’s chief indicating that plans to end the conflict in Gaza should pave the way for a substantial return of global shipping traffic in 2025. Attention turns to domestic freight as the Association of American Railroads (AAR) releases its latest analysis. September rail volumes reflect the uneven pace...

Several critical developments are pointing toward a rising cost of uncertainty across the logistics landscape. Analysts are trimming expectations for the back half of the year, with Morgan Stanley significantly cutting earnings per share estimates for most truckload and less-than-truckload carriers due to high shipper uncertainty and continuing industrial contraction.. A major regulatory shift occ...

President Donald Trump’s expansion of tariffs, which includes a new 25% duty on imported medium and heavy-duty trucks is set to begin November 1st. This decision follows a federal probe under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act and is aimed at protecting U.S. manufacturers like Peterbilt and Kenworth. The broadcast also covers the escalating labor situation at Canada Post, which has presented a...

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an emergency order on September 26th mandating that states immediately stop issuing or renewing non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and CDLs, targeting licenses often held long after their legal authorization to be in the U.S. had expired. This crackdown follows a nationwide Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit that linked at least f...

The core issue involves whether the safety exception of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (F4A) shields brokers, like C.H. Robinson, from negligent hiring claims, a question that has caused conflicting decisions across federal circuits. Brokers view this as fundamental to their business model and urgently need the Supreme Court to provide clarity on where the lines are drawn fo...

The Port of Los Angeles, which handled 10.3 million TEUs in 2024 and forms the busiest U.S. container gateway with Long Beach, plans to build a brand new terminal to accommodate the world's largest container ships. The new Pier 500 project will comprise two berths and 3,000 feet of wharf on 200 acres of land along the Pier 400 channel, with LA currently seeking proposals for a pre-development agre...

This episode conducts a deep dive into the current volatility of the freight market, focusing on how agility is the critical metric for survival and success. Using recent ATBS data, we analyze how successful owner-operators are improving their net income, despite rising fixed costs, especially maintenance, by maintaining stability and focusing on calculating their contribution margin. New tariffs...

The Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport just opened an 80,000 square foot airside warehouse designed for non-express general cargo, marking the first completed project at the new CVG Global Logistics Park. This dedicated area for cargo activity separates it from passenger traffic to increase efficiency, and it exists alongside the primary U.S. air hubs for Amazon Air and DHL Express...

Today’s daily update tackles extreme market volatility, starting with the unprecedented regulatory about-face by the California Air Resources Board. CARB has essentially wiped out the two biggest components of their Advanced Clean Fleets rule, including the High Priority Fleets regulation covering fleets over 50 trucks and rules that were set to bar non-ZEV trucks from port operations. We analyze...

BNSF Railway claims Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern combination will severely hurt competition and service. BNSF’s position paper argues that the $85 billion deal will force UP to drive up rates and favor high-density lanes, prompting the railway to urge shippers to contact the Surface Transportation Board with their concerns. Trade tensions are mounting in the trans-Pacific maritime sector as...

Regulatory whiplash in California as the state effectively held a funeral for the two largest components of the Advanced Clean Fleet Rules, including mandates for high-priority fleets and drayage trucks. Despite the official withdrawal of these mandates by CARB, zero-emission vehicle sales are surprisingly growing in the state, suggesting market momentum is now driven by factors beyond regulatory...

CSX Corp. announced a surprising leadership change, naming Steve Angel as president and CEO, effective last Sunday, succeeding Joe Hinrichs. The move follows activist investor calls for Hinrichs to step down as CSX’s metrics trailed other Class I carriers. California has officially gutted the two largest components of its Advanced Clean Fleets rule that would have impacted trucking in the state. T...

Starting with high stakes legal risks surrounding broker liability, we explore the Supreme Court’s scheduled conference to discuss whether to grant certiorari on two landmark cases, Cox v. TQL and Montgomery v. Caribe II, which hinges on interpreting the safety exception in the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (F4A). We shift gears to financial risks, where dry van contract rates...

All eyes are on Washington today as the Supreme Court is scheduled to discuss whether to grant review in two critical broker liability cases under the F4A. The fundamental issue is whether the safety exception, which allows state action for negligence causing physical harm, extends to third-party logistics providers or brokers. The FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database modernization, part o...

The biggest global shift is the cancellation of the de minimis rule, which previously offered a duty-free pass for low-value parcels but now adds huge friction by requiring formal customs entries. In response to this turbulence, companies like DHL are pouring millions into compliance, hiring over 880 new customs experts and investing heavily in AI and digital platforms to manage the rising complex...

The Canadian government announced major reform for Canada Post including the end of most door-to-door delivery and reduced frequency, as part of a turnaround plan for the "insolvent" national carrier. This decision comes as the institution, suffering from an outdated business model and protracted labor disputes, is on track to lose US$1.1 billion this year alone, adding to US$3.6 billion in losses...