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TRUCKING

DAT Truckload Volume Index shows softer freight volumes but rising rates amid winter disruptions

Logistics Management Jeff Berman March 17, 2026

DAT’s data highlighted the following takeaways for truckload volumes, and rates, for the month of February, including:

• the national average spot van rate was up $0.09 sequentially, to $2.41 per mile and up $0.26 annually;
• the contract van rate, at $2.52 per mile, was up $0.04 over January and up $0.10 annually;

Higher tender rejection rates a healthy sign for trucking industry

Trucking Dive David Taube March 17, 2026

Tender rejection rates rose to nearly 14.3% in early February, according to a SONAR and Ryder System monthly report, suggesting a potentially encouraging shift in the market.

Recent readings in the metric surpassing 14% are “COVID-level type rejection rates,” Werner Enterprises CEO Derek Leathers said at Stifel’s 17th Annual Transportation & Logistics Conference in February.

ATA’s Spear Warns Fuel Prices, Trade Policy, and Global Conflict Could Stall Trucking Recovery

Heavy Duty Trucking Jack Roberts March 17, 2026

Spear said fleets across the supply chain remain eager for signs of stronger freight demand after what he described as a three- to four-year freight recession that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has been an extraordinarily challenging period,” Spear said. “The entire supply chain is looking for that window of opportunity where our industry starts to pick up.”

Dalilah’s Law amendment seeks to make English proficiency a CDL requirement

Trucking Dive Larry Avila March 17, 2026

Under an amendment to the proposed Dalilah’s Law, English language proficiency would necessary to obtain a commercial driver’s license and prevent a driver from being placed out of service.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will convene at 10 a.m. Wednesday to consider updated legislative text introduced by Committee Chair U.S. Rep. David Rouzer of North Carolina.   

Oregon Permanently Ends Issuing Non‑Domiciled CDLs, CLPs

Transport Topics Noël Fletcher March 17, 2026

Oregon has permanently stopped issuing non-domiciled commercial driver licenses and learner’s permits in a move that will impact 900 drivers.

This decision was reached March 12 when the Oregon Transportation Commission approved a request by Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Administrator Amy Joyce to end issuing limited-term CDLs and CLPs.

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

Amazon Plans Drastic Cut in Packages Sent Via Already-Struggling Postal Service

The Wall Street Journal Esther Fung March 17, 2026 $Subscription Based

Amazon is planning to sharply cut the number of packages it ships through the U.S. Postal Service, a move that could cost the agency billions of dollars in much-needed revenue.

Related: Reuters Amazon plans sharp cut in packages it sends through US Post Office, source says

Amazon overtakes USPS as top delivery provider by volume: report

Supply Chain Dive Max Garland March 17, 2026

Amazon’s logistics arm reached 6.7 billion packages delivered last year, surpassing the Postal Service’s 6.6 billion packages. UPS came in third with 4.4 billion packages — an 8.6% year-over-year decline — and FedEx placed fourth with 3.6 billion packages.

Link: ShipMatrix Press Release Amazon delivered more parcels in 2025 than the Big 3

Amazon launches 1-hour, 3-hour delivery options

Supply Chain Dive Max Garland March 17, 2026

Amazon now provides one-hour and three-hour delivery options in the U.S. for more than 90,000 products, including those “typically found in a local supercenter,” according to an announcement Tuesday.

Link: Amazon News Amazon introduces faster delivery with new 1-hour and 3-hour options

INDUSTRY

Diesel benchmark moves above $5/g for first time since 2022

Freight Waves John Kingston March 17, 2026

It was the ninth consecutive week the benchmark price used for most fuel surcharges rose. The DOE/EIA price was $3.459/g before that run of higher prices began. The latest price is now $1.612/g more than that.

Links: U.S. Energy Information Administration  Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update  and Weekly U.S. No 2 Diesel Ultra Low Sulfur (0-15 ppm) Retail Prices (Chart)

Diesel Tops $5 a Gallon as War Disrupts Supply Chains

Transport Topics/Bloomberg News Will Kubzansky and Alex Longley March 17, 2026

US diesel rose above $5 a gallon for the first time since December 2022, the latest sign of surging fuel price pressures menacing the global economy as the war in Iran continues to disrupt energy supplies.

The nationwide average retail price reached $5.044 a gallon on March 16, according to the American Automobile Association, up by more than a third since the conflict began.

What $5 diesel fuel means for the U.S. economy

Axios Courtenay Brown and Neil Irwin March 17, 2026

The price of diesel fuel has surged above $5 a gallon in the U.S., the highest in four years, creating new inflationary pressure on anything Americans buy that relies on truck transport — which is to say, pretty much everything.

Rail outlook up on firmer economic factors: AAR

Freight Waves Stuart Chirls March 18, 2026

A rail industry trade group says February data on freight volumes, inflation, and manufacturing suggest a soft landing for the economy, with easing inflation and no significant slowdown in economic growth.

Carloads increased 6.5% year-over-year, led by gains in grain, coal, and other industrial products.

Potential new US tariffs cloud sourcing strategies, peak season demand

Journal of Commerce Eric Johnson March 17, 2026 $Subscription Based

Importers buoyed by a February US Supreme Court decision that overturned billions of dollars of tariffs they paid are now coming to grips with a new wave of tariffs that are likely to burden their inventory replenishment and holiday shipping plans.

TECHNOLOGY

7 Factors That Drive Returns on AI Investments, According to a New Survey

HBR Thomas H. Davenport and Laks Srinivasan March 17, 2026 $Subscription Based

Leaders are facing tremendous pressure to deliver on AI. To understand how they are navigating this, researchers surveyed 1,006 global senior executives who had close familiarity with their organizations’ AI initiatives, and interviewed 12 technology, data, and AI leaders at enterprise organizations. They identified seven factors that can drive economic value from AI.

Microsoft Seeks More Coherence in AI Efforts With Copilot Reorganization

The Wall Street Journal Sebastian Herrera March 17, 2026 $Subscription Based

Microsoft  is reorganizing the teams that work on the different versions of its flagship Copilot AI product, altering a strategy that some employees said created a disjointed user experience and consumer confusion.

Related: The Verge Microsoft appoints a new Copilot boss after AI leadership shake-up

Link: Microsoft Blog Announcing Copilot leadership update

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

Majority of owner-ops victims of freight fraud, broker tricks: Survey

Overdrive Alex Lockie March 17, 2026

But owner-ops might represent a bright spot in the broader freight fraud disaster. Here's what the survey found:

• Most respondents had experienced some sort of fraud, but it's as slim as majorities get -- 49.7% said they hadn't been a victim, rounded up to 50% in the chart display with more results below.
• The most common scam was falling victim to a double-brokering ring and getting paid, though at a reduced amount.

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

The US consumer is hitting a rough patch

Retail Dive Daphne Howland March 17, 2026

In a “shock” situation, where gas prices get to about $4 per gallon, spending on discretionary categories do start to take a meaningful hit, though, according to research on the effect of oil prices over the last 25 years from Wells Fargo analysts led by Ike Boruchow.

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