National trucking capacity is about to tighten significantly
Freight Waves March 22, 2026
The freight market momentum is building at a rapid clip. National dry van spot rates — tracked via the SONAR National Truckload Index, the 7-day moving average of booked rates including fuel — have broken out to a new cycle high of $2.89 per mile. This represents the strongest level since 2022 and confirms the market’s shift toward carriers is gaining real traction.
FedEx Freight battles weak US industrial sector ahead of spinoff
Journal of Commerce Ari Ashe March 20, 2026 $Subscription Based
“It’s a broader LTL market that we’re in, and there’s nothing necessarily unique about our volumes,” Marshall Witt, CFO of FedEx Freight, said on an earnings call late Thursday. “We need to continue to improve our yield growth...we will expect to continue to improve our customer experience…we expect to continue to be disciplined in our pricing contract renewals.”
$5 Diesel is Crushing Truckers. It Will Soon Be Felt Across the Economy.
The Wall Street Journal Jared Mitovich and Jeanne Whalen March 22, 2026 $Subscription Based
For most freight companies, a 40% surge in the price of diesel results in an overall cost increase of around 10%, said Erich Muehlegger, an economist at the University of California, Davis.
Why Diesel Prices Are the Real Concern for the Economy
Bloomberg Nathan Risser et al. March 20, 2026 $Subscription Based
The average price for a gallon of diesel in the US blew past $5 this week for only the second time in history.
Link: AAA Fuel Prices
LTL jobs appear to take big hit at start of 2026
Trucking Dive David Taube March 20, 2026
A more balanced truckload carrier supply is a key part of LTL’s recovery, Uber Freight VP of LTL Jeff Thomas told Trucking Dive in a statement.
As truckload capacity tightens, freight that would typically move via full truckload or partial is beginning to shift into LTL networks, which has historically been a reliable signal at the tail end of freight downturns.”
Self-driving trucks could deliver $9 billion in annual consumer savings, report finds
Freight Waves Thomas Wasson March 20, 2026
Under an accelerated deployment scenario, self-driving technology could prevent 490 fatalities, 8,800 injuries and 23,000 crashes each year by 2035. Measured against U.S. Department of Transportation standards, those reductions represent $9.4 billion in annual socioeconomic safety benefits.
Link: Aurora Autonomous Trucking to Put $9 Billion Back in U.S. Consumers’ Pockets Annually by 2035
Kodiak AI CEO: Self-Driving Tech Is Only Half the Battle
The Tech Buzz March 21, 2026
The company's aiming for a fully driverless long-haul freight operation by end of 2026, but Burnette's betting on operational excellence, not just algorithmic superiority, to win the autonomous freight wars.
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