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Freight demand

Freight demand
Spiking truckload rates signal relief for volatile LTL market
Rising truckload shipping rates are outpacing less-than-truckload prices for the first time since 2022, signaling a potential turn in freight volume back toward LTL networks.
July 26, 2026
Adobe Stock 3611236
CCJ Top 250
Marten Transport: 'We're getting higher pricing from our customers'
Marten Transport reported a 25.8% drop in second-quarter net income to $5.3 million compared to last year, despite a 286.3% sequential surge over the first quarter as management signaled an emerging freight market recovery.
July 24, 2026
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July 1, 2026
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Freight demand
Tech boom masks consumer slump as shifting freight market hits record high
The U.S. carrier population has dropped by more than 50,000 in the past 12 months.
July 14, 2026
Adobe Stock 628208188 Editorial Use Only
Freight demand
White hot spot rates pass contract rates for first time in 4 years
Trucking contract rates fall behind record-breaking spot rates.
July 9, 2026
Adobe Stock 98778754
Freight demand
Soaring rates give rise to new truck demand: 'We are clearly in fleet expansion territory'
Year-to-date orders have jumped 125% year over year, and the 2026 order season—spanning September 2025 to June 2026—is cumulatively pacing 36% ahead of last season.
July 8, 2026
Img 1825
Freight demand
Freight rates surge despite falling volumes as capacity tightens, U.S. Bank report shows
Contract rates are up 9%  while contract volumes plummeted from 1,051,696 to 739,184.
June 30, 2026
Freight Index Q3 2026 04 0223 05 1
Business
Transportation prices hit record high
Fuel prices drove U.S. inflation to 4.2% in May, squeezing carrier networks and sending warehouse holding costs to their highest levels since 2022.
June 27, 2026
Adobe Stock 442174498
Freight demand
Bursting bubbles: Bob "Cold Water" Costello tempers carriers' economic optimism
ATA's chief economist said a tightening in capacity is slowly but surely leading to freight recovery, but he warned carriers not to get ahead of themselves with truck purchases because demand isn't strong enough to support that.
March 4, 2026
ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello tempers economic optimism at TCA Truckload 2026 in Orlando.
Economic trends
New 10% global duty dampens hope of post-tariff freight boom
New 10% global tariffs arrive too quickly to spark a freight pull-forward, experts say.
February 20, 2026
Adobe Stock 972773498
Economic trends
2026 brings a ‘marginless recovery’ as capacity shakeout accelerates
With freight volumes expected to recover steadily beginning in the spring but rate growth remaining anemic, carriers shouldn't expect a robust bounce-back in early 2026.
December 4, 2025
2026 Trucking Outlook Rates Capacity Trends
Economic trends
Trucking activity dipped in June: ATA
ATA reported that truck freight tonnage decreased 0.4% in June after falling 0.1% in May. Also: Electric charging station coming to NYC's Hunts Point, as Mack delivers first LR Electric refuse truck; South Dakota highway restrictions upcoming.
July 24, 2025
ATA's Truck Tonnage Index declined 0.4% in June after falling 0.1% in May.
Economic trends
ATA's Costello shares tariff impact on economy, truck freight
It was starting to get better. You might have noticed it. Speaking Tuesday at the TRALA Annual Meeting, ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said there was a brief period in the first quarter where macroeconomic indicators were trending up for trucking.
April 8, 2025
ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello
Freight demand
Cross border imports surged ahead of Trump tariffs. Boost could last '2 or 3 more weeks'
Trucking activity at the Port of Laredo — the busiest land port in the U.S. — jumped 48.5% year-over-year during the first three months this year.
April 2, 2025
semi truck hauling a container
Economic trends
RXO forecasts 2025 freight recovery despite current challenges
Trucking still faces some challenges but "green shoots" starting to emerge.
March 28, 2025
Maxresdefault 67e58e806de5c
Economic trends
Small carriers talk solutions to market pressures
During Truckload's small carrier panel, four fleets discuss how they've traversed the past 27 months of a down freight economy.
March 20, 2025
TCA Small Carrier Panel
Economic trends
The unknown of the 2025 freight economy
Bob Costello, chief economist at American Trucking Associations, shares his outlook on the freight economy for 2025.
March 18, 2025
Bob Costello
Economic trends
ATA economist on trucking: It's getting a little bit better
There are glimmers of hope for a trucking rebound in 2025, although it could be an unsatisfying change of fortune.
October 14, 2024
Bob Costello
Economic trends
The economy is again trucking's top concern, driver shortage continues to fall
While the driver shortage persists as a significant challenge in the trucking industry, the recent economic downturn has emerged as a more pressing concern for many businesses.
October 12, 2024
Semi trucks in traffic
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Safety & Compliance
C.H. Robinson hammered in $604M watershed broker liability case
C.H. Robinson plans to appeal a historic $604 million Dallas jury verdict over a deadly 2021 multi-vehicle pileup, reigniting industry debate over broker responsibility and federal safety data.
Reintroducing The Mack Anthem Rebuilt For Regional Haul[79]
Test Drives
Anthem redefining Mack’s regional haul lineup
Adobe Stock 1072774566
Insurance
Fleets paying more for less insurance coverage: 'It's like shrinkflation for groceries'
Adobe Stock 420313867
Trailers
Fleets facing higher equipment bills as raw material surge hits trailer market
Your fleet is already paying for safety training. See whether it is paying you back.
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CCJ Top 250
Get all the info on the top 250 trucking companies in America
View, sort and download the trucking industry’s most comprehensive ranking of for-hire carriers in North America, based on a blend of metrics including fleet size, annual revenue and number of drivers.
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