Rising Rates Despite Softening Demand
Cass data for February 2026 points to a familiar but important split in the truckload market: shipment volumes remain soft, while pricing power continues to build. The Cass Shipments Index fell 7.2% year over year, though it rebounded 10.4% from January as networks recovered from winter weather disruptions. At the same time, the truckload linehaul […]
Hormuz Fears Fuel Record Diesel Spike
U.S. diesel markets just posted a historic move. The DOE/EIA weekly retail diesel benchmark jumped 96.2 cents per gallon to $4.859, the largest one-week increase since the series began in 1994. That tops the prior record set in March 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The surge also extends an eight-week run of increases, lifting […]
War Risk Fees: A New Kind of Surcharge
Global supply chains are tightening after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered a fresh wave of disruption across the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and adjacent air corridors. Ocean carriers are shifting networks to reduce exposure: multiple lines have paused bookings, suspended key transits (including the Strait of Hormuz and Suez-linked routings), and are sending […]
Another Northeast Blizzard Lockdown
A powerful nor’easter—described by the National Weather Service as a “classic bomb cyclone”—blanketed the Northeast on Feb. 23, triggering blizzard warnings from Maryland to Maine and forcing widespread road travel bans. Snowfall rates reached 2–3 inches per hour in parts of the region, with totals topping 22 inches on Long Island and roughly 15 inches […]
Hapag-Lloyd to Acquire ZIM
Hapag-Lloyd has agreed to acquire Israel-based ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in an all-cash deal valued at $4.2 billion, marking another major step in ocean carrier consolidation. The transaction prices ZIM at $35 per share, representing a significant premium to recent trading levels. The deal is expected to close in late 2026, pending ZIM shareholder and […]
Panama Canal Checks China’s Influence
A court ruling in Panama has reignited global attention on the Panama Canal—this time as a U.S.-China power contest, not a capacity story. Panama’s top court voided a license held by a CK Hutchison subsidiary to operate two container terminals at either end of the canal, a route that handles roughly 40% of U.S. container […]
Winter Storm Causes Capacity Crunch
New January data signals a truckload market that’s behaving differently than the last two winters. The National Truckload Index (NTI) climbed to $2.71/mile (incl. fuel) while spot pricing swung sharply—moves typically tied to winter storms, but now amplified by tighter underlying capacity. The key shift: tender rejections have surged past the holiday peak to 13.42%, […]
Mexico | USA – 2026 Lane Reset
Retailers moving freight across the U.S.–Mexico border are navigating a rough mix of tariff volatility and rising carrier rates—without any drop in consumer demand for fast delivery and real-time visibility. ShipStation’s Josh Steinitz says many SMB shippers are shifting away from single-carrier dependence and static rate cards, leaning instead on multi-carrier portfolios, regional options, and […]
Winter Storm Fern Watch
Winter Storm Fern is shaping up as a high-impact, multi-day event with snow, sleet, and potentially damaging ice stretching from the Southern Plains to the Northeast, with impacts possible from Friday through Monday. Forecast guidance highlights a broad wintry corridor from New Mexico and northern Texas through Oklahoma and into the Ohio Valley and I-95 […]
Trans-Pacific Rates on the Rise for 2026
Transpacific spot ocean rates kicked off 2026 with a sharp week-over-week lift, driven by Lunar New Year pull-forward demand and carrier general rate increases (GRIs). Freightos reported Asia–U.S. West Coast pricing at $2,617/FEU—up 22% WoW and 30% higher than mid-December—while Asia–U.S. East Coast rates reached $3,757/FEU, up 12% WoW and 20% above mid-December. The climb follows a […]
