Topic: Motor Freight

Quarterly revenue, at $23.5 billion, increased 7% annually, and operating income, at $1.38 billion, was up 31%. Earnings per share, at $4.82, beat Wall Street expectations, at $4.02.

November’s TVI dry van freight reading—at 197—fell 18% compared to October, while falling 12% annually. The November refrigerated (reefer) TVI—at 172—was down 11% sequentially and off 6.0% annually. And the flatbed TVI—at 243—was down 22% sequentially and posted a 3% annual gain.   

The November shipments reading, at 1.004, fell 7.6% annually, in line with October’s 7.8% annual decline, and November expenditures, at 3.163, decreased 1.2% annually and were down 0.2% compared to October.

The report observed that T&L dealmaking activity gained renewed traction over the second half of this year, with buyers prioritizing strategic alignment over scale. And it added that acquirers focused on subsectors offering defensible growth, operating efficiency, and exposure to high-barrier markets, with activity across what the firm called the full value chain, ranging from infrastructure to asset-light platforms, coupled with capital allocated for things like technology modernization, resilient supply chains, and specialized logistics services.

With a 5.8-cent decline, the national average, for the week of December 15, came in at $3.607, following a 9.3-cent decline, to $3.758, for the week of December 1.

For October, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI reading rose to 0.3, after September’s -0.5.

Top trucking industry executives are hoping 2026 will—finally—be the year when pent-up demand translates into higher freight rates and a return to profitability in both the truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) sectors.

November imports, at 2.63 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), decreased 3.2% annually, falling for the third consecutive month, and were down sequentially compared to October’s 2.71 million TEU.

For October, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI reading came in at 0.89, marking a slight improvement over September’s 0.42 reading.

The United States Department of Transportation is revoking 17,000 Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holders in California in what has become a political football between the Trump administration and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Representing the National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA) at the USTR hearing, Patrick Lozada, NEMA Senior Director of Global Policy, made the case for the USTR to move forward with what he called a swift review and renewal of the USMCA.

With a 9.3-cent decline, the national average came in at $3.665 per gallon, following a 7.3-cent decline, to $3.758, for the week of December 1, and a 3.7-cent decline, to $3.831, for the week of November 24, for a cumulative 20.3-cent decline over that span.

FTR reported that preliminary October Class 8 truck net orders, at 24,300 units, saw an 18% gain, from September to October, while falling 22% annually. ACT reported that preliminary November Class 8 net orders, at 19,700 units, fell 4.7% annually

The November LMI reading came in at 55.7 (a reading above 50 indicates growth is occurring), following matching 57.4 readings, for both September and October. This represents the ninth straight month the LMI has been below the all-time overall average of 61.4.

Non-asset-based third-party logistics (3PL) services providers recently received good news, with the announcement that United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has introduced a five-year pilot program, which, for the first time, includes freight brokers and warehouse-based 3PLs to be able to be part of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program.

ODFL reported that November revenue per day fell 4.4% annually, related to a 10.0% decrease in LTL tons per day, which it said was partially offset by an increase in LTL revenue per hundredweight.

DOT Secretary Sean Duffy said that almost 3,000 CDL training facilities have been removed from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Training Provider Registry (TPR), saying those CDL facilities failed to equip trainees with the White House’s “standards of readiness,” with 4,500 other CDL training facilities placed on notice because of potential noncompliance.

Falling 7.3 cents, the national average, for the week of December 1, came in at $3.758 per gallon, which followed a 3.7-cent decline, to $3.831, for the week of November 24.

Stay informed and ready for what’s next with the November Edge Report from C.H. Robinson.

When a major automotive manufacturer faced delays and high costs managing freight from more than 30 vendors in Mexico, Averitt delivered a streamlined cross-border solution.