Topic: Motor Freight

The first year of deregulation under the Trump administration is reshaping the trucking industry, as federal agencies roll back emissions rules, language requirements, and speed limiter mandates. While supporters hail the moves as “pro-trucker,” critics warn that looser oversight could slow the industry’s shift toward cleaner, safer, and more autonomous operations.

Data, AI, and automation are transforming motor freight management as shippers, carriers, and brokers use digital tools to cut costs, improve visibility, and manage risk in a volatile market. Experts from Gartner and MIT say the real advantage comes when companies align people, processes, and technology to turn digital investments into lasting performance gains.

Given the myriad of challenges facing the LTL market, it is likely that current market conditions are likely to remain intact, barring a true indication of a demand catalyst.

For August, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI came in at 1.3, following a -2.0 reading in July.

The United States and China appear to have found at least some common ground on a few different issues, during this week’s meeting between President Donald Trump and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, at the APEC meeting in South Korea.

In this podcast, LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviewed Susan Spence, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.

The Federal Reserve said yesterday that it lowered the target rate, for the federal funds rate, which comes from its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) for the second consecutive month, dropping it by 0.25%, to 3.75%-to-4.0%, its lowest rate level since 2022.

For pharmaceutical manufacturers, every shipment is more than freight; it's a lifeline for patients relying on your products.

Quarterly consolidated revenue, at $21.4 billion, fell 3.7% annually, and basic earnings per share, at $1.74 (topped Wall Street estimates of $1.29), fell $0.24, or 13.4%, annually. Total operating profit, at $1.8 billion, was off 9.1% annually. 

With a 9.9-cent increase, the national average price per gallon came in at $3.718 per gallon.

Load posts on DAT One rose 2% to 2.26 million last week, while truck posts fell for the second consecutive week, down 5% to 232,703.

Any signs of progress being made on the trade front between the United States and its second-largest trade partner, Canada, appear to be squelched, based on a social media post issued by President Trump last night.

LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently interviewed Chris Butler, CEO, at Cranford, N.J.-based National Tree Company. Butler provided Berman with an overview of how National Tree is handling tariff policy, supply chain uncertainty, seasonal issues, and sourcing, among other topics.

Prior to the White House’s proclamation being issued, Dan Moyer, senior analyst, commercial vehicles, at freight transportation consultancy FTR, said that this development had rattled fleets, OEMs, and suppliers coping with weak demand, rising costs, and fragile supply chains.

Following a series of less-than-truckload-related acquisitions made in recent years by its parent company Knight-Swift Transportation—a July 2021 acquisition of AAA Cooper Transportation (ACT) and its affiliated entity AAA Cooper for $1.35 billion, a December 2021 acquisition of RAC MME Holdings LLC, which is better known in trucking circles as MME (with the brand names Midwest Motor Express Inc. (MME) and also Midnite Express Inc.), for $150 million and a July 2024 acquisition of Dependable Highway Express (DHE) for $185 million—effective January 1, 2026, both MME...

For August, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI reading, at 0.3, marked an improvement over July’s -1.03, with FTR calling August’s reading “neutral.” The July TCI reading fared better than June’s -1,83, the lowest in 2025.

Following respective 1.1% and 0.9% gains in July and August, ATA reported that its September advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index saw a 0.9% decline, coming in at 114.2 (2015=100).

Falling 4.5 cents, the national average, for the week of October 20, came in at $3.620, following a 4.6-cent decline, to $3.665, for the week of October 13, and a 4.3-cent decrease, to $3.711, for the week of October 6, for a collective 13.4-cent decline over the last three weeks.

The September shipments reading, at 1.042, was down 5.4% annually, faring better than August’s 9.3% annual decrease, and increased 2.5% over August. The September shipments reading, at 1.042, was down 5.4% annually, faring better than August’s 9.3% annual decrease, and increased 2.5% over August.

Q3 Freight Index: Carriers Fight Margin Pressure as Industry Faces Longest Downcycle in Years AFS and TD Cowen highlight freight market complexity, with historical models and economic shifts shaping short-term forecasts.