Washington Will Study 2,000 Fatal Truck Crashes Up Close — Here’s Why Your Paperwork Matters More Than Ever
Nobody in this business needs to be told that a fatal crash is the worst day on the road. What is changing is how closely the federal government is going to look at those crashes — not just what happened, but everything around what happened: the driver, the truck, the carrier, and the road. The […]
Diesel Finally Slipped 6 Cents — Don’t Spend the Savings Before You Make Them
For the first time in two weeks, the fuel report moved in the right direction. It is a small move, and it does not change the math of running a car hauler in November — but after two straight weekly increases, any move down is worth reading carefully. The news The Energy Information Administration’s latest […]
More Loads, Slightly Softer Rates: Read the Spot Market Right and Don’t Chase Cheap Freight
Here’s the setup that traps carriers every fall: the load boards light up, everybody’s busy — and the average rate quietly slips while you’re running hard. Last week was exactly that week. The news The November 2 Truckstop/FTR spot market report, covering the week ending October 30, shows load activity up 8.5% — the largest […]
Washington Wants to Let Drivers Pause the 14-Hour Clock — and Split Sleeper Time 5-and-5
If you have ever watched your 14-hour clock burn down while you sat at a dealer lot or a dock waiting to get loaded, Washington is finally studying the exact problem that cost you that day. The news The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has opened public comment on two proposed hours-of-service pilot programs […]
Brokers Are About to See Inside Your Operation — Is Your Paperwork Ready?
Getting freight has always meant proving the basics: active authority, insurance on file, a clean inspection record. That bar just moved. Brokers are starting to look inside your operation — how you hire, how you keep your driver files, and how you respond when something unsafe happens. The news On October 26, Tenstreet announced CarrierProtect, […]
Carriers Are Saying No to 1 in 7 Loads — and December Could Make It 1 in 5
November just opened with the tightest truck capacity of the season — and the shippers who waited to book their holiday freight are the ones about to feel it. The news Truckload tender rejection rates — the share of contracted loads carriers turn down — are running near 14%, and industry forecasts say they could […]
How to Load a 5-Car Sun Country Trailer — Step by Step
Loading five cars on a Sun Country is a puzzle — get the order wrong and the last car never fits. This is the sequence that works, the same one from our video: top car first, pins in every time, straps before ramps, and a full walk-around before you roll. Prefer the real thing? Here’s […]
Shippers Just Paid the Most to Move Freight Since 2021 — With Barely Any More Freight to Move
If your rates feel like they should be higher, the newest national freight numbers agree with you — and they explain exactly why. The news Reuters reported on October 29 that U.S. shippers in the third quarter paid the most to move freight since 2021, according to the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index released Thursday. […]
Used Truck Prices Just Eased — But They’re Still 12% Above Last Year
If you have been waiting for used iron to get cheaper before you buy, September gave you a small opening — not a fire sale. Prices eased a little, sales slowed a little, and the trucks that did sell were older and higher-mile than the month before. Read it right and it is a negotiating […]
A Paperwork Glitch in FMCSA’s System Just Parked Thousands of Carriers — Check Your Record Today
This one is not about a new rule you broke. It’s about a computer system that may have changed your record without telling you — and carriers are finding out only when they try to book a load and can’t. The news Commercial Carrier Journal reported on October 29 that Dynamic MD, a 13-year-old flatbed […]