Eric Bratton
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Rail Fuel Surcharges Hit 48 Cents a Car-Mile as Harvest Backlogs Build—What Grain Shippers Should Audit Now
Rail fuel surcharges reached $0.48 per car-mile as harvest demand tightened equipment. FIR identifies the rate, formula and car-supply exposures shippers should audit now.
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Intermodal’s 18% Weekly Gain Is Not a Demand Boom—The Holiday Distortion Shippers Should See Before Q4 Bids
AAR’s latest comparison is accurate but calendar-distorted. Actual intermodal volume fell 1.3% from the prior week, while year-to-date growth reached 4.2%. Shippers should separate the headline from the planning signal.
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Diesel Jumped 36.8 Cents in One Week as Truck Freight Prices Rose 2.0%—What Shippers Should Audit Before Q4 Bids
Weekly pump prices and monthly freight-price data now point in the same direction—but they measure different costs. Shippers should separate fuel, linehaul and accessorials before paying twice for the same…
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September 2026 Freight Outlook: A Cost Shock Without a Volume Boom
September’s freight market pairs expanding goods demand with elevated fuel and transportation costs. Explore verified truck, ocean, rail and air indicators, FIR scenarios, and practical procurement actions.
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Mundra’s 1,500-Trucker Stoppage Disrupts Container Flows—What Shippers Should Do Now
A stoppage involving roughly 1,500 container transporters is disrupting empty returns and factory stuffing at India’s Mundra Port. FIR separates confirmed restrictions from estimates and identifies the actions shippers should…
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Black Sea Disruption Forces 500,000-Ton Wheat Pivot—Now the Shock Is Reaching Container Freight
Black Sea attacks are forcing Asian wheat buyers toward Australia and Argentina, raising delivered costs and pushing some urgent grain into containers.
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Shanghai and Ningbo Reopened—But 10-Day Queues Are Tightening Transpacific Capacity
Shanghai and Ningbo are open, but berth delays now reach 10–11 days as dense yards, vessel bunching and port omissions threaten U.S.-bound September inventory.
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FMCSA Removes 110 CDL Schools—What Carriers Must Verify Before the Crackdown Reaches Driver Files
FMCSA removed more than 110 CDL training providers and published an official lookup list. Carriers should compare provider and completion dates before deciding whether a driver record requires escalation.
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U.S. Opens 300,000-Metric-Ton Beef Quota Sept. 1—The Cold-Chain Clock Importers Must Manage
A 300,000-metric-ton U.S. beef quota opens Sept. 1 in three first-come tranches. What importers must control across customs, reefer capacity and cold storage.