Eric Bratton
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U.S. Sets Solar Import Price Floors and a 15% Derivative Tariff—The Dec. 4 Freight Deadline
New U.S. minimum import prices and a 15% tariff on covered polysilicon derivatives take effect Dec. 4. What importers, brokers and solar shippers must change now.
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U.S. Orders Battery Black Mass and Tungsten Scrap to Stay Onshore Starting Aug. 27
A new BIS rule keeps covered battery black mass and tungsten scrap in the United States from August 27. Here’s what exporters, carriers and recyclers must change.
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Record Containers, Softer Imports: Freight’s Peak Season Is Splitting in Two
July’s frontloaded port surge could fade as U.S. factory demand strengthens. Here are the lane, capacity and inventory decisions shippers should make now.
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U.S. Factory Production Jumps—A New Freight-Demand Signal Is Forming
July factory production reached a nearly five-year high as backlogs, exports and employment expanded—an important leading signal for freight capacity and shipper planning.
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Freight Intel Outlook · Freight Markets · Shipper Strategy · Technology & Operations · Trucking & OTRAugust Freight Outlook: The Recovery Isn’t Demand-Led—and That Changes Every Shipper Decision
Freight volumes weakened while costs, imports and intermodal activity rose. The August 2026 Freight Intel Outlook explains what shippers, carriers and brokers should do next.
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Carrier & Broker Risk · Freight Markets · Maritime, Ports & Drayage · Regulation, Infrastructure & Risk · Shipper StrategyA Vessel Was Struck Near Hormuz. The Freight Risk Now Runs Through Fuel, Insurance and Capacity.
A confirmed vessel strike near Oman—and provisional reporting that an LNG carrier was disabled—raises immediate fuel, insurance and capacity risks for freight decision-makers.
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DOT’s New AV Strategy Targets Freight Deployment—But Autonomous Trucks Still Face Four Gates
USDOT’s 2026–2030 automated-vehicle strategy targets freight deployment, ADS-equipped commercial-vehicle rules, safety standards and cross-state corridors—but it does not authorize nationwide driverless trucking.
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The GDP Headline Says Slowdown. Freight Demand Says Something Else.
Q2 GDP slowed to 1.5%, but private demand, consumer spending, equipment investment and June LTL tonnage point to firmer freight activity—and hotter costs.
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The Freight Market’s Mixed Signal: Volumes Stay Soft While Costs Rise
June’s freight data delivered a message that transportation leaders cannot afford to flatten into a simple “recovery” or “recession” narrative: shipment demand remained soft, but the cost of moving freight…