Trucking & OTR
Truckload and LTL rates, capacity, carriers, brokers, safety and the operating economics of highway freight.
-
FMCSA Doubled Emergency HOS Relief to 30 Days—That Does Not Make Every Disaster Load Exempt
FMCSA doubled the automatic regional-emergency HOS window from 14 days to 30. The change does not exempt every disaster-area load. FIR’s six-field test shows what shippers should document before relying…
-
FMCSA Lets Driverless Trucks Replace Roadside Triangles—What Shippers Must Verify Before Tender
FMCSA’s five-year exemption lets qualifying Level 4 carriers use cab-mounted warning beacons instead of roadside triangles. Shippers still need to verify lane eligibility, cargo recovery, contract responsibility and performance evidence.
-
China’s Fuel Export Halt Raises the Stakes of a Possible U.S. Diesel Ban—What Changes a Shipper’s Bill?
China’s reported fuel-export halt raises global supply risk. FIR separates policy, fuel benchmarks and the contract terms that change freight invoices.
-
Freight AI’s Trust Test: Who Saves Time—and Who Does the Extra Work?
Freight AI can save a broker time while creating more work for a carrier. FIR examines the survey evidence and proposes a scorecard for the full transaction.
-
Old Dominion’s October 5 Rate Increase: Reprice Your Shipments, Not Just Your Budget
Old Dominion’s October pricing change gives affected LTL shippers a deadline to test actual shipment costs. FIR explains what to rerate, what not to infer, and how to compare alternatives.
-
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…
-
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.
-
NMFTA Proposes Mixed-Pallet Pricing Rewrite—What LTL Shippers Must Model Before December
NMFTA’s proposed Rule 640 would shift many mixed LTL handling units toward density-based classification while preserving a highest-class override for special freight. Here is what shippers should model before the…
-
Tightening Truck Capacity Is Reshaping Shipper Strategy: Why Mini-Bids, Dedicated Capacity and Intermodal Are Gaining Ground
Truckload pricing is rising even as freight demand remains uneven. Here is how mini-bids, dedicated capacity and intermodal are reshaping shipper procurement.