LTL

Several leading indexes and data sources show trucking rates rising across modes, including truckload and LTL, driven by fuel costs and tighter capacity.

The largest US LTL carrier looks to add new business in the healthcare, food and energy sectors and among small businesses to grow volume and improve profitability.

The latest quarterly results show that FedEx’s less-than-truckload division is struggling with lackluster industrial demand, but a change in strategy after a planned June spinoff could provide different results.

Still, the company’s CFO cautioned that no one should “get out over their skis” from the standpoint of freight recovery expectations.

Echo’s Doug Waggoner said the opportunity to acquire ITS came as part of his company’s virtually constant search for potential additions.

Transflo, which sells automation software to transportation providers, is using AI agents to identify specific exceptions common to LTL billing errors.

With demand conditions unlikely to improve in the short term, LTL carriers are putting more of their capacity, old and new, into reserve.

The acquisition of Malherbe will enable Geodis to develop the French road freight market for truckload and less-than-truckload, and to increase its presence in the agri-food and mass retail sectors.

Saia reported year-over-year increases in daily shipment volume in November, XPO saw a decline, while ODFL raised its yield as shipment volumes dropped.

California is revoking 17,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses, while a US court has ordered a temporary stay on the US Department of Transportation’s new non-domiciled CDL rule.

LTL carriers are reining in capital spending on property, holding new terminals and doors in reserve as they await a hoped-for turnaround in freight demand in 2026.

ODFL, XPO and Saia reported annualized declines in third-quarter shipments but are positioning themselves for a stronger freight market in 2026.

The combination of AAA Cooper Transportation, Midwest Motor Express and Dependable Highway Express covers the US LTL market coast-to-coast, except for the Northeast.

Some of the largest less-than-truckload carriers are announcing non-contract GRIs, but the state of the freight market argues against substantial rate increases.

The LTL carrier has used technology to drive its financial turnaround, with the latest example being a system that has slashed the number of missed pickups for shippers.

Less-than-truckload carriers are holding onto pricing discipline despite low demand, but more opportunities for LTL savings exist, speakers told the Inland ‘25 conference.

Excess capacity and lower rates are drawing some LTL freight into the truckload sector, helping to depress overall LTL volumes, FedEx quarterly results indicate.

An acceleration of growth in US less-than-truckload rates reflected still-tight capacity, while seasonal truckload pricing gains failed to boost rates above 2024 levels.

Lean inventory management and low sales ratios could lead to stockouts in early 2026, Armada Corporate Intelligence warns, depending on the strength of consumer demand.

The US trucking market is stable, and it’s likely to stay that way until demand increases truck utilization significantly, FTR said at its 2025 transportation conference.

Cracks may be appearing in the LTL pricing wall, as shipment levels drop, but LTL costs remain elevated compared with pandemic-era rates.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gave California, New Mexico and Washington 30 days to adopt and enforce ELP regulations or lose access to federal safety funding.

The NMFTA’s preliminary freight charges API helps notify shippers of changes to charges, including reweighing and classification, before delivery and final invoicing.

Less-than-truckload costs are up 7.3% year over year, according to the latest US data, but changes to the LTL classification system are adding little, if anything, to shipper rates.

Well-financed LTL trucking companies are investing in network expansion despite flat revenues and falling shipment counts as shippers demand more speed.

J.B. Hunt Transport and Knight-Swift Transportation — the largest US truckload providers — are shifting assets within their networks as shippers react to supply chain challenges created by higher US tariffs on imports.

The largest US less-than-truckload provider says it won’t enforce new density-based classifications until Dec. 1, giving shippers more time to adapt to changes.

From his hometown hub of Memphis, Fred Smith built FedEx from a $4 million inheritance to an $88 billion behemoth.

Outpost is broadening its business from truck parking to a national shared-terminal network that offers multiple carriers access to “full-service” facilities.

Instead of rising in May as would typically be expected, US freight volumes dropped, and that is having an impact on pricing, freight indicators reveal.

Lower LTL volumes are likely in the coming months, but pricing remains elevated, according to producer price index data.

Trucking executives don’t believe a crackdown on truck drivers who can’t speak or read English will significantly reduce truck capacity.

Excluding the last remnants of Yellow’s revenue, the largest US LTL carriers boosted their top line by 3.9% last year, with daily volumes rising 2.7% and terminal numbers up almost 3%.

The 15,000-square-foot, 37-dock-door facility is the latest example of how LTL carriers are expanding into drayage, container handling and global supply chains.

The US price index for LTL trucking, bolstered by new contracts, is as high as it’s ever been, but the truckload sector is stuck in a two-year trough.

Trade disputes cast a pall over US manufacturing and trucking as exports and imports drop, PMI surveys show.

With a “reintroduced” ground freight shipping option, UPS hopes to tempt LTL shippers seeking alternatives to LTL rates that are up 12% on average from mid-2023.

Less-than-truckload companies are reporting low volumes and customers stressed by trade conflicts, but contract rates are climbing.

The president of the second-largest US LTL provider sees Amazon’s decision to offer its vendors LTL service as an opportunity for ODFL to move more retail freight.

Shippers need to collect and share accurate shipment data and even rethink some shipping processes ahead of July 19 changes to LTL classification, experts tell the Journal of Commerce.