Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

Abilene Motor Express, almost eight years after being acquired by Knight Swift, is being folded into the Swift Transportation segment at the company. In internal communications obtained by FreightWaves, Larry Johnson, the president of Abilene Motor Express, said the move was “part of a broader effort to improve efficiency and streamline operations.” “This alignment helps us work more cohesively, move faster and better serve our drivers and customers,” Johnson said in the interna

A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rule cracking down on freight brokers and forwarders who fail to pay carriers is now in effect. According to FMCSA, The Broker and Freight Forwarder Financial protect motor carriers from instances of nonpayment by brokers and freight forwarders.

Within a two-week period, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has revoked eight ELDs from the list of registered electronic logging devices due to the companies' failure to meet the minimum technical requirements spelled out in the regulations. “If an ELD isn’t meeting federal requirements, it’s taken out of service -- plain and simple. We’ll keep making clear, fair decisions that put safety first and support everyone who shares America’s roadways,” said FMCSA Administrator

STG Logistics Inc. filed their petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey on Monday. Founded in 1985, North America’s largest provider of port-to-door shipping services and supply chain solutions has listed roughly $1.16 billion in debt, and $1 billion to $10 billion in assets and liabilities in its filing. The decision comes as the so-called “great freight recession” enters its fourth year, having started in March 2022 following

It would be fair to say the C509 is the king of the Kenworth model range, with the heavy-duty bonneted truck suited to a number of arduous off-highway and remote haulage roles. But as with other Kenworth models, the C509 also lends itself to being customised and built to its owner’s requirements. Such is the case with the C509 owned by Joel White, with his particular example being the flagship of his small fleet of trucks. Based at Rankins Springs in the northern Riverina distri

CHS Inc., a global agribusiness and the nation’s largest farmer-owned cooperative, is significantly expanding its presence on the Mississippi River in Illinois. On January 31, 2026, CHS will assume operations of a key grain facility owned by COFCO International Ltd. in Cahokia, Ill. This strategically located facility further reinforces a CHS commitment to enabling efficient supply chains and global market access for its U.S. owners. “We’re focused on strengthening the cooperative syst

PacLease continued to expand its U.S. franchise network in 2025. The company adding 17 new locations last year.. PacLease said this accomplishment was despite a challenging lease and rental environment for the commercial vehicle industry. The additions mark the broadest network coverage in the company’s history, both in the United States and globally, and come as PacLease celebrated its 45th anniversary.

Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) sidelined a majority of the commercial vehicles encountered during a two-day enforcement operation in Trinity County. The TXDPS commercial vehicle enforcement detail took place from 4:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on January 6 and January 7, 2026, along US 287 and SH 94 in Groveton, Texas.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will continue to allow truck drivers to continue to use paper copies of their medical examiner’s certificate (MEC) as several states continue to lag behind on implementing the electronic system. FMCSA extended an expiring waiver that will allow commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders, commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders to use a paper copy of the MEC as proof of the driver’s medical certification for up to 60 days af

Insurance is one of the biggest expenses in trucking, and too many haulers are paying for coverage that doesn’t truly fit their operation. At BulkLoads Insurance, we work specifically with bulk freight haulers to find coverage that makes sense for your equipment, your lanes, and your risk. No generic policies, no call centers, just agents who understand the bulk freight industry. If you’d like to see whether you could save money or improve your coverage, it only

USA Truck is once again owned by a U.S. entity. USA Truck Friday announced it is under new ownership as Dutch transportation giant DSV agreed to sell all of the shares in the company to a new organization headed by the 40-year-old trucking company's chief executive officer and two former officers. UTAC, LLC, the new owners, is based in Arkansas and is owned by George Henry, the company's CEO; Zachary King, a former USA Truck chief financial officer; and James Reed, a former USA

Part One laid the groundwork for why knowing your numbers matters in trucking. Not in a motivational way. Not in a “be a better business owner” cliché way. But in a very real, very practical sense: if you don’t know what it actually costs you to run your truck, you’re not negotiating freight — you’re guessing. But here’s the uncomfortable truth most carriers never hear: Knowing your numbers doesn’t automatically make you profitable. Knowing how to use them does.

In January 2008, the American Trucking Associations rolled out the red carpet for a delegation from the China Road Transport Association. The visitors, representing the Highway Transportation Administration Bureau, Beijing XiangLong Assets Management, and Guangxi Wuzhou Communications, spent two days meeting with ATA leadership and major carriers, including Con-way Freight, Roadway, and RoadLink. The agenda covered operations, truck safety regulations, driver training, federal and state tax str

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday revealed that 54% of North Carolina’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued to foreign nationals reviewed by federal officials were issued illegally. The discovery came amid the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) ongoing nationwide audit of the state’s truck licensing systems.  If North Carolina does not revoke all illegally issued licenses, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will withhold

Even though a court order has put on hold the federal emergency rule published last fall to restrict non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration continues a crackdown on an increasing number of states it says have been issuing these CDLs improperly.   In fact, the transportation attorneys at Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary in a January 8 Law Alert said FMCSA has now issued preliminary determination of non-complian

Cargo theft is no longer a crime of opportunity - it’s a coordinated, evolving operation that’s quietly siphoning millions from freight brokers, shippers, and carriers. According to Chad Eichelberger (pictured), president of Reliance Partners, the industry is facing an unprecedented wave of fraud, marked not just by its scale but by its sophistication.

North Dakota’s farmers are looking for higher profits but things may get worse before they get better, ag industry experts say.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture in December announced its Farmer Bridge Assistance, a payment program to help farmers survive what was a disastrous 2025 for many producers.  North Dakota has set up its own loan programs to help farmers through economic hardship and to recover from storms that wiped out storage bins, making producers more dependent o

The government has until early March to deliver a report to Congress about the safety of the program, according to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which launched the apprenticeship program. The report will cover issues such as assessments about technologies or training that carriers provided to apprentices, how those drivers compared to traditional operators, safety records of participants, and recommendations about how safe under-21 drivers are compared to those age 21 or older.

California has delayed its revocation of more than 17,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) held by migrants for additional 60 days, furthering the state’s ongoing feud with the Trump administration over its national crackdown on trucking compliance. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), affected drivers will be receiving letters shortly, informing them of the 60-day extension. The state initially set to terminate the CDLs on Jan. 5, but the compliance

Feeling the financial pinch? You’re not alone. As the calendar turns from one challenging year to the next, farm equipment prices are up yet again, while commodity prices remain suppressed. This follows an upward trend dating back decades and on the heels of reduced liquidity due to a sluggish ag economy. “We had high inputs; we had lower prices projected,” said Brad Zwilling, vice president of data analytics at the Illinois program Farm Business Farm Management. “We’ve had multiple years bac

Imagine having a successful career. Perhaps you’re a physical therapist. Maybe you’re a public relations specialist. Then you decide to shift gears and run a trucking and logistics company.

A North Carolina trucking company with 89 trucks and 90 drivers abruptly ceased operations over the Christmas holiday, leaving drivers, owner-operators, mechanics and office staff suddenly unemployed, according to multiple social media posts from employees and industry sources. Queen Transportation, based in Hickory, North Carolina, notified employees on Thursday and Friday that the company was closing and terminating employment effective immediately, according to Facebook posts from workers, a

The Great Freight Recession shows no sign of ending anytime soon, as more iconic trucking companies permanently shut their doors. In some cases, shipping companies declared bankruptcy, with about 21 firms filing petitions in the third quarter of 2025 and 20 companies in the second quarter. Major trucking companies also shut down facilities or whole businesses without filing for bankruptcy.

Legislation introduced before Congress went on its holiday break would impose a 10% surcharge on brokers' contracts with carriers that have questionable safety records. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan, recently introduced the Patrick and Barbara Kowalski Freight Brokers Safety Act, which aims to hold freight brokers accountable when they hire trucking companies that have a history of serious safety violations.   

In one of his company’s The State of Freight webinars earlier this year, FTR’s CEO Jonathan Starks said, “We’ve had an interesting year.” That may prove to be the unofficial official understatement of the year spoken by anyone about the American trucking industry during 2025. The year about to draw to a close in a few days has been marked by numerous issues and events that have not just affected but also fundamentally changed the industry from how it was this time a year ago. We

Truck leasing and rental company Milestone Equipment Co. is among the unsecured creditors, claiming more than $760,000, according to the P Judge & Sons filing. In the Orange Courier filing, a company “doing business as” Velocity Truck Rental and Leasing, which specializes in EV truck leasing, has an unsecured claim of roughly $472,000 tied to a lease default.  BMO Financial Group is claiming more than $80,000 tied to eight 

"The networking opportunities, the face-to-face interactions. There's people that we've been working with for 10 years and I've never met them a day in my life. We got to share drinks and ideas at the Bulk Freight Conference. That alone was invaluable." - Jake Dubbels, Dubbels Trucking Next week is the Bulk Freight Conference, and this is your last chance to register. For bulk carriers, shippers, and brokers, this even

For three years, a silent economic downturn has drained billions from the trucking industry, yet most Americans remain unaware of it. The U.S. freight recession began in earnest in April 2022 when shipment volumes started declining and freight rates compressed, unlike the post-pandemic surge that preceded it. Today, carriers are operating at losses, fleets are shrinking, and the sector shows no signs of recovery. This prolonged slump is now forcing major industrial companies to make pa

Forty percent of the nation’s states are now operating with some form of waiver of Hours of Service regulations to deal with trucking needs as a result of weather conditions. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Tuesday handed down three waivers which were a combination of extending existing waivers or a new action. They were made necessary for a variety of reasons, including the fact that a state waiver has expiration dates that can not be extended, new issues tha

Aurora Innovation, along with other companies, has been dodging political and corporate resistance for the past several years due to the predictions surrounding self-driving trucking systems and the crisis surrounding America’s supply chains. The predictions suggested that these automated trucking systems would drive fully loaded, 80,000-pound trucks across the country with no problems. However, the reality of the predictions has caused most to avoid the predicted impact of automated trucking sy

The U.S. dairy industry’s biggest discovery this century has arguably been the outside world. Despite being one of the globe’s top dairy producers, the United States had long focused on serving domestic demand.

2025 proved to be a rough year for the trucking industry. From interstate freight carriers to longtime national trucking chains, around eight well-known companies filed for bankruptcy. Rate compression, mounting debts, and unorganized finances were among the different reasons that contributed to the bankruptcies.

Agri-Pulse’s Oliver Ward reported that “the Agriculture Department is projecting that the ag trade deficit will shrink in FY2026 even more than previously anticipated. USDA expects the trade deficit to fall from $43.7 billion in FY2025 to $37 billion in FY2026, according to its quarterly trade forecast published Tuesday. In its previous report issued in August, USDA had projected a trade deficit of $41.5 billion this fiscal year.”

Legislation introduced December 18 by House Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Michigan) aims to pin a 10% fine on any freight broker that contracts a carrier with three or more violations on its record over a five-year period.

Page Trucking Goulet merger plans to unite two family-owned operators into a single specialized bulk and waste-hauling platform under Page G.T.C. Inc., with the companies projecting 500+ trucks and 1,500 pieces of equipment once the deal closes. The agreement was announced on November 18, 2025, with closing expectations in Q1 2026. Financial terms have not been disclosed. For more news and updates on acquisitions in the freight industry, check out this page. For transportation

"You're going to get something that you never expected. You're gonna meet people. Get connections that you're never going to get when at home." - Jesse Bounds Down to the last few weeks to get your tickets to the 2026 Bulk Freight Conference. Don't just take our word for it, listen to all the attendees from past events. This is an event you do not want to miss if you're wanting to grow your business, or to find out ways to be more efficient and effective with your time. <

Overcapacity in trucking markets has been in focus for well more than a year as freight rates have failed to rebound from the post-COVID lull ongoing since 2022. But it's not all that's impacted by overcapacity. At Rush Enterprises’ annual Tech Skills Rodeo in Nashville, Rusty Rush -- president, chairman and CEO of Rush Enterprises -- said until the carrier market normalizes, new equipment demand won't improve.

It was a very different State of Freight webinar to close out 2025 than what its audiences have been hearing for most of the year.  The discussion Thursday was not the first time in the 2025 FreightWaves webinars that the possibility of a stronger freight market was discussed. But that development never truly arrived.  The December webinar, however, was the first time that it took place against a backdrop where a forecast of a bull market could have had some numbers behind it: h

Three companies were selected by Hansen-Mueller Co. as successful bidders on company assets during an auction in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case held this week. The final approval of the sales of 27 asset lots will be considered in a Dec. 22, 2025, sale hearing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Nebraska, according to a notice filed with the court on Thursday. Mission, Kansas-based The Redwood Group LLC was selected as the successful bidder on 14 lots of the Hansen-Mueller assets, a

That story feels familiar to small carriers for a reason. Spot rates don’t move on a schedule, and they don’t follow clean rules. For years, the industry has tried to predict them with confidence — the turn is coming, capacity is tightening, just wait a few more weeks. After enough missed calls, you stop reacting. Not because you don’t care, but because experience has taught you how unreliable spot-rate predictions can be. The truth is, spot rates are brutall

The Amazon Freight Partner program offers an innovative entry point into the world of trucking. Partners in the program can run their own companies hauling Amazon freight without purchasing tractors upfront or dealing with fuel costs. The program also opens a world of new opportunities for drivers. Natasha Sanders, senior business coach for the Amazon Freight Partner program laid out how it all works during a recent appearance on The Long Haul podcast.

PGT Trucking has acquired a Kansas trucking company in a recent acquisition as part of a Midwest expansion.  PGT Trucking Inc. announced the acquisition on December 9th in a press release. The Midwest expansion includes Debrick Truck Line Co. in Paola, Kansas. Debrick Truck Line was founded in 1958 by Arnold and Lorene Debrick as a local water hauling business. The trucking company eventually grew to include flatbed, dry van, and oversize load hauling. The com

The number of people working in the segment that the Bureau of Labor Standards calls truck transportation was at its lowest level in November since the first post-pandemic months. Getting a clear picture on employment levels in all sectors has been a challenge in recent months. The September report that was to be issued October 3 was delayed by the federal government shutdown. Those numbers finally came out November 20.

Excess capacity and lower freight volumes are keeping rates depressed, making the freight market increasingly difficult for some trucking companies to remain operational, noted Jerry Maldonado, chairman of the Laredo Motor Carriers Association. “We hope all of our trucking partners can remain successful and continue operating; unfortunately, that has not been the case for several companies, not only in Laredo but across the country,” he told Trucking Dive in an email Friday.

The SONAR Truckload Rejection Index (STRI), released only a few weeks ago, has already surpassed last year’s peak Christmas reading of just under 9.5%. Values above roughly 7-8% generally signal an inflationary truckload market in which capacity is insufficient. While this alone highlights the past year’s capacity erosion, the absence of the typical post-Thanksgiving lull is equally notable. It’s difficult to declare a definitive end to the prolonged freight recession given the seasonal conte

Greenstone Systems, a Cultura company, today announced the official launch of AgTMS, a comprehensive transportation management solution designed specifically for the agribusiness industry. Developed in partnership with BulkLoads, AgTMS empowers grain originators, merchandisers, and logistics professionals with the tools to plan, dispatch, manage, and track freight more efficiently—all within a unified, data-driven platform.

Truck manufacturers, fleets, and owner-operators are always trying to figure out how to stretch every cent farther. If their semi-tractors could just carry a little more cargo or get better fuel economy, operators might be able to put a little more cash in their pockets. In the past 50 years or so, this objective pushed several truck designers to focus on one of the biggest problems facing big rigs: aerodynamics. One company went all-in on aero and tried to build the ultimate wind-slicing hau

UPS Inc. will invest $120 million in 400 robots used to unload trucks, according to people familiar with the matter, revealing new details on the logistics giant’s $9 billion automation plan that aims to boost profit by decreasing labor costs. Unloading trucks and shipping containers at warehouse docks is mostly done by people and remains a key bottleneck in the shipping industry. The UPS order puts a spotlight on Pickle Robot Co., a Charlestown, Mass.-based startup already working wit

2025 is drawing to a busy close as the trucking industry rushes to move freight during America’s holiday peak retail season. For carriers, the year isn’t quite over yet, but the industry can still begin reviewing their performance this year.  New data highlights persistent safety challenges in the U.S. trucking industry. An analysis of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) records reveals stark differences in crash rates among motor carriers, with midsize fleets showing s

Top trucking industry executives are hoping 2026 will—finally—be the year when pent-up demand translates into higher freight rates and a return to profitability in both the truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) sectors. Until that hope actually translates into profits, most trucking leaders say they continue to tighten the variable costs they can control.

"I made three really good contacts... it 100% paid for itself." - Chelsey Wallace, R&C Express/Farms This is your chance to work on your business. We understand it's hard to get away from your day-to-day operations, but this is your chance to make a real impact. Meet others in our industry who are looking for the same thing you are: connections. Bulk Freight Conference 2026 is less than a MONTH away. A chance to grow your current partners even deeper by getting to

No matter the weather, Rock Katschnig has grain to move. He's hauling his corn to the local ethanol plant, but next year, he'll have somewhere else to take his harvest. "We're building a grain elevator," Arron Rosengren with Bartlett Grain said. Bartlett is the company that's behind the new facility, east of Illinois Route 40, near Sheffield. Farmers and local elevators will bring in grain by truck. It will be held in bins, then transfer

It's not often when you hear of a company taking over a competitor where there is no job loss included, but that appears to be the case for a Missouri trucking company that says it has no plans to let anyone go after they have integrated another company into theirs. A press release just shared this week by Heartland Express says that will have integrated Contract Freighters, Inc. (“CFI”) into their company by December 31, 2025. Those CFI trucks will be rebranded as Heartland Express. T

If you have been employed at larger companies, it’s more than likely you have been in a training class on writing mission statements. Everything has a purpose. Companies, projects, people, etc. all need to set goals and have a vision. There are some key elements to a mission statement. It should define your purpose, reinforce your core values, have some element of measurement, be concise and clear, define stakeholders and, to varying degrees, it should be challenging. Or more simply, t

An overloaded semi-trailer backed into a Laramie County Sheriff’s Office patrol car during a traffic stop that led to the arrest of an undocumented Nicaraguan driver and the issuance of 23 citations. The driver and a Mexican national, who was the passenger, are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the traffic stop, which occurred on Monday morning. Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak said the truck was pulled over in Burns, Wyoming, on County Road

At a time when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is placing increased emphasis on driver training, a trucking company is asking for the renewal of an exemption related to CDL standards. In a notice that was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Wilson Logistics asked FMCSA to exempt them from the regulation that requires a CDL holder to be seated in the passenger seat when a commercial learner’s permit holder is driving. In 2021, Wilson Logistics

President Donald Trump will announce a $12 billion aid package to farmers on Monday afternoon to help crop farmers deal with another year of financial losses partially driven by the president's trade war. Bloomberg first reported the aid package announcement on Sunday, which was followed by reports from the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets. The aid package has been expected for months, though details were held up by the government shutdown.

To help provide relief for the industry, ATRI identified the legal venue as one option to make awards more favorable for trucking. ATRI estimated there were 12,817 tractor-trailer tort cases beginning in 2022, but only 487 ended with a trial, mostly in a non-federal court. In contrast, federal courts provide more favorable safeguards for the industry in cases, ATRI said. That’s because of factors such as where juries are selected from and whether a judge is appointed or not. Eve

Some North Dakota farmers are owed money after a large bankruptcy filing by a Nebraska-based grain dealer.  The North Dakota Department of Agriculture says farmers in the state are owed more than $900,000 by the Hansen-Mueller Co.  The bankruptcy affects creditors in multiple states, including South Dakota and Minnesota. Creditors also include a trucking company in North Dakota.

International Motors LLC (International) is recalling certain: 2016-2023 Lonestar. 2018 8600. 2018-2023 LT. 2021-2026 MV. 2022-2023 RH. 2023-2026 HX. 2025-2026 HV. Electrical noise and low signal to the power line carrier may cause the ECU to incorrectly process commands or stop working.

Over the weekend, two Minnesota-based carriers under the True North Equity Partners umbrella ceased operations overnight, putting approximately 200 drivers out of work. MinStar Transport and Transport Design Inc., each operating fleets of around 100 trucks, announced their immediate closures in communications to employees and partners, according to multiple reports circulating in trucking communities on social media. The sudden shutdowns are the latest in a string of carrier failures a

The closure of James R. Smith Trucking, Inc., a family-owned operation based in Cullman, Alabama, that marked its 70th year in 2025, underscores the dire state of the freight market. Detailed in a Cullman Daily article, the shutdown of this 1955-founded carrier signals another casualty in a wave of trucking bankruptcies sweeping the industry. A Legacy Lost to Market Pressures James R. Smith Trucking grew from a modest fleet into a reliable freight service under

Hogan Transports (CCJ Top 250, No. 54) has been acquired by vehicle rental giant Enterprise Mobility, parent of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo brands. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Hogan operates more than 10,000 pieces of equipment at 50-plus locations in the United States through a broad portfolio of commercial transportation services, including full-service truck leasing, truck rental, dedicated transportation services and other custom-desi

The number of driverless trucks hauling frac sand in the Permian Basin is growing after Aurora announced Monday that Detmar Logistics will commit to using 30 Aurora Driver-powered autonomous trucks in 2026. According to Aurora, this deployment marks the first time frac sand will be autonomously hauled on public roads and highways in the Permian Basin. It is another milestone for Aurora, which until now has focused on terminal-to-terminal operations.

Trucking has been stuck in a perfect storm with increased operating costs, flat rates and reduced freight volumes. At the same time, shippers are putting pressure on carriers to reduce rates, according to Anthony Apa, Jr., president and owner of Illinois-based Mark-it Express. The result: fleets are squeezed between rising expenses and stagnant revenue.

Some North Dakota farmers are owed money after a large bankruptcy filing by a Nebraska-based grain dealer.  The North Dakota Department of Agriculture says farmers in the state are owed more than $900,000 by the Hansen-Mueller Co.  The bankruptcy affects creditors in multiple states, including South Dakota and Minnesota. Creditors also include a trucking company in North Dakota. David Barrett is a Bismarck ag law attorney with clients that include some of the North Dakota