ROUTING GUIDES ARE CRUMBLING AS CARRIERS PUSH MULTI-YEAR RATE HIKES
Truckload contract rates set earlier this year aren’t holding, with tender rejections rising and carriers signaling double‑digit increases over the next two years amid tighter capacity and regulatory pressures.
CASS INDEX: FREIGHT VOLUMES POISED TO RECOVER IN 2H 2026; TL LINEHAUL UP 17 STRAIGHT MONTHS
Cass reported May shipments down just 1.2% year over year, the smallest decline in 18 months, with indicators pointing to a second‑half volume inflection as supply‑driven rate gains persist.
LRT GROUP ACQUIRES F2F TRANSPORT, EYES NORTH AMERICAN EXPANSION
Fort Payne, Alabama‑based LRT Group bought Chattanooga’s F2F Transport, saying operations will continue while the combined platform scales dedicated opportunities for owner‑operators and broadens services.
U.S.–IRAN DEAL REOPENS STRAIT OF HORMUZ; LOGISTICS NORMALIZATION COULD TAKE MONTHS
An agreement to end the Gulf conflict will lift restrictions on the vital oil chokepoint, but analysts warn fuel and chemical supply chains face a lengthy reset as mines are cleared and vessel rotations realign.
AG SHIPPERS WARN CHINESE SHIP TAX COULD CRIPPLE U.S. EXPORTS
A trade group says reviving port fees on Chinese vessels would sharply increase costs and jeopardize farm exports, as policymakers debate measures tied to shipbuilding and maritime competitiveness.
CARGO THEFT RISKS RISE AROUND JULY 4 AS DWELL TIMES INCREASE, STAFFING THINS
Security experts flag the July 1–7 window as a high‑risk period, with unattended trailers, yard accumulation and reduced oversight creating prime conditions for organized theft rings to strike freight and facilities.
PHISHING-FUELED FRAUD REROUTES $1.7M SHIPMENT IN SOPHISTICATED CARGO SCAM
Criminals allegedly compromised a legitimate carrier’s identity via a broker‑style phishing email, then diverted a Walmart‑bound load—illustrating the rapid shift of cargo theft into cyber‑enabled tactics.
BORDERLANDS: LAREDO PANEL FLOATS DRIVERLESS FREIGHT CORRIDOR, NEW CROSS-BORDER DRIVER STRATEGIES
At a cross‑border trade summit, officials discussed an autonomous “Green Corridors” concept between Laredo and Monterrey and pilots allowing U.S. drivers to make limited deliveries into Mexico to ease disruptions.
TOPBUILD SHAREHOLDERS GET CASH‑OR‑STOCK OPTION AHEAD OF QXO MERGER DEADLINE
As a roughly $17B acquisition advances, the buyer offered flexibility on consideration structure—another sign of consolidation momentum affecting building‑products logistics and carrier demand patterns.
PEPSICO EXPANDS AUTONOMOUS TRUCK OPERATIONS WITH GATIK TO BOOST MIDDLE‑MILE CAPACITY
PepsiCo broadened its driverless middle‑mile program using Gatik box trucks to shore up “hard‑to‑staff” lanes—signaling continued commercialization of AVs in tightly defined, repeatable routes.
TWO TRUCKERS CHARGED AFTER WORLD CUP TEAM REPORTS MISSING GEAR IN KANSAS CITY
Authorities say drivers returning items after a confrontation with a logistics worker led to felony receiving‑stolen‑property charges tied to $18,000 in equipment ahead of a FIFA team’s local training.
CARRIERS SEE TIGHTER SUPPLY SUPPORTING RATES AS VOLUMES NUDGE HIGHER INTO SUMMER
Building on Cass’ latest read, fleets report mini‑bids and routing‑guide failures accelerating while inventories and intermodal demand trends suggest a modest but broadening freight recovery in 2H.
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