Why this matters now A recent blog post making the rounds claims the IRS is paying “millions” to insiders who report tax fraud and name-checks trucker-specific issues like the Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT). While that post mixes some accurate points with confusion, the underlying story is real: the…
What “1099” really means in trucking When a carrier pays you on a 1099, it’s classifying you as an independent contractor, not an employee. That means you run your own business, shoulder your own costs, and pay both sides of payroll taxes (the 15.3% self-employment tax for Social Security and…
What’s happening Several California trucking companies have recently shuttered operations, sending a clear warning to owner-operators and small fleets: thin margins, soft demand, and stubbornly high operating costs are creating a hazardous market. After two years of normalization following the 2021–2022 freight boom, spot rates in many lanes have struggled…
National Overview — Monday, September 15, 2025 A generally quiet day for widespread rain and snow nationally. No organized excessive rainfall or heavy snow areas are highlighted today. Heat is building and expanding from the West toward the Midwest and the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys. Tropical moisture is beginning to focus over…
Spot Market Pulse: Week Ending September 1, 2025 Truckload spot pricing firmed across the board to close out the week ending September 1. National van averaged $2.08 per mile, up $0.05 week over week; flatbed climbed to $2.55, up $0.07; and reefer rose to $2.45, up $0.04. The magnitude and…
Diesel prices tick higher nationwide; West leads gains while Rockies hold flat U.S. on-highway diesel prices edged up in the latest week of September 8, 2025, with the national average rising 3.2 cents to $3.766 per gallon. Regional moves were mostly higher as well, led by the West Coast, while…
Mexico’s cross-border commerce with the United States rose about 5% year over year in July, even as shippers and brokers adjusted to Mexico’s newly implemented export requirements covering a narrow list of tariff codes. The trade uptick coincided with the rollout of Mexico’s “automatic export notice” regime, which industry sources…
Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena’s recent White House conversations with President Donald Trump included a discussion about deploying National Guard troops to U.S. cities — talks that preceded Trump’s decision to send Guard units to Memphis, according to FreightWaves’ reporting and the president’s own public remarks. On Friday, September 12,…
Canada’s postal system will see a new form of pressure from workers this week: the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says it will end its nationwide overtime ban and, beginning Monday, September 15 at 12:01 a.m. local time, stop delivering Neighbourhood Mail — the unaddressed flyers many retailers use…
U.S. freight brokers are mounting a fresh push for Congress to adopt a national standard for vetting motor carriers, backing new legislation introduced this week that would establish a uniform “safety fitness” baseline for shippers and intermediaries. The House bill, filed on September 11, 2025, by Rep. Pete Stauber (R‑Minn.),…
