Scott Coy

August 25, 2026 The truckload market continued to ease from its summer highs last week, but underneath that short-term cooling, the fundamentals are telling a different story. Spot rates declined across dry van, reefer and flatbed. Yet all three remain roughly 34%–38% higher than a year ago based on the latest DAT figures we are tracking. That distinction matters. This does not look like a return to the excess-capacity environment of the last freight downturn. Instead, demand has cooled while...

For more than three years, the trucking industry has been waiting for freight demand to come roaring back. What if it doesn’t have to? The newest market data is pointing to something more complicated — and potentially more important for shippers. Manufacturing is still growing, but more slowly. Freight volumes are not exploding. Some short-term indicators have cooled from their summer highs. Yet truck capacity remains tight, spot rates are still dramatically higher than a year ago, newly...

For years, when the transportation industry talked about truck capacity, the conversation was pretty simple: How many trucks are available? I think that question is becoming outdated. The better question today is: How many qualified trucks are actually available to haul your freight? And if you don't work in transportation every day, here's what I mean by qualified. A truck simply being available doesn't mean it should be hauling your freight. The driver needs to be properly licensed and...