Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

  • A fuel pump in focus in front of a line of waste trucks.
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    Permission granted by Clean Energy Fuels
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    Low carbon fuels, credit programs help transition toward zero-emission policies

    Several state legislatures move toward fostering biogas initiatives.

    Jacob Wallace • March 29, 2024
  • Trucks with lights on during sunset in Nevada on a dessert roadway.
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    DanielIngelhart via Getty Images
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    How industry leaders are analyzing overcapacity data

    Analysts see some rebalancing occurring. But the process appears slow.

    David Taube • March 21, 2024
  • Aerial view of warehouse workers working and walking in a distribution center.
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    cofotoisme via Getty Images
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    Freight rates could rebound this year: experts

    Carrier executives are beginning to show optimism for a rate recovery, which could spell rising costs for customers.

    Larry Avila • March 7, 2024
  • The exterior of a former Yellow Corp. truck terminal in Landover, Maryland, that was acquired by XPO at a bankruptcy auction.
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    Colin Campbell/Trucking Dive
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    What’s a Yellow terminal worth? It depends on location, and who you ask.

    XPO, Estes and Saia spent hundreds of millions of dollars on properties. Old Dominion skipped the auction. Executives shared their reasoning in interviews and earnings calls.

    Colin Campbell • Feb. 22, 2024
  • Werner Enterprises tractor trailer back
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    Provided by Trevelino/Keller

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    Why carriers, shippers use drop and hook in good times and bad

    Fleets and brokers see their drop-and-hook programs as a competitive advantage that gives shippers what they want.

    Shefali Kapadia • Feb. 16, 2024
  • Aerial drone view of semi trucks crossing a tidal river.
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    shaunl via Getty Images
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    Top trucking trends to monitor in 2024

    Rising costs will be a chief concern for carriers as they work to retain labor and integrate technology in a stubbornly soft freight environment this year.

    Colin Campbell • Jan. 29, 2024
  • A massive gray storm cloud gathers on the horizon over a placid body of water.
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    petesphotography via Getty Images
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    5 tips for cutting property insurance costs amid climate change

    Here are ways that CFOs can hold down premiums in the face of more destructive weather and soaring insurance costs.

    Jim Tyson • Dec. 13, 2023
  • Trucks, including an armored car, pass through U.S. customs on October 17, 2016 in Laredo, Texas.
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Logistics companies race to adapt to shifting supply chains

    Carriers in ocean, air cargo, rail and trucking are launching new services and tweaking their networks amid evolving global trade flows.

    Max Garland, Alejandra Salgado, Kelly Stroh and Larry Avila • Dec. 11, 2023
  • An Arkansas Motor Freight Lines truck at a transfer and storage facility in a 1935 photograph.
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    Courtesy of ABF Freight
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    ABF Freight at 100: Investments in workforce, M&A pay off

    A local hauler launched in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1923 has blossomed over a century into the nation’s largest unionized LTL carrier.

    Colin Campbell • Nov. 10, 2023
  • Andrew Boyle, American Trucking Associations chairman, addresses ATA MCE 2023 attendees at the conference's closing banquet.
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    Colin Campbell/Trucking Dive
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    ‘Win the sale’: Big Trucking’s attention turns to the 2024 election

    The economy is the industry’s top concern, but politics took on a new emphasis this year at an annual trade show.

    Colin Campbell • Oct. 31, 2023
  • A view of storage tanks at the Phillips 66 refinery on Nov. 17, 2021.
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    California diesel prices soar as higher tax takes effect

    West Coast fuel costs continue to put pressure on a rough trucking environment, particularly in the Golden State, where prices linger above $6 per gallon.

    David Taube • Oct. 13, 2023
  • Casey's
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    Retrieved from Casey's.
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    Why C-store chains are all-in on travel centers

    Traditional players like Casey's, QuikTrip and RaceTrac are testing the truck stop market for higher margins and EV charging.

    Brett Dworski • Aug. 7, 2023
  • A Heliox electric charging port connects to a Mack Electric heavy-duty vehicle
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    Jacob Wallace/Trucking Dive
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    Waste industry braces for ‘bumps and bruises’ in EV rollout as California sets the pace

    Haulers and vehicle manufacturers at WasteExpo said they expect a potential collision between regulation-fueled demand and limited supply of battery-electric trucks. Charging infrastructure is also a growing concern.

    Jacob Wallace • May 12, 2023
  • The headquarters of BlackRock in Manhattan.
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    Spencer Platt/Trucking Dive, data from Getty Images
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    Investment firms BlackRock, Vanguard shift stakes across carriers

    Top financial juggernauts raised their stakes in carriers such as Knight-Swift but diverged in their investment choices elsewhere. Here's what analysts say matter for the trucking industry in the year ahead.

    David Taube • April 7, 2023
  • A row of freight trucks.
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    Permission granted by Estes Express Line
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    Rooted in Richmond: How Virginia’s capital spawned 3 LTL giants

    The often-intertwined histories of Overnite Transportation Co., Old Dominion Freight Line and Estes Express Lines offer lessons to today’s fleet executives.

    Colin Campbell and Shaun Lucas • April 4, 2023
  • XPO Logistics founder Brad Jacobs and Mario Harik talk between photos with colleagues in front of the New York Stock Exchange on the day of the Nov. 1 spinoff of RXO, the company's brokerage arm.
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    Colin Campbell/Trucking Dive
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    Why XPO and its spinoffs expect growth even as Brad Jacobs steps back

    The logistics juggernaut has broken up. But incoming executives plan to continue the founder's emphasis on tech integration and creating shareholder value.

    Colin Campbell • Nov. 2, 2022
  • Operation BBQ Relief driver Joe Myerly uses a lift jack to hand off a shipment of canned green beans to forklift operator Forrest Parks.
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    Permission granted by Operation BBQ Relief
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    How the trucking industry is helping feed a million Floridians after Hurricane Ian

    Operation BBQ Relief drew volunteer drivers from across the country to deliver much-needed supplies in the storm’s aftermath.

    Colin Campbell • Oct. 10, 2022
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    George Frey via Getty Images
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    Why gas tax breaks could 'do little to nothing' to help trucking companies

    Despite temporary relief in some states, truckers worry the International Fuel Tax Agreement will negate any savings.

    Colin Campbell • March 28, 2022
  • A truck driver walking around semi truck his inspecting and safety check to before driving semi truck.
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    1933bkk via Getty Images
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    'A lonely profession': How COVID-19 took a toll on drivers' mental health

    Two years into a pandemic that's left many drivers isolated, industry experts urge new support systems and more open dialogue.

    Katie Pyzyk • March 16, 2022
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    Courtesy of Johnsonville
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    High trucking rates prompt food shippers to wade into logistics

    A deluge of freight pushed up prices as shortages of tractors, trailers and replacement parts have kept capacity tight.

    Shefali Kapadia • Feb. 14, 2022
  • A Hyzon fuel-cell truck.
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    Courtesy of Hyzon
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    Battery-electric vs. hydrogen trucks: The debate heads into 2022

    As fleets eye a future with zero emissions, industry remains undecided whether BEVs or FCEVs will come out ahead.

    Jim Stinson • Jan. 25, 2022
  • A FedEx truck makes deliveries in Manhattan on September 17, 2020 in New York City.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Regulations, costs dissuade truck carriers from hauling in the Northeast

    Connecticut was once one of the crown business jewels of the Northeast. Now, the state is steadily losing people and, with them, businesses.

    Jim Stinson • Jan. 14, 2022
  • Truck transport container on highway at sunset, motion blur effect, logistics import export background and cargo transport industry
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    Tryaging via Getty Images
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    Lofty used truck prices forge a divide between large sellers and small buyers

    Prices for used trucks, at times exceeding new Class 8 prices, test the financials of owner-operators and small fleets. 

    Jim Stinson • Dec. 22, 2021
  • An illustration of a truck driving through drug and alcohol obstacles
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    Adeline Kon/Trucking Dive
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    Did FMCSA Clearinghouse shrink the driver pool and challenge recruitment?

    The answer depends on who in the transport industry you ask.

    S.L. Fuller • Nov. 29, 2021
  • An aereal shot of the San Pedro Bay ports, Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, provided in a news release on Oct. 26, 2021.
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    Courtesy of Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach
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    Trucking's role in untangling the web of West Coast port congestion

    The driver shortage has become a "scapegoat" for bottlenecks as empty containers, low yard productivity, limited space and unavailable chassis converge.

    Jim Stinson • Nov. 22, 2021