Sean Duffy walked onto the MATS floor unannounced last week and told 14,000 truckers their spot rates are going up. Plus: Indiana's CDL deadline hit at midnight, freight bankruptcies keep mounting, Iran struck the U.S. aluminum supply chain, and more.
U.S. Xpress Founder, Max Fuller, breaks down trucking before deregulation, how tech changed the industry, and its future.
New intelligence platform gives freight brokers access to real capacity, real rates, and real-time market visibility through OTR’s continuously vetted carrier network.
A preview from FreightCaviar Print. December copies are still available.
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FreightCaviar Print is our quarterly print magazine focused on long-form reporting, original interviews, and market analysis.
If “unpredictability” were the freight industry’s word of the year, 2025 aced the test.
Tariffs rewrote trade lanes. Enforcement tightened. Fraud reached new levels of creativity.
For the December edition of FreightCaviar Print, we asked 8 respected voices in freight to call their shot on what they believe will define the U.S. freight market in 2026.
Below is a preview from the magazine.
A Dangerous Fraud Cocktail
The fraud problem will continue to grow in 2026 to the point where it may become existential for many companies. AI advances, non-domicile CDL enforcement, and weak demand create a dangerous mix. Brokers without strong digital risk-mitigation strategies will be especially vulnerable.
Flat Is the New Up
I expect flat rates and lower volumes again in 2026, possibly alongside a recession.
If capacity tightens meaningfully due to enforcement actions, flat rates may actually be a win. Any real upside must come from the supply side — not demand.
Regulation as a Market Filter
Stricter CDL requirements, training standards, and enforcement will continue to make it harder for fraudulent or non-compliant operators to survive.
If demand improves, these changes could meaningfully tighten capacity and improve overall market conditions.
AI or Die
Margin compression isn’t temporary — it’s structural.
AI will determine which brokerages can operate profitably at lower margins. Falling behind in AI adoption is a strategic vulnerability that’s difficult to recover from.
Housing Is the Domino
Residential construction and home sales drive massive trucking demand — from building materials to furniture and appliances.
A true freight recovery likely begins when housing activity returns.
This is an excerpt from the December print edition.
The remaining predictions (including insights from Will Jenkins, Jennifer Morris, David Spencer, and Bogdan Kruzhinskiy) are available in the December print edition.
The December issue of FreightCaviar Print is available now, and we have a limited number of copies remaining.
Orders ship within a few days of purchase.
This issue includes:
Freight Caviar
U.S. Xpress Founder, Max Fuller, breaks down trucking before deregulation, how tech changed the industry, and its future.
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