🎣 Defense or Offense

Happy Friday. Arrive’s latest freight market update is out. We break down the data and how the biggest players are choosing to defend or attack in a fragile market.

Plus:

• Trump Administration Backs C.H. Robinson
• Rail Networks Brace For Fern
• Former R&R Employees Detail Collapse

🍳 What's Cookin' In Freight

⚖️ Trump Administration Backs C.H. Robinson. The Trump administration filed an amicus brief backing C.H. Robinson and will argue before the U.S. Supreme Court on March 4. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, head of the Office of the Solicitor General, said broker liability claims are preempted by federal law and lack a direct link “with respect to motor vehicles.” The case, Montgomery v. Caribe, sits at the center of a circuit split as groups like Transportation Intermediaries Association warn state-by-state liability would fracture freight markets nationwide.

❄️ Rail Networks Brace For Winter Storm. Rail carriers are warning of disruptions as Winter Storm Fern targets the Southeast and Lower Midwest. CSX and Norfolk Southern flagged risks across Atlanta, Nashville, Louisville, Texas, and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Unlike snow, ice “shuts freight down,” said Scott Pecoriello, Founder/CEO at WeatherOptics. Intermodal first- and last-mile moves face shutdowns, terminals risk congestion, and cold will prolong recovery. Freight delayed past Friday will likely slip into next week.

🎤 R&R Collapse Followed Months of Internal Turmoil. Former employees told FreightWaves that the collapse of R&R Family of Companies followed prolonged financial strain, failed acquisitions and weakened internal controls. Workers described delayed carrier payments, leadership turnover and repeated safety overrides well before the January shutdown. “This didn’t collapse overnight,” one former employee said. Acquisitions of Load to Ride and Taylor Express drained cash, leaving some carriers owed up to $126,000. The abrupt closure stranded drivers and impacted roughly 300 employees.

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January 2026 Freight Market Update

January 2026 Freight Market Update - Arrive Logistics

We hope you enjoy your coffee and our latest Market Update! You should have received an email from Arrive Logistics with your complimentary $10 Starbucks Card. If you have not received it, please reach out to marketing@arrivelogistics.com. Arrive Insights™ Table of Contents Download Report Subscribe for Monthly Insights Market Memo From the Desk of David […]

Arrive Logistics

The freight market popped again in late December and early January. Rates jumped. Capacity tightened. Everyone’s phone started ringing.

That doesn’t mean demand is back.

Arrive’s January 2026 market update makes this pretty clear: what we just lived through was weather + holidays + a fragile market, not a real shift in volumes.

What actually caused the spike: