🎣 Winter Has Come

Happy Monday. Winter Storm Fern has left its mark on the U.S. Here is the latest on the aftermath of the storm.

Plus:

• Congress Advances Transportation Funding Bill
• Warehouse Demand Rebounds
• December Imports Slide

🍳 What's Cookin' In Freight

⚖ Congress Advances Transportation Funding Bill. Lawmakers advanced a bipartisan FY26 transportation funding bill that preserves most of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's transit spending and earmarks $200 million for truck parking. The House passed the bill 341–88; the Senate votes next week. The package also codifies English-language proficiency enforcement, requiring FMCSA to place noncompliant drivers out of service. OOIDA President Todd Spencer called it “common sense” for road safety. Public transit receives $21.1 billion, while Amtrak and intercity rail grants face sharp cuts.

📦 Prologis Revenue Rises as Warehouse Demand Rebounds. Prologis reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results as demand for warehouse space recovered, with total revenue rising to $2.25 billion from $2.2 billion a year earlier and EPS of $1.49, beating estimates. Customers are securing longer-term leases “with greater conviction,” CEO Daniel Letter said. Prologis signed a record 228 million sq ft of warehouse leases in 2025 and finished Q4 with occupancy near 95%, signaling a rebound in logistics real-estate fundamentals heading into 2026.

📊 December Imports Slide, 2025 Barely Up. U.S.-bound container imports fell for a fourth straight month in December, down 5% year over year to 2.32 million TEU, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Full-year 2025 volumes edged up just 0.3% to 29.21 million TEU amid tariff volatility. Research Director Chris Rogers said December was “surprisingly calm,” but forecasts a sharp slowdown ahead, projecting imports down 8.2% in 2026 and Q1 volumes down 14.5% year over year.

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Winter Storm Fern Aftermath

Winter Storm Fern is now a nationwide problem.

Ice, snow, and sustained cold have constrained capacity across key lanes, disrupted hubs, and forced carriers and regulators into contingency mode.

Northeast gets last brunt of winter storm that brought ice, snow, cold to much of the US

The Northeastern U.S. is getting the last brunt of a massive winter storm that dumped snow, sleet and ice across much of the southern and eastern U.S. over the weekend.

AP NewsKATE BRUMBACK

Freight Disruptions and Slow Recovery

Ice accumulation along the Interstate 40 corridor and in surrounding lanes forced widespread closures and slowed emergency response efforts.

Some areas, though, weren't as severely impacted as others.

Rail carriers, including BNSF, CSX, and Norfolk Southern, have implemented winter action plans.

BNSF, in particular, advised customers to expect longer transit times and nonstandard routings as networks work through disruptions.

Recovery is being slowed due to sustained cold and widespread power outages with more than one million customers currently out of power across multiple states.

Renny Vandewege, general manager of Weather and Climate Intelligence at DTN, told FreightWaves that cleanup resources in the Southeast are limited and prioritized for interstates before secondary roads.

Market Conditions: Before and During

Spot market rates declined ahead of Fern’s arrival, before weather impacts were reflected.

According to DAT Freight & Analytics:

• Dry van spot rates averaged $1.90 per mile
• Reefer rates averaged $2.34 per mile
• Flatbed rates held just above $2.15 per mile

A further breakdown by DAT revealed van spot rates from Texas and the I-95 Corridor to the Ohio Valley and the Southeast.

Outbound rates going around $2.20+ per mile and inbound going around $2.50+ per mile.

Winter Storm Fern - Freight Impact Alert | DAT

DAT

Dean Croke, principal analyst at DAT, said the decline occurred before the storm, noting that this week’s data will capture Fern’s effects.

FMCSA Issues 40-State Emergency Declaration

And lastly, due to Fern's aftermath, FMCSA has issued a regional emergency declaration across 40 states, suspending hours-of-service rules for drivers providing direct emergency assistance.

The waiver excludes routine commercial freight and expires February 6.

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 🌎 Around The Freight Web

🕵️ Freight Fraud Index. Highway has released its Highway Q4 2025 Freight Fraud Index Report. Download it here to get the full breakdown on the current state of freight fraud.

🥣 Danone Investment. Danone is investing $4 million to expand its Texas yogurt plant, boosting production capacity amid rising U.S. demand for protein-packed yogurt.

❌ Evidence Deleted. Truck driver Antonio Sandoval Jr. and company owner Marlin Kendall Hughes are accused of deleting dash cam footage after a crash that killed two college students. Charges are pending.

🏗️ DCL Expansion. DCL Logistics acquired its largest facility to date, tripling order volume and expanding its national fulfillment to support higher e-commerce and omnichannel demand.

⛽ Meth Bust. Eighteen people were sentenced for smuggling $64 million in liquid meth concealed inside semi-truck fuel tanks.

🎣 THE FREIGHT CAVIAR CORNER

• FreightCaviar Podcast: We sat down with Garrett Allen, Founder of SearchCarriers.com, to discuss building a carrier discovery and investigation tool and what’s coming next for the platform. Catch the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
• Now Hiring: Western Reserve Logistics Group is looking for a remote Logistics Account Manager.

FREIGHT HUMOR