Rig Load Report

Industry Outlook

Reporting and analysis from Rig Load Report focused on industry outlook and the freight signals shaping domestic transportation.

Showing 4 posts in Industry Outlook.

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Lead Story

June 27, 2026

Records on an empty stomach

Truckload rates are at records, and the diesel spike that lifted the headline is finally reversing. The third quarter tests how much of the record is fuel and how much is a cleared market.

Start with the week's main read. A deeper look at freight, fuel, capacity and the signals moving the market.

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Industry Outlook

Industry Outlook archive

Every published post in this category, still arranged with the same editorial lead-and-archive rhythm.

May 23, 2026

Where the freight cycle actually is, in four indicators

Spot rates are at multi-year highs. Tender rejections, contract and tonnage agree. The Cass Freight Index, a broader multi-modal read, has not yet turned positive year-over-year —...

May 2, 2026

What a single-line transcontinental does to trucking

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern's amended merger application projects 2.1 million truckloads a year shifting modes and $3.5 billion in annual...

April 24, 2026

The freight downstream of a refund wave

While tariff refunds are more news article than real money, for a freight market already running tight, they still matter.