A recent snapshot of the state of the industry shows some volatility but also some areas that are doing well.

Route 66, maybe the most well-known road in America, is home to the largest inland port in the country, just southwest of Chicago. And CenterPoint tells a story.

And a successful logistics business owner explains how he lowered his insurance rates. 

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AVG. COST OF DIESEL PER GALLON IN U.S. AS OF 06/08, DOWN -0.140¢

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

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Complaint department.  The state of Texas, being proactive about the future of vehicles on the road, is launching a website for citizens to complain about driverless cars and trucks. It won't be long before 911 operators ask, "Sir, did the car have a driver?"

Liability fallout.  This isn't the end, it's just the beginning. The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling about broker liability is starting to bring trickle-down questions about shippers and other parts of the shipping and supply chains.

Moving?  With housing prices going up, it's no surprise that people wonder about taking their house with them in a relocation. But a house re-lo requires a different kind of homeowner's insurance.  

No. Way.  This is the face you make when you hear just how much (how little) the load pays.

A volatile and capacity-sensitive freight market. Ongoing concerns about inflation and fuel costs. Stable but not strong demand. Pockets of promise. This is what a recent snapshot of the industry looks like, according to the State of the Industry whitepaper from Freightwaves.

The recently released document gives details about rates, capacities and volumes across different markets. Among the revelations: the building of new data centers across the country is helping the demand for flatbeds.

Why this matters: Relying on generic market sentiment leaves money on the table when localized industrial expansions change freight patterns. For small carriers, the explosive growth of data centers means immediate, high-margin flatbed opportunities in regions traditionally written off as purely agricultural. (Freightwaves) 

WWEX-Auctane Done Companies polish off their merger  

Tariff Cap U.S., Taiwan finalize tax on wood products

FedEx Freight FedEx completes spinoff of freight business

Farm Breaks Tariffs on farm and construction equipment to drop

- Wesley Oberman of Oberman Logistics

When was the last time your truck insurance went down? Wesley Oberman is telling other owner-operators how his dropped recently. Oberman, whose business is in Huntingdon, Tennessee, tells the Overdrive Radio podcast about his experiences. After detailed discussions with his insurance broker, Oberman says he took those talks to heart. He made adjustments to track how often drivers speed (and how fast they're going), and they were key in driving down his rates. (Overdrive)

When you think of a port, you think of water and docks. But the country's largest inland port is in Will County, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. Called CenterPoint, it catches imports from the West Coast and delivers goods throughout the heartland. And this massive business in the middle of farmlands is going get another large competitor because consumer demand is not slowing down.

Why this matters: This structural shift means regional short-haul lanes out of the Midwest will experience unprecedented rate competition. To protect margins, small fleets must optimize asset placement closer to these inland hubs rather than relying on traditional coastal freight distribution. (The Christian Science Monitor)

Two U.S. senators have introduced a bipartisan bill to repeal the 12% federal excise tax on the retail sale of heavy trucks. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) are sponsoring the Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act, matching a companion House bill from 2025. 

Why this matters: Repealing this tax lowers the upfront cost of asset acquisition by tens of thousands of dollars per vehicle. For an independent operator, this instantly shortens the return-on-investment timeline for new equipment and frees up critical cash flow for driver retention. (The Trucker)

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The Inside Lane is curated and written by Alan Schmadtke edited by Bianca Prieto.