Infographic: ELD mandate worsens capacity crunch

On Dec. 18, the first day of the ELD mandate, DAT data showed tight capacity across the country. FreightWaves spoke to DAT analyst Mark Montague about the crunch. “The map shows posted loads over posted trucks. We saw these ratios go up before the hurricanes and the retail season started, but the reason there’s so much pressure in the market is that all these factors are combining. A strong economy, late December surges in retail volume, and ELD fines beginning all at the same time.  Now that we’re a week out from Christmas, it should slow down… but instead I don’t see anywhere in the country at all where there’s softness,” Montague told FreightWaves.
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October 26, 2026
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The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

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Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

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John Paul Hampstead

John Paul conducts research on multimodal freight markets and holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Michigan. Prior to building a research team at FreightWaves, JP spent two years on the editorial side covering trucking markets, freight brokerage, and M&A.