Every time that check engine light comes on, you’re left guessing — but with one small device in your cab, you could skip the tow, avoid the shop, and handle regens on your own terms.
Rates are holding steady for now, fuel prices are climbing, and reefer carriers are still outperforming the rest — but without a real uptick in volumes or inbound freight, small carriers are walking a fine line between survival and pressure this October.
While headlines focus on arrests, the real story is playing out on the road. Drivers are quietly avoiding entire regions, brokers are scrambling to cover freight, and rates are climbing as fear starts rewriting the trucking map.
Walk into any diesel shop today and you’ll see it plain as day — bays full of trucks, fewer techs on the floor, and longer wait times that stretch into weeks instead of days. For a small carrier, that’s not just an inconvenience, that’s revenue bleeding out while your truck sits idle.
Amazon Relay has evolved significantly beyond its traditional power-only foundation, creating new opportunities for carriers with diverse equipment configurations. As Amazon’s consumer sales continue growing and the company expands support for third-party shippers, Relay recognizes the critical need to accommodate carriers operating various trailer types and specialized equipment. Breaking beyond power-only limitations When carriers think […]
National Tree Co. CEO warns that tariffs and inflation are adding millions in costs and could tighten supplies of artificial trees and holiday décor.
Over 8 out of 10 attendees walked into Amazon RelayCon 2025 looking to grow — not survive — and the event made one thing clear: for the right type of small carrier, Relay is a business model worth studying.
Every small carrier says they’re “reliable.” Every one says they’re “family-owned.” And all of them promise they “treat customers like partners.” Those slogans look good on a website, but the truth is they don’t move the needle when you’re one of nearly 580,000 active U.S. carriers — and more than 91% of them run 10 […]
PMI just posted a 49.1 — and while that might not mean much to most, for small carriers, it’s a crystal ball into freight demand, margin pressure, and the moves you need to make now to stay profitable.
Every small carrier has been there — staring at a weak load board, wondering if hauling a $1.35-a-mile load is better than running empty. On paper it looks like “something is better than nothing.” But the real cost of cheap freight goes far beyond the numbers you see in the rate confirmation.
Trucking isn’t a flat line — it’s a rollercoaster of peaks, valleys, and regional swings driven by what people eat, buy, and build. If you don’t plan for freight seasons, they’ll plan for you — and usually the result is a thin wallet.
Every owner-operator faces that moment of truth: take the cheap freight in front of you, or burn diesel running empty to the next market. The wrong choice can eat your margin. The right one can save your week. Here’s how to know the difference.
Many small fleets don’t think about their next driver until the seat is already empty. By then it’s too late — you’re scrambling, trucks are parked, and revenue is bleeding. Building bench strength isn’t a luxury, it’s survival.
Consistently heavy freight doesn’t just risk a DOT ticket — it slowly eats away at your truck’s suspension, brakes, and cooling system until potentially one day you’re sidelined with a repair bill.
Your trailer doesn’t have to blow a tire or drop a landing gear to ruin your week — sometimes it’s as simple as a drip from the roof or a weak wall panel that lets in water. Those small oversights are what turn profitable freight into expensive claims and can cost you the shipper’s trust for good.
FreightWaves’ Mary O’Connell speaks to Jesse Buckingham, founder of Vooma, about how AI workflow tools can take on many of the tedious tasks of daily operation.
FreightWaves’ Thomas Wasson speaks to Justin Brevik, senior manager of fleet maintenance and service at Love’s Travel Stops, about the impressive capabilities of Love’s Fleet V.I.E.W.
Interim final rule immediately limits eligibility following multiple fatal crashes in 2025 and scrutiny from the trucking community.
OTR Solutions, a full-service freight factoring and transportation technology company, has announced the launch of its new fuel credit offering, the OTR Fuel Card. This offer provides both new and established carriers with reliable access to credit backed by their factoring relationship, not their credit score. The factoring integration ensures carriers can fuel today and […]
Triumph is raising the stakes in freight tech with the launch of its integrated Pricing and Performance Intelligence solution, a platform that blends rate prediction, carrier scorecarding, and capacity sourcing into a single tool for brokers. Built on the combined data of Greenscreens.ai and Isometric Technologies (ISO), the new system is designed to help brokers […]
