The Daily Dash: TRATON to acquire Navistar; early earnings disappoint

TRATON has formally agreed to acquire U.S. truck maker Navistar, concluding a nearly yearlong saga that was first rumored years ago. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, Volkswagen’s truck division TRATON has formally agreed to acquire Navistar. Plus, carriers remain firmly in charge when it comes to rates and the first truckload earnings are out and they are not as good as expected.

A marriage made in truck heaven

TRATON has formally agreed to acquire U.S. truck maker Navistar, concluding a nearly yearlong saga that was first rumored years ago.

Alan Adler has the latest: TRATON agrees to buy out Navistar at $44.50 a share

Carriers still firmly in charge of pricing

Shippers have clawed back a little pricing power, but carriers remain firmly in charge as tender rejection rates remain high and spot rates stay elevated.

Andrew Cox dives into the latest DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index data: OTRI above 25% for 6 weeks — longest streak ever

Earnings miss

J.B. Hunt was among the first transportation companies to report third-quarter earnings, and the results were lower than what many expected.

Todd Maiden has details on what impacted earnings: J.B. Hunt stock sags on 3Q miss, management doubles down on long approach

Heartland’s OR takes a hit

Heartland Express has a history of a strong operating ratio, but despite a strong freight environment, its OR took a hit in the third quarter.

John Kingston has details on the company’s performance: Heartland’s industry-leading OR weakens during third quarter

Stories we think you’ll like:

Nonprofit startup targeting owner-operators for safety investments

First 3Q earnings report is from Marten and it isn’t a blockbuster

Landstar opens I-85 driver center near Atlanta

Volvo Group sees modest Q3 recovery

Hertz pulls in financing needed to reorganize

New alliance targets deployment of heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles

Hyliion finds partner to build natural gas fueling stations

Holland sued over hiring ‘virtually no’ female truck drivers in Mississippi

I, Robot: Agility Robotics raises $20M for bipedal automation

Kenworth begins taking orders for Class 8 electric truck

Did you miss this?

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has filed its comments on a proposed broker transparency rule, and the association says cost estimates to comply from brokers are not realistic.

John Kingston covers OOIDA’s comments: OOIDA scoffs at high cost estimates for broker transparency

Hammer down, everyone,

Brian Straight

Managing Editor

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Brian Straight.

You may also like:

Here’s where electric trucks make sense

Hino, Toyota bringing Class 8 fuel-cell truck to North America next year

Will truck drivers use the new HOS split-sleeper provision?

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Fraud & Security

Freight Fraud Symposium

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

May 20, 2026
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH
Register Now
AI & Technology

Supply Chain AI Symposium

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

July 15, 2026
The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL
Register Now
Rail & Policy

Future of Rail Symposium

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

July 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Fraud & Security Freight Fraud Symposium May 20 • Cleveland, OH

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH Register Now
AI & Technology Supply Chain AI Symposium Jul 15 • Chicago, IL

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL Register Now
Rail & Policy Future of Rail Symposium Jul 28 • Chattanooga, TN

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

Brian Straight

Brian Straight leads FreightWaves' Modern Shipper brand as Managing Editor. A journalism graduate of the University of Rhode Island, he has covered everything from a presidential election, to professional sports and Little League baseball, and for more than 10 years has covered trucking and logistics. Before joining FreightWaves, he was previously responsible for the editorial quality and production of Fleet Owner magazine and fleetowner.com. Brian lives in Connecticut with his wife and two kids and spends his time coaching his son’s baseball team, golfing with his daughter, and pursuing his never-ending quest to become a professional bowler. You can reach him at bstraight@freightwaves.com.