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The Daily
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NEWSLETTER BROUGHT TO YOU BY — AURORA
Your next truck could drive itself. Aurora Driver 2 is hauling freight on public roads. No one behind the wheel. Learn more.
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National diesel average nears $6 as prices hit records
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$5.967
DOE/EIA national diesel average, this week
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$5.82
Prior all-time record (June 2022) — already surpassed
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+5.11%
ULSD futures jump in a single session, Wednesday
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National diesel prices are closing in on $6 a gallon after every major benchmark used to calculate fuel surcharges hit an all-time high this week. The DOE/EIA weekly average, published Wednesday, reached $5.967 a gallon. AAA’s daily average, at $5.9424, broke the prior record of $5.82 set in June 2022 on Friday at $5.85 and has kept climbing since. SONAR’s DTS.USA index put the price at $5.94 on Wednesday.
ULSD futures settled at $4.8010 a gallon Wednesday, up 5.11% in a single session. Energy analyst Jeffrey Currie said the national average topping $6 a gallon within days is "all but guaranteed" barring a significant reversal in the futures trajectory.
Currie pointed to product-specific constraints outpacing crude oil’s own increases: roughly 3 million barrels a day of refining capacity offline in Arab Gulf nations, supply chains reluctant to move gasoline and diesel out of the Gulf, and strategic petroleum reserve drawdowns thinning out the buffer that cushioned past spikes. Currie estimates 6 million to 7 million barrels a day of production remains restricted.
The DOE/EIA weekly average is the benchmark most carriers use to reset fuel-surcharge tables, so this run-up flows straight into shipper invoices within days rather than weeks — expect surcharge notices to land before the weekend, and build the assumption into linehaul negotiations that fuel pass-through, not base rate, absorbs most of the increase.
US-Mexico trade hits monthly record near $95 billion
U.S.-Mexico trade hit an all-time monthly high of $94.8 billion in July, up 27.5% from $74.36 billion a year earlier, according to Census Bureau data. U.S. exports to Mexico rose 18.1% to $34.24 billion while imports from Mexico climbed 33.5% to $60.55 billion, and Mexico accounted for nearly 18% of the nation’s $530.37 billion in total July trade. Bilateral commerce through the first seven months of 2026 reached $588.52 billion, up 16.1% year over year, keeping Mexico ahead of Canada ($62.8 billion in July) and China ($36.8 billion) as the U.S.’s largest trading partner. Laredo, Texas, drove much of the growth, posting $36.95 billion in two-way commerce — up 22% — its strongest July since 2013, with motor vehicle parts leading exports at $1.31 billion and diesel engine exports up nearly 85% to $433.8 million.
Laredo’s Van Outbound Tender Rejection Index sits at 11.18%, a level that signals carriers still hold negotiating leverage on capacity even as record volumes move through the gateway — brokers and shippers booking cross-border freight this fall should expect that leverage, not softening demand, to shape rate conversations.
Lufthansa Cargo to buy German ground handler LUG
Lufthansa Cargo agreed to acquire LUG air cargo handling GmbH from the Dettmer Group, adding ground operations at Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg that employ about 400 people across 538,000 square feet of warehouse space. Deal terms weren’t disclosed, and the transaction still needs standard antitrust approval; LUG will keep operating independently with no service changes expected for existing customers. "We want to become more flexible, more efficient and more resilient for our customers," said Frank Bauer, Lufthansa Cargo’s chief operating officer. The purchase complements the carrier’s push into premium, high-margin freight like pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and AI hardware, and follows a $682 million, 3.5 million-square-foot cargo terminal Lufthansa Cargo is building at Frankfurt.
Owning its own ground handling across three German hubs gives Lufthansa Cargo — the world’s 14th-largest air cargo carrier by volume — tighter control over dwell times and reliability just as it leans harder into time-sensitive, high-value freight.
Colonial Terminals opens 25-acre breakbulk hub in Savannah
Colonial Terminals opened Foundation 3, a 25-acre breakbulk facility on the Savannah River designed for 24-hour operations. The site includes 130,000 square feet of warehouse space across two buildings, a newly renovated dockside facility, 75,000 square feet of outdoor concrete storage and room to expand. An 810-foot heavy-capacity dock and more than 14,000 feet of on-site rail track with terminal-operated switching connect to Norfolk Southern Class I service, plus direct highway access to Interstates 16 and 95. The terminal handles steel, forest products, project cargo, palletized goods, super sacks and general cargo, with both union and non-union stevedoring available. "Foundation 3 reflects our continued commitment to investing in the infrastructure, capabilities and services our customers need to grow," said Troy Gouger, Colonial Terminals’ vice president of operations.
The added rail-connected, dockside capacity strengthens Savannah’s standing in breakbulk and industrial cargo, giving shippers another heavy-lift option alongside the port’s established container business.
FMCSA pauses USDOT deactivations during MOTUS rollout
FMCSA has suspended enforcement of biennial update requirements and paused deactivating USDOT numbers for carriers who miss filing deadlines, giving relief to any biennial update due on or after June 1, 2026. The agency launched MOTUS, its new federal registration system, on May 19, and the suspension is meant to limit disruption while carriers transition onto the platform. "Registrants whose biennial update was due on or after June 1, 2026, will receive additional time," the agency said in a notice issued this month. The filing requirement itself isn’t eliminated, and FMCSA says it will give advance notice before enforcement resumes; intrastate carriers no longer have a federal biennial-filing option through MOTUS.
Carriers with an overdue biennial update can keep operating under an active USDOT number for now, but the relief is temporary — filing before enforcement resumes beats scrambling once FMCSA gives notice the grace period is ending.
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| Time (ET) | Guest |
|---|---|
| 12pm ET | Eric LemusVice President of Strategy and Analytics, Deposco |
| 12:30pm ET | Ben HersheyProduct Manager, Transportation & Logistics, DTN |
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The Visibility Gap: Why Fleets Can’t Fix What They Can’t See
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Your next truck could drive itself.
Aurora Driver 2 is hauling freight on public roads. No one behind the wheel.
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Freight Audit Is Broken: Real-Time AI Fixes ItWatch the full breakdown on FreightWaves TV. |
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The $6 diesel thresholdIf the DOE/EIA weekly average crosses $6 a gallon Monday, expect most major carriers to reset fuel-surcharge tables within days — watch for surcharge notices landing before the weekend. |
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Canada freight volumesSONAR already shows a 16% four-day drop in Canada-to-U.S. freight. If Ottawa layers on further retaliation, expect that decline to steepen heading into the fall shipping season. |
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MOTUS enforcement restartFMCSA’s deactivation pause has no set end date. Carriers with an overdue biennial update should file now rather than wait for the advance notice the agency says will precede enforcement resuming. |
