| The Daily // Fri 10.09.26 | View in browser → |
.png){kind=logo}
The Daily
 |
NEWSLETTER BROUGHT TO YOU BY — AURORA
More Miles. More Revenue. Our self-driving Class-8 trucks haul freight on public roads today with no one behind the wheel. Learn more.
|
|
ANNOUNCEMENTS
|
.png){kind=icon}
Global container volumes hit record 17.46 million TEUs
Global container shipping volumes reached a record 17.46 million twenty-foot equivalent units in August, according to Container Trades Statistics and Stuart Chirls’ reporting. The total topped the previous record set in July and rose 3.7% from August 2025. Volumes are up 4.7% year over year through the first eight months of 2026, and August came in 7.2% above August 2024 and 12.9% above August 2023. The report attributes the growth to trade that persisted despite elevated fuel prices, disruption in the Arabian Gulf, Panama Canal constraints and changing tariff conditions.
Prices rose with volume. The CTS Global Price Index gained two points from July to 117 in August, its highest reading since July 2024, and sits about 50% above its January level and 44% above August 2025. CTS tied the increase to pricing pressures that have built since late February as route disruptions forced vessels to reroute. North American imports are up 2% through August, extending a recovery that began in May, and trans-Pacific trade is up 5% year to date. Sub-Saharan Africa posted the strongest import growth at 13%, while the Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East was the only region with falling imports (down 5%) and exports (down 10%).
CTS cautioned that "slowing month-to-month growth could signal a moderation in demand." The article names growth and elevated rates as the key issues heading into the final quarter of 2026.
Record volume and a price index at its highest since July 2024 are arriving together, which keeps ocean capacity and rates in focus for shippers heading into the fourth quarter. CTS’s warning that month-to-month growth is slowing is the counterweight.
US West Coast container rates edge lower
Asia-U.S. West Coast spot rates fell $2 per 40-foot container on Oct. 7, the first daily decline since mid-September, according to Stuart Chirls’ reporting on Xeneta data. Rates are still 1.1% above their Sept. 30 level at $8,336, and Asia-U.S. East Coast rates averaged $11,512, up 0.5% on the week. Asia-Mediterranean averaged $4,007, down 5.9% from Sept. 30, Far East-North Europe averaged $3,645, down 2.5%, and North Europe-U.S. East Coast fell 1.1% week over week to $2,854. Xeneta Chief Analyst Peter Sand called the West Coast move "a marginal move, but the first dip since mid-September." On the broader trend, he said: "The pace of the decline has eased a little, but rates are still elevated."
Falling short-term rates coincide with European shippers’ long-term contract talks, and Sand said even forwarders are getting better deals from carriers. The West Coast dip was marginal, and rates remain above where they started the month.
New Jersey CDL school lawsuit questions evidence behind FMCSA shutdown
Start CDL Inc., a truck driving school in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, is suing to reverse its Aug. 31 removal from FMCSA’s training registry, according to Noi Mahoney’s reporting. FMCSA’s notice, which also removed more than 100 other schools, said six trainees Start CDL certified later received English-proficiency violations at roadside inspections. The school filed a 236-page complaint Oct. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against the Department of Transportation, FMCSA and Administrator Derek Barrs, arguing the agency "improperly used drivers’ later English-proficiency violations." Mahoney found gaps in the filings: a spreadsheet lists six drivers under "Star CDL Training LLC," and none of the names appears among the 10 unique drivers in the attached inspection reports. The complaint says the inspections occurred May to August 2026, but the attached reports span July 2025 through May 2026.
The article’s review of the exhibits leaves the six-driver roster unresolved. Start CDL’s Sept. 10 petition and emergency-stay request were undecided when it sued, and the latest docket lists no government response or ruling.
AV truck fleets win 5-year exemption on warning beacons
FMCSA granted a five-year exemption Wednesday that lets Level 4 autonomous truck carriers use cab-mounted warning beacons instead of reflective triangles, according to Thomas Wasson’s reporting. It runs through Oct. 7, 2031, covers Aurora Operations and any other Level 4 carrier that notifies the agency first, and replaces four three-month waivers Aurora has operated under since October 2025. Beacons must be amber, meet SAE J595 Class 1 photometric requirements and sit at least 100 inches off the ground, and covered trucks may not carry hazardous materials or passengers. Aurora’s application drew 402 comments. OOIDA, the Truck Safety Coalition and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety opposed it, while the American Trucking Associations, Waymo and Kodiak AI backed it. Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association CEO Jeff Farrah said, "Going from a temporary waiver to a five-year exemption gives the industry a lot of confidence."
Critics said a jackknifed or angled trailer could block cab-mounted lights and a single electrical failure could disable beacons. FMCSA said it lacks data showing triangles significantly improve driver reaction time.
AI gold rush transforms trans-Pacific trade and logistics
Semiconductors, data transmission equipment and data center hardware accounted for 42% of goods trade growth in 2025 and about 76% in the first quarter, according to an NYU Stern/DHL report cited in Eric Kulisch’s reporting. C.H. Robinson saw Asia-to-U.S. semiconductor and AI-related air freight volumes grow nearly 60% in the past year, and Korean Air’s cargo revenue rose 46% in the second quarter. DHL Global Forwarding puts the 2025 data center logistics market at about $23 billion, rising to at least $35 billion by 2030. DHL Express CEO John Pearson said, "The biggest story in global trade right now is AI – not tariffs." Expeditors CEO David Wall said hyperscaler demand "shows no sign of slowing down."
DHL says companies expect pricing responses within 2 to 4 hours for air freight and 24 hours for ocean, versus 24 to 72 hours in standard markets. Xeneta says AI-related goods are still below 10% of air cargo volume, though IATA puts them at 53.5% of its value.
Brought to you by Samsara — built with operators, for operators. Blind spots cause some of fleets’ costliest, most complex collisions. Learn how AI-powered 360-degree visibility helps you spot risks in real time and protect drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
| Time | Guest | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 12pm | Dan Bailey | Co-Founder and CEO of Nexcade |
The Four Eras of Freight Audit & Pay
A hundred years of checking carrier math, 1900 to 2026 and on.
SH 130: A Smarter, Safer Route Through Central Texas
Inside SH 130’s push to build the freight corridor of tomorrow
More Miles. More Revenue
Our self-driving Class-8 trucks haul freight on public roads today with no one behind the wheel.
What It Takes to Win in the Next Era of Drayage
Demand volatility, terminal congestion and driver shortages are squeezing drayage margins. FreightWaves and CargoWise Landside surveyed operators on where automation and digital investment are actually paying off.
High-Stakes Freight Brokerage: Risk and Accountability
Shippers moving high-value freight say lower-cost brokerage is starting to carry higher risk. FreightWaves and Werner surveyed where compliance gaps and carrier performance issues are driving accountability higher.
New Research: Tariffs Didn’t Raise Costs. They Raised the Execution Standard.
Infios research shows the 2025 tariff overhaul turned transport mode, tariff exposure and trade-route selection into variables shippers now have to manage actively, not fixed costs they can set and forget.
 ▶ |
Tender Rejections Stall at 14% — Holiday Risk AheadFreightWaves looks at tender rejections stalling at 14% and the holiday risk ahead. |
 ▶ |
New Tech Transforms Yard ManagementFreightWaves looks at how new technology is transforming yard management. |
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends rapid-fire tech demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Join 1,000+ freight and logistics experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for a definitive look at the year ahead. Come for the insights, stay for the celebration and leave with the connections that will define your 2027.
|
▸
|
Whether container pricing holds as volume growth slowsCTS warned that slowing month-to-month growth could signal a moderation in demand, while its price index sits at 117. Watch the next CTS report for the September volume and price readings. |
|
▸
|
Which carriers opt in to the beacon exemptionCarriers other than Aurora must email FMCSA before starting, and Kodiak AI, Waabi and Stack AV opted in under the earlier waivers. Watch for new notifications and the Nov. 1 deadline for annual malfunction and power reports. |
|
▸
|
Whether FMCSA answers Start CDLThe school’s Sept. 10 petition and emergency-stay request were undecided when it filed suit Oct. 2, and the latest docket lists no government response. Watch for a ruling or a reply. |
