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This week’s top stories in trucking

Supreme Court Weighs Broker Liability in Landmark Case

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, a case that could reshape broker liability in the freight industry. At issue: whether the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act’s (FAAAA) safety exception allows injured parties to sue brokers for negligent hiring.

Justice Elena Kagan challenged C.H. Robinson’s counsel, questioning how suits about “getting good drivers behind the wheel of a massive truck” aren’t “with respect to motor vehicles.” Paul Clement, arguing for plaintiff Shawn Montgomery, called brokers and trucks “quite closely tethered” given the danger posed by “the 80,000-pound truck.”

A ruling will resolve conflicting circuit court decisions that have left the industry in limbo.

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FMCSA Chief Defends Capacity Crunch: ‘Safety Strengthens Freight Rates, So Be It’

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek D. Barrs received a standing ovation at the Truckload Carriers Association annual meeting in Orlando after defending policies that have slashed truck capacity and boosted rates.

Barrs made his position clear: “If safety strengthens freight rates, then so be it. My job is about saving lives. It’s not about rates.”

The agency’s crackdown includes stricter English proficiency enforcement, new non-domiciled CDL restrictions and the closure of 7,000 training schools. Barrs hinted he’d “just as soon clear all of them out and start all over again.”

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FMCSA Recruiting Drivers to Pre-Test Hours-of-Service Pilot Programs

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking 18 commercial truck drivers for a six-week “pre-testing” phase ahead of two hours-of-service pilot programs. Participants will earn $600 for completing all study tasks.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute is collecting data to fine-tune training materials before a national rollout. The pilots support Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s “Pro-Trucker Package” and President Trump’s April 2025 executive order on trucker work rules.

Nine drivers will test flexible sleeper berth splits (6/4 and 5/5 configurations), while nine others will evaluate pausing the 14-hour driving window for 30 minutes to three hours.

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DOT Puts Motor Carriers on Notice Over Return-to-Duty Shortcuts

The U.S. Department of Transportation is warning motor carriers that sloppy Substance Abuse Professional practices are creating serious compliance risks. A notice published Tuesday flagged “fast-tracked” evaluations, improper remote assessments and pressure to prescribe only minimum follow-up testing.

DOT identified SAPs operating without proper credentials, conducting evaluations outside geographical limits and failing to maintain real-time two-way communication during remote sessions. The department emphasized that SAPs must never share follow-up testing plans with employees or promise quick return-to-duty timelines.

For carriers, using volume-focused SAPs means potential liability and Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse compliance failures.

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Data and Discipline: How Small Carriers Are Surviving the Freight Recession

At the Truckload Carriers Association convention in Orlando, executives from three surviving fleets shared a blunt message: waiting for a turnaround isn’t a strategy. The “Surviving & Thriving as a Carrier” panel featured leaders from Don Hummer Trucking (300 trucks), TransLand (180 trucks) and Stokes Trucking (50 trucks) who credited rigorous data benchmarking for their survival.

The panelists praised the TCA Profitability Program for identifying which metrics matter most. TransLand CEO Mark Walker narrowed his focus to revenue per truck per week and EBITDA. Chris Hummer of Don Hummer Trucking emphasized loaded percentage: “In an era where you have limited pricing power, you can help your network by improving that percentage.”

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SONAR spotlight: Flatbed rejection rates remain King

(Source: SONAR)

Summary: The end of February saw a continued rally in flatbed spot market rates. Dry van spot rates saw gains while reefer posted a slight decline.

Flatbed capacity tightening remains the recurring theme. The Flatbed Truckload Index (FTI) rose 9 cents per mile all-in, week over week, from $3.15 on Feb. 23 to $3.24. The FTI is 24 cents per mile, or 8%, higher than $3.00 last month and 53 cents per mile, or 19.6%, higher than $2.71 last year.

Higher flatbed spot rates are coinciding with record flatbed tender rejection rates. The SONAR Truckload Rejection Index – Flatbed (STRIF) jumped 803 basis points, week over week, from 35.17% on Feb. 23 to 43.20%. The STRIF is 1,402 basis points higher than 29.18% last month and 1,837 basis points higher than 24.83% last year.

Dry van spot market rates saw week-over-week gains. The SONAR National Truckload Index 7-day average (NTI) rose 4 cents per mile, or 1.5%, week over week. The NTI is 2 cents per mile lower than last month’s $2.79. Compared to last year, the NTI is 51 cents per mile, or 22.6%, higher than $2.26.

Other datasets are also showing improvements in carrier pricing power. February’s recent release of the Logistics Managers’ Index showed its transportation prices index growing at the fastest pace in four years.

FreightWaves’ Todd Maiden writes, “The squeeze on capacity was widespread but especially pronounced at large companies (1,000 employees or more), which reported a contraction rate of 32.6.”

Larger truckload carriers are more heavily exposed to the contract market. If these larger upstream carriers are declining freight at greater levels than smaller fleets, this would suggest early signs of routing guide failures, either due to rates or insufficient truckload capacity.