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The day’s most important moves across every mode — air, rail, road, ocean and the trade that ties them together.
| ● On the Wire |
MON · SEP 21 · 2026 |
4 stories |
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Avoid congestion and costly delays. Seattle-Tacoma’s fluid terminal operations, on-dock rail and 2-3 day rail dwell will speed your cargo to its final destination.
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OCEAN · CONTAINER RATES
BY STUART CHIRLS · AMERICAN SHIPPER · SEP 18, 2026
Asia-to-U.S. container spot rates have surged more than 320% since the February Strait of Hormuz crisis, with East Coast pricing hitting $11,259 per FEU — within 11.2% of the January 2022 pandemic-era record — while West Coast rates reached $7,960; carriers are adding 6-7% more East Coast capacity in September and analysts expect another spike in early October as shippers rush exports ahead of China’s Golden Week shutdown.
| THE TAKE — Carriers adding capacity into a market this hot, rather than holding the line to maximize price, suggests they expect the spike to be short-lived once Golden Week passes — shippers who can shift volume to West Coast strings still have meaningful headroom before hitting anywhere near record pricing there. |
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TRUCKING · LTL EXPANSION
Estes Express Lines is investing nearly $56 million to expand cross-border and offshore LTL capacity, doubling its Laredo, Texas gateway to 85-86 doors, quadrupling Buffalo to 171 doors and nearly doubling Detroit to 139 doors, while pushing its total terminal network past 14,000 doors by October; the carrier’s Canada volumes have recovered as some shippers shift from full truckload to smaller LTL shipments amid tariff uncertainty.
| THE TAKE — Betting on Laredo, Buffalo and Detroit simultaneously shows Estes is positioning for whichever border sees the next trade-policy shock, Mexico or Canada — LTL shippers on either border should expect more capacity and potentially sharper pricing from Estes as these facilities come online through 2026. |
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AIR CARGO · FLEET
ATSG subsidiary ABX Air is adding Airbus A330 converted freighters to Amazon’s air network, with the first aircraft delivered and service starting in Q1 2027 under multi-year leases for four planes, part of a planned 30-aircraft A330 program as the aging Boeing 767-300 fleet becomes harder to source; Alaska Airlines already flies 11 A330 freighters for Amazon.
| THE TAKE — Locking in a 30-aircraft conversion pipeline now, well ahead of needing it, tells you Amazon sees the 767 freighter supply problem as structural, not a one-off shortage — air cargo operators still relying on 767 conversions for growth should expect used-aircraft prices and lease rates to keep climbing as Amazon absorbs available A330 conversion slots. |
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RAIL · M&A
Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena pushed back on BNSF, CPKC, CSX and 11 short lines seeking broad trackage rights over a combined UP-Norfolk Southern network, calling BNSF’s request for 824 miles of NS trackage between Chicago and Pennsylvania uneconomical and disputing BNSF’s claim that the merged railroad would control 50% of U.S. rail traffic; the $85 billion deal carries a $2.5 billion breakup fee if the STB approves it with heavy conditions.
| THE TAKE — Vena pointing to his July haulage and trackage deal with Canadian National as a model shows UP would rather negotiate case-by-case access than accept blanket conditions imposed by regulators — shippers should watch whether UP strikes similar bilateral deals with BNSF or CSX before the STB rules, since that could pre-empt the more sweeping access rivals are asking for. |
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| Get a behind-the-scenes look at one of North America’s leading trade gateways. This short video shows how the Northwest Seaport Alliance is creating opportunities, moving cargo, and keeping supply chains connected: Watch the video. |
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OCT 27–28, 2026 · THE SIGNAL, CHATTANOOGA · CHATTANOOGA, TN
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.
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American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
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