by Jeff Berman on 13 March 2026 at 4:40 pm

Not long after the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched Section 301 investigations under the Trade Act of 1974 related to what it called structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors earlier this week, beginning with China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Japan, and India, it subsequently followed up with an announcement indicating it has added another 60 countries to its Section 301 investigations list.

by Jeff Berman on 13 March 2026 at 3:06 pm

February imports, at 2.19 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), were off 5.3% annually, marking the sixth consecutive annual decline.

by John D. Schulz on 13 March 2026 at 7:14 am

Trucking interests are applauding a move by the Trump administration to tighten up regulatory language affecting an estimated 350,000 independent contractors.

by LM Staff on 13 March 2026 at 7:02 am

Rail carloads, at 231,889, posted a 5.7% annual gain, and intermodal containers and trailers came in at 283,107 units, for a 1.8% annual increase

by Jeff Berman on 12 March 2026 at 5:26 pm

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) this week said it plans to launch Section 301 investigations under the Trade Act of 1974 related to what it called structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors.

by Jeff Berman on 12 March 2026 at 4:54 pm

San Francisco-based Thoma Bravo, a global technology-focused investment firm said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Austin-based parcel- and freight-focused third-party logistics (3PL) services provider WWEX Group and its various brands, including Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz, Unishippers, JEAR Logistics and BLX Logistics.

by Jeff Berman on 12 March 2026 at 1:22 pm

February U.S.-bound container imports, at 2,093,422 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), fell 9.7% annually, from January to February, following a 4.1% gain, from December to January, while falling 6.5% annually.

by Jeff Berman on 12 March 2026 at 12:44 pm

For more than a while now, maybe even going back to the onset of the pandemic a little more than six years ago, there have been what could be viewed as divergent, or perhaps mixed, messages, from industry stakeholders, when it comes to assessing the state of the freight economy. That, in itself, is not entirely surprising, as there are several variables that need to be factored in for stakeholders to provide their respective takes.

by Jeff Berman on 11 March 2026 at 3:55 pm

In comments submitted this week to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), an independent adjudicatory and economic-regulatory agency charged by Congress with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers, the Washington, D.C.-based American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued its support, in regards to the STB’s proposed reciprocal switching reforms, which ACC and other shipper groups maintain enhances competition.

by LM Staff on 11 March 2026 at 3:13 pm

Auto parts retailer Detroit Axle argues the executive branch cannot eliminate the exemption.

by Brian Straight on 11 March 2026 at 2:55 pm

Even as headlines shift to new freight controversies, the underlying risk environment continues to intensify, forcing shippers and logistics providers to rethink carrier vetting, compliance oversight, and the role of AI.

by John D. Schulz on 11 March 2026 at 1:28 pm

In late February, Sen. Jim Banks (R- Ind.) introduced a bill to require anyone with a CDL to be recertified by a state within six months after the law is enacted. The legislation would bar CDLs to individuals who are “not citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States or holders of certain work visas.”

by Jeff Berman on 10 March 2026 at 3:58 pm

With oil and gasoline prices seeing significant increases since the recently-launched joint strikes by the United States and Israel less than two weeks ago, in an initiative geared towards halting Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, the national diesel average, for the week of May 9, came in at $4.859 per gallon, marking a $1.277 annual gain and an $0.855 gain compared to the same week in 2024.

by Jeff Berman on 10 March 2026 at 2:52 pm

LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviewed Kent Savage, Founder and Executive Chairman, of Cambridge, Ohio-based Velocity Group, a precision tooling, injection molding, and sub-assembly manufacturer serving aerospace, agriculture, rail, and industrial sectors nationwide. Savage addressed various trade- and tariff-related challenges that manufacturers have seen over the past year, including a sharp rise in reshoring inquiries, as companies respond to tariff volatility, quality concerns, and overseas lead-time disruptions.

by Jeff Berman on 9 March 2026 at 5:47 pm

For January, the most recent month for which data is available, U.S. imports, for the ports surveyed in the report (minus the Ports of New York/New Jersey and Miami, whom each had not yet reported their data at press time), came in at 2.08 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU, marking a 3.8% gain over December and down 6.4% year over year.

by Jeff Berman on 9 March 2026 at 3:09 pm

February U.S. rail carloads, at 898,947, posting a 6.5% annual gain, paced by strong volumes for grain, coal, and other industrial products. AAR reported that total U.S. February intermodal volume, at 1,122,758, container and trailer units, increased 1.5% annually.

by LM Staff on 9 March 2026 at 1:36 pm

For January, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI came in at 9.3, well above readings in previous months, including: December’s 4.85; November’s 2.14; October’s 0.89, and September’s 0.42 readings. January’s reading represented its highest level since February 2022.

by Jeff Berman on 6 March 2026 at 6:32 pm

The February LMI reading, at 61.5, rose 1.9% over January’s 59.6, marking the fastest rate of expansion going back to February 2025, when it came in a 62.8. It also snapped an 11-month stretch of monthly LMI readings below the all-time average of 61.3.

by LM Staff on 6 March 2026 at 5:05 pm

A coalition of 24 states has filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs, setting up another legal battle over the administration’s trade policy just weeks after the Supreme Court struck down an earlier tariff program.

by LM Staff on 6 March 2026 at 4:00 pm

Rail carloads, at 238,131, rose 6.9% annually, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 278,598 units, rose 1.6% annually