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Modal Shift Dampens Trucking Market

FreightWaves reports that a significant modal shift is impacting the trucking market, as more shippers opt for rail and intermodal services over traditional trucking. This trend is driven by the cost-effectiveness and improved sustainability metrics associated with intermodal transport. As fuel costs remain volatile, many shippers are looking to lock in savings and reduce their carbon footprint, resulting in a dampened demand for full truckload services.

For small carriers, this shift poses both challenges and opportunities. While reduced demand might impact spot rates and overall volume, it also opens doors for specialized service offerings that complement intermodal logistics. Consider partnering with larger logistics services to offer last-mile delivery or specialized hauling that integrates seamlessly with rail networks.

"This trend towards intermodal solutions is reshaping the logistics landscape, and carriers that adapt quickly will find new growth avenues by aligning with these changing shipper preferences." - Industry Analysis

Badger State Trucking Show Raises Money for Make-A-Wish

The annual Badger State Trucking Show has once again brought the industry together, this time to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Held in Wisconsin, the show highlighted the trucking community's commitment to giving back, showcasing a variety of events and attractions, including truck showcases, vendor booths, and live entertainment. In the trucking industry, these gatherings are not just about networking; they're also about supporting meaningful causes.

Owner-operators and small carriers attending such events have the opportunity to not only connect with peers but also engage in charity work that aligns with their personal values. It's a reminder that the trucking industry is a community at its core, built on connections that extend beyond business transactions. Consider participating in or sponsoring local events to increase your community presence and goodwill.

Leadership Transitions in Transport Companies

Dayton Freight, Truck Parking Club, and Aero have all announced significant leadership updates. These shifts often indicate a re-evaluation of company strategies and an embrace of new directions. Keeping an eye on how these changes pan out can provide insights into emerging trends and possibly signal shifts in the services and technologies being prioritized in the industry.

For carriers, understanding these changes may provide a competitive edge, such as aligning with companies whose leadership is pushing for stronger technological integration. Networking with these companies can keep you informed about potential collaborations or shifts in industry focus. VAU0 continues to monitor these changes and offers guidance on technology adaptation via its transportation management systems.

FMCSA Rule Affects H-2A CDL Eligibility

The FMCSA's recent ruling is leaving some H-2A workers unable to qualify for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL). This regulatory change has sparked discussions about the impact on labor availability in the trucking sector, particularly affecting agriculture and related transportation needs where these workers are often employed.

If you employ H-2A workers or rely on agricultural freight, this ruling could affect operations. Staying on top of compliance issues is critical, so reviewing the eligibility criteria for your current workforce might be necessary. VAU0 provides resources on compliance matters to help carriers navigate such changes.

FMCSA Teases New Rules for 2026

The FMCSA has hinted at a slew of regulations coming in 2026. While details are scarce at the moment, the anticipation ranges from safety mandates to technology requirements. Such announcements often lead to industry speculation, as carriers try to predict and prepare for possible operational impacts and necessary adaptations.

Small to mid-sized carriers should remain vigilant and proactive. Staying informed will allow you to align with new regulations effectively and minimize disruptive impacts. Keeping up with FMCSA announcements and accessing expert advice on forums or through partnerships with knowledgeable companies like VAU0 is advisable.

What Carriers Should Do This Week

• Evaluate your transport mix and consider partnerships for intermodal offerings.
• Engage with local trucking shows or community events to enhance your network.
• Monitor leadership changes in key companies for network and collaboration opportunities.
• Review your workforce compliance, especially concerning H-2A staff, to avoid operational disruptions.
• Stay informed on FMCSA regulatory updates and plan for upcoming shifts in safety and tech requirements.

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In 2022, we were running a small fleet and spending approximately $400 per truck per month on software. TMS license, ELD subscription, e-sign service, separate accounting integration. Four different logins. Four different monthly invoices. Four different support teams to call when something didn't work.

None of it talked to each other without manual data entry.

The software evaluation that changed everything

We spent three months evaluating every major TMS and fleet management system on the market. AscendTMS, McLeod, Motive, EZLogz, KeepTruckin, TruckingOffice, Axon. We signed up for demos, trials, and in two cases, paid for actual subscriptions to test them properly.

What we found was consistent across almost all of them: the software was built by people who had never dispatched a truck. You could tell immediately. The terminology was slightly wrong. The workflows assumed steps that no real dispatcher would take. The ELD and TMS were always separate systems that "integrated" — meaning they sometimes shared data, if you configured things correctly, and the configuration broke whenever either vendor pushed an update.

"The best way to evaluate trucking software is to use it under real pressure. Not in a demo. Not in a test environment. On a real load, with a real deadline, when a broker is calling every 30 minutes for an update."

The specific things that were broken

Without naming specific vendors: one major TMS required five screen transitions to update a load status. Not five clicks — five full page navigations. On a mobile browser from a truck stop, that meant 45 seconds to tell a broker the truck was loaded. Another system had beautiful analytics dashboards but couldn't tell you, in real time, how many hours of drive time your driver had remaining without navigating to a separate compliance module.

The ELD market was worse. Most ELD systems were designed to satisfy FMCSA's technical requirements — which they did — while making the user experience as painful as possible. Drivers hated them. When drivers hate their tools, they find workarounds. Workarounds create compliance risk.

The moment we decided to build

The decision was made on a Tuesday afternoon when our dispatcher spent 40 minutes re-entering data from a rate confirmation PDF that our ELD had already captured in a different system. The information existed. It was digital. It lived in three different places that didn't talk to each other, and a human was manually transferring it between systems.

That's not a technology problem. That's a lack of ambition problem. Nobody had decided to solve it because the existing systems were profitable enough without solving it.

What we decided to build instead

One platform. ELD and TMS as the same system, not integrations. AI that reads rate confirmation PDFs so dispatchers don't have to. A dispatcher — eventually an AI dispatcher — that covers nights and weekends so loads don't get missed. E-sign built in, not bolted on.

And priced at zero through 2026, because the goal was to prove the product worked before asking carriers to pay for it.

Two years in: did it work?

The Rate Con AI has a 95%+ accuracy rate on standard broker formats. ERETH ELD passed FMCSA's technical certification. Our AI dispatchers book real loads for real carriers after hours. The carrier dashboard still occasionally has a minor bug — we fix them the same day they're reported.

Would we have been better off just using an existing system and focusing on freight? Financially, in the short term, probably yes. But we would have kept paying $400 per truck per month for software that we knew was mediocre. And we would have missed the opportunity to build something that actually works the way the industry needs it to work.

We don't regret it.