Weather Updates:

• ‌A winter storm dumped feet of snow with blizzard conditions and powerful winds across the Midwest and New England regions. The impacts closed airports in several markets, and many carriers had to pause operations temporarily as the storm moved through.
• Freeze protection services are currently active in Alaska, Northern and Eastern Canada. For shipments containing freezable freight, ensure that freeze protection service is added. Please note that this service brings aditional charges and may result in transit delays.

Small Parcel Updates:

• ‌Amazon Absorbing Volume: Amazon plans to cut the number of packages it sends through the U.S. Postal Service by at least two‑thirds by this fall, representing nearly 15% of USPS’s package volume. Most of this volume is expected to shift to Amazon’s own network and other carriers, with UPS de‑emphasizing Amazon shipments and FedEx selectively handling larger or more complex moves, rather than a full USPS handoff.

LTL Updates:

• ‌Gordie Howe Testing Phase: The Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, slated to open later in 2026, entered its testing and commissioning phase this month, with customs, tolling, traffic management, security, and other systems being validated to ensure it can reliably ease congestion and improve cross‑border freight flows.
• Diesel Rates: National diesel prices increased, up $0.212 from last week, averaging $5.071 per gallon, $1.522 higher than the same time last year, and $1.043 higher than two years ago. The Rocky Mountain region saw the largest increase, up $0.399 to $4.796 per gallon.

TL Updates:

• ‌Market Activity: Spot load posts were up 3.4% from last week, and spot truck posts increased 0.9%. The Load-to-Truck Ratio (LTR) was up for flatbeds and reefers, while down for vans.
• ‌Outbound Tender Rejection Index (OTRI): OTRI slipped to 13.68 from 14.95 week over week, signaling a modest loosening in truckload capacity after recent tightening. The drop was led by flatbed and refrigerated rejections, while van rejections inched higher, offsetting some of the decline. Despite the dip, rejection levels remain above early-year lows, indicating capacity has eased slightly but overall market conditions remain firm.
• ‌Dry Van: National van demand decreased by 4.6% to a 7.73-1 LTR nationally, with the highest demand spread across the United States, other than CA and IL, exceeding 5.5+ to 1 LTR. The spot rate per mile (RPM) for dry vans is up $0.05 from February, averaging $2.46 nationally, with the Midwest holding the highest RPM at $2.77. The VOTRI increased marginally to 14.30, up from 14.25 in the previous week.
• ‌Flatbed: National flatbed demand increased by 7.1% to 73.75-1 LTR, with the highest demand spread across the United States, other than RI at over 18+ to 1 LTR. The flatbed spot RPM is up $0.26 from February, averaging $2.98 nationally, with the Midwest region holding the highest RPM at $3.14. The FOTRI’s extended upward trend concluded this week, closing at 35.02, down from 49.89 the previous week.
• ‌Reefer: National reefer demand increased by 8.0% to a 15.55-1 LTR nationally, with the highest demand spread across the United States, other than CA, CT, MA, MD, NC, NH, and RI at over 12+ to 1 LTR. The spot RPM for reefers is up $0.01 from February, averaging $2.88 nationally, with the highest rates in the Midwest at $3.31. The ROTRI continued to ease as freeze-protection requirements taper off, declining to 18.10 from 19.80 the previous week.

International Updates:

• ‌FBX Trends: Container rates showed upward movement week‑over‑week. The global average cost of an FBX container rose 7.0% to $1,759. The FBX01 average increased 1% to $2,039 while the FBX03 average climbed 9% for the second week in a row to $3,006.
• ‌Port of Los Angeles: Vessels are currently averaging 3.9 days at berth. The port reported a 23.03% YOY volume decrease from 16 scheduled vessels during the week of March 15, 2026. For the week of March 22, container volumes are projected to decrease 3.72% YOY, with 18 scheduled vessels moving a projected 76,261 TEUs.

Embargoes:

‌There are no embargoes currently impacting our freight network.