{
  "id": 8047268,
  "title": "Truckload carriers: Capacity exodus growing, not slowing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/truckload-carriers-capacity-exodus-growing-not-slowing",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-17T14:36:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "FreightWaves",
    "slug": "freightwaves",
    "url": "https://www.freightwaves.com/news/carriers-tl-capacity-exodus-growing-not-slowing"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The truckload capacity crisis continues to intensify, according to carrier executives speaking at an investor conference. Regulatory changes and economic factors have forced numerous small and midsize fleets out of the industry, exacerbating an already tight truckload market. Diesel fuel prices have further burdened struggling operators, many of which lack recovery mechanisms. The Supreme Court’s broker liability ruling has added another hurdle for capacity, requiring more careful selection of transportation partners.\n\nJim Filter, President and CEO of Schneider National, noted that the entry point for new drivers has been narrowed due to the closure of sham driver schools. This has resulted in stricter scrutiny of new motor carriers, with shippers and brokers being less likely to tender loads to those without proper safety ratings. Additionally, strict oversight of electronic logging devices (ELDs) is preventing drivers from circumventing hours-of-service rules.\n\nWerner Enterprises echoed these concerns, believing that the industry’s capacity crunch may only be in the second or third inning. The recent Texas Supreme Court ruling involving Home Depot, where the retailer was dismissed as a defendant in a liability suit over a fatal accident, has further tightened carrier selection. Werner’s management team cited this case as an example of why some carriers may not be able to qualify for liability insurance or find the costs prohibitive.\n\nWhile demand remains stable, with minibid activity continuing among certain customer bases, capacity appears to be the bigger hurdle to growth. Schneider National sees a potential 10% to 13% year-over-year increase in one-way rates during the third quarter, but Filter emphasized that they don’t necessarily need more demand as the supply exit has created sufficient demand for their services.",
  "summary": "Trucking executives said this week that the regulatory crackdown on noncompliant drivers remains in the early stages, suggesting large carriers could continue to secure significant rate increases even under modest demand. The post Truckload carriers: Capacity exodus growing, not slowing appeared first on FreightWaves .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}