FreightCasts

The freight market is showing signs of a shift, and this episode of FreightWaves Today breaks down what the latest carrier earnings reveal about the direction of the industry.

Craig and Julie examine third-quarter earnings from Werner, Landstar, Old Dominion, Saia, Schneider and C.H. Robinson, highlighting improving spot market conditions, stronger truckload pricing and continued strength in the LTL sector.

The show also features an in-depth conversation with executives from Schneider and Norfolk Southern about their expanded intermodal partnership. They discuss the strategy behind the move, opportunities to convert truck freight to rail, investments in network capacity, and what the partnership could mean for customers as intermodal demand continues to grow.

Plus, Premier Trailer Leasing CFO Craig Barth joins the show to explain why trailer utilization is reaching record levels, what's driving demand for newer equipment, and why fleets are increasingly turning to leasing. He also shares an important warning about fraudulent trailer rental listings and how trucking companies can protect themselves from scams.
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In this episode, we kick things off by examining the freight brokerage sector's remarkable turnaround as RXO delivers adjusted EBITDA of $51 million in Q3, crushing its own forecast and marking the second consecutive quarter of profitability after years of spotty net income performance. The Charlotte-based broker's truckload segment shifted heavily toward the spot market, which accounted for 59% of volume in the quarter, as the company prepares for its acquisition by C.H. Robinson.

Next, we explore how the e-commerce giant is navigating a challenging logistics environment as Amazon's third-quarter shipping costs jumped 11% year over year, driven by fuel inflation and higher linehaul rates pressuring its massive delivery network. Despite these headwinds, the Seattle-based company achieved record operating income of $28.1 billion and a remarkable 13.9% operating margin through better inventory placement, shorter shipping distances, and package consolidation across its one-million-robot fulfillment network.

Finally, we break down how a Tennessee-based carrier's strategic pivot toward contracted freight is paying off as Covenant Logistics posted a 68% surge in its Managed Freight segment revenue and delivered net income of $10.7 million in Q3. Despite shrinking its average tractor fleet by nearly 9%, the Chattanooga carrier reported freight revenue per total mile climbed nearly 20% to $3.03, with approximately 80% of its asset-based fleet now operating under long-term contracts.

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Brake Check hits the ground at F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for an inside look at the technology, trends, and relationships shaping the future of freight. Charles Gracie sits down with ⁠Truckstop.com⁠ to discuss AI-powered pricing, rate transparency, and why human oversight still matters as freight companies embrace new technology. Then, trucker and industry advocate Larry Cothran shares his perspective on the innovations, connections, and opportunities drivers need to know about to stay ahead of the curve. From AI and smarter workflows to next-gen trucking technology, this episode explores what it takes to turn industry innovation into real-world results. Because the future of freight isn't just about the technology—it's about the people who put it to work.

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On today’s episode of FreightWaves Today, Malcolm Harris and Zach Strickland break down the latest freight market developments, third-quarter earnings and the supply chain challenges shaping the road to peak season.

The show kicks off with a look at strong earnings from XPO and C.H. Robinson, along with a potential labor strike at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach that could disrupt cargo flows and complicate holiday freight movement.

Then, SAIA President and CEO Fritz Holzgrefe joins the show to discuss record third-quarter revenue, pricing strategies, shipment trends, network expansion, customer service improvements and the company’s $250 million share repurchase announcement. He also explains how strategic investments and a focus on service are positioning the LTL carrier for continued growth.

Next, Zach Boehm, chief automation officer at Hy-Tek Intralogistics, explains how beverage distributors are using automation to manage expanding product assortments, labor turnover and warehouse inefficiencies. He breaks down the company’s High Sync and High Flow solutions and how automation can shorten pick paths, improve productivity and help facilities get trucks out the door on time.

Finally, we revisit an F3: Future of Freight 2026 conversation between Zach Strickland and Beau King on the latest truckload market trends. They discuss contract rate increases, carrier capacity, rejection rates and what brokers and shippers should expect as the holiday peak season approaches.

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In this episode, we kick things off by examining the impressive third-quarter performance from one of the industry's leading less-than-truckload carriers. ⁠XPO delivered a massive earnings beat driven by aggressive pricing and operating efficiency initiatives⁠, reporting adjusted earnings per share of one dollar and seventy cents—thirteen cents ahead of consensus and sixty-three cents higher year over year. The company's LTL revenue surged seventeen percent to one point four seven billion dollars, while its adjusted operating ratio of eighty point one percent defied typical seasonal trends by improving two hundred sixty basis points year over year.

Next, we explore the freight brokerage sector where ⁠C.H. Robinson delivered almost all good news in its third-quarter report⁠, with operating revenues at its North American Surface Transport unit surging twenty-nine point one percent year over year. Adjusted diluted earnings per share climbed twenty-eight point six percent to one dollar and eighty cents, while the NAST segment's adjusted operating margin improved one hundred ten basis points to forty point three percent as the giant 3PL continues automating manual processes and achieving significant productivity gains.

Finally, we cover a serious labor dispute threatening to disrupt the nation's busiest container gateway as ⁠about two hundred fifty union watchmen could strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach⁠ as early as five p.m. Pacific time Sunday, November first. Although the watchmen represent only two percent of ILWU workers at the two ports, they work at terminals handling roughly eighty-five percent of Long Beach's cargo and thirty-three percent of Los Angeles' cargo, and other union members are expected to honor picket lines—potentially halting operations at a time when the complex is already contending with a backlog of containers awaiting inland rail transportation.

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