Equipment
California, Oregon, and Washington in the US, along with British Columbia in Canada and Baja California in Mexico, have jointly launched the "BC2BC" initiative, aiming to build an electric truck charging and hydrogen refueling network along Interstate 5, creating a zero-emission freight corridor from Vancouver to Mexico. This collaboration will integrate existing grants without adding new taxpayer burdens, but no completion timeline has been set yet.
Several major trucking companies noted in recent earnings calls that, despite clearer signs of market recovery, the shrinking driver supply continues to constrain capacity, particularly in the drayage sector. To address this challenge, companies such as Schneider National, J.B. Hunt, and Knight-Swift are ensuring customer service and controlling costs by expanding their own drayage teams, strictly limiting outsourcing ratios, and improving operational efficiency.
The Missouri Department of Transportation held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday on I-70 to launch a $33 million truck parking expansion project. The project will add 255 parking spaces, expected to be completed by the end of 2028, and will use federal grants to modernize a 191-mile stretch, expanding two lanes in each direction to three lanes. Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, praised the move at the ceremony as a substantial step toward addressing the long-standing parking crisis.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said at an August 18 media briefing that, affected by the Red Sea conflict and Panama Canal draft restrictions, the port is preparing for a 5% year-over-year increase in cargo volume over the next six to eight months. In July, the port handled 960,464 TEUs, marking its second-busiest July on record.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) reported in its third-quarter fiscal year 2026 financial results that transportation costs rose year-over-year, with air transportation expenses increasing 4.7% to $509 million and highway transportation expenses rising 4.1% to nearly $1.6 billion. The cost increase was mainly driven by high fuel prices and the shift of some mail from highway back to air transportation to fulfill the UPS air cargo contract. Despite a temporary 8% price increase boosting package revenue by 7.7%, the quarter still recorded a net loss of $2.5 billion.
Daimler Truck North America announced plans to build a new U.S. manufacturing facility, with production slated to begin in late 2029. The company is evaluating multiple potential locations, aiming for a highly automated, state-of-the-art plant. The announcement follows the confirmed closure of its Portland, Oregon, facility and comes as order intake surged 156% year-over-year in Q2 2026, prompting a raised full-year outlook.
Landstar System signed one of the largest freight brokers in 15 years following the Supreme Court's ruling in the C.H. Robinson case, with expected annual revenue of approximately $18 million. Company executives said negotiations with potential agents have accelerated, with scale and safety becoming key to competition.
Schneider National released its Q2 2026 results, with revenue up 10% year-over-year to $1.57 billion and operating income up 30% year-over-year to $71.4 million, ending consecutive declines. The company raised its full-year EPS guidance to $0.90-$1.10.
At its July 29 earnings call, Wabash disclosed that backlog grew 14% quarter-over-quarter to $956 million, marking the first-ever second-quarter backlog increase and signaling stronger freight recovery momentum. The company opened its 2027 order book early, with customers actively securing capacity. Although Q2 revenue exceeded expectations, operating margin remained negative due to lagging material costs, with management expecting gradual improvement in Q4.
Paccar executives stated during a July 28 earnings call that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent proposal to relax nitrogen oxide emission standard implementation requirements is expected to support a stronger truck market in 2027. CEO Preston Feight noted that fleets can choose to purchase current engines and pay non-compliance fees while validating new engine technology, which facilitates a smooth industry transition. Paccar expects the total U.S.-Canada Class 8 market this year to be approximately 250,000 units, with a significant rebound in retail sales in the second half of the year.