Freight Industry Briefing: Diesel Squeeze, Yard Automation Hurdles, and Shifting Supply Chain Priorities

## Freight Industry Briefing ### Diesel Supply Crunch Puts Pressure on Freight Operators Global diesel supply has fallen 8% — a figure that freight operators cannot afford to ignore, according to analysis from Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates, as reported by FreightWaves. The decline is being driven by a convergence of geopolitical pressures: Russian refinery attacks, escalating risk in the Strait of Hormuz, and broader Middle East disruptions are all squeezing distillate markets even as crude oil prices remain comparatively subdued. For carriers and shippers, the disconnect between softer crude and tighter diesel supply represents a structural challenge rather than a temporary blip. Freight operators reliant on diesel-powered fleets — the backbone of North American trucking — face margin pressure at a time when the market is showing early signs of recovery. ### Spot Rate Resilience Offers Some Carrier Relief Despite the diesel headwinds, carriers are navigating a more favorable rate environment than this time last year. FreightWaves' SONAR data shows truckload tender rejections have climbed back to 14.5%, a meaningful indicator that peak season demand may be materialising. Linehaul rates and truckload volumes are both trending in a direction that gives carriers more leverage than they held through much of 2023's prolonged freight recession. The combination of tighter capacity signals and improving spot rates suggests the market cycle may be turning, even as cost pressures persist. ### Yard Automation: The Technology Is Ready, But Adoption Lags Autonomous yard trucks have moved from pilot programmes into early commercialisation — yet widespread adoption remains elusive. Douglas Taylor of Autonomous Solutions told FreightWaves that the barriers are no longer technological. Instead, the challenge lies in operational integration: how autonomous systems such as Mobius interface with existing yard management workflows, fleet cultures, and facility layouts. For port terminals and inland logistics hubs considering automation investment, the message is clear — the hardware and software are available, but change management and operational redesign are the real work ahead. ### Resilience Replaces Cost as the Primary Site Selection Criterion In a significant strategic shift, manufacturers and logistics operators are deprioritising pure cost optimisation when selecting facility locations, according to DiDi Caldwell, CEO of Global Location Strategies, speaking to FreightWaves. Energy availability, labour market depth, logistics infrastructure, tariff exposure, border risk, and community relations are now weighted alongside — and often above — traditional cost metrics. The shift reflects hard lessons learned from pandemic-era supply chain failures and ongoing trade policy volatility, with resilience emerging as the defining principle for new capacity investment. ### Spotlight: Dedicated Logistics in High-Stakes Operations FreightWaves also highlighted a case study in dedicated freight reliability, examining how Paper Transport has managed game-day logistics for the Green Bay Packers for a decade. Ben Schill outlined how 750 trucks are coordinated to ensure zero-failure delivery of team equipment to away venues — a model that underscores the operational discipline and contingency planning that dedicated carrier relationships demand across high-stakes freight environments.