AIA Trucking Inc.

The trucking market is shifting fast — and the data is starting to confirm what carriers and brokers have been feeling for weeks.
Truckload spot rates are now at $3.61 per mile, sitting just cents away from all-time record highs. LTL rates just posted the fastest month-over-month increase ever recorded by the BLS Producer Price Index, jumping 12% in a single month and running nearly 20% higher year-over-year.
At the same time:
-flatbed rates are reaching multi-year highs
-tender rejections east of the Rockies continue climbing
-diesel prices remain elevated
-lubricant shortages are beginning to pressure maintenance operations
-semiconductor and electronics prices are up roughly 25% year-over-year
-capacity that left during the freight recession still has not returned
And now broker liability and carrier vetting are receiving more attention than ever after recent legal developments.
What makes this market especially unusual is that freight volumes and tonnage are not exploding the way they did during prior freight booms. Even with shipment indexes and tonnage data remaining relatively soft compared to 2021–2022 levels, rates continue moving aggressively higher.
That is a strong sign the market is now being driven by tightening capacity, rising operating costs, and the large amount of carriers that exited during the freight recession.
Trucking sits at the center of nearly every major industry in the economy. Manufacturing, construction, retail, food distribution, energy, agriculture, and consumer goods all depend on transportation moving efficiently.
The companies that survived the past few years may finally be entering a very different market than the one we experienced during the freight recession.

If a broker needs the Supreme Court to tell them they should vet carriers before tendering freight, then they were never managing risk in the first place — they were gambling.

Safety ratings matter.
Inspection history matters.
Compliance matters.
Authority history matters.

And when those things get ignored just to cover freight cheaper or faster, everybody on the road pays the price.

For years, compliant carriers have invested heavily into:
- safety
- insurance
- maintenance
- qualified drivers
- proper operations

while competing against companies cutting corners with little accountability.

Carrier vetting was never supposed to be just another checkbox. Choosing who you put on the road with the public matters. The carriers investing time, money, and effort into operating safely should not have to compete against companies ignoring basic standards just to move freight cheaper.

AIA Trucking Inc. — Burr Ridge, IL

One of the biggest issues in trucking today is carriers using fake “long-term lease” setups to move freight under someone else’s authority.

And yes , this happens in DOD freight too.

A company with 1 truck on SAFER somehow moves 80–90 loads a month with almost no inspections or safety history. How? Because the freight gets passed around while other carriers actually haul it.

Real lease agreements are legal when done properly. But using fake lease paperwork just to get trucks through military gates under another carrier’s authority is a completely different story.

The carrier that wins the load gets paid.
Another carrier does the work.
And somewhere in the middle:

-compliance gets ignored

-safety accountability disappears

-regulations get bypassed

-honest carriers get undercut

This has become one of the biggest hidden problems in trucking. Too many people know it happens, but not enough people talk about it.

The industry cannot clean itself up if everyone keeps pretending not to see it.

Companies that believe in doing things the right way will always have a place in this industry. We’re proud to be one of them.

FREIGHT MARKET UPDATE — WHAT DRIVERS SHOULD ACTUALLY WATCH

A lot of drivers are asking the same question lately:
“Are rates finally starting to move up?”
Short answer: Slowly, yes.

Here’s what actually happened over the last several months:
Thousands of small carriers left the market after running cheap freight for too long. Insurance, fuel, repairs, and truck payments pushed many companies out.

Now the important part:
There are fewer trucks available than there were in 2023–2024.

That means brokers and shippers are starting to feel tighter capacity again on certain lanes.

According to supply chain analyst Jason Miller, the market correction happening right now is similar to previous freight cycles:
when capacity leaves the market, rates usually recover afterward — gradually, not overnight.

Some important signs drivers should pay attention to right now:

* Produce season is increasing freight demand across Southern and Western regions, especially California, Texas, Florida, and Georgia

* Tender rejection rates have increased roughly 15–20% from the lowest 2024 levels, showing carriers are becoming more selective with freight

* More spot loads are remaining uncovered longer compared to late 2024, especially re**er and flatbed freight

* Refrigerated freight volumes are increasing with produce season, creating stronger outbound markets in several agricultural regions

* Enforcement, insurance costs, ELD compliance, and fraud crackdowns continue removing weaker carriers from the market

This does NOT mean:“$5 per mile freight is back.”

But it DOES mean:
* Better freight consistency
* Less panic freight
* Less oversaturated capacity on many lanes
* More opportunity for disciplined carriers and professional drivers

At AIA Trucking, we watch the market closely every week using freight data, transportation reports, and industry analysis — not social media rumors.

Stay safe out there.

Weekly Freight Market Update – May 5, 2026

The market is still not strong — but the data shows a clear shift.

Freight demand remains flat. ATA tonnage is only slightly up (around +0.4%), which confirms there is no real volume growth yet.

But the important part is not demand.

It’s capacity.

Fewer carriers are operating compared to last year, and new trucks are not entering the market fast enough. At the same time, operating costs remain high (ATRI data still puts total cost around $2.20+ per mile, with non-fuel costs rising).

Because of that, rates are starting to move — even without stronger freight.

Recent market signals (DAT / industry data):

* Load-to-truck ratios are slowly improving
* Spot rates are moving up in tighter lanes
* Re**er demand is picking up with seasonal freight
* Flatbed remains the strongest segment

Market Snapshot (Last Week):

Dry Van
Rates: $1.80 – $2.10/mile
Demand: Flat
Capacity: Tightening

Re**er
Rates: $2.10 – $2.50/mile
Demand: Slight increase
Capacity: Tightening

Flatbed
Rates: $2.30 – $2.70/mile
Demand: Stable to strong
Capacity: Tightening

What this means:

Rates are increasing faster than demand.

This is not a freight boom.
This is a supply-driven shift caused by fewer trucks and higher costs.

This type of market usually brings:

* Uneven volume
* Better pricing in specific lanes
* Gradual return of carrier leverage

Bottom Line: The market is improving, but only for carriers that run efficiently.

Strong lane selection, cost control, and consistency matter more now than overall market conditions.

Starting Something New – Weekly Freight Updates

Over the years running AIA Trucking, one thing I’ve learned is this:

Most people in trucking are making decisions based on guessing the market instead of understanding it.

So I’m starting something new.

Every week, I’ll share a short freight market update based on real data — tonnage, rates, costs, and what’s actually happening out there.

I’ll also include insights from people I respect in this industry, like Jason Miller (Michigan State), along with data from ATRI and sources like FreightCaviar.

A little about us — AIA Trucking is a family-owned company built on over 20 years of experience.
Our owner spent many of those years as a truck driver himself, and we’ve been operating the business for over 10 years now.

We’ve built long-term relationships with drivers — many have stayed with us for years, and even those who leave often come back.

No hype. No “rates are booming” talk. Just the real situation.

The goal is simple:
-Help drivers, owner-operators, and small fleets make smarter decisions
-Stay ahead of where the market is going, not where it was

And long term — I want to build a network of drivers who understand the market and want to grow with the right company.

If that’s you, follow along.

First Update:
Jason Miller Industry Update

Since the beginning of 2026, the freight market has been slowly stabilizing after a tough period. Tonnage has stopped dropping, but demand is still not strong. At the same time, many carriers have exited the market or reduced operations, which is tightening overall capacity. Because of that, we’re starting to see early signs of rate recovery — driven more by fewer trucks than by stronger freight demand.

Over the past week, the market continues to follow that same pattern.

Tonnage: Flat with slight improvement
Capacity: Slowly decreasing
Rates: Gradually increasing
Costs: Still elevated (ATRI data continues to support higher rate floor)

As Jason Miller (Michigan State) often explains, the industry is:
“past the bottom, but not in a boom”

That’s exactly what we’re seeing right now.
Rates are starting to move up — not because freight is booming, but because there are fewer trucks available in the market.

Apply now: https://intelliapp.driverapponline.com/c/aiatrucking

intelliapp.driverapponline.com

We are hiring re**er CDL drivers for dedicated hook and drop year round lane.
Accepting CDL only from those states:
ND, SD, NE, CO, KS, MO, IA, MN, WI, IL, KY, TN, IN, MI, OH, and WV.
Minimum 3 years expirience
Minimum 3 weeks on the road
No SAP
Clean MVR/PSP
Direct deposit every Thursday
Starting 65 CPM (miles paid by ELD) - $1500 guarantee per week
All Miles Paid by ELD (Motive) including empthy

Call now to connect with business.