Days left on the EPA truck-rule comment window as the spot market firms

Truckers have only days left to file comments on a proposed EPA truck-emissions rule that eases one requirement while rolling back protections in another, according to Land Line. If you have a view on how it hits your equipment or your costs, this week is the window to put it on the record.

The freight side offered something to like. Broker RXO said its truckload spot-rate index posted its largest sequential gain in five years during the second quarter and carried the momentum into the third, and FreightWaves reported truckload tender rejections at 13.57%, a level it framed as the market stabilising. Our own data has not turned yet: the Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price index for long-distance dry van truckload read 195.6 in July, down 1.3% on the month. That is an index, not a rate — it blends contract and spot business and moves later and more gently than the spot market, which is why a spot surge brokers feel now shows up here only months later.

Fuel keeps working the other way. The national average diesel pump price was $5.454 a gallon in the week of 17 August, up 3.7% on the week and 46.9% on the year, on the EIA survey. FreightWaves notes the benchmark used to set most fuel surcharges is now the highest since the war began. Read the pump figure as direction rather than what you will pay — fleets buying on contract at truck stops pay less than the retail average.

Two enforcement items are worth knowing before your next inspection. English-language proficiency has moved into the top five driver violations in this year's CVSA International Roadcheck data, a first for that category, per FreightWaves. And at the southern border, a cabotage crackdown has cost thousands of cross-border drivers their B-1 visas, with a Mexican trucking group now asking Washington for clearer, uniform rules.

A couple more to file away. The Postal Service plans a 6% peak-season surcharge on parcels, adding to holiday cost pressure for anyone in the parcel lanes. And in Charlotte, a driver 30 minutes over a parking limit ended up with a $9,000 towing bill — a reminder from Land Line to read the local signage before you shut the eyes.