Spot rates stay flat, diesel keeps climbing, and Mexico's northbound lanes tighten

The freight market went nowhere again last week, and the news that can actually change your next load is at the borders and the toll booths.

**The market pulse.** Broker-posted spot rates stayed sluggish through the week to 21 August despite higher fuel, according to Truckstop and FTR, and DAT reported dry van load posts flat for a third straight week. On the cost side, the EIA's national on-highway diesel average sat at $5.454 a gallon in the week to 17 August, up 3.7% on the week. That is a retail pump average including taxes, surveyed every Monday, so read it as direction rather than what you will pay on a fuel contract.

**Where it firms: Mexico northbound.** Uber Freight says tougher B-1 visa conditions and strong demand are tightening northbound capacity out of Mexico, and warns it could get worse before it gets better. Tight capacity is leverage for whoever is already running those lanes. Meanwhile the 50% U.S. tariff on many Canadian imports took effect over the weekend, and there is a threat to double auto tariffs on top of it, so cross-border freight into and out of Canada is the part of the map carrying the most uncertainty right now.

**Watch the roads.** Land Line flags Indiana Toll Road closures affecting toll plazas and a key truck-parking lot, plus a scam to watch for, so check the detours before you plan a reset there. And New Hampshire lawmakers overrode a veto to raise tolls, with some trucks set to pay nearly double starting in 2027.

**Regulation.** The STOP Act would put states on notice over non-domiciled CDLs, threatening a loss of FMCSA funding for non-compliance (Land Line). Separately, a federal judge sided with more than 20 states in their lawsuit against the DOT and DHS over an attempt to obtain CDL data.

That is the week: no relief on rates or fuel, but the tight lanes and the tariff lines are where both the money and the risk are moving.