Trucking News Roundup: Mexican Driver Visa Cuts Squeeze Laredo–Dallas, Cass Linehaul Up 10%, DAT Van Spot at $3.12, SONAR Pricing Power at 70, Waabi Starts Dallas–Houston Runs (Oct 14, 2026)

Mexican driver visa cuts tighten Texas border lanes — Laredo-to-Dallas spot up 43%

FreightWaves (Oct 13, 2026), SONAR analysis presented by Julie Van de Kamp: U.S. authorities have pulled B-1 visas from about 25,000 Mexican truck drivers, and the shrinking pool of cross-border drivers is now showing up in rates rather than in freight volume. Compared with a year ago, spot rates are up 43% on Laredo-to-Dallas, 28% on El Paso-to-Dallas, 35% on Laredo-to-Chicago and 57% on San Diego-to-Phoenix. El Paso is the tightest border market — tender rejections hit roughly 24–25% in early July and are still near 20% — while Laredo rejections dipped to 6.07% on Oct. 3 and bounced back to 7.78% by Oct. 10. Over the same stretch, national rejections climbed from 5.7% to 13.8%. SONAR's Mexico contract volume index has been fairly flat, which points to a driver shortage rather than a freight surge. On the Canadian side, the problem is a lack of northbound backhauls; select Canada corridors are up 20% to 35% in six weeks. FreightWaves expects border tightness to last well into 2027.

What it means: Freight that crosses at Laredo or El Paso and heads for DFW is getting more expensive to cover, and that spills into Texas lanes. Shippers moving dry van or reefer between Dallas and Laredo can see our Dallas to Laredo lane page, or get a freight quote. Maas does not haul across the border, but our trucks run full truckload in and out of Texas every day — owner-operators: owner-operators; company drivers: company drivers.

• Source: FreightWaves — 25,000 drivers lost: US-Mexico border crisis explained

Cass: September truckload linehaul rates up 10.1% — highest in four years

FreightWaves, Todd Maiden (Oct 13, 2026), on the September Cass Freight Index: Cass' truckload linehaul index, which strips out fuel and accessorials and leans mostly on contract freight, rose 10.1% from a year earlier and 0.6% from August, its highest level in four years and the 21st straight month of year-over-year gains. Shipments rose 1.9% year over year — only the second monthly gain after 42 months of declines — and 2.3% from August. Total freight spending including fuel jumped 20.4% year over year, driven by more shipments, higher rates and diesel that averaged 68% above September 2025. Cass expects shipments to rise about 4% and expenditures about 23% year over year in October. Werner's third-quarter guidance calls for a 10% to 13% rise in rate per total mile in its one-way fleet, and J.B. Hunt kicks off trucking earnings on Thursday.

What it means: Contract rates are still catching up even as spot cools, so shippers heading into 2027 bids should plan for higher committed rates — get a freight quote. For drivers, a firmer market means carriers are competing for good drivers; learn how cents-per-mile pay works before you compare offers. Company drivers start at 50+ CPM dry van and 60+ CPM reefer — company drivers.

• Source: FreightWaves — Cass TL linehaul rates up 10% in September

DAT: dry van spot rises to $3.12 a mile all-in as post-quarter load posts drop 18%

The Trucker, Dana Guthrie (Oct 13, 2026), on DAT Freight & Analytics data for Oct. 4–10: Once the end-of-quarter rush cleared, DAT One load posts fell 18% to 2.7 million, and equipment posts rose 4% to 177,300. Even so, national broker-to-carrier spot rates (linehaul plus fuel) went up: dry van averaged $3.12 a mile, up 3 cents, and reefer $3.68, also up 3 cents. Linehaul alone was $2.26 for van (up 5 cents) and $2.75 for reefer (up 6 cents).

DAT's Dean Croke said linehaul rates are about a third higher than a year ago — van up 35% and reefer up 33% — and van runs 23% above the nine-year seasonal average for this week. Truck posts are more than 20% below last year. The van load-to-truck ratio eased to 10.5 from 13.7 (6.3 a year ago), and reefer to 16.8 from 21.6 (10.7 a year ago). DAT's 35-day RateCast has van linehaul easing to about $2.23 by mid-November and reefer edging up to about $2.77.

What it means: Spot is holding up even on a slower freight week because there are fewer trucks. Shippers comparing spot and contract — get a freight quote. Drivers weighing an offer — compare by cents per mile and paid miles with our CPM pay guide. Maas runs dry van and reefer only: company drivers.

• Source: The Trucker — DAT spot rates firm as load posts fall 18% after quarter-end push

SONAR Pricing Power Index slips to 70 but still favors carriers

FreightWaves, Julie Van de Kamp (Oct 13, 2026): SONAR's Pricing Power Index — a 0-to-100 score where 50 is a balanced market and higher numbers favor carriers — dipped to 70 from 71 for the week of Oct. 12, its fourth straight decline. Softer intermodal contract rates ($1.61 a mile, down from $1.68) and a roughly 2% drop in ocean import bookings did most of the damage. National tender rejections were flat at 13.85%, and have stayed between about 13.3% and 14.4% since early August — below the late-June peak of 17–18%, but more than two and a half times the level of two years ago.

Van contract rates rose to $2.74 a mile, and the national spot rate eased to $3.52 from $3.56. Accepted truckload volume is still near the bottom of its range, and rail volume is in the 99th percentile as some freight moves to intermodal on lanes of roughly 550 to 1,500 miles. The three-month outlook is 76, down from 79, with rejections projected to climb by mid-January.

What it means: Leverage is still with carriers heading into Q4, and the model sees it building into January. Shippers who want steady, asset-based capacity should lock it in early — get a freight quote. Owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch: owner-operators.

• Source: FreightWaves — SONAR Pricing Power Index slips to 70

Waabi and Volvo begin commercial driverless-tech runs on the Dallas–Houston corridor

Heavy Duty Trucking (Oct 13, 2026): Waabi and Volvo Autonomous Solutions have started commercial operations between Dallas and Houston, hauling freight straight to third-party facilities for Warp, an LTL and full-truckload freight network. The Volvo VNL Autonomous trucks running the Waabi Driver still carry an observer in the driver's seat. It is the first customer operation in the Volvo–Waabi partnership, and the companies plan to use the I-45 experience to prepare more routes. Waabi announced a Texas home base and autonomous truck terminal near Dallas in 2024. HDT notes Aurora, International, PlusAI and Torc are also testing or running autonomous trucks in Texas.

What it means: The Dallas–Houston corridor keeps drawing autonomous pilots, but these trucks still have a person on board. For shippers on that lane, here's our Dallas-to-Houston full truckload guide. Drivers: experienced Class A drivers are still running the freight — company drivers or owner-operators.

• Source: Heavy Duty Trucking — Volvo, Waabi start commercial autonomous operations in Texas

For drivers and shippers (Wednesday note)

Drivers: border lanes are tight and rates are up, which gives good drivers options — so read every offer in writing and know what kind of run you want. If you hold a valid Class A CDL and a current DOT medical card, Maas Logistics runs dry van and reefer full truckload OTR in all 48 states out of Melissa, Texas, serving DFW, with 24/7 dispatch. Company drivers start at 50+ CPM dry van and 60+ CPM reefer. Owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch.

Shippers: contract rates are at a four-year high and carriers still hold pricing power. Maas is an asset-based carrier and never re-brokers your load — dry van and reefer full truckload.

What it means: Drivers — our regional vs OTR guide for Dallas–DFW can help; company drivers; owner-operators. Shippers — before you tender, check any carrier with our vetting checklist, then get a freight quote.