Trucking News Roundup: Brent Hits $116 as the First Russian Diesel Cargo Sails for New York, Carrier Plans a $600M Fort Worth Plant, Reefer Bellwether Marten Feels Fuel and Driver-Pay Costs, Truck Plants Keep Hiring, and Prices Surge (Oct 24, 2026)

Brent hits $116; the first Russian diesel cargo is still two weeks out

Transport Topics/AP (Oct 23, 2026): Brent crude rose 2.7% to $116.24 a barrel on Friday, its highest level since March, after starting October below $97. AAA's national average for regular gasoline rose to $4.29, up from $3.07 a year ago, and OPIS analyst Tom Kloza said thin retailer margins point to more increases at the pump. FreightWaves (Oct 23) reported that the tanker Agioi Fanendes loaded about 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel at Russia's Primorsk port on Oct. 22 — the first identified U.S.-bound cargo under the supply deal announced Oct. 9 — and is due in the U.S. around Nov. 7. At roughly 300,000 barrels, the cargo equals about 7% of one day of U.S. diesel use, and energy experts quoted by AP said it is unlikely to bring prices down much.

What it means: Plan for high diesel through November. Shippers should compare quotes with the base rate and fuel shown separately: https://maaslogistic.com/blog/how-freight-quotes-are-priced. Owner-operators running on percentage pay should watch fuel per mile on every load they accept — Maas runs non-forced dispatch, so you can turn down freight that does not work: https://maaslogistic.com/blog/2026-10-10-forced-dispatch-vs-non-forced-dispatch-owner-operators. Yesterday's roundup has the earlier Brent jump and contract-rate data: https://maaslogistic.com/news/2026-10-23-12m-cargo-theft-hijacked-carriers-contract-rates-knight-swift-brent-hyundai-translead/.

• Source: Transport Topics/AP — Oil prices reach March levels
• Source: FreightWaves — Russian diesel tanker heads for U.S.

DFW: Carrier Global plans a $600 million plant at AllianceTexas in Fort Worth

FreightWaves (Oct 23, 2026): Carrier Global Corp. said it will invest more than $600 million over three years in an advanced manufacturing and engineering center at AllianceTexas in Fort Worth. The site will cover more than 1 million square feet, employ 1,500 people and is expected to start operating in 2027, building commercial chillers used in data centers, hospitals, schools and industrial buildings. FreightWaves noted that projects like this tend to create inbound freight (raw materials and components) and outbound freight (finished equipment). The same report covered four other new U.S. plants, including a $300 million Blue Bird school-bus factory in Georgia.

What it means: What it means for DFW: More manufacturing in North Texas means more truckload freight moving in and out of the Metroplex over the next few years. Maas Logistics hauls dry van and reefer full truckload out of Melissa, serving DFW, with our own trucks: https://maaslogistic.com/services/dry-van-trucking · request a quote: https://maaslogistic.com/quote. Drivers in Tarrant County: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/cdl-jobs-fort-worth.

• Source: FreightWaves — Five U.S. manufacturing projects

Reefer bellwether Marten: fuel and driver pay squeeze a tighter market

FreightWaves (Oct 23, 2026): Refrigerated carrier Marten Transport earned $2.9 million (4 cents a share) in the third quarter, 2 cents below analyst estimates, and its shares fell about 7% in Friday trading. The company said higher fuel and payroll costs — including driver pay increases — cut net income by about $3.7 million. One-way truckload revenue rose 12% to $117 million, and revenue per loaded mile excluding fuel climbed 14% to $3.02 on a fleet about 9% smaller. CEO Randy Marten said the truckload market has "sharply tightened" as stepped-up enforcement removes noncompliant and unqualified driver capacity. Marten is the only publicly traded reefer pure play, so its numbers are read as a signal for the whole refrigerated segment.

What it means: What it means for drivers: Carriers are paying drivers more as qualified capacity gets scarcer. Maas reefer company drivers earn 60+ CPM and dry van drivers 50+ CPM: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers · dry van or reefer — which job fits you: https://maaslogistic.com/blog/2026-10-18-dry-van-vs-reefer-cdl-jobs-texas-dfw/. What it means for shippers: Reefer capacity is costing more to run. Maas hauls temperature-controlled full truckload out of DFW: https://maaslogistic.com/services/refrigerated-trucking.

• Source: FreightWaves — Marten Transport Q3 cost pressures

Equipment: Mack adds 270 workers; Peterbilt's Denton plant is up 1,000+ this year; trailer orders jump

Transport Topics (Oct 23, 2026): Mack Trucks has added about 270 workers at its Lehigh Valley plant in Pennsylvania, bringing headcount to roughly 2,800, after laying off about 170 there in spring 2025. Mack's North American orders in the second quarter were up 95% from a year earlier, and U.S. Class 8 retail sales rose 30% year over year in September, according to Omdia. TT also reported that Peterbilt's plant in Denton, Texas, has added more than 1,000 employees so far in 2026, and that International plans a second shift at its San Antonio plant in 2027. FreightWaves (Oct 22) reported that FTR counted 43,059 U.S. trailer orders in September, up 385% from a year earlier and the most since December 2022, while ACT Research said North American Class 8 truck orders slipped 7% to 19,172.

What it means: Truck makers — including two in Texas — are hiring because fleets expect more freight. Trucks and trailers need Class A drivers to move it. Company drivers: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers · owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators.

• Source: Transport Topics — Mack adds Pennsylvania staff
• Source: FreightWaves — Trailer orders and Class 8 signals

Survey: business is growing, and prices are rising fastest in four years

Transport Topics/Bloomberg (Oct 23, 2026): S&P Global's flash composite index for U.S. business activity came in at 57.6 for October, the second-highest reading since 2022 (anything above 50 means growth). The selling-price gauge rose at its fastest pace in more than four years, driven by energy, transportation and raw-material costs, and supplier delivery times stretched the most since 2022. New orders grew at the fastest rate in four and a half years, the manufacturing index hit 56 (its best since May 2022), and factory employment grew at the fastest pace since 2012.

What it means: What it means for shippers: Strong orders plus slower suppliers usually mean more freight chasing the same trucks. Lock in a dependable carrier before peak season fills up: https://maaslogistic.com/quote.

• Source: Transport Topics/Bloomberg — Business expands and prices surge

For shippers and drivers (Saturday note)

Shippers: fuel is high, prices are rising and DFW is adding factories — book an asset-based carrier that runs its own trucks. Dry van and reefer FTL, OTR 48 states, out of Melissa / DFW, 24/7 dispatch: https://maaslogistic.com/quote.

Drivers: carriers are raising driver pay and truck plants are hiring. Company drivers: 50+ CPM dry van / 60+ CPM reefer — https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers. Owner-operators: 87–90% of gross, non-forced dispatch — https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators.

What it means: Need a truck: https://maaslogistic.com/quote. Hiring CDL-A company drivers: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/company-drivers. Owner-operators: https://maaslogistic.com/drive-with-us/owner-operators. Phone: (916) 770-7323 | Melissa, TX / DFW | USDOT 3179194. Maas Logistics LLC | 1817 Miller Rd #5, Melissa, TX 75454 | dispatch@maaslogistic.com. The Logistics Partner that Delivers.