Joanna Rey

Stay loaded...

Freight Opportunities for Owner-Operators ↓

Keep a close eye on Gary 👀 🏗 📊

Steel is running hot in Gary, Indiana, and flatbed rates are heating up right along with it🔥

Domestic raw steel production keeps climbing, and the Great Lakes district that anchors Gary is one of the biggest reasons why.

📊 Domestic raw steel production up 3.3% year-over-year, and 5.8% year-to-date
🏭 The Great Lakes district produced 483,000 net tons last week, second only to the South
🏗️ Coils, plate, rebar, and structural steel are feeding warehouse and data center construction nationwide
💰 Outbound flatbed spot rates in Gary are up 52% year-over-year, nearly a dollar a mile

Carriers who position near Gary and the surrounding steel corridors next week are set up to capture that upside.

Flatbed operators, this is the market to watch this week👀

The construction industry is expected to keep growing, with more jobs, better pay, and plenty of apprenticeship opportunities.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2026/07/25/construction-high-demand-pay-raises/91026415007/

The expansion increased capacity and introduced new service areas in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio.

Knight-Swift expands its LTL presence with four new AAA Cooper terminals across Phoenix and Olympia, Washington.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/knight-swift-opens-4-ltl-terminals

CVSA Brake Safety Week is scheduled for Aug 23–29, focusing on brake drums and rotors ↓

https://cvsa.org/programs/operation-airbrake/focus-area

Kinda leaning toward international, but both are good.

Market Spotlight 📈🍒

If you're watching re**er markets this summer, keep an eye on the Pacific Northwest🍒🚛

Cherry season is hitting its peak shipping windows, and with the Fourth of July approaching, re**er capacity is tightening across the region.

🍒 Washington and Oregon move roughly two-thirds of U.S. fresh cherries
🚛 Short-shelf-life freight creating pressure on re**er capacity
📍 Yakima, Wenatchee, and the Columbia Basin seeing increased demand
🍟 Frozen food freight out of Othello helps keep trucks moving year-round

With cherry harvest and holiday demand converging, the Pacific Northwest is the market to watch this week.