{"id":2608472,"date":"2026-05-30T05:31:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T09:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-america-keep-on-trucking\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T05:47:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T09:47:19","slug":"will-america-keep-on-trucking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-america-keep-on-trucking\/","title":{"rendered":"Will America keep on trucking?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwill-america-keep-on-trucking%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2608472&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>May signals that trucking costs are rising quickly, a advancement the article argues could pressure Republicans going into the 2026 midterm elections because higher prices tend to hurt the party in power. It points to the Logistics Managers\u2019 Index as showing hauling costs increasing at an accelerating rate, driven by factors such as the strait of Hormuz shutdown and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/airlines-seek-federal-bailouts-following-spirit-airlines-shutdown-as-fuel-prices-rise\/\" title=\"Airlines Seek Federal Bailouts Following Spirit Airlines Shutdown as Fuel Prices Rise\">higher fuel expenses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The piece says firms are responding by building up warehouse inventories and consolidating shipments to reduce transportation surcharges, which is pushing warehouse utilization toward full capacity and raising rental costs. it attributes the fastest cost increases largely to global gasoline price pressure from geopolitical disruptions (including Hormuz disruptions and attacks affecting Russian oil capacity). Motorists are already seeing higher pump prices, and the article notes that rising fuel costs typically flow into broader consumer prices through trucking surcharges and higher contract rates.<\/p>\n<p>It also highlights diesel as especially important since most delivery vehicles run on it, citing five-year-high trends and examples of logistics firms planning mid- to high-single digit contract increases (and possibly larger hikes for some shippers). The article then considers whether rail can offset trucking costs: rail is portrayed as more energy-efficient and more stable, but constraints like contract ramp-up delays and the persistent \u201clast mile\u201d problem likely limit how much rail can help.<\/p>\n<p>while higher shipping and fuel costs are expected to keep feeding inflation, the article suggests the U.S.\u2019s growing domestic oil production could partially cushion the blow compared with past oil shocks-though benefits would vary by region and may take longer to translate into nationwide economic gains.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">May brought news that trucking prices are hauling upward, and fast. Increased hauling costs often mean a noticeable uptick in price tags for the many goods those trucks deliver. This was a bad omen for Republicans \u2014 rising prices have historically complicated things for the party in power during <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-elections\/\">midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, 2022 was a year of significant <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/inflation\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"728\">inflation<\/a> in hauling and other sectors of the economy. It was also pretty bad for Democrats, who controlled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\">Congress<\/a> and the White House at the time. Then-President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden\u2019s<\/a> party lost nine seats and control of the House that year \u2014 not a political tidal wave as many pundits predicted, but a defeat nonetheless.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/space\/4580578\/spacex-launch-super-heavy-starship-test-ipo\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>SpaceX launches extra powerful Super Heavy-Starship test flight as company races toward IPO<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4580594\/mamdani-costing-new-york-jobs-tax-revenue-joe-concha\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mamdani is costing New York jobs and tax revenue: Joe Concha<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4577191\/sen-katie-britt-everify-bill-to-stomp-illegal-workers\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Katie Britt drops E-Verify bill to stomp out hiring of illegal workers<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A bit under six months out from the 2026 elections, trucking prices suggest a troubling economic picture for Republicans. The Logistics Managers\u2019 Index for April was at the root of many bearish stories. The index showed several indicators that hauling costs are rising at an accelerating rate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFreight markets were already on a strong upward trajectory coming into 2026,\u201d a group of supply chain management professors who compile the index said in a statement. But this was something else:\u00a0\u201cThe closure of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"21488\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a> and subsequent increase in fuel costs have supercharged these movements.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The LMI team called the increases \u201cgood news for carriers in the near-term\u201d but expressed some confusion about what these indicators will mean over the long haul.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The supply chain professors have received reports that firms are building up inventories in warehouses as they \u201cconsolidate shipments to avoid transportation surcharges.\u201d As we might expect, the percentage of warehouse utilization is climbing toward full capacity, and the price of renting warehouse space is increasing.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-stepping-on-the-gas\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stepping on the gas<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The main driver accelerating hauling costs is the war-driven worldwide spike in the price of gas. Demand hasn\u2019t budged much. Supply is constrained by the on-again, off-again blockades and agitation in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as by Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil capacity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of these constraints, gasoline continues to rise at the pump, with the national average at $4.43 per gallon at press time. It was much higher in many states, and lower in a few others. Californians paid the highest prices, at $6.08 a gallon, while Oklahomans paid \u201conly\u201d $3.94.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AAA index, from which those figures emerge, logged 25-cent increases in gas for two straight weeks, which triggered much grumbling among motorists. Many voters have learned to treat the pump price as a proxy for tracking inflation. They are thus especially price sensitive in this area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Partly for this reason, the Biden administration sold 180 million barrels from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration. That significant sell-off leading up to the midterm elections may have salvaged a few Democratic House seats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second administration of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> took notice of that move. It is looking to do roughly the same thing domestically and has announced that other nations will chip in as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Energy Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chris-wright\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11768\">Chris Wright<\/a> said in March that the \u201c32 member nations of the International Energy Agency unanimously agreed to President Trump\u2019s request to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-reps-ted-budd-stephanie-bice-propose-blocking-national-petroleum-reserve-sales-until-biden-stops-assault-on-oil-development\/\" title=\"Exclusive - Reps. Ted Budd, Stephanie Bice Propose Blocking National Petroleum Reserve Sales Until Biden Stops Assault on ... Development\">lower energy prices<\/a> with a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of oil and refined products from their respective reserves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the current plans, that will eventually include 172 million barrels from America\u2019s own reserve. The dispersion has already begun and will continue over a 120-day period.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wright added that the government plans to \u201cmore than replace these strategic reserves with approximately 200 million barrels within the next year \u2014 20% more barrels than will be drawn down,\u201d and contrasted this positively with the Biden administration\u2019s action, \u201cwhich left America\u2019s oil reserves drained and damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump has also expressed support for suspending the federal gas tax, of 18.4 cents per gallon on most gas and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel, until the current crisis abates. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) intends to introduce legislation to do just that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">North of the border, at the behest of Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/canada\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"366\">Canada<\/a> has already suspended its national gas tax until Labour Day, extra \u201cU\u201d and all.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-five-year-high-coming\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Five-year high coming<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The average price of a gallon of diesel was $5.55 at press time. That is much more consequential for the economy as a whole than the price of regular unleaded, because most delivery vehicles run on diesel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To the greatest extent possible, trucking firms pass off increased diesel prices to their customers through surcharge fees and, ultimately, higher contract rates. Thus, increased pump prices can mean higher sales prices on everything from bread to shoes to construction supplies to computers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201csteepest one-way rate increases since\u00a02021\u201d were trucking toward consumers,\u00a0announced the supply chain trade publication <em>FreightWaves<\/em> in early May.\u00a0Large\u00a0logistics\u00a0firm Schneider National, with over 8,000 trucks on the road, was heading into contract renewals season \u201cplanning on mid- to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shares-of-gap-jump-as-company-expects-strong-earnings-demand-rebound\/\" title=\"Shares of Gap Jump as Company Expects Strong Earnings, Demand Rebound\">high-single-digit<\/a> one-way contract increases, with double-digit hikes lined up for transactional shippers, citing the strongest pricing environment in five years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, that move\u00a0by one large\u00a0company\u00a0represented\u00a0\u201cthe floor for one-way bid season, not the ceiling.\u201d The trade journal advised companies that wanted to move a significant amount of product on trucks to \u201clock in capacity with high-acceptance carriers now\u201d or be prepared to pay more later.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-rail-to-the-rescue\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rail to the rescue?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chief competitor to trucking in America is the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/railroads\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1328\">railroads<\/a>, with their privately maintained freight rail networks that outpace competitors in most nations. Increased diesel costs can boost engine operating costs, of course, but steel-on-steel is much more efficient than tires-on-pavement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Could the railroads add more cars or more trips to offset, at least partially, the rise in hauling prices?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a report issued in December 2025, the Association of American Railroads looked at a great deal of data and concluded that rail\u2019s \u201cdistinctive cost structure and operating model \u2014 capital-intensive, long-haul, and energy-efficient \u2014 make it less prone to volatility and faster to recover from shocks. In economic terms, rail functions as a built-in shock absorber within the nation\u2019s logistics system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That good news comes with a few important caveats, however. First, because of the way rail contracts are structured, it takes a while for them to ramp up capacity for new customers. Second, the so-called \u201clast mile\u201d problem remains.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once trains have moved the goods to a given locale, those goods generally have to be offloaded and loaded into delivery vehicles, usually trucks, with their recently increased costs, to get the goods to the wholesalers, retailers, and, ultimately, consumers.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-texas-gold-lining\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Texas gold lining<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That increased delivery costs contribute to price hikes on a large scale is hard to contest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a 2022 paper in the <em>Journal of International Money and Finance<\/em>, several economists from the International Monetary Fund, Georgetown University, and the University of Palermo tackled the big issue of international shipping and local prices. They found that \u201cincreases in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/waltz-was-right-ending-houthi-attacks-is-in-americas-self-interest-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Waltz was right: Ending Houthi attacks is in America&#039;s self-interest - Washington Examiner\">global shipping costs<\/a> have non-negligible, persistent, and statistically significant effects on domestic inflation.\u201d That result would also apply to domestic shipping in nations with large internal economies, including America.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, there could be a lining to this dark cloud, made not of silver but Texas gold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Philip Rosetti is an energy policy analyst with the R Street Institute. He contrasted past oil shocks that caused significant pain for the U.S. economy with the current shock, which may not be as painful. The United States now produces a great deal of oil domestically, due to increased drilling and an oil shale boom.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have usually been on the receiving end of the pain,\u201d Rossetti told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cNow we\u2019re getting some offsetting from our own production.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/4561414\/what-china-wants-from-trump-2\/\"><strong>OPINION: WHAT CHINA WANTS FROM TRUMP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The gains are spread out unevenly, Rossetti said, with states and regions that don\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >produce oil experiencing fewer benefits<\/a> to offset the rising transportation and other costs. He also pointed out that as the price of oil continues to rise, more domestic production will come online.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe oil-producing areas are going to fare better, but there might be a net increase in investment across the economy,\u201d he said, then cautioned, \u201cbut that is a more long-term thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Jeremy Lott (<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jeremylottdiary\">@jeremylottdiary<\/a>) is the author of several books, most recently <\/em>The Three Feral Pigs and the Vegan Wolf<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May brought fast-rising trucking costs, hurting Republicans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2692,"featured_media":2608473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BizCover.060326.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[9168,77012,3902,5894,8068],"class_list":["post-2608472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-economy","tag-future-of-work-2","tag-infrastructure","tag-politics","tag-transportation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BizCover.060326.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2692"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608472"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2608480,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608472\/revisions\/2608480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}