Fleets continue to struggle financially, and with losses continuing to pile up, investments are being sharply curtailed, as discussed in ACT Research’s latest release of the Freight Forecast: Rate and Volume OUTLOOK report.
“TL fleet margins are at historic lows and unable to find traction, so the dollars aren’t there for equipment investment, particularly as tariffs push costs up. Our ACT Research commercial vehicle outlook foresees considerable declines in equipment demand in 2026, with rates insufficient to offset cost inflation,” Tim Denoyer, vice president and senior analyst at ACT Research, said. “Demand remains choppy, but highway tractor capacity is contracting at a quickening pace, with ongoing closures in the for-hire market, the reversal of private fleet expansion and elevated driver enforcement. The issue for the freight cycle is now the affordability reductions tariffs are imposing on U.S. businesses and consumers. Many of these taxes could be reversed if the Supreme Court upholds rulings that the IEEPA tariffs are unconstitutional, which seems more likely after oral arguments.”
