March 2026
Market Update
3 KEY TAKEAWAYS
During March, spot rates and contract rates remained inflated vs. last year. We continue to see capacity tightening and higher rejection rates across the U.S.
REJECTION REBOUND
- National rejection rates have surprised to the upside, rising back above 14% to start the week. This increase comes despite the absence of any major domestic distruptions, suggesting the shift is more structural than transitory.
FUEL VOLATILITY CONTINUES
- Fuel prices continued to rise sharply in March due to increased demand and geographical tensions. The national average diesel fuel price reached $5.38 with some regions seeing prices jump above $6 per gallon.
LABOR MARKET WEAKNESS
- The economy lost ~92,000 jobs in February as healthcare and education failed to support the figure for the first time in several months. Strike activity was cited as a major reason. The unemployment rate edged higher to 4.4%.
