U.S.-China Call Lays Groundwork for Upcoming Trump-Xi Meeting
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held a trade call on July 30 to discuss numerous flashpoints between the two countries ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned U.S. visit on September 24. The talks covered…
Landstar CEO reports surge in agent interest following Montgomery ruling
Landstar System CEO Frank Lonegro revealed on July 28 that broker interest in joining the company’s independent agent network has surged in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II ruling. The landmark decision stripped away long-standing…
Wabash: Q2 trailer demand unlike anything in 40 years
Wabash reported a seismic shift in trailer demand during the second quarter of 2026, marking the most aggressive rebound in four decades. The Indiana-based manufacturer sold 8,292 trailers in Q2, up 3.1% year-over-year from 8,043 units and a staggering 54.2%…
Toyota sales drop for fifth straight month amid Iran turmoil and China slowdown
Toyota’s global vehicle sales fell 1.1% year-over-year in June to 926,688 units, marking the fifth consecutive monthly decline, while production rose 2.2% to 984,408 units. The drop was driven by a 24% plunge in the Middle East and a 27%…
Hormuz shipping traffic rebounds despite ongoing hostilities
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has rebounded in recent days despite persistent hostilities in the Middle East, with U.S. officials confirming that Navy escorts helped maintain oil and gas flows from the Persian Gulf. On July 29, 14…
Shell profit surges to $9.8 billion as Middle East conflict fuels trading and refining boom
Shell Plc reported second-quarter adjusted net income of $9.8 billion, more than doubling from a year earlier, as geopolitical conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East supercharged its oil trading and refining margins. The London-based energy giant’s earnings crushed analyst…
Amazon’s Zoox wins NHTSA approval to deploy up to 2,500 robotaxis annually for two years
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has granted Amazon’s autonomous-vehicle unit Zoox a temporary exemption to commercially deploy up to 2,500 driverless robotaxis each year in the United States over the next two years. The approval, announced on…
ODFL Sees Freight Market Upcycle with Long Lifespan
Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) has reported a strong second-quarter performance, with revenue rising 10.4% to $1.55 billion and profit jumping 30.5% to $350.6 million. The company's weight per shipment increased by 1.7% to 1,503 pounds, outperforming seasonal expectations. According…
Stellantis Profit Hit by Tougher Competition from China
Stellantis reported second-quarter adjusted operating income of 293 million euros, missing analyst estimates due to intensified competition in Europe from Chinese automakers such as BYD, Xpeng, and Geely, which are expanding with lower-priced hybrids and EVs. The company cited weak…
U.S. economy grows sluggishly at 1.5% as inflation stays stubbornly high
The U.S. economy expanded at a sluggish 1.5% annualized rate in the second quarter of 2026, decelerating from 2.1% in Q1 and falling short of economists’ forecasts. Consumer spending surged to a 3.2% pace—up from just 0.5% in the first…