Massive port terminal at golden hour with stacked shipping containers and gantry cranes against amber sky
Vol. IV · February 2026 · Weekly Dispatch

The hidden rhythms
of global trade,
decoded weekly.

Port congestion indexes. Container rate spikes. Last-mile cost curves. Translated into decisions before competitors read the same headline.

Data Point · Issue #47
Empty container repositioning cost the industry $23B last year.
Scroll
SCFI Shanghai–USWC2,148+4.2%
Port of LA Dwell8.3 days+0.7
Inland Empire Vacancy6.2%-0.4pp
Diesel National Avg$3.81/gal+0.08
USDX Index104.2-0.3%
Dry Bulk BDI1,847+2.1%
Reefer Premium+$340/FEUstable
Chassis Pool Wait3.1 hrs+0.4
SCFI Shanghai–USWC2,148+4.2%
Port of LA Dwell8.3 days+0.7
Inland Empire Vacancy6.2%-0.4pp
Diesel National Avg$3.81/gal+0.08
USDX Index104.2-0.3%
Dry Bulk BDI1,847+2.1%
Reefer Premium+$340/FEUstable
Chassis Pool Wait3.1 hrs+0.4
The Editor
Marcus Chen, editor of Freight newsletter, standing in front of shipping containers at a busy port terminal
Marcus Chen
Editor · Freight Intelligence

I spent a decade moving containers before I started writing about them.

After twelve years running procurement for a mid-size 3PL in Long Beach, I kept noticing the same pattern: by the time a trend reached the trade press, the window to act on it had already closed. I started Freight to close that gap — to deliver the signal before it becomes the story.

"Every number in this newsletter has a decision hiding inside it. My job is to find it before you need it."

4,800+
Subscribers
47
Editions published
12 yrs
In logistics ops

Past Editions
Vol. IV

The analysis, not the summary.

Every edition starts with a data anomaly and ends with a decision framework. Here's what recent subscribers read on Friday mornings.

Aerial view of shipping containers arranged in colorful rows at a major container terminal
Container Rates
#47Feb 14, 2026

The Transpacific Phantom: Why 12% of Bookings Never Load

Ghost bookings are distorting capacity data across every major Asia–US lane. Here's the actual utilization number carriers won't publish.

12%
Bookings that ghost
6 min readRead edition
Interior of a large modern distribution warehouse with high shelving systems and forklifts operating
Warehouse Markets
#44Jan 24, 2026

Warehouse Vacancy at 6.2%: The Last Time This Happened, Rents Doubled

Industrial vacancy hasn't been this tight since 2022. The bid–ask spread in Inland Empire is already moving. Here's what the absorption curve looks like from here.

6.2%
National vacancy rate
8 min readRead edition
Delivery driver loading packages into a van on a residential street during last-mile delivery operations
Last Mile
#41Jan 3, 2026

Last-Mile Costs Rose 18% in Q4. The Surcharge Hiding in Your Contract

The residential delivery premium isn't seasonal anymore. Three carriers quietly buried a permanent fuel-and-labor adjustment in Q4 rate cards. Here's how to find it.

+18%
Last-mile cost YoY
7 min readRead edition
Open Archive
3 Unlocked

Read before you subscribe.

Three past editions, fully unlocked. No form, no friction. If the analysis earns your email, the subscribe button is below.

Port Congestion#38 · Dec 6, 2025Free

Port of Long Beach: 11-Day Dwell Time and the Chassis Pool Nobody Is Talking About

When average dwell time breaks double digits, the chassis math collapses. Three fleets are already repricing Q1.

11 days
Read
Nearshoring#33 · Nov 1, 2025Free

Nearshoring Math: Why Mexico's Bonded Warehouse Capacity Is Already Spoken For

The nearshoring narrative is real but the capacity isn't. Bonded warehouse occupancy in Monterrey hit 94% in October.

94%
Read
Intermodal#28 · Sep 27, 2025Free

The Rail Intermodal Spread: When Truck Beats Rail on Price AND Transit Time

For the first time in eighteen months, spot truck is undercutting rail intermodal on Chicago–LA lanes. The spread is $340/load and widening.

$340
Read
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