Prime and Old Dominion Bet on New Terminals as Rivals Play Defense
Two of the country's biggest carriers are opening hubs in Georgia and Washington while most of the industry is cutting capacity. The move says a lot about where they think freight is headed next.
Prime and Old Dominion Add Capacity in Georgia and Washington
Prime Inc. and Old Dominion Freight Line are both breaking ground on new terminal facilities -- Prime in Georgia, Old Dominion in Washington -- in what amounts to a significant capacity bet while much of the industry is still playing defense. FreightWaves first reported the dual expansions, which position both carriers to absorb volume as regional demand patterns shift.
The buildouts stand out in a market where most carriers are trimming, not adding. For operations leaders watching lane coverage, the moves signal where Prime and Old Dominion expect the next cycle's freight to flow.
Road Freight Jumps 30% in the Gulf
Across the Arabian Gulf, UAE-based Trukker is reporting a 30% jump in March road shipments around the Hormuz corridor, driven by full truckload volumes and container carriers pushing into overland alternatives. The surge reflects broader logistics rerouting as shippers hedge around maritime chokepoints.
For U.S. fleet operators with international exposure, the pattern is worth noting: when sea lanes get complicated, road capacity gets expensive.
Container-Focused Fleet Tech Gains Ground
TruckingMall has rolled out a fleet management system built specifically for container trucking, joining Fleetio and a growing cluster of vendors chasing the drayage and port-adjacent market. The specialized tooling addresses the operational quirks container operators know well -- chassis tracking, port appointment windows, demurrage exposure -- that general-purpose fleet software tends to handle poorly.
If you're running container lanes and still patching together spreadsheets and TMS workarounds, the category is maturing fast enough to be worth a fresh look.
Carriers Split on What Comes Next
A fresh transport industry survey cited by Heavy Duty Trucking found carriers sensing an improving marketplace -- but separate reporting shows fleets bracing for another 18 bumpy months, with economic conditions now topping the industry concerns list.
The split matters. Some operators are putting capital to work; Postal Fleet Services just leased 20 CNG trucks from Ryder, a sign alt-fuel investment hasn't stalled despite the soft market. Others are waiting out the cycle. Whichever camp you're in, the near-term read is the same: the market isn't broken, but it isn't rallying either.
