Top 3 Trucking News Today: Red Dye Diesel Order Lacks Details, Rates Rise as Capacity Shrinks and Kodiak Opens a Dallas-Laredo Lane (October 11, 2026)

The weekend brings a formal fuel-tax order that leaves practical questions open, fresh data on why truckload rates are climbing, and a new autonomous freight lane on one of the busiest corridors in the country. Here are the three stories carriers, drivers and brokers should know today.

1. The Red Dye Diesel Order Is Official, but Short on Specifics

We covered the announcement earlier this week; the new development is the written order, published in the Federal Register on October 9. According to FreightWaves, the four-page document directs the Treasury Secretary to use his authority to defer certain diesel fuel tax payments and to consider waiving penalties for red-dyed diesel used on highways. If the deferral is declared after a five-day review period, it would cover October 5 through the end of 2026.

The order also tells Treasury to explore ways, including legislation, to eliminate the deferred amounts. What it does not do, FreightWaves reports, is settle how federal relief fits with state rules: many states still prohibit red-dyed fuel on their roads, and most fuel networks are not set up to supply it separately. Several states, including Texas, Ohio and Oklahoma, have made some concession.

Why it matters: A federal deferral does not automatically make red diesel legal everywhere. A truck crossing from a state with a waiver into one without it may face tracking and compliance burdens that shrink the savings. Check state rules and your fuel supplier before you change anything.

2. Truckload Rates Are Rising Because Capacity Is Leaving, Not Because Freight Is Surging

A FreightWaves analysis built on SONAR data and the ATRI 2026 cost study argues that the rate recovery is about supply. ATRI put the average cost of running a truck at a record $2.336 a mile in 2025, up 3.4%, with tolls up 13.2% and repairs up 8.6%. SONAR reports tender rejections are up 268% since October 2023 while tender volume is up only about 9%, and says for-hire tractor counts fell by roughly 51,000 in a single month.

The report puts Q3 2026 dry van contract linehaul at $2.69 a mile, up from $2.32 in 2024 and 2025 but still short of what carriers need. By its model, a typical truck at those rates covers marginal costs but contributes about 15% of revenue toward overhead, against roughly 26% that ATRI truckload carriers needed in 2025. SONAR calls the repricing only about halfway done.

Why it matters: Carriers should price against their own full cost per mile, including insurance and fuel, rather than last year’s rate. Shippers and brokers should expect tighter capacity to keep pressure on contract bids heading into 2027.

3. Kodiak and Charger Open an Autonomous Lane From Dallas to Laredo

Kodiak AI and Charger USA have started autonomous freight on a 435-mile lane between Dallas and Laredo, Kodiak’s first route to the busiest U.S. commercial land port. Trade press reports the first delivery ran on September 8 and that the trucks carry refrigerated and dry goods. For now a safety driver rides along until Kodiak completes its safety case, which the company says was 96% complete at the end of September.

Charger plans to install the Kodiak Driver on its own trucks and add more lanes. Kodiak’s model has customers own the vehicles, and the company expects long-haul driverless service by the end of 2026.

Why it matters: Cross-border freight into Laredo is a major volume lane, so this is a real test of autonomy on commercial freight. Drivers and carriers there should watch how safety drivers, inspections and handoffs are handled as the pilot grows.

The Bottom Line

Fuel policy is still unsettled, rates are recovering on thinner capacity, and automation is moving into real lanes. All three reward careful, cost-aware decisions over quick reactions.

Neal’s Take

Taken together, today’s stories show a market where costs and rules are changing faster than rates. I would not treat a federal fuel-tax deferral as permission to change fueling habits until my state and my supplier confirm it works for my routes. Rising rates are welcome news for carriers, yet the cost data suggests many fleets still have little margin, so I would price loads against full cost and avoid chasing volume. Automation on the Dallas-Laredo lane is worth watching with an open mind: it may bring efficiency, while drivers and dispatchers reasonably want to see how safety and jobs are handled. Next I would watch the Treasury decision and how states respond.

— Neal Cvetkovski, Founder of LOAD TIDE. Personal opinion, not legal or financial advice.

Stay with LOAD TIDE for daily updates on the freight and trucking market.

Sources: FreightWaves (red dye diesel order), FreightWaves (rates and capacity), Automotive World.