Dispatched · Topic
Industry Trends
Annual research reports and market analysis covering the trucking finance, insurance, capital, fuel, regulation, broker-relations, and tech landscape. Source-cited, regulator-anchored, no proprietary or vendor-licensed feeds. Built for owner-operators, small fleets, and the trucking-finance and insurance counterparties who need a defensible view of where the market is going — what AM Best is saying about insurer combined ratios, what the FMCSA is signaling on regulation, and where the capital, fuel, and freight cycles are pointing.
Glossary terms
- AM Best — Independent rating agency that grades insurance carriers' financial strength; ratings affect which carriers are acceptable to brokers and lenders.
- CSA Score — FMCSA Compliance, Safety, Accountability program scoring system that rates carrier safety performance using roadside inspection and crash data.
- FMCSA — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — DOT agency that regulates commercial motor vehicles, issues operating authority, and enforces safety rules.
Blog posts
- How to calculate true cost per mile for your trucking operation — If you don't know your cost per mile, you don't know if you're profitable. Here's the math, step by step — including the deadhead correction most operators miss.
- Nuclear verdict defense: what your dash cam needs to capture — Nuclear verdicts — trucking-related awards over $10 million — grew 800%+ between 2014 and 2024. The single most important defense is video evidence. Here's what your dash cam needs to capture, and how to preserve it.
- The hidden costs of accepting low-rate spot freight — Low-rate freight feels like better than empty miles. The math often says otherwise. Here's how to know your rate floor — and what accepting under it really costs.
Research reports
- Best Trucking Factoring 2026 — Annual ranking of the major trucking-factoring desks across rate, advance, broker credit, and contract terms.
- State of Broker Relations 2026 — Annual report on broker payment terms, broker credit health, and the carrier-broker relationship in 2026.
- State of Commercial Trucking Insurance 2026 — Annual report on legal environment, commodity hotspots, AM Best context, broker market shape, and FMCSA rules to watch.
- State of Owner-Operator Economics 2026 — Annual report on cost per mile, pay structures, settlement deductions, and owner-operator profitability.
- State of Trucking Capital 2026 — Annual report on the working-capital, equipment, and factoring markets serving owner-operators and small fleets.
- State of Trucking Fuel Costs 2026 — Annual report on diesel pricing, fuel surcharges, and the fuel-cost line item in the owner-operator P&L.
- State of Trucking Insurance Claims 2026 — Annual report on nuclear verdicts, cargo claims, claim frequency, and insurer combined ratios.
- State of Trucking Regulation 2026 — Annual report on FMCSA rules, HOS changes, ELD enforcement, and CSA scoring updates.
- State of Trucking Tech 2026 — Annual report on ELDs, AI dash cams, TMS, dispatch software, and fleet-management platforms.
Ready to put it to work?
This topic page indexes everything Dispatched has published on industry trends. If you are ready to move on financing, factoring, or insurance, start the matching flow.