Freight Pulse & Law Update: Knight-Swift Opens Bid Season With a Double-Digit Ask as a Judge Blocks DHS From State Driver Files

Knight-Swift opens November bids with a low-to-mid double-digit ask as a Virginia judge quashes DHS subpoenas for state CDL records. Review contract pricing and compliance files now.

What does Knight-Swift’s bid-season signal show?

Q3 supports firmer pricing, but third party logistics providers should treat the ask as a negotiating position, not a settlement. Adjusted EPS was 83 cents; revenue hit $2.2 billion, up 14% year over year. Truckload adjusted operating ratio improved 700 basis points to 89.2%, FreightWaves reports.

• Ex-fuel revenue per loaded mile rose 10%; deadhead fell 170 bps to 12.1%.

• Tender rejections ran 2–3 times broader market measures; bids open in November.

• Intermodal loads rose 13% to a five-year high, with a second straight operating profit.

• Q4 truckload margin guidance: 650–750 bps of improvement.

What does the CDL ruling mean for carriers?

On Oct. 21 a Virginia federal judge quashed DHS subpoenas for state CDL records, the Washington Times reported. A preliminary injunction announced by Maryland’s attorney general bars AAMVA from transferring CDLIS master-pointer records to federal agencies and blocks adverse action against states that withhold them. Do not assume a federal data feed exists.

• Keep driver qualification files and CDL records current.

• File brake inspection records with the rate packet. CVSA’s Brake Safety Week, Aug. 23–29, 2026, was the readiness benchmark.

What should I-95 shippers prepare for?

Rail adds a second planning reference. For the week ending Oct. 17, U.S. rail traffic totaled 540,135 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.5% year over year; intermodal rose 12.6%, per AAR data reported by FreightWaves. EIA’s Oct. 19 diesel reading was $6.276 a gallon, up from $6.179 the week before.

I-95 / Mid-Atlantic: expect tighter November contract pricing. Baltimore-area cross-docks and Glen Burnie warehouse capacity hedge winter rate spikes from Maryland to New England.

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