The domestic trucking market is operating under a deceptive calm, but a brutal combination of sticky operational costs (like diesel, maintenance, and soaring insurance premiums) has quietly forced thousands of small fleets to exit the highway entirely. This silent fleet contraction is being further squeezed by strict regulatory enforcement and a massive drain on trucks toward cross-border nearshoring hubs. While large carriers are temporarily masking the missing capacity, the underlying foundation of over-the-road freight is rapidly eroding, leaving transactional, spot-chasing shippers exposed to a severe budget shock the moment the economic pendulum swings back to a carrier's market.

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