With tens of thousands of trucks passing through Laredo each day, bridges and roads are critical to this center of North American trade.

Nashville’s Yellow Freight — one of the only union shops in trucking — shut down operations in August, leaving 30,000 people without work.

Long-haul trucking is a huge part of the economy and has a big carbon footprint. But the vehicles can be costly and the infrastructure sparse.

As Yellow is sold for parts in bankruptcy court, one group of assets is getting all the attention: Its terminals.

Rates truckers are paid have plummeted by more than half since 2021, accounting for inflation. Meanwhile, costs have only risen.

Autonomous vehicle tech has advanced quite a bit, but we’re nowhere close to replacing truck drivers with AI yet ― and we probably don’t want to.

Many independent drivers are starting to see lower rates and increased fuel costs, says Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association.

Goods sitting idle in warehouses or containers will head to the U.S., though many companies have adapted to shortages.

Fewer goods coming from China during its lockdown and more trucking companies have helped.

Some in the trucking industry say the mandate may exacerbate its current worker shortage.