The OCEANAIR Current

General

Last month, we proudly expanded into Chicago—an exciting step in our continued growth—bringing our total to six locations nationwide. Establishing a presence in this key logistics hub allows us to better serve our customers and partner agents with stronger regional coverage. Our Chicago office will specialize in International Transportation and Customs Brokerage services. If you’d like to connect with our Chicago team, please reach out via chicago@oceanair.net or (773) 915-0041—we’d be happy to hear from you.

Ground

Gulf Coast diesel reached $5.13 per gallon for the week ending March 23—up 30 cents in just one week—yet it remains the lowest regional price in the country. East Coast truckers are paying $5.48, while California operators face prices as high as $6.87.

For long-haul carriers already strained by two years of overcapacity and compressed margins, disruptions to crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz due to the Middle East conflict have turned what was once a manageable cost structure into a significant financial burden.

For railroads and intermodal marketing companies, however, this is the moment they have been anticipating since freight markets softened in 2023. Rail’s fuel efficiency advantage is nothing new—most beneficial cargo owners have already run the numbers, and until now, trucking often came out ahead. What has changed is the widening price spread, which is now shifting the equation and challenging assumptions that shippers once considered settled.