Industry Insight:The CDL Purge Disrupting Capacity

Spot rates didn’t rise because demand surged. They rose because capacity vanished—almost overnight. A nationwide crackdown on non-domiciled CDLs is removing tens of thousands of drivers from the market, and most shippers are still underestimating the impact.This newsletter breaks down what’s really happening behind the rate spikes, why this is a compliance shock—not a traditional driver shortage—and what smart shippers must do now to protect capacity, avoid audit risk, and keep freight moving while the industry recalibrates.

Ryan Suydam

Jan 16, 2026

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1 min read