FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller calls the truck driver shortage a “myth” in a recent piece of self-promotion, but his assertion collapses under the weight of facts and data. Fuller claims the mythical shortage is an ATA fabrication—a narrative perpetuated for our convenience. Of course, we’re not alone in reporting this issue. Driver shortages are global in scope, with growing vacancies felt across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and documented in IRU’s 2022 Global Driver Shortage Report: In Europe, driver shortages jumped by 42% from 2020 to 2021, with vacant driver positions reaching 71,000 in Romania, 80,000 in both Poland and Germany, and 100,000 in the UK. In Mexico, shortages rose by 30% to reach 54,000, while in China, they increased by 140%, reaching 1.8 million.

National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $3.400; Month Ago: $3.153; Year Ago: $3.446. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $4.053; Month Ago: $3.948; Year Ago: $4.377.

Futures were little changed in New York, up more than 9 percent in September. Oil this week returned to a bull market on signs the persistent crude surplus was finally starting to shrink, while Trafigura Group and Citigroup Inc. warned of the potential for a further supply squeeze in 2018. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia have hailed the success of their agreement to cut production and urged their allies to stay focused on finishing the job. U.S. Gulf Coast refiners restarted after last month’s hurricanes. Click Read More below for additional detail.