American Journal of Transportation

AJOT Insights features expert analysis and opinion on transportation, logistics, maritime, ports, air cargo, trucking, rail, intermodal and international trade.

The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 4.7% (not seasonally adjusted) in August 2026 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These data have been updated on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) Unemployment in Transportation dashboard. In August 2026, the transportation sector unemployment rate fell 1.2 percentage points from 5.9% in August 2025.

An Air India A320 flying from Phuket to New Delhi last month issued a stall warning when seatbelt signs were off, while a rapid pitch up and then down threw passengers and cabin crew against overhead bins and injured 24 people, Indian investigators said. The Airbus plane, cruising at 36,000 feet, initially ascended 372 feet then fell to 292 feet below it, according to a preliminary report into the August 4 accident released on Friday.

President Donald Trump on Friday said that unless the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, he would stop trading with countries with which the United States had a deficit. "High interest rates put the U.S.A. at a very unfair disadvantage, and I won't allow that to happen!" said Trump, who has repeatedly demanded that the Fed cut rates.

Some Chinese rare earth suppliers are declining to ship to the U.S. for fear of repercussions from Beijing, three sources said, underscoring how access to the materials remains an issue for the U.S. weeks before President Xi Jinping visits Washington. U.S. officials have repeatedly asked China to stick to commitments made in Busan and Beijing over the past year to ensure the smooth flow of rare earth export licences.

Citadel has held talks to buy U.S. oil production assets, as the hedge fund and commodities trader considers expanding further into owning physical assets, five people familiar with the matter said. The firm founded by Ken Griffin was among the bidders for WildFire Energy, which was put up for sale earlier this year by buyout firms Warburg Pincus and Kayne Anderson, according to four of the sources.

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update; Bloomberg L.P. Note: The data for the week ending September 5 are estimated based on data through September 3. Refinery margin is calculated as the difference between the price of a gallon of wholesale gasoline at New York Harbor and the spot market price of a gallon of Brent crude oil.

A Tennessee factory that Washington had hoped to protect as part of a push to safeguard the U.S. semiconductor supply chain is at risk of closure after the Trump administration's new trade measures drove away its two remaining customers, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst: Spot rates into US East Coast close in on Covid-19 peak while reliability deteriorates “Average spot rates from the Far East to the US East Coast continue their ascent following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East in February, climbing a further 25% since early July. “Spot rates are now just 14% shy of the Covid-19 peak on 1 January 2022.

Average U.S. diesel prices jumped to record highs on Thursday, as a global supply crunch intensified after renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran and on disruptions caused by Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, a major source of diesel exports. The national average price of diesel hit $5.820 a gallon, according to fuel price tracking service GasBuddy. This beat the previous high of $5.819 a gallon recorded on June 17, 2022, in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.