221 trucking bankruptcies this year as brokers re-vet carriers after Supreme Court ruling

About 221 trucking companies have filed for bankruptcy so far in 2026, according to data Bloomberg compiled and published on Oct. 30 through Claims Journal. Bloomberg described it as an extension of a three-year spike at levels not seen in decades.

The pain is concentrated among small fleets. A survey of hundreds of carriers with roughly 20 or fewer tractors, run over two months by Truckstop and Bloomberg Intelligence, found about two-thirds reporting revenue flat or down from a year earlier. Almost 40% said they expected to be out of trucking within six months or were unsure where they would be.

Bloomberg pointed to a mix of causes: war-driven diesel spikes, rising insurance, equipment and labor costs, higher interest rates, and heavy use of variable-rate loans, merchant cash advances and factoring. Chip Lane, a Texas bankruptcy attorney quoted in the report, said his firm is fielding three or four restructuring inquiries a week from trucking companies.

Brokers are tightening vetting at the same time

A separate Truck News report on Oct. 30 describes another squeeze. In *Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II*, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that federal law does not block state-law negligent-selection claims against freight brokers. The ruling does not make brokers automatically liable for a crash, but it removes a preemption defense that let some of them seek early dismissal.

Truck News reported that some brokers are clearing their carrier lists and re-vetting from scratch. Meredith Priestley, chief legal officer at Cargo Transporters, said at an Oct. 27 webinar that some had "wiped their carrier lists clean." Brokers are moving toward continuous monitoring and looking harder at CSA scores and out-of-service rates. Shaun Carr of Marsh told Truck News that some excess liability insurers may raise prices, cut capacity or decline brokerage risk.

What it means for carriers

Small carriers with thin margins and weak safety data face the worst of both trends: less freight from cautious brokers and higher insurance quotes. Truck News quoted Dylan West of Keystops saying carriers with strong safety programs and good data are likely to gain business.

Practical steps are to clean up DataQs disputes where warranted, document safety policies and exceptions, and keep insurance and authority records current so they pass automated checks.

What shippers and brokers should watch

Fewer small carriers can mean tighter capacity on regional lanes, and a stricter broker approval process can slow onboarding when freight needs to move. Expect more requests for documentation, and watch whether insurers change terms for brokerage operations at renewal.