Epic Insurance Brokers & Consultants has acquired Sentry Transportation’s direct writing operation, expanding the firm’s transportation and logistics footprint. The Sentry team will join Interstate Motor Carriers, an Epic company, bringing additional scale and trucking-specific expertise to Epic’s national platform, according to a news release. Sentry has built a trucking-focused business that primarily serves owner-operators and large fleets through independent agencies.
Legal and liability trends
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) estimated there were 12,817 tractor-trailer tort cases initiated in 2022, with only 487 reaching trial, mostly in non-federal courts. ATRI said federal courts generally provide more favorable procedural safeguards for industry defendants.
Separately, a trucking industry-backed study reported that higher jury awards against carriers are increasingly linked to evidence of organizational negligence rather than the severity of individual crashes.
Market stress, closures, and financing
MinStar Transport and Transport Design Inc., each operating fleets of roughly 100 trucks, informed employees and partners of immediate closures, according to multiple reports circulating in trucking communities on social media.
Financing conditions remain tight. BMO’s fourth-quarter transportation credit metrics were described as significantly weaker across several categories for a major lender to trucking. Lenders are also investing in tools to mitigate fraud, including systems to detect double-pledging of assets and credit washing.
Many carriers continue to rely on freight factoring to smooth cash flow, using it to manage long payment cycles and maintain working capital during market downturns.
Competitive dynamics and technology
Backed by venture capital and private equity, some freight brokers have accelerated their technology adoption, offering tools like single-source routing guides and high levels of automation. Unlike motor carriers, brokers are not directly subject to hours-of-service, speed limiter, or driver-qualification regulations, a regulatory distinction that can affect cost structures and operating models.
Enforcement and legal developments
- Trucking executives continue to voice concerns about fraudulent commercial driver’s licenses, lax oversight, and the use of transient foreign labor, which they say can undercut compliant U.S. carriers.
- Ontario Provincial Police said they have identified the driver of a transport truck who allegedly struck and killed a tow truck operator on Highway 401.
- Alice Martin of Louisville, Ohio, pleaded guilty in August to income tax evasion charges tied to Martin Logistics, a trucking company based near Canton, Ohio.
Analyst outlook
Despite near-term headwinds, one analyst’s 2026 earnings forecasts remain above consensus—about 12% higher for truckload carriers and 7% higher for less-than-truckload carriers. The note cited Knight-Swift (NYSE: KNX) as a top pick across modes, followed by GXO Logistics (NYSE: GXO), Ryder System (NYSE: R), and railroads Canadian National (NYSE: CNI) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (NYSE: CPKC).