The Daily Brief wraps up the biggest stories and our exclusive reporting on the auto industry and car culture.
Statistically speaking, you probably don’t drive a diesel. Oil burners represent a tiny chunk of light-duty vehicle sales, even when you factor in heavy-duty pickups and the like. But in the freight world, if you’re hauling heavy loads, chances are you’re fueling up with diesel—or maybe you were, if you drove for one of the 16 trucking companies that went bankrupt last quarter.
According to multiple sources, the rising cost of diesel fuel was the straw the broke the camel’s back for 16 freight operators that filed for either Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late August and early September. Some were small, single-operator outfits. Others were larger, operating dozens of vehicles.
