Probill Quick Track
News & Updates

The Q2 Freight Rundown for Alberta Shippers

Q2 had a lot going on. Road weight restrictions, the trade situation that still hasn’t fully settled, diesel prices that kept everyone watching, and some genuinely positive signs in the freight market. Here’s a straight look at what the quarter brought for Alberta shippers and carriers.

The Roads Open Up (Eventually)

Spring road bans came into effect province-wide on April 6 this year, as they do every year once thaw-depth readings reach the threshold. For carriers, that means reduced weight limits on secondary highways and rural routes, rerouting loads, and slower timelines for customers in rural Alberta. Bans were lifted at different times across counties, with some areas clearing up by mid-May and others holding into early June. For anyone shipping into or out of oil country, the Pembina, or rural central Alberta, this is simply part of the Q2 calendar. The shippers who build that window into their planning tend to fare better than the ones who don’t.

Diesel Settled Down, But Not Completely

Q1 ended with diesel hitting $2.19 per litre in Alberta, the highest since 2022. Q2 brought some relief but not stability. Prices dipped from that peak and then climbed again, reaching $2.15 per litre by May 11. The Middle East conflict that drove Q1’s spike hadn’t been resolved, and fuel costs remained high enough to keep fuel surcharges meaningful through most of the quarter. The practical takeaway hasn’t changed: budgeting for surcharges as a fixed cost rather than a variable one saves a lot of frustration.

Freight Rates Are Moving in the Right Direction

The Cass Freight Index reported that truckload linehaul rates rose 6.9% year-over-year in May, while volumes rose 3% month-over-month. The year-over-year volume gap narrowed to just 1.2% in May, the smallest gap in 18 months. After a long stretch of compressed rates, the direction has clearly changed. Cass noted that tight inventories, falling tariffs, and a soft US dollar are all supporting demand growth. A full recovery isn’t here yet, but Q2 felt meaningfully different from 2025.

Fewer Drivers, Tighter Capacity

Trucking HR Canada reported that driver employment fell 7.3% year-over-year by March 2026, resulting in tens of thousands fewer drivers on the road nationwide. That number didn’t improve in Q2. For shippers, a smaller driver pool means less spot capacity, higher rates when you need to scramble, and a stronger case for locking in relationships with carriers who can cover your lanes consistently.

What Q3 Looks Like From Here

Construction season is in full swing across Alberta, which means demand for building materials and industrial freight stays high through the summer. Harvest picks up in central and southern Alberta later in the quarter. And the formal CUSMA review is now underway, with its outcome worth watching for anyone with cross-border exposure. Domestically, the freight market appears to have turned. The question heading into the second half of 2026 is, how fast?

Related Posts