The freight recession is over. That 18-month malaise was triggered by the worldwide collapse of oil prices at the end of 2014. Energy exploration and fracking petered out, and the accompanying freight dried up. Fuel prices dropped, and carrier revenues fell due to the declining fuel surcharges. To add insult to injury, line haul rates fell, too, in a cycle of year-over-year declines that lasted through the middle of 2016.