Freight demand

Report forecasts 'surprising' strength in LTL freight for early 2023
Carriers are competing for more limited demand while searching for ways to claw back revenue.
January 18, 2023
pallet jacks in a warehouse
Rates end 2022 on a high note, signaling 'bottoming process' underway
While market conditions remain broadly loose, there are increasingly signs of slowing supply – a key to the bottoming process, according to experts.
January 17, 2023
Trucks at the dock
Gap between contract, spot rates narrowing
Shippers are trading lower contract rates for giving carriers more loads and better lane density.
January 2, 2023
truck backing into dock
Truck tonnage saw biggest monthly dip since pandemic began
ATA's Truck Tonnage Index fell 2.5% in November, the biggest monthly decrease since the start of the pandemic. Also: Winter storms prompt HOS waivers in four states; ContainerPort Group announces expansion; USPS plans to add EVs to fleet.
December 22, 2022
ATA Truck Tonnage Index November 2022
Truck orders tumble off record highs but 'resilient'
OEMs having opened their orderboards for 2023 more broadly, and ongoing pent-up demand — with tailwinds from strong carrier profitability and elevated fleet age — is keeping truck orders stoked.
December 6, 2022
truck assembly
Trucking equipment demand high despite booming interest rates
Carrier profits are the critical element in vehicle demand, and while profits next year are anticipated to be lower truckload net margins are projected to be the fourth best on record.
December 6, 2022
red truck on the road
Rail strike would 'immediately disrupt' fuel, DEF supply
With a Dec. 9 strike deadline set, railroads plan to stop taking hazardous materials, including fuel, next week.
November 28, 2022
tank truck on the highway
Rail strike back on the table, this time for December
The U.S. narrowly avoided a potentially disastrous rail strike in September, but it now looms over early December.
November 21, 2022
truck and a train
Trucking in 2023: Recession uncertain, driver shortage shows balance
A recent CCJ webinar, sponsored by Bestpass, discussed the market forces, business conditions and supply chain issues that will impact carrier operations in 2023.
November 11, 2022
CCJ webinar participants
Truck orders continue to reflect fleets' thirst for newer trucks
Pent-up replacement demand remains in the market thanks to a complicated new truck production cycle that has limited many fleets from replacing aged equipment for the past two years.
November 4, 2022
Kenworth truck assembly line
U.S. economy going into a recession 'early next year'
Experts agree the likelihood of a recession early next year is high but they expect it to be short and mild, and underlying indicators suggest it might not be that bad for trucking.
October 27, 2022
Pictured are Andrew Boyle, co-president of Boyle Transportation and American Trucking Associations Vice Chairman; Bob Costello American Trucking Associations chief economist and senior vice president; and MUFG Securities Americas Managing Director, Global Head of Investment Banking Capital Markets Strategy, Tom Joyce.
FTR's Trucking Conditions returned to nearly neutral in August
Falling diesel prices in August helped conditions for carriers improve slightly, with conditions held back by financing costs. Also: Paccar recalls 76,000 trucks over freezing digital dash display.
October 25, 2022
FTR Trucking Conditions Index August 2022
Unlike prior storms Hurricane Ian delivers 'more regional impact' on loads and rates
Preexisting market conditions help turn Category 4 Hurricane Ian into more of a regional event as national freight averages remain 'virtually unchanged.'
October 4, 2022
Coast Guard Port of Jacksonville Hurricane Ian
Rail strike impact on road freight would be 'quick,' 'immediate'
The last two rail work-stoppages, 30 years ago, combined to last for three days before Congressional action ended them both.
September 14, 2022
Semi tanker truck
Possible rail strike could be 'polar vortex-level shock to the freight market'
A looming railroad strike could have a historically significant impact on the U.S. economy and will influence every on-highway transport mode to some degree.
September 12, 2022
white semi-truck and train
Despite widespread economic headwinds, truck orders persevere
Order intake suggests demand still strong, but production challenges barely chipping away at backlog.
September 7, 2022
Mack truck assembly line
Investing in a SaaS-based TMS could reduce costs long term
TMS providers urge carriers to invest in SaaS-based model, which they say can help save money amid the squeeze of mounting financial pressures created by inflation and a softening freight market.
September 6, 2022
Trucks and cars on the Interstate
Trailer orders flat under warnings of potential recession, driver surplus
The current inflation-driven economic slowdown is somewhat unique given healthy consumer and business balance sheets, strong employment demand and pent-up manufacturing sector activity.
June 14, 2022
driver hooking up gladhands
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