China will overtake the U.S. in spending on R&D by 2020 on a purchasing power parity basis, according to analysts from Credit Suisse Group AG. That’ll help China shift from investment-driven to knowledge-intensive growth as its labor force shrinks.
Trump-fueled regulatory rollback could ease truck capacity pinch
The Trump administration’s plan for a broad-based regulatory rollback could shorten the duration of any future truck capacity shortfall.
Strong U.S. retail sales reinforce December interest rate hike
U.S. retail sales rose more than expected in October as households bought motor vehicles and a range of other goods, pointing to sustained economic strength that could allow the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday retail sales increased 0.8 percent last month, also boosted by demand for […]
US shippers still watching, waiting for truck capacity “crunch”
The long-awaited truck capacity crunch hasn’t been cancelled, it’s simply been postponed, analysts, shippers and carriers at the 2016 JOC Inland Distribution Conference here said. They expect the crunch to finally arrive in late 2017 or 2018. (This article requires registration at the Journal of Commerce. To access, please click on the above link.)
Truck, rail pricing power may shift in early 2017
The US economy may be expanding at a faster pace, if the latest quarterly economic data prove true, but that acceleration has yet to spur much, if any, increase in freight rates. Shippers moving freight throughout the US are enjoying the kind of pricing power they usually hold during recessions, thanks to a thick layer […]
AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic for October and Week Ending October 29, 2016
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for October 2016. Carload traffic in October totaled 1,066,994 carloads, down 5.1 percent or 57,800 carloads from October 2015.
Intermodal Volumes Reflect Sluggish Market Conditions
Total intermodal volume fell in the third quarter of 2016, according to an Intermodal Association of North America quarterly report. Intermodal trailer volumes fell by 26.9% and international shipments fell 6.7%, which contributed to the 4.6% overall loss for the quarter. The domestic container business gained 3.3%, which helped to offset the losses.
Rail/Intermodal Roundtable: Getting Back on Track
Many freight transportation and logistics stakeholders are saying that “flat is the new growth” when it comes to assessing the state of overall volumes.
BCG: Container industry overcapacity to increase through 2020
Based on trends from the last two years, growth in containership capacity will continue to outpace demand in the next few years despite record ship scrapping so far in 2016, according to a recent report from the Boston Consulting Group.
August 2016 NAFTA Truck Freight Values Up 3.4% Over a Year Ago
Air and truck transportation modes carried more cross-border freight by value in August 2016 compared to August 2015, resulting in a 0.7 percent increase to $93.1 billion in the total current dollar value of freight moved.