Class 8 truck orders are projected to fall for the fourth month in a row, highlighting a weaker freight environment in the trucking industry, according to preliminary numbers from ACT Research and FTR.
North America intermodal forecast gives rails hope
North American intermodal volume growth accelerated in the first quarter of 2016 and is forecast to continue at or above that clip for the remainder of the year, according to the Intermodal Association of North America. Total intermodal growth increased 2 percent year-over-year in the first three months of 2016, after increasing just 0.3 percent […]
U.S. rail traffic down 11.8 percent in April
U.S. combined carload and intermodal traffic declined 11.8 percent last month compared with April 2015, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced yesterday. Carload traffic for the month totaled 944,339 carloads, down 16.1 percent, and 1,028,460 containers and trailers, down 7.5 percent from a year ago, according to an AAR press release.
NAFTA trade values continue to slide in February
The total value of cross-border freight between the United States and North American trading partners Canada and Mexico slipped 2 percent year-over-year following a 7.7 percent drop in January, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Manufacturing Crawls as Growth Nears 7-Year Low
America’s economic growth could use a jolt, but the country’s manufacturers don’t look like they’ll be able to provide one anytime soon. U.S. manufacturing activity last month expanded at its slowest pace since September 2009, when the country was just emerging from the depths of the Great Recession, according to a report published Monday by […]
Job market slowdown, rising wages may fit Fed’s playbook
The Labor Department reported on Friday that 160,000 jobs were added in April, short of the 215,000 expected by economists and below the recent monthly average of 200,000, tempering hopes of a strong economic rebound in the second quarter.
Sluggish factory activity sets global tone for second quarter
Asian factories barely grew in April and those in the euro zone did little better despite heavy discounting, setting a sluggish tone on Monday for the global economy in the second quarter. Japanese manufacturing activity shrank last month at the fastest pace in more than three years as major earthquakes disrupted production, while the former […]
Spot Truckload Freight Rates, Volume Jump Over Past Week
Truckload rates on the spot freight market increased sharply in two of the three equipment types during the first week of May, according to new figures released by DAT Solutions and based on its network of load boards.
US shippers to shift more freight to rails amid pricing and volume softness
U.S. shippers expect to ramp up their conversion of freight from truck to intermodal rail to the highest level in a year and a half, according to a new survey. But railroads are still going to scrap for that cargo with trucking motor carriers able to offer more competitive pricing, according to intermodal rail executives […]
U.S. Imports See Steady Climb, But Not Likely to Reach 2015’s Record Numbers
Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports has begun its annual climb toward summer levels but is expected to be largely flat when compared with last year’s record high numbers, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.