Markets

Recent results show that retail activity continued to expand in November, in a sign that one of the key components of freight demand remains healthy at the end of the year. Results from the manufacturing sector were far less encouraging however, as activity stalled during the month.

How do you prepare for a seismic event experts predict will unleash the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States?

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure calmed in November, weighed down by declines in gasoline prices. Industry detail showed that trucking rates continues to surge, however, driven by another large gain in long-distance trucking rates.

As barge rates slump in the face of increased rainfall, the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) has warned that Rhine River water levels could fall again in December.

Preparations by the freight industry to cope with the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) were thrown into more turmoil by Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to delay the Brexit debate indefinitely.

But container volumes still going strong this quarter as U.S.-China hash out deal; but first quarter likely to see slowdown.

With the market data available on SONAR, we have ability to see all the ebbs and flows of freight movement happen in real-time.

Cowen expects softening trucking prices in 2019 to be a headwind for truckload carrier earnings, but should widen gross margins for freight brokerages.

Job growth slowed in November after an impressive gain in the previous month, but signals from wages and unemployment suggest that labor market conditions remain generally healthy. The transportation and logistics industry had another strong month of hiring, with impressive job gains from trucking, parcel, and warehousing companies.

Saudi Arabia and Russia agree on further production cuts to prop up crude prices; Qatar leaves OPEC to focus on nat gas; heavy sweet crudes are trading at a premium in anticipation of IMO 2020.

“I am convinced this transitional stage is going to give us huge opportunities for our country, and we are ready to face them.” 

It seemed like the stuff of posturing and hot air. It was hard to see anything substantive changing from the weekend meetings of the G20 nations in Argentina. Will something more than kicking-the-can come from the concessions?

Two largest economies agree to halt hostilities through first quarter after a year of trade saber rattling.

Oregon produces about 6 million Christmas trees each year, more than any other state in the U.S.

Is the economy still healthy? Are people still making things, shipping things, and buying things? According to the railroad car data, the answer is a definitive “Yes.” 

The tax changes of 2017 caused some fleets to consider leasing as opposed to buying, and new accounting rule changes could have a similar effect, says Fleet Advantage.

The size of the US goods trade deficit with the rest of the world increased again in October, as a large decline in exports and a small gain in imports pushed the deficit near record levels. The total value of traded goods fell slightly during the month but is still considerably higher than at this point last year despite significant changes to trade policy.

This morning Fleet Complete, a global leader in connected vehicle technology and software, announced that it had been acquired by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, a large fund with $193.9B in assets.

Detroit tops list of places for online retail start-ups; climate change seen having a major impact on U.S. infrastructure.

Jubitz brings in about $40 million of the company’s $175 million annual revenues as the industry contracts and braces for tech and regulatory headwinds.

Tesla cuts prices of Model S and Model X; oil prices are down to a one-year low; Hong Kong bats for free trade; Hapag-Lloyd is launching a premium product based on extensive market research.

The conference attracted over 2,000 industry players and largely revolved around the topics of Asian connectivity, the impact of trade tariffs, and technologies that are revolutionizing the logistics industry.

Trucking executive points to final mile delivery as draining driver pool, so think about that on Cyber Monday.

 Upcoming summit could provide surprise deal, but acrimony and lack of consensus puts deal in doubt.

Retail activity posted the strongest gain in five months, as big gains in auto sales and rising gasoline prices helped to drive overall activity. Core spending grew at a more moderate pace, but the broad-based nature of the gains is encouraging headed into the holiday season.

Good times at U.S. ports not expected to last as world’s largest shipping line warns trade war will rear up at start of next year.

2018 may have seen tight capacity and the strongest economy on record since the Great Recession, but what will 2019 look like?

“We went through a period when growth of shipping was 2-3 times the growth in international economy. I don’t think those times are coming back.”

New York and Crystal City the big winners, of course, but Music City will house e-retailer’s operations center for the eastern U.S.

The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index reached another record high in October while the company’s Intermodal Price Index points to rising intermodal costs.