carriers

May’s inflation data was set to be the first real test of how consumer prices would be impacted by historically high tariffs.

With so many fingers pointed at so many targets, the Q1 GDP data must have been an absolute disaster, right? Well, no.

The strength in ocean bookings today will not translate into domestic freight volumes until May at the earliest.

The difficulty in comparing “hard” versus “soft” data is that sentiment influences decisions that will eventually bear out in the hard data.

In the run-up to Tuesday’s promised barrage of tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, the U.S. industrial sector is not looking so hot — a dark omen for domestic freight demand.

If consumers were able to keep pace with the incredible inflation of the early pandemic, they should be able to weather any storm kicked up by tariffs.

New tariffs pose a significant challenge for U.S. refiners, who are already grappling with declining profit margins.

Even cars assembled in the U.S. are not exempt from tariff shocks, as components from Mexico and Canada account for roughly 10% of the value of U.S.-built cars, with an additional 5% to 6% coming from Chinese inputs.

Tender rejection rates have held above 7% throughout January and the spread between spot and contract continues to narrow.

Businesses are heading into 2025 with lean inventories and high demand from consumers.

Tender rejection rates remain above 7%, but tender volumes and spot rates are experiencing some seasonal pressure

Consumers’ growing pessimism could trigger a pullback in discretionary purchases, directly weighing on trucking demand.

Despite encouraging signs, the U.S. manufacturing sector remains in the early stages of recovery.

Tender rejection rates are remaining elevated during a period where the market would traditionally be loosening

Despite aggressive interest rate hikes by the Fed aimed at curbing inflation, the CPI’s decline in yearly growth has been gradual and uneven.

Tender rejection rates were back on the rise this week as winter weather impacted markets across the south. Tender volumes start 2025 down y/y

A stable labor market suggests carriers are less likely to face harsh wage competition, a common concern during periods of labor scarcity.

Tender rejection rates are retreating from their holiday highs, but spot rates have continued to inch higher into the new year.

Tender rejection rates briefly touched 10% before retreating, which continues to show that the freight market is in transition…

Tender rejection rates have moved to a 2-year high, but spot rates have yet to see the significant increase from the holidays.

Rejection rates and spot rates are likely to see further upward movement with less than two weeks until the Christmas holiday.

The holiday impacts have yet to arrive as both tender rejection rates and spot rates are off their recent highs and volumes continue to slide.

Tender volumes and tender rejection rates moved higher this week with spot rates following suit. Thanksgiving could change the status quo.

Tender volumes and tender rejections declined over the week, but spot rates are still showing signs that peak season is going to be favorable.

Tender volumes declined over the week, but tender rejections and spot rates are showing signs that peak season is going to be favorable.

Tender volumes declined over the week, but tender rejections and spot rates found a little positive momentum over the past week.

October’s SONAR webinar looked at key factors in earning the Shipper of Choice distinction.

Tender volumes and rejection rates moved lower over the past week, while spot rates increased slightly during the week.

Tender volumes and rejection rates moved higher over the past week, but spot rates were unaffected on a national level.

Spot rates and tender rejection rates saw a slight increase to start Q4, but tender volumes fell as a result of the ILA strike.

Tender volumes, tender rejection rates and spot rate all drop in the final full week of the third quarter.

Tender volumes have started to flatten out while tender rejection rates have picked up a little steam this week.

Tender volumes have continued to show strength, but the market remains oversupplied. Hurricane Francine had little impact on the market

Tender rejection rates suffered the largest weekly decline in the past 6 weeks while tender volumes are being impacted by the holiday weekend

Industry leaders are finally starting to feel better about the state of the market. That optimism could be a crucial part of actually arriving at a better future.

Tender volumes closed August higher, up 3.13% year over year. A slight rise in rejection rates before Labor Day was still below July peaks.

Tender volumes increased over the past week, while tender rejection rates remained unchanged. The next week will be important for the direction of the freight market in the fourth quarter.

Tender volumes started to gain a little positive momentum over the past week while tender rejection rates inched slightly lower…

The freight market is fairly stable to start August as spot rates and tender rejection rates experienced little change week over week…

Spot rates moved slightly higher in the final week of July, while rejection rates and volume levels continued to retreat from recent highs.

Spot rates have retreated off their recent high, but remain elevated compared to the rest of the year while demand and rejection rates are following seasonal trends.

The freight market is appearing to stabilize at higher levels after the Fourth of July, setting up for a better second half of 2024.

The freight market was more reactive to the Fourth of July holiday than the year prior, but capacity has been quick to return to the road.

Volumes, rejection rates and spot rates remain elevated, setting the stage for the summer months.

Volumes, rejection rates and spot rates remain elevated following the Memorial Day holiday, setting the stage for the summer months.

Shippers at constant risk of damaged freight, and often only recover a fraction of the value with carrier liability, says Echo Global Logistics SVP Molly Mangan.

The upcoming in-person Broker-Carrier Summit on April 22-24 in Kansas City, Missouri, seeks to take those relationships to the next level.

Here are four innovative companies FreightWaves was introduced to at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Even as carriers’ pricing power deteriorated, freight demand was consistently robust throughout February.

The early stages of this recovery are characterized by a rebalancing market, a return to normalcy after a four-year roller coaster of volatility.

Sadie Church, president of Recruit Hire Retain, joined Jeremy Reymer on a recent episode of Taking the Hire Road. The duo dove into Church’s trucking industry background and her passion for helping carriers improve their recruiting and retention processes.

Brokers and carriers are still feeling the sting of the ongoing freight recession, and factoring companies can be critical partners during this time.

As many are predicting another shift in the second half of the year, the co-founder of Sifted has advice for both carriers and shippers moving into 2024.

The sustained imbalance between supply and demand has yet to be corrected, such that only an unprecedented tidal wave of demand could satisfy the current amount of capacity in the national freight economy.

Spot rates did eventually see a boost at the start of the new year, albeit one that was unable to meet our prior forecasts.

Tender volumes began to outpace 2020 earlier this week and are now marching toward favorable comparisons with 2021.

Volumes are leveling out at the start of December, delaying the seasonal dip that ordinarily occurs at this time of the year.

Tender volumes were outpacing 2022 levels before the holiday and came within spitting distance of 2020 — freight demand’s second-best year on record.

CMA CGM, like many other carriers, is reporting serious revenue loss. The North America president and CEO goes into detail with American Shipper and explains why the company is investing in more physical infrastructure.

This week, freight markets underwent a surprising rally that saw a wave of volumes sweep across the country.

Domestic manufacturers fail to inspire optimism, since they foresee major headwinds on output in the first half of 2024.

The upcoming months are littered with major holidays during which carriers can leverage seasonal constraints on capacity for higher spot rates.

Freight broker and carrier agents at PFQ Companies — carriers Pioneer Transport, Falcon Transport, Quaker Transport and brokerage Quaker Transportation — are thriving, having built businesses able to withstand market highs and lows.

Outside of the holiday rush periods, the fundamental lack of freight demand will continue to expose the lingering overcapacity in the market.

The impacts of double brokering are felt by carriers and brokers alike, disrupting operations and causing financial and liability risks for everyone involved.

Given the surplus of available capacity, shippers are more confident in switching to “just-in-time” freight strategies as consumer resilience remains an open question.

The nature of lithium-ion batteries — and the gasses they produce while burning — make it difficult for even the most prepared fire departments to extinguish these fires.

By next week, it is likely that actual freight flow will have finally risen on a yearly basis for the first time since May 2022.

While volatile markets are inherently difficult to navigate, they also provide an opportunity for enhanced relationship building between shippers and their transportation partners.

Consumer demand during the holiday season is expected to be relatively soft, which should temper expectations for a red-hot peak season in truckload markets.

Perhaps the most pressing question for both freight markets and the broader economy is how the consumer will fare in the coming months.

Gary Langston, president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, joins Taking The Hire Road to discuss advocacy and the next generation of leaders in the industry.

Rejection rates gathered some promising momentum in the run-up to Labor Day, though these gains are slowly being lost.

After a none-too-brief break, the Pricing Power Index is resuming its regular Friday schedule.

“We’re constantly in touch with customers to make sure services and standards are met,” said Sam Burkhan, CEO and co-founder of ITF Group.

Ditat is planning to roll out its new user interface, which will improve the overall appearance of its TMS, making it more mobile-friendly.

“…at FreightVerify, it is a distinct honor to play a role in the industry’s transformation,” said FreightVerify’s Greg Nelson.

A collapse in volumes, an overabundance of carriers in the market and rising operational costs have tested transportation providers’ endurance. All the while, companies continue to combat deep-rooted issues that plague the industry, especially the ongoing driver shortage. But it’s not all doom and gloom. If history and past trucking cycles tell us anything, the […]

Companies that are able to make data-driven decisions gain a competitive edge over their peers in any market.

Against significant odds, the Federal Reserve might realize its once-unlikely goal of a “soft landing” — that is, taming inflation without also triggering a recession.

Freight volumes continue to trend sideways, which is a positive sign overall as the 15th of July traditionally marks a time for slowing demand in the freight market.

Low-volume contract lanes are often overlooked due to their size, but if mismanaged, these small volumes can have a large impact on a shipper’s bottom line.

Demand from retail shippers is historically quiet in the period from now until August, after which retailers restock their shelves for the back-to-school season.

Canada and Mexico are seeing tremendous growth as a result of nearshoring efforts. This has generated significant interest in cross-border capabilities.

Demand from retail shippers is historically quiet in the period from now until August, after which retailers restock their shelves for the back-to-school season.

Maritime’s peak season — which typically ramps up in August and lasts throughout October — is expected by retailers and supply chain professionals to be weaker than it has been in previous years.

Tender rejections have yet to return to mid-May’s all-time low, but their softness could persist in a trough for the next two quarters.

One last round of bad news to cap this week: China and the U.S. both posted dismal data from their respective industrial economies.

Volumes did see some growth ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, though not nearly enough to bust out the champagne and sparklers.

LASH carriers were the predecessors to today’s container ships. In 1974, soon after they hit the scene, a record number of the ships were built.

Reliance Partners’ CFO, Thomas Albrecht, warns about the underestimated impact of the ongoing bank crisis on the freight community. Discover how loan activity, interest rates, and funding for truckers and carriers may be affected.

So as not to bury the lede, this week’s lack of change in the PPI might ultimately prove to be the most exciting stability in quite some time.

Despite expectations for seasonal growth in the second quarter, the health of the American consumer has continued to become more precarious, stirring headwinds for even once-reliable sources of freight.

Volumes are just beginning to tick up at the tail end of April, but freight demand in the quarter has been mostly flat and thus grossly unseasonable.

TriumphPay and Highway join forces to create an exclusive algorithm that will combat double brokering.

“We could make carriers’ lives easier by giving them a single tool that they can use to make sure that they are not missing any hiring steps,” said LogRock co-founder and CEO Hunter Yaw.

While ocean carriers are not facing the same risks as their domestic trucking counterparts, given their consolidation and enormous war chests, ocean’s weakness in demand will continue to trickle down into truckload markets.

Despite seeing slight seasonal growth, truckload markets are showing a continued soft patch.

“Our growth and potential were being hindered by manual processes and limited visibility into workflows,” US Cargo Brokers founder Adam Konopko said. “After adopting Ditat’s TMS, US Cargo experienced a complete transformation.”