Shippers are running out of room to maneuver as trucking capacity tightens, freight rates hold near record levels, and new driver rules choke off supply.
Shippers’ mood has been buoyed by positive economic prospects for the U.S., while brokers and carriers are encouraged by a possible market shift.
Shippers have rebounded in Q4 2023 to once again be the most positive segment. Carriers and brokers have lost some of the steam that led to relative optimism in Q3.
For the first time since freight sentiment index inception, shippers are the least positive group. Does that mean the market is balancing?
The Q2 Freight Sentiment Indexes show carriers lower, brokers higher and shippers about the same despite ample pricing power.
A report published Wednesday by Morgan Stanley Research highlights demand expectations and how carriers and brokers are hungry for freight.
The first freight sentiment indexes in 2023 show eroded near-term freight market expectations but signs of a more balanced landscape on the way.
Fourth-quarter 2022 Freight Sentiment Index (FSI) numbers show near-term pessimism for carriers but slight optimism for shippers, 3PLs and carriers in the longer term.
