Flatbed demand, railroads’ chemical carload volumes, and the price of WTI crude are all bullish signals for an historically hot freight environment to continue through the rest of the year.
Donald Broughton says that the oil boom and Trump tax cuts are driving a young industrial expansion cycle; shippers continue to adjust supply chains to minimize transport costs; Google invests $550M in Chinese e-commerce site JD.com; China may put a tariff on US oil imports; Brazil’s trucker strike shattered economic growth outlooks; Asia-North America container rates are softening.
Output from the nation’s industrial sector climbed for the third consecutive month, as broad gains across industries helped compensate for a lull in auto production. This serves as yet another sign that freight demand will remain solid in the 2nd quarter.
Positive news from both manufacturing and construction sectors, as gain in each help drive up freight demand in the economy
Manufacturing industrial production surged in February, but housing starts slipped in a mixed day for freight demand
The Federal Reserve reported that total industrial production declined 0.1% in January from December’s levels, weighed down by a 1% decline in mining output in the economy.
