Manufacturing index

Manufacturing grew at a moderate pace in June, continuing a 13-month hot streak.

New trailer orders slid dramatically in April as manufacturers had more dry and refrigerated van bookings than they could build.

FreightWaves partnered with Redwood Logistics to assess the current state of the manufacturing industry and assess where it is headed in the new year.

A consensus is emerging that a unique feature of the COVID-19 pandemic on freight markets is that it has created tremendous imbalances on carriers’ lanes

ISM data in both the service sector and manufacturing sector suggest the economy is slowing and recent tariffs could make things worse

A great deal of focus has been placed on the seasonal weakness in TL volumes, but LTL volume weakness is equaling concerning.

Survey data from the manufacturing and service sectors continue to point towards growth in the overall economy. Manufacturing activity rebounded nicely in March, while readings from the service sector slipped but remain generally strong.

Manufacturing leads first-party logistics growth because of the sector’s long-established supply chains. Retail is the next-largest contributor to first-party logistics growth through the impact of e-commerce.

Survey data in both the manufacturing and service sectors signal that growth continued at a slightly slower pace at the start of the 3rd quarter. Concerns over tariffs, labor shortages, and freight capacity remain issues in the economy overall, and may have contributed to the moderation in growth.

Survey data in both the manufacturing and service sectors continued to point to strong economic growth at the end of the 2nd quarter. Details in the survey responses continue to suggest that high transportation costs, labor shortages, and tariff uncertainty remain significant issues in the economy.

Manufacturing activity continues to expand in the 2nd quarter, and challenges with finding employees and tight freight capacity have made it difficult for producers in the economy to keep up with strong demand.

While still strong, conditions may be moderating for the trucking industry as key indicators are slowly retreating from recent highs.

The trucking turnover rate at truckload fleets remains near historical lows, but it did tick up a bit in the first quarter of 2017, said the American Trucking Associations.