White Paper: State of the Industry – July 2025

Key Takeaways:

  • Ocean spot rates and bookings surged recently due to geopolitical factors and easing U.S.-China trade tensions.
  • Truckload demand has plateaued, with no significant growth expected until peak season.
  • Intermodal demand is projected to increase in Q3 because of upcoming maritime imports.
  • Weak macroeconomic data, reflecting low consumer, manufacturer, and homebuilder confidence, hasn't prompted the Federal Open Market Committee to lower interest rates.

The July 2025 “State of the Industry Report” — presented in affiliation with Ryder — shares an in-depth overview across the trucking, maritime and intermodal markets, as well as what to expect in the coming weeks. The data contained within the report provides breakdowns of capacity, volumes and rates.

In this report, you will find:

  • Driven by geopolitical risk and cooling U.S.-China trade tensions, ocean spot rates and bookings have spiked in recent weeks.
  • Outside of a holiday-induced bump, truckload demand has remained stagnant over the past few months and is unlikely to see significant growth until peak season.
  • The Q3 outlook for intermodal demand is far sunnier, thanks to the coming wave of maritime imports.
  • Macroeconomic data is wavering and has fallen to meet depressed sentiment among consumers, manufacturers and homebuilders.
  • The Federal Open Market Committee was not persuaded by this concerning weakness at its June meeting, however. Citing a stable (though arguably precarious) job market, it once again withheld cuts to the federal funds rate.

Download the complimentary report today to access the full insights.

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