Economic Trucking Trends: Shippers benefit from lower fuel prices, van rates get a bump

There’s good news for shippers this week, thanks to decreasing fuel prices. Dry van rates on the U.S. spot market also received a much-needed boost while reefer rates fell. All…

Economic Trucking Trends: Tonnage and trucking conditions improve, but spot market flat

Welcome to a special Monday edition of Economic Trucking Trends, as I, like many of you, chose to park it over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. But the economic news didn’t…

Economic Trucking Trends: Reefer rates improve on spot market, October trailer orders rise

What are truck and trailer orders telling us about overall freight conditions? ACT Research has noted a few trends: vocational demand is driving Class 8 orders, and trailer demand has…

Lack of regulatory support, excess capacity weigh on trucking industry

Frustrations over the misclassification of employee truckers as personal services businesses — the so-called Driver Inc. model — are mounting as a tough freight market has heightened the impact the…

Economic Trucking Trends: Signs of life in spot market, but full recovery will take time

It was a busy week with mixed signals coming from various economic indicators. Motive reported a notable spike in truck visits to retail facilities, signaling bloated inventories have finally been…

Economic Trucking Trends: Class 8 orders remain strong, potentially prolonging trucking’s pain

Conditions for truckers continue to be tough, but shippers aren’t throwing any parties, either. Rising fuel prices are hurting both truckers and shippers, with FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index plunging into…

Economic Trucking Trends: More capacity must leave before truckers feel relief

It was a busy couple weeks to be Bob Costello, chief economist of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), who we will lean on heavily in this week’s segment of Economic…

Trucking capacity still too high, but spring could bring relief: Costello

Bob Costello, chief economist with the American Trucking Associations (ATA), visited the Isaac Instruments user conference this year with a grim economic outlook, but also one that contained hints of…

Economic Trucking Trends: Tough conditions continue for fleets, particularly smaller ones

Overall trucking conditions plunged deeper into negative territory according to FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index, thanks to rising fuel prices and softer freight demand. No surprise, then, that the latest week…

Mullen posts strong Q3, sees balance returning to freight markets

Mullen Group shrugged off a freight recession in the third quarter, posting strong Q3 net income of $39.1 million, up 2.9% year over year. Revenue slid 2.8% to $504 million,…

Economic Trucking Trends: Canada’s spot market volumes strengthen, but U.S. rates fall further

This week we have encouraging news regarding the Canadian spot market, with more loads available and fewer truck postings competing for those loads. But in the U.S. spot market rates…

Economic Trucking Trends: Fleets jump at chance to place ’24 truck orders

Truck makers saw a surge in Class 8 orders as they fully opened 2024 order books last month — something industry analysts anticipated but nonetheless were encouraged to see. The…

Economic Trucking Trends: Shippers pinched by fuel costs, vocational orders driving truck market

It’s another mixed picture for the trucking industry this week. We see shippers suffering alongside their trucking providers thanks to rising fuel costs — and facing the added challenge of…

Economic Trucking Trends: Lots to digest in busy week for economic news in trucking

It’s been a busy week on the economic front, with mixed signals for the trucking industry. We saw signs that for-hire tonnage has bottomed out, fleets are being disciplined in…

Slow and steady recovery in store for truckers: FTR

It’s a mixed picture for the trucking market, with no immediate end to a soft rate environment in the near-term but gradually improving conditions. That was the message from Avery…