freight demand
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Intermodal’s 18% Weekly Gain Is Not a Demand Boom—The Holiday Distortion Shippers Should See Before Q4 Bids
AAR’s latest comparison is accurate but calendar-distorted. Actual intermodal volume fell 1.3% from the prior week, while year-to-date growth reached 4.2%. Shippers should separate the headline from the planning signal.
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The Next Freight Squeeze May Be Inland: Intermodal Demand Is Testing Rail Capacity
Stronger ocean volumes are feeding into a less flexible inland network. Union Pacific’s capacity actions suggest some shippers could encounter tighter allocations and higher costs before a nationwide rail bottleneck…
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Record Containers, Softer Imports: Freight’s Peak Season Is Splitting in Two
July’s frontloaded port surge could fade as U.S. factory demand strengthens. Here are the lane, capacity and inventory decisions shippers should make now.
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U.S. Factory Production Jumps—A New Freight-Demand Signal Is Forming
July factory production reached a nearly five-year high as backlogs, exports and employment expanded—an important leading signal for freight capacity and shipper planning.
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The GDP Headline Says Slowdown. Freight Demand Says Something Else.
Q2 GDP slowed to 1.5%, but private demand, consumer spending, equipment investment and June LTL tonnage point to firmer freight activity—and hotter costs.