Truckload Indexes

Volumes are just beginning to tick up at the tail end of April, but freight demand in the quarter has been mostly flat and thus grossly unseasonable.

The Q2 Freight Sentiment Indexes show carriers lower, brokers higher and shippers about the same despite ample pricing power.

While ocean carriers are not facing the same risks as their domestic trucking counterparts, given their consolidation and enormous war chests, ocean’s weakness in demand will continue to trickle down into truckload markets.

Despite seeing slight seasonal growth, truckload markets are showing a continued soft patch.

The gap between current levels of freight demand and those of 2019 is narrowing, casting doubt on the market’s ability to sustain growth.

C.H. Robinson is not rushing to select Jim Barber as CEO, leading some to wonder if he is the perfect fit for the demanding job.

The consumer will be key to resolving the present tension in freight demand’s future, but consumers continue to be predictably unpredictable.

Market conditions will likely become a bit more favorable before they get much worse.

Strangely enough, tender volumes are abiding by seasonal trends.

Strangely enough, tender volumes are abiding by seasonal trends. The first quarter of 2022 was unusually active as shippers tried to get ahead of disruptions to capacity, which historically tightens in the spring.