Cass Freight Index

Cass shipments turn positive year-over-year in October

Unidentified truck on highway

The Cass Freight Index posted its first year-over-year shipments increase in nearly two years during October. Shipments climbed 2.4% during the month with expenditures rising 3.1%. Both were basically flat compared to September.

The Thursday report showed shipments posting their highest year-over-year growth since October 2018 and 27.8% above the April bottom.

“We should see this continue through year-end, assuming current freight trends continue, even with normal seasonal softening month to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cass-shipments-turn-positive-year-over-year-in-october

Freight volumes and expenditures advance further during September

Unidentified truck on highway

The Cass Freight Index continued to improve in September with the shipments index climbing 7.1% compared to August and the expenditures component advancing 7.2%.

On a year-over-year basis, shipments were down only 1.8%, the best year-over-year comparison since November and much improved from the 7.6% decline last month. The index is up 28% from the COVID-induced April trough and it is expected to remain “strong through year-end, as inventories remain relatively lean, and we expect freight to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freight-volumes-and-pricing-advance-further-during-september

Cass sees freight trends accelerate sequentially in August

Unidentified truck on highway

Cass Information Systems’ (NASDAQ: CASS) August report showed further sequential gains in the freight markets with shipments increasing 8% and expenditures climbing 9.9% from July.

Data for the month echoes other recent bullish trends and commentary from the trucking sector, showing that April was the bottom for volumes with continual improvement in freight demand since. Cass’ expenditures index shows freight payments troughed in May, improving each month after.

“This supports what we have heard...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/cass-sees-freight-trends-accelerate-sequentially-in-august

The Daily Dash: FreightWaves Carrier Summit wraps up, and what is a digital trucking fleet?

Digital trucking fleet

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, the FreightWaves Carrier Summit concluded on Thursday with a series of sessions focused on carriers, driver recruiting, the supply chain and technology. Plus, U.S. Xpress CEO Eric Fuller explains what a digital trucking fleet is, Amazon suffers another court loss, and Prologis is training the workers of the future.

Carrier Summit concludes

The FreightWaves Carrier Summit concluded its two-day run on...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-daily-dash-freightwaves-carrier-summit-wraps-up-and-what-is-a-digital-trucking-fleet

Sluggish recovery in Cass freight data

Truck traveling along highway

Freight data provided by Cass Information Systems for July continues to lag other market indicators. While the freight index displayed a 4.8% sequential monthly improvement in shipments from June to July, with expenditures increasing 2.8%, the dataset is still a long way off of prior-year levels, posting a 13.1% year-over-year decline in shipments, with expenditures falling 14.3%.

The report’s author, Stifel Financial (NYSE: SF) equity research analyst David Ross, pointed to headwinds like...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/sluggish-recovery-in-cass-freight-data

Truckload earnings have good start, Cass data still ‘lagging’

Truck on highway with intermodal train in the background

The Cass Freight Index recorded sequential improvement from May to June, but the year-over-year declines remain large.

The June shipments component of the index was up 3.5% from May with freight expenditures improving 6.4%. However, the year-over-year declines for shipments (-17.8%) and expenditures (-18.3%) keep the indexes below pre-pandemic levels.

Chart: Cass Shipments – Cass Information Systems, Inc and Stifel research

“We were thinking the June rebound would have been stronger, based on what...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truckload-earnings-have-good-start-cass-data-still-lagging

Bigger freight declines in May highlight Cass data surprise

Unidentified truck on highway

The Cass Freight Index saw year-over-year declines widen in May, a result likely worse than many had been expecting.

The shipments component of the index fell 23.6% year-over-year in May, outpacing the 22.7% year-over-year decline reported in April. Freight expenditures dropped 21.2% year-over-year, worse than the 18.2% year-over-year decline reported in the prior month.

Shipments did improve slightly from April – up 1.6% sequentially.

Chart: Cass Freight Index – Shipments; Source: Cass...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/bigger-freight-declines-in-may-highlight-cass-data-surprise

2018 was worse than 2020 for trucking

Chart of the Week: Outbound Tender Rejection Index – USA, DAT Longhaul Van Rate – National SONAR: OTRI.USA, DATVF.VNU

Anything that provides immediate, intense gratification typically comes at a high cost. The cost of the 2017-18 freight boom has lasted for nearly two years. Spot rates, which are a good measure of capacity fluctuations in the domestic trucking market, grew as fast as they ever have in 2017-18, culminating at a peak around the Fourth of July in 2018. Not only were volumes growing...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/2018-was-worse-than-2020-for-carriers

Worst truckload linehaul data in 15 years may mark the bottom

Payment management solutions provider Cass Information Systems’ (NASDAQ: CASS) freight index fell mightily in April as expected. The shipments component of the index dropped 22.7% year-over-year with the expenditures component off 18.2% as the U.S. economy felt the brunt of a full month’s worth of lockdowns.

The report’s author, Stifel Financial (NYSE: SF) equity research analyst David Ross, said April marks the bottom. “May should be better, as the U.S. economy slowly begins to reopen and some...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/worst-truckload-linehaul-data-in-15-years-may-mark-a-bottom

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