economics

Will shippers’ confidence change when carriers regain pricing power?

Will 2024 bring a definitive end to the current freight recession?

That’s certainly the hope of the freight market writ large. Many carriers and brokers hobbled through 2023, and those still operating are anxiously awaiting any sign that pricing power is swinging back in their favor.

There are some indications that’s starting but not yet on a widespread or dramatic basis. The first quarter, after all, is historically a difficult one for freight. Adding to that is the fact that the final months of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freight-sentiment-indexes-q1-2024

Layoffs and bankruptcies pile up in logistics amid shocking downturn

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Since launching in 2017, FreightWaves’ team of award-winning reporters has covered the good — and bad

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/layoffs-and-bankruptcies-pile-up-in-logistics-amid-shocking-downturn

Finance expert points to cautionary signals for US freight demand

It’s actually possible for the freight economy, which has been stuck in recession for 18 months, to get worse even though the economy produced robust 4.9% growth in the third quarter, according to Danielle DiMartino Booth.

The QI Research CEO said the firehose of federal stimulus that has lasted three years is finally coming to an end, which will reduce purchasing power for millions of consumers. Her comments came Thursday during the second annual F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/finance-expert-points-to-cautionary-signals-for-us-freight-demand

No one’s having much fun in this freight market

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Entering the final quarter of 2023, the freight market has moved into an era of somber...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/no-ones-having-much-fun-in-this-freight-market

Increased consumer spending not enough to end trucking bloodbath

Ohio resident Matthew James Collins hauls frozen food around the Midwest — onion rings, ice cream and the like. On a recent October morning, Collins was trucking through a snowstorm in Minnesota. 

He wasn’t carrying much. Collins recalled when he ran this route last year, he would regularly move 22 skids of frozen foods (a type of pallet) for four different corporate accounts. Now he’s moving just 12 skids for two clients.

The health of the trucking industry is typically a good gauge for how the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/americans-are-getting-spendy-again-but-its-not-ending-jaw-dropping-trucking-bloodbath

Trucking congestion costs hit record $94.6B

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Congestion cost trucking companies a record $94.6 billion in 2021, according to a new study...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucking-congestion-costs-hit-record-94-6b

US economy tops trucking industry’s list of challenges

AUSTIN, Texas — The unsteady U.S. economy topped the list of trucking industry issues, the highest ranking since the Great Recession in 2008, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual survey of top-of-mind concerns for carriers and commercial drivers.

Economic jitters replaced fuel prices at the top of the report revealed Saturday at the American Truck Associations Management Conference and Exhibition. Fuel prices, on the rise for much of the year except for a brief...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-economy-tops-trucking-industrys-list-of-challenges

6 charts reveal freight industry is bouncing back

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Freight market conditions are improving. 

Let’s start with the FreightWaves SONAR Outbound Tender...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/6-charts-reveal-freight-industry-is-bouncing-back

Mom and pops are taking significant share of trucking industry

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/tEv_chYVlRNxTRLfc8I9vmZIEBJLkOLpP5tj01VxvDpclhUf5lZueBd0Okeiydjh3rit4SRr9Wra2mw63IKw1URZNFz0OL0IN9NAX-QcB5_Z8-nyVG_YsyyapWfvsq_VOyqYKwyd1ZG2XsMbEwXwxKs

Trucking is among the most fragmented industries on the planet. Growing up, I was told that there would be massive consolidation in the trucking industry following deregulation in 1980. 

Instead, the opposite has happened. This chart shows the growth in the number of individual trucking fleets from 2008 to now. 

To learn more about FreightWaves SONAR, click here.

There are a few reasons why — and some of them are unexpected.

The impact of deregulation on the trucking industry

Before deregulation,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/mom-and-pops-are-taking-significant-share-of-trucking-industry

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