National Retail Federation

Weekly US intermodal traffic jumps 22%

A photograph of a train hauling intermodal containers.

Sizable year-over-year gains for intermodal, coal and grain helped boost U.S. rail volumes last week.

Weekly U.S. rail traffic climbed 12.5% to 520,736 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Saturday, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Of that, U.S. intermodal volumes jumped 22.4% to 290,052 containers and trailers, while U.S. carload volumes rose 2.1% to 230,684 carloads.

A breakdown of outbound international rail container volume and outbound domestic rail container...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/weekly-us-intermodal-traffic-jumps-22

What freight carriers should know about Biden’s transportation review

An executive order issued by President Joe Biden has the potential to become one of the most important government documents in years directed at carriers and their customers working within the country’s transportation sector.

Key among the provisions of the “Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains,” issued Feb. 24 is a “sectoral supply chain assessment” of six industrial sectors, including transportation. It requires the secretary of transportation, consulting with the heads of the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/what-carriers-should-know-about-bidens-transportation-review

Retail container imports ‘expected to grow dramatically’

Containers will continue to land at a high rate

Record retail sales and continued inventory restocking provide the backdrop for the National Retail Federation’s increased expectations for inbound containers. On Monday, the group raised its forecast for first-half 2021 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) landing at major container ports in the U.S. to 23.3% year-over-year.

Final January numbers showed TEUs came in 13% higher year-over-year at 2.06 million, the busiest January in the dataset’s nearly 20-year history.

“NRF is forecasting what...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/retail-container-imports-expected-to-grow-dramatically

US intermodal traffic recovers from severe winter weather

A photograph of a train with intermodal containers traveling underneath a bridge.

U.S. intermodal traffic has bounced back to double-digit, year-over-year percentage gains after extreme winter weather conditions caused volumes to slip in late February.

Intermodal volumes for the week ending last Saturday rose 11.6% to 271,248 intermodal containers, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The increase helped boost overall U.S. rail traffic to grow 1.7% from the same period in 2020 to 486,429 carloads and intermodal units.

Indeed, according to this SONAR chart,...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-intermodal-traffic-recovers-from-severe-winter-weather

‘Improved’ inventories still lagging sales growth; tailwind for trucking

Retail inventories still challenged

The nation’s largest retailers are painting a more constructive picture on inventories. On a sequential comparison, merchandise levels have continued to recover from the widespread stockouts seen in the early days of the pandemic. But record demand throughout the summer, fall and holiday buying season have inventories still in need of significant replenishment, which is a favorable catalyst for trucking demand.

A look at the retail sector’s recent earnings reports showed that sales outpaced...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/improved-inventories-still-lagging-sales-growth;-tailwind-for-trucking

NRF retail sales forecast says ‘Party on, freight markets’

This is an excerpt from Thursday’s (2/25) Point of Sale retail supply chain newsletter sponsored by ArcBest.

Retail sales are expected to grow this year between 6.5% and 8.2%, amounting to more than $4.33 trillion, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual sales forecast released Wednesday. 

Preliminary results indicate retail sales grew 6.7% in 2020, despite the challenges from the global health crisis. That total nearly doubles the NRF original forecast of 3.5% prior to the pandemic...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/nrf-retail-sales-forecast-says-party-on-freight-markets

GSCW chat recap: NRF’s Gold talks port congestion impact on retail

A photograph of a man in a room in his house.

This fireside chat recap is from Day 2 of FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week. Day 2 focuses on retail, building and construction.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: The price of congestion: How is the retail industry navigating the container congestion? 

DETAILS: Lori Ann LaRocco speaks with Jonathan Gold about the retail import slowdown. No retailer wants to have empty shelves or place items they receive late immediately on discount. These added costs from the delays ultimately have to be absorbed by the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gscw-chat-recap:-nrfs-gold-talks-port-congestion-impact-on-retail

North American intermodal volumes climbed nearly 10% in Q4: IANA

A photograph of intermodal containers on a train.

North American intermodal volumes gained nearly 10% in the fourth quarter of 2020, setting the pace for the first quarter of 2021, according to the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA).

“Intermodal continued its comeback in the fourth quarter after declines in the first half of the year. Against the backdrop of COVID, all market sectors posted gains, setting the pace into at least Q1 of 2021,” said IANA President and CEO Joni Casey. IANA estimates that 2021 intermodal volumes could...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/north-american-intermodal-volumes-climbed-nearly-10-in-q4-iana

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