truckload demand

Liberation Day triggers panic mode for manufacturers

Despite solid fundamentals, sentiment in the U.S. manufacturing sector has mostly been informed by buzzy anxieties over economic growth.

Take durable goods, for example: After a surprising beat on new orders in January, analysts expected a correction in February. Instead, new orders for durable goods grew 0.9% month over month (m/m) against consensus expectations of a 1% m/m drop, while January’s growth was revised up to 3.3% m/m.

SONAR: U.S. core durable goods orders, in millions USD (white,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/liberation-day-triggers-panic-mode-for-manufacturers

Surface transportation demand starting to soften

Chart of the Week: Outbound Loaded Rail Container Volume, Outbound Tender Volume Index – USA SONAR: ORAILL.USA, OTVI.USA

Requests for truckload capacity (OTVI) have averaged nearly 9% lower year over year (y/y) since mid-February, while intermodal volumes (ORAILL) have remained relatively steady, growing at a 5% rate since the start of the year. This places total transportation demand in a state of decline, regardless of seasonal influences. Should this be considered a concerning signal from an...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/surface-transportation-demand-starting-to-soften

Industrial outlook darkens ahead of tariffs

In the run-up to Tuesday’s promised barrage of tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, the U.S. industrial sector is not looking so hot — a dark omen for domestic freight demand.

Unstable foundations for housing

For one, construction spending took an unexpected hit in January, down 0.2% from December against consensus expectations of stability. Outlays for private residential projects fell 0.4%, despite a 0.6% monthly rise in single-family spending.

SONAR: Total U.S. construction spending, in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/industrial-outlook-darkens-ahead-of-tariffs

Trucking execs see green shoots as industry awaits upturn

Signs that a freight recovery may be taking shape continue to surface, said trucking executives on the investor conference circuit this week. The overall sentiment is that the truckload industry is no longer in a recession and that normal seasonal trends have returned, but no one is ready to commit to when a meaningful positive inflection will occur.

“We know we’re coming off the bottom of the market,” Drew Wilkerson, CEO at truck broker RXO (NYSE: RXO), told investors at Citi’s 2025 Global...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucking-execs-point-to-green-shoots-as-industry-awaits-upturn

Los ejecutivos de camiones ven brotes verdes mientras la industria espera la mejora

Los signos de que una recuperación de carga puede estar tomando forma continúa a la superficie, dijeron que los ejecutivos de camiones en el circuito de la conferencia de inversores esta semana. El sentimiento general es que la industria de la carga de camiones ya no está en una recesión y que las...

https://fullavantenews.com/los-ejecutivos-de-camiones-ven-brotes-verdes-mientras-la-industria-espera-la-mejora/?lang=es

Can the US consumer survive a trade war?

Reading the latest headlines, one might expect the U.S. economy to be barrelling into a recession or even depression. The chaotic uncertainty of President Donald Trump’s trade approach — what his supporters might call “the art of the deal” — has given businesses whiplash and set many markets to panicking.

But should consumers be afraid?

No, probably not. If they were able to keep pace with the incredible inflation of the early pandemic, consumers should be able to weather any storm kicked up by...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/can-the-us-consumer-survive-a-trade-war

¿Puede el consumidor estadounidense sobrevivir a una guerra comercial?

Al leer los últimos titulares, uno podría esperar que la economía estadounidense se acerque a una recesión o incluso depresión. La incertidumbre caótica del enfoque comercial del presidente Donald Trump, lo que sus partidarios podrían llamar «el arte del acuerdo», le ha dado a las empresas un...

https://fullavantenews.com/puede-el-consumidor-estadounidense-sobrevivir-a-una-guerra-comercial/?lang=es

Automakers taken for a spin following tariff announcements

The U.S. automotive industry is bracing for a massive shake-up after President Donald Trump announced a round of tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China.

Initially set to take effect on Tuesday, the new measures impose a 25% duty on goods from Canada and Mexico, in addition to raising tariffs on Chinese imports by 10%. The tariffs were justified by Trump as a response to concerns over these countries’ roles in fentanyl trafficking, illegal immigration and trade imbalances.

Following a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/automakers-taken-for-a-spin-following-tariff-announcements

Energy markets panic over tariffs, but then relax

Energy markets on Monday at least partly shrugged off the potential impact on prices of new U.S. tariffs. 

Most of the tariffs are set to take effect on Tuesday, though Trump extended the deadline for Mexico by one month after its president pledged to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Refiners balk at higher costs

In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) — a domestic benchmark — crude futures surged by $2.65 per barrel, outpacing...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/energy-markets-panic-over-tariffs-but-then-relax

Truckers don’t need to worry about the economy

In perhaps the least surprising conference over the past several months, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced that the Fed was leaving its target interest rates untouched for now.

SONAR: Effective federal funds rate (white).
To learn more about FreightWaves SONAR, click here.

At last Wednesday’s press conference, Powell reiterated the Fed’s commitment to make data-driven decisions in accordance with its “dual mandate,” which is to stabilize prices and secure maximum employment. 

One of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truckers-dont-need-to-worry-about-the-economy

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