For flatbed carriers and brokers, Texas has been a strong performer benefiting from the 2022 coastal shift in imports away from the West Coast. At $2.33/mile, excluding fuel, outbound linehaul rates in Texas are at the second-highest level in seven years. They are a direct result of the substantial increase in breakbulk import volumes into…
The business section of your favorite bookstore is jammed with titles about navigating hard times, down markets, and “headwinds.” Many such books agree on what white-collar professionals are wise to do when the going gets tough: get back to basics. When there isn’t enough work coming in to keep you busy, use the downtime to…
The February 2023 reading of the for-hire trucking ton-mile seasonally adjusted index produced by Yemisi Bolumole and Jason Miller at Michigan State University (MSU) saw demand flat compared to January 2023 and down 1% y/y. The ton-mileage index is derived from the physical quantity output for 41 freight-producing industry sectors. According to Professor Miller, “Demand…
The unofficial start date for the 2023 produce season has been announced for truckload carriers, and it’s April 19th when the much-awaited Vidalia Onion begins shipping. Around the same time, the Florida produce season is almost halfway through, followed by the start of the peach season in Georgia and South Carolina. This creates a chain…
The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) increased 3.3 points in March to 61.3, it remains only slightly above its all-time low set late last year. The HPSI indicates future flatbed demand for truckload carriers based on a monthly survey of 1,000 consumers who make household financial decisions. Survey questions ask consumers whether they…
The Georgia peach season has suffered a setback this year. After a warmer winter followed by several days of freezing temperatures in March, Georgia peach farmers “fear a brutal, one-two punch may have wiped out much of their crop.” At the start of March, Georgia’s oldest operating peach packinghouse Dickey’s Farms, reported peach trees were…
The March Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) came in at 51.1, down -3.6 from February and the lowest reading for the overall index in the 6.5-year history of the LMI. The March result is driven by an all-time low in Transportation Prices, down (-5.0) to 31.1. The LMI score combines eight unique components of the logistics…
On a recent DAT Freight & Analytics show, we interviewed Zac Rogers, Associate Professor, and discussed the latest results of the Logistics Managers Index. Here’s an excerpt from the interview. Ken Adamo (KA): It’s looking like we might be in for a bit of a slower year than expected. What are you seeing? Zac Rogers…
According to the nation’s supply chain executives in the latest Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), economic activity in manufacturing contracted in March for the fifth consecutive month following a 28-month period of growth. At 46.3%, the March Manufacturing PMI is at its lowest level since May 2020, when it registered…
One of the more critical dates on the annual produce calendar is the Vidalia onion “pack date,” signaling the start of the produce shipping season. Each year Vidalia onion devotees eagerly await the announcement of the pack date or time shoppers will soon be able to purchase the product, which is only available for a…