The recently released traffic fatalities report from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) projects that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. The projection is the highest number of deaths since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the…
Hurricane Season officially starts this week. If you live in a hurricane evacuation zone, now’s the time to replenish hurricane emergency supplies and prepare your home for the coming hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website has an 8-step plan to guide you through the process. The Atlantic hurricane forecast calls for…
Last week on DAT iQ Live we interviewed Professor Jason Miller of Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business. He reports that the sky is not falling in regard to the economy, contrary to popular belief in some sections of the media, and he’s seeing a very strong trucking economy at the moment. Get…
Summer officially starts this week, and for truckers, that means construction season starts also. There are only two seasons for commercial truck drivers – winter and construction. We desperately need an upgrade to our highway infrastructure, so we have to take the good with the bad; better roads and bridges mean more delays in the…
By Christina Ellington Steel output in the U.S. in the week ending June 11 fell by 3% compared with the same time frame in 2021, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). As a result, domestic raw steel production was 1,784,000 net tons, while the capability utilization rate was 81.7% compared to 1,834,000…
By Christina Ellington Produce peak season is underway. However, this season is not off to a strong start due to factors ranging from increased input costs to climate challenges. California is in its third consecutive year of drought and experienced a late frost this season. Mexico is also experiencing drought conditions, and the Southeast and…
Just over two years ago, U.S. consumers embarked on a spending spree that initially began with overstocking pantries with daily essentials and then quickly transitioned into buying record levels of physical goods for working, living, eating, and sleeping more at home. The pandemic changed many things in our daily lives but none more so than…
By Christina Ellington Import volumes are rising, and port congestion may not be far behind. The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) indicates that approximately 5% of domestic truckload freight tonnage comes directly from Imports. According to the latest data from PIERS, Imports for May are up 3% m/m and 6% y/y. For the CA ports of…
By Christina Ellington As fuel prices continue to rise with no apparent end in sight, oil companies can’t drill wells quickly enough to meet the growing demand. According to Baker Hughes, the national count shows a 61% y/y increase of weekly active drilling rigs as drilling companies react to recent supply and demand challenges. Oil…