Nowadays, your profitability as a carrier is tied to your ability to identify the best available loads before your competitors do. Having ready access to timely, comprehensive load information helps you save time and grow your business – and that’s where DAT comes in. Here are two ways you can leverage your DAT One subscription…
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes in May increased by five points to 50, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This marks the fifth straight month that builder confidence has increased and is the first time sentiment levels have reached the midpoint mark of…
Understanding the demand for produce is critical to understanding supply and demand, and a great place to start is your local festival. Most produce-growing regions love to celebrate their annual harvest and typically hold a significant festival each year around the peak harvest time. Here are some key dates to watch: Florida Strawberry Festival –…
Some recent truckload demand indexes align to paint a gloomy picture for truckload carriers looking for a rebound in freight demand this year. So far, many of the publicly traded trucking companies reported that they didn’t see the usual seasonal bounce in freight volumes in March that they expected, according to Prof. Jason Miller at…
On a recent cross-country road trip the entire length of Interstate 80, it was obvious that speed isn’t the issue regarding road safety. From a driver who has 2 million over-the-road miles behind them, it’s not speed that’s the problem; it’s the inappropriate speed for the current conditions. And it’s not linear (i.e., the faster…
The Spring 2023 Semiannual Economic Forecast by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) forecasts the U.S. economy will continue to expand softly for the rest of 2023. The ISM expects the remainder of 2023 “are similar to those expressed in December 2022, despite continued inflation and geopolitical uncertainty”, according to Timothy R. Fiore, Chair of…
Truckload freight volumes declined, and national average spot rates for dry van and refrigerated (“reefer”) loads fell for the fourth consecutive month in April. The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI), a measure of loads moved during a given month, was lower for all three equipment types: Van TVI was 206, down 15.5% from March and…
The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) increased in April to its highest level since May 2022, jumping 5.5 points to 66.8. Year over year, the full index is down 1.7 points. All six of the HPSI’s components increased monthly, most notably the component associated with consumers’ expectations of mortgage rates. While the component…
The substantial development of new warehouses along our interstates has been hard to miss in the last two years. Newmark has conducted a report that explores factors driving accelerated sector growth and quantifies key metrics for top U.S. cold storage markets experiencing expansion. According to Newmark, national cold storage development hit an all-time high of…
One of the great joys of trucking is the joy our work brings to children. When we’re young, the image of a giant truck soaring by on the highway is a pure marvel – like you’re seeing a real-life Transformer. And if you’re the type of trucker who responds to passers-by pantomiming horn pulls with…
Produce season is upon us, and you don’t have to be hauling food to feel its effects. It’s a time of year when demand for trucks is near its highest. And when demand rises, rates follow. That’s why this is a time of year most carriers look forward to, especially when freight markets have been…
Higher levels of commercial construction activity are offsetting the well-documented slowdown in residential construction. Boosted by new developments for electric vehicles, schools, e-commerce warehouses, manufacturing plants, and more recently, infrastructure projects, flatbed and specialized carriers are seeing more robust than expected demand this year. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, construction spending for non-residential projects…
The 2023 produce season starts in the Southeast but is driven by California regarding the market-wide lift truckload volume and spot rates. The multi-year drought in California suppressed the 2022 produce season; this year, it’s impacted by extensive flooding in January and March. The area worst affected by the flooding was the Salinas Valley, where…
The U.S. Bank Freight Payments Index is based on more than $46 billion in freight payments annually and provides a quarterly look at the domestic truckload and less-than-truckload freight market. There were some mixed signals in the recently published first-quarter report for 2023. Even though the volume of shipments decreased by just over 6% compared…
The transportation logistics industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs in recent years – from the COVID-19 pandemic to recent supply chain issues. Now, in response to this tumultuous environment, the logistics industry has become increasingly data-driven. To help optimize supply chains, predict and prepare for market shifts, better understand performance, and…
Shippers and carriers say, “We have long memories” when the power dynamics change in freight markets. But according to research conducted by the MIT Center for Technology & Logistics (MIT CTL) in November 2020, strong shipper-carrier relationships in a soft market do not predict how carriers will perform in the next tight cycle. As we…
In the past decade, data has become perhaps the most important tool a company can use to make strategic decisions and see success. In light of this, Dr. Chris Caplice sat down with Scott Friesen, EVP of Strategic Analytics for Echo Global Logistics, for an episode of Freightvine. In this episode, the pair discuss the…
About 84% of U.S. adults are expected to spend a record $35.7 billion this coming Mother’s Day, representing an increase of $4 billion from 2022’s record spending, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Their recently released annual survey indicates consumers plan to spend an average of $274.02 on Mother’s Day items. Whichever way you…
International Roadcheck is an annual three-day event when CVSA-certified inspectors conduct compliance, enforcement, and educational initiatives targeting various motor carrier, vehicle, and driver safety elements. It is the most extensive targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles worldwide, inspecting more than 1.8 million vehicles since 1988. The next International Roadcheck is scheduled for May 16-18,…
Although housing construction activity has slowed faster than most expected, the extensive construction of new commercial warehouses along our nation’s interstate highways is hard to ignore. The flatbed freight market has been surprisingly robust this year following two years driven mainly by record levels of housing construction. The contraction in the latter has been offset…
If you think of tulips, you’d most likely think of the Netherlands and the patchwork quilt of colored tulips this time of the year. The Netherlands now leads the global tulip trade centered around the world’s largest flower auction in Alsmeer, a stone’s throw from Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport. Such is the Dutch global dominance of…
Finding the best loads is key to your business’s profitability. Few tools in your toolbox have as much impact on your bottom line as your load board of choice, and that’s just when it comes to finding freight. When it comes to having a clear picture of your rates, a good load board can show…
U.S. single-family homebuilding increased for a second straight month in March, following a 3.36% sequential gain. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, building permits, a leading indicator of future flatbed demand, increased by 4% m/m, offering some glimmers of hope for the depressed housing market ahead of the busy spring selling season. The industry started…
Last September, we wrote about carrier profitability and operating costs when spot rates fell and diesel came off record highs. At the time, we estimated operating costs for a typical long-haul truck operator to be around $2.01/mile – that includes wages, finance, insurance … basically everything it costs to run a truck and pay a…
As we head into planting season, combine harvester sales in the U.S. and Canada continue to grow while tractor sales are tracking closely with their 5-year average, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). This is good news for flatbed and specialized carriers looking to gauge service demand this season.…
Almost every week, the USDA reports a slight shortage of trucks to haul sweet potatoes in Eastern North Carolina despite the season being well past the shipping peak in November each year. According to the USDA, the coastal plains region of North Carolina produced around 67% of total annual sweet potato production in the last…
The March reading of The Cass Freight Index shipments component fell 1.0% m/m in March as freight markets continue to work through an extended soft patch. “Mild weather this winter and Omicron a year ago supported volume comparisons in January and February, so the lower result in March was unsurprising. Soft real retail sales trends…
At last month’s Mid-America Truck Show (MATS) ProTalk sessions, numerous new carriers in the trucking industry asked what they should focus on. My answer was easy: understanding the demand for what you haul is critical to pricing, lanes, trailer type, freight market strategy, and profitability. In addition, new carriers must also invest in trusted and reliable…
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…
Around 10% of all containers imported into the U.S. are refrigerated, unlike their non-refrigerated counterparts, which mostly come from Asia and arrive on the West Coast—quite the opposite. According to the latest data from IHS Markit/Piers, almost half of March refrigerated imports came from Central America; 25% were loaded with bananas, with just under 60%…
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…
The alcohol industry produces an estimated 20,000 truckload equivalents each week, hauled mainly by truckload carriers, but it has yet to be all froth and bubbles for beverage makers. The world’s largest brewer, AB InBev, reported a fall in sales volume at the end of last year as steep price increases prompted a drop in…
On a recent DAT Freight & Analytics show, we interviewed Todd Amen, CEO and Founder of ATBS, to talk about owner-operator and small fleet viability. Here’s an excerpt: Dean Croke (DC): Now 2022 is in the books. What’s the outlook for small carriers this year? Todd Amen (TA): As you guys have been talking about, this…
It’s not peak season for tractor sales until April, coinciding with planting season, and although volumes typically decrease in February, last month’s 19.4% decrease was higher than last year. Total farm tractor sales are also down 17.2%year-to-date. Two smaller categories, 100+ HP 2WD and 4WD tractors, were up 2.7% y/y and 55% y/y, respectively. Compared…
Located in DAT’s Brooklyn, NY, freight market, the Hunts Point Produce Market (HPPM) is regarded as the largest produce market in the U.S., with roots dating back to 1790. Situated on nearly 120 acres in the Bronx, on its busiest day, typically right before Thanksgiving, it can handle 30 million pounds of produce. Thousands of…
For some time now, we’ve been wondering if and when Class 1 railroads will take advantage of the shift in imports from the West Coast to the East Coast. Wait no longer. Ari Ashe at the Journal of Commerce reports Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) will launch a new international intermodal service between the Port of…
The first significant truck show of the 2023 season is this week. Truckers, fleet owners, media, equipment manufacturers, and industry suppliers will gather in Louisville, KY, for the world’s largest, longest-running, heavy-duty trucking show. Starting this Thursday, truckers and their families will make up the bulk of attendees over the three-day event, but some truckers…
The Port of Baltimore’s six public marine terminals handles autos, roll-on/roll-off (RoRo), containers, forest products, and project cargo. The port also handles more RoRo farm and construction machinery than any other U.S. port. Baltimore’s proximity to the Midwest’s major farm and construction equipment manufacturers has helped it become the leading U.S. port for combines, tractors,…
Who would have thought that in the space of a year, California would go from a multi-year drought to a series of atmospheric rivers to devastating flooding, landslides, and inaccessible farmland? Lettuce growers are nearing the end of the season in Yuma, AZ, or what’s known as the Winter Salad Bowl, where 90% of leafy…
Seize the moment and take back control of your rates What would you give to know you’re spending the right amount to move goods and eliminate all the guesswork? The market has shifted, and shippers have more leverage than they’ve had through the pandemic. Now is the time to optimize your spend so you can…
You made the first step – you’ve got your authority and you’re off the ground as a freight broker. You’re learning the ropes, expanding both your customer base and carrier network. What’s next? How do you keep the momentum going on your journey upward? That’ll give us a good place to start our conversation on…
The February Logistics Managers Index (LMI) came in at 54.7 in February, down (-2.9) from January’s reading of 57.6. While the overall diffusion index remains in expansion territory (values above 50 indicate expansion and below indicate contraction), February’s numbers broke the streak of two consecutive readings of increased growth. Notable movers in February were Transportation…
There’s debate as to whether there’s an actual net shortage of truck drivers to drive available trucks or a shortage of drivers wanting to make trucking a career. One thing is for sure, though: the industry has a huge problem retaining drivers and turning a driving job into a career. Why? It’s a tough job…
For the week ending on March 11, 2023, domestic steel mills made 1,677,000 net tons representing a decrease of 2% y/y or 60,000 tons or the equivalent of 2,400 fewer flatbed truckload equivalents. The capability utilization rate was 75%, down from 78.7% the previous year. The current week’s production represents a 1.9% decrease from the…
There’s a chance your produce has traveled more than you have. Consider that 2.6 million registered truck tractors are on our roads daily, and 70% of all U.S. agricultural products are shipped by truck. The average food item travels approximately 5,120 miles through the supply chain to reach your store. National Geographic reporters followed a…
By Michael Schneider, Tax Manager, ATBS. Every year there are changes to tax laws that may go under the radar for some self-employed truck drivers. Ignorance of these changes may cause carriers to miss out on significant savings when it comes time to file their taxes. That’s why we asked ATBS to provide a few…
By Michael Schneider, Tax Manager, ATBS. Every year there are changes to tax laws that may go under the radar for some self-employed truck drivers. Ignorance of these changes may cause carriers to miss out on significant savings when it comes time to file their taxes. That’s why we asked ATBS to provide a few…
It’s been a tough few years for shippers. With little to no leverage, shippers were forced to pay the rates demanded of them by carriers. They had their hands tied, and they didn’t have much choice except to pay the piper if they wanted to get products to market. But now things are changing. You’ve…
While overall truckload freight volume is holding steady for now, according to the latest ATA Truckload Tonnage Index, recent less-than-truckload (LTL) earning calls point to market softness following two years of volume increases. According to the Kearney 2022 Logistics Report, LTL freight transactions account for around 10% ($83 billion) of the $830 billion motor-carrier freight…
When you look at where and what comes into the U.S. in loaded import containers and what goes out as exports, there’s a common thread that may surprise you. While the freight mix and volume vary from port to port, trees, the biggest plants on the planet, are the common thread for imports and exports.…
The flatbed sector is off to a bustling start in 2023, boosted by significant projects resulting from the Infrastructure Bill and warmer weather, particularly in the Northeast. While the housing construction sector remains the wild card for flatbed carriers assessing the 2023 demand outlook, recent earnings calls from home improvement companies Lowes and Home Depot…
Located just an hour’s drive from Detroit on the shores of Lake Ontario is the produce-growing region in Leamington, ON. At the region’s heart is the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG), established in 1967 and representing approximately 170 members who grow greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers year-round on over 3800 acres. According to Richard Lee,…
The American Trucking Association’s advanced, seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 0.7% in January following the 1% m/m gain last December. Compared with January 2022, the SA index increased by 1.5%, the seventeenth year-over-year gain almost identical to early 2020 levels just before the pandemic took hold. ATA’s For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index is…
On a recent FreightVine podcast hosted by Prof. Chris Caplice, Senior Editor at the Journal of Commerce (JOC), Ari Ashe discussed the intermodal industry, including the drayage sector, where complex alliances, legal rulings, and a shortage of chassis trailers have plagued the sector for decades. Here’s an excerpt from the interview. Chris Caplice (CC): Demand for…
According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), U.S. agriculture tractor sales finished January 2023 in the negative, while in contrast, all segments of agriculture equipment grew in Canada. The January AEM report notes total U.S. agriculture tractor unit sales fell for the month of January in all segments except one, with 100+hp 2WD tractors…
We’re almost midway through Lent, and those observing the religious tradition will also abstain from eating meat on Fridays up to Easter. As a substitute, many turn to various fish recipes, and fish, including the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish, a popular option during Lent for decades. According to McDonald’s, which uses wild-caught Alaska Pollock in approximately 300…
What’s step one to kick off your business’ next growth stage? It all starts with the right TMS. Click here to see the TMS that scales with you. But let’s level the playing field – what is a TMS? A transportation management system (TMS) is a software platform that allows logistics professionals to streamline the…
The question most are asking is about the 2023 freight outlook following what can only be described as an unprecedented and volatile three-year period. Two-thirds the way through the first quarter of 2023, traditionally the quietest on the freight calendar, some early signs are emerging. Last week the Cass Shipments Index reported shipment volumes were…
On a recent DAT Freight & Analytics iQ show, Ibrahiim Bayaan, Director Americas Industrial at Nuveen, discussed the 2023 economic outlook for the commercial warehouse development. Here’s part of the interview with Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics, and Dean Croke, Principal Market Analyst. Dean Croke (DC): Where do you think commercial warehouse development is headed…
Home builders feel more confident as the year progresses based on The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, which increased by the highest sequential amount years. Homebuilder confidence for newly-built single-family homes in February rose 7 points to 42, according to the NAHB HMI, the highest reading since September and the most…
This week, the strawberry shipping season ramps up in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, centered around Plant City, FL. Even though most U.S. strawberry production comes from California (68%) and Mexico (21%) over the course of the year, Florida and Mexico produce the bulk of the winter strawberry crop for U.S. consumers, according…
Portrait of an African American female truck driver, viewed from the outside of her commercial truck. Smart businesses take advantage of every opportunity. They act proactively because more opportunities means more business. If you could guarantee you had more opportunities to grow and scale, wouldn’t you? DAT One offers 2.5x as many opportunities as the…
“Don’t bet against LA,” was the message from Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka following the steep decline in imports, according to the AJOT. A softening in consumer demand, a loss of cargo to East and Gulf coast ports, and the stalled dockworker contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU)…
On a recent DAT Freight & Analytics iQ show, Dustin Jalbert from Fastmarkets discussed the 2023 economic outlook for the lumber and housing construction industry. Here’s part of the interview with Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics, and Dean Croke, Principal Market Analyst. Dean Croke: Flatbed and dry van carriers have benefited substantially from the housing…
Fastmarkets report a record-setting surge in Southern Pine exports to Mexico propelled total U.S. softwood lumber shipments to a 30-year high in 2022. Shipments of all species to Mexico climbed to 385 million board feet last year, up 8% from 2021 and the third-highest annual total on record. For the first time since 2016, Mexico…
Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN), one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein with brands including Tyson, Jimmy Dean, and Ball Park, reported lower earnings in the first quarter due to falling beef and pork sales. Chris Casey at Fooddive reports, “In a call with analysts, CEO Donnie King said supply…
A beam of bright sunlight washes across Chamaine Jeffers’ face as she steers her truck through a wide left turn onto another Iowa highway. A ribbon of rhinestones forms a bejeweled band around her straw cowboy hat, culminating with a big heart right in front. The light that illuminates Jeffers’ face is perfectly timed to…
The tree of market conditions is bearing ripe fruit for shippers. With rates falling, carriers can’t demand higher prices – there’s room to negotiate and wiggle, which means you’ve got all the cards you need to play some winning hands. There’s good news incoming: the market is handing shippers some leverage, and you’re poised to…
The latest releases of manufacturing survey data for January are encouraging as we look ahead to what 2023 has in store. Although S&P Global and the Institute of Supply Management ISM manufacturing indexes show a decline in their respective diffusion indexes for the prior three months after 28 months of growth, we are not seeing…
Truckers used to joke that there were two seasons in the U.S. – winter and construction. No one is laughing now as congestion worsens along key interstates while the nations aging infrastructure is upgraded year-round. Spending on new projects resulting from the historic and bipartisan $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Bill signed in 2021 is now evident…
The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) is uniquely located on the Mississippi River near the Gulf of Mexico — with access to 30-plus major inland hubs such as Memphis, Chicago, and Canada via 14,500 miles of waterways, six Class I railroads and interstate highways. The trucking industry plays a vital role in the daily…
Regarded as the fasted growing and largest refrigerated port in the U.S., the Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) is home to the Packer Marine Terminal, adjacent to the Interstate 95 and 76 freight corridors. Processing around 300 reefer trucks daily, PhilaPort is within a day’s drive by truck to a third of the U.S. population, making…
February can be a slow month for truck drivers. Combine that with the market being sleepy in general right now and you have a scenario that could rattle your confidence. But there is reason for optimism. There is a rhythm to the trucking market. A cycle. And maintaining profitability is an exercise in timing those…
The growth in warehouse capacity in Phoenix is something to see, and one truckload carriers must keep an eye on. Current developments are hard to miss as you travel along I-10 west leading to Ontario and Los Angeles, as are the traffic snarls caused by never-ending highway construction. Current warehouse development extends 37 miles west…
Next week sweethearts of all ages will exchange cards, flowers, candy, and gifts in the name of St. Valentine. According to the latest National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, consumers are expected to spend $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, up from $23.9 billion in 2022 and one of the highest spending years on record.…
Last week’s release of the U.S. Bank National Shipments Index reported contracted a 4.6% decline during the final quarter of 2022. That drop is the most significant sequential decline since the first quarter of 2021 after decreasing for the last five quarters. Compared to the final quarter of 2021, the index contracted 7.1%, the most…
This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles square off in the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. The big day also coincides with peak shipping of the delicious Hass avocado from Mexico. Michoacán, the only Mexican state with certification to export avocados to the U.S., exports 84% of the avocados grown to the…
Intermodal provides a valuable complement to truckload regarding a shipper’s choice of transport mode for long-haul freight. Intermodal is typically slower than full truckload shipping (transportation takes at least one day longer on most lanes) and is more complex (it involves multiple parties). The benefits are considerable, though. They include cost-savings on high-volume lanes, especially…
Most truckers agree that driver behavior has changed in the last few years. The pandemic seems to have put everyone on edge, and anyone who has been driving long enough has felt like the lone sane driver in a sea of maniacs. The problem is that most drivers tend to overestimate their own driving ability.…
Texas flatbed carriers are enjoying some of the best outbound spot rates in the past seven years. At an average linehaul rate of $2.19/mile, only last year has been higher for the third week of the year when rates were $2.54/mile. Boosted by more substantial imports across the southern border and through the Port of…
After years of drought, rain is welcome news for California farmers of every commodity. Within 12 months, Californian farmers have gone from the grips of a multi-year drought and reduced crop acreage to concerns about the amount of water running off into the ocean. In just a few weeks, historic storms have hammered California, resulting…
The ports of Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia’s deepwater ports, together with inland terminals in Chatsworth, Bainbridge, and Columbus, are Georgia’s gateways to the world. According to data from IHS Markit, Savannah exported the second-highest number of reefer containers in December last year (14% of the total) behind Oakland, CA (17%). Savannah ranks number four on…
Record-level wage increases over the past three years continued well into the fourth quarter of 2022, according to data compiled by The National Transportation Institute (NTI). Gains in base wages — mileage and hourly pay — were reported across fleet type, industry segment, driver job type, and all experience levels. Likewise, motor carriers and private…
The high cost of diesel got everyone’s attention in the second half of 2022, but Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT) was already way ahead of the game. Based in Las Cruces, NM, the 2,100 truck fleet is as eye-catching as it is energy efficient. Al Muskewitz, Editor in Chief at HireMaster, the job search engine for…
After the pandemic pushed truckload rates into record-setting highs, the freight marketplace entered a down cycle in 2022. This puts motor carriers in a very different position entering the new year. Higher expenses affect all businesses, but motor carriers operating in the spot market have felt the pain more than most, caught between falling linehaul…
On top of the solid report on mortgage volume earlier today comes another hopeful report from the construction industry. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) says builder confidence in the new home market has improved for the first time in January after 12 straight months of declines. According to NAHB’s chief economist Robert Dietz,…
What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, we were talking about constrained truckload capacity and surging demand, as disruptions and bottlenecks piled up to wreak havoc on supply chains. A year later, transportation providers and purchasers have a different cloud of uncertainty hanging over them – the economy. Is a recession coming (or…
The current inverted market – where contract rates are well above spot rates – has presented plenty of opportunities for brokers. The historic gap between those rates has allowed for larger profit margins than were possible during the height of the pandemic. That gap will not continue indefinitely, and the shifting markets put a greater…
The results from last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week give carriers and drivers of preview of what’s in store this year. Last July, Canadian and U.S. officers pulled over more than 35,000 commercial motor and passenger vehicles. They issued 26,164 warnings and citations to commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in unsafe…
Last December, The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced plans to require every commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operating in interstate commerce to be equipped with electronic identification (ID) technology. This proposed technology could wirelessly communicate a unique ID number when queried by Federal or State motor carrier safety…
According to Fastmarkets 2023 Outlook, “widespread economic turmoil, including interest rates that soared to the highest levels in more than a decade, overshadowed the fact that 2022 was a banner year in the U.S. softwood lumber industry by historical standards. Fastmarkets’ latest projections indicate U.S. housing starts will drop 12.8% from last year due to…
A series of atmospheric river events has brought much-needed rain to California and some relief to dried-out almond farmers. Multi-year drought conditions should ease boosting reservoir levels. However, according to the latest reports, levels are still below the Jan average, with a lot of excess rain expected to end up in the ocean. Produce supply…
While California’s recent storms have caused widespread localized flooding, high winds, property damage, power outages and a number of deaths, they have not yet shut down the state’s key interstates, most major state highways or its ports. The storms that have been punishing California since Christmas are being caused by atmospheric rivers, which meteorologists call…
As the retail shopping season nears the finish line, December import volumes confirm a non-existent peak season in the retail sector. According to IHS Markit, TEU, (twenty-foot equivalent unit) import volumes were down 1% m/m and 12% y/y in December, and unlike prior years, import volumes are slowing rapidly. Since the peak in imports in…
We’ve all seen them driving along our interstates and in cities, thousands of huge oil storage tanks storing various products, including crude oil, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and more. Refiners often have clusters of storage tanks at their locations to maintain a running inventory of crude oil and store finished products before shipment. They are…
The outlook for flatbed carriers in the housing construction industry continues to worsen. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), homebuilder sentiment in November dropped for the 12th straight month to the lowest since 2012. Regionally, the sentiment was strongest in the Northeast and weakest in the West, where prices are highest. Single-family…
As the early stages of the 2023 produce season begin in southern latitudes, including Florida and Arizona, the 2022 calendar year was a disappointment for reefer carriers. The year ended with total produce volumes at 2016 levels. According to the USDA, weekly truckload volumes of produce ended the year down by 8.5% compared to the…
Of the thousands of dry van destinations, 10 stood above the rest. For various reasons, these are the top 10 dry van markets of 2022. Do these surprise you? Atlanta, GA Dallas, TX Chicago, IL Los Angeles, CA Fort Worth, TX Ontario, CA Joilet, IL Houston, TX Columbus, OH Charlotte, NC Lucky for you,…
Though temp-control trucks are heading in every direction, we looked deeper and found the top 10 temp-control markets. Do any of these surprise you? Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL Dallas, TX Fort Worth, TX Fresno, CA Fayetteville, AR Joilet, IL Los Angeles, CA Lakeland, FL Ontario, CA Lucky for you, you don’t need to be…
Despite the economic headwinds facing many industries, there are strategic opportunities for transportation professionals in the new year. Taking advantage of them will require collaboration with your trusted partners, and those relationships will prove critical in 2023. Of course, there are the usual suspects when it comes to freight disruptions – hurricanes, snowstorms, etc. –…
Flatbeds constantly crisscross the country, but 10 cities were flatbed magnets in 2022. We’ve combed through over $137B of logistics invoices from last year and found the top 10. Do any of these surprise you? Houston, TX Dallas, TX Fort Worth, TX Savannah, GA Birmingham, AL Cleveland, OH Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL South Bend, IN …
As the retail shopping season nears the finish line, November import volumes confirm a non-existent peak season in the retail sector. According to IHS Markit, TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) import volumes were down 9% m/m in November, and unlike prior years, import volumes are slowing rapidly. Since the peak in imports in May this year…
On the final DAT Freight & Analytics iQ show for 2022, Professor Jason Miller discussed the economic outlook for trucking in 2023. Here’s part of the interview with Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics, and Dean Croke, Principal Market Analyst. Dean Croke: Jason, what trends are you watching as we head into 2023? Jason Miller: So…
On top of the crash in the building market creating a gloomy outlook for flatbed carriers in 2023, news of pine trees dying in significant numbers in Oregon further complicates the Pacific Northwest demand outlook. In addition to being the number one state for producing Christmas Trees, Oregon is also a major supplier of lumber…
Avocados From Mexico are looking to make a touchdown on February 12, 2023. The Super Bowl is the biggest occasion of the year for Avocados from Mexico, with peak-shipping season coinciding with the NFL end-of-season event in Phoenix, AZ. Over the course of a year, U.S. truckload carriers will move around 95,000 truckloads of avocados,…
Following the import shift from the U.S. West Coast to the East Coast, some ports are well-positioned to make this permanent, with growth plans on the horizon in 2023. One such port is South Carolina’s Port of Charleston. Last year South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) opened its new 1,400-foot berth at the Leatherman Terminal, predicting…
On a recent DAT Freight & Analytics iQ show, Tim Denoyer, Vice President and Senior Analyst at ACT Research, discussed the economic outlook for trucking in 2023. Here’s part of the interview with Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics, and Dean Croke, Principal Market Analyst. Dean Croke: Let’s start with inflation, Tim. Following record highs this year,…
The latest data for new equipment orders from ACT Research for November indicate carriers continue to have a bullish outlook for 2023. Preliminary new Class 8 truck net orders continue at robust levels, with November’s 33,000 orders down 22% m/m but up 245% y/y against easy comparisons to last year when order books remained closed.…
Like most produce growers in California, grape growers also faced various challenges in 2022. Katie Driver, Technical Services Manager for UPL North America, described the year as a “wild ride for agriculture starting with a frost that came through in the spring wiping out some grape crops and forced some tough decisions for growers. It’s…
Reefer carriers still feel the aftershocks of September’s Hurricane Ian, the deadliest storm to hit Florida since 1935. Heavy rainfall, flooding, and infrastructure wind damage have delayed the start of the Florida produce season. According to the USDA, weekly truckload volumes of fruit and vegetables are currently 35% lower than at the beginning of December…
On a recent DAT Freight & Analytics show, Lee Klaskow, Senior Analyst – Transportation and Logistics at Bloomberg Intelligence, discussed the future of the trucking industry. Here’s part of the interview with Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics, and Dean Croke, Principal Market Analyst. DATs Question of The Week: How do you see 2023 shaping up…
The third quarter of 2022 was another excellent one for Daseke, Inc. (NASDAQ: DSKE), the largest flatbed and specialized transportation and logistics company in North America. As of September 30, Daseke’s fleet consists of 4,649 tractors (up 3.1% y/y) and 11,028 flatbed and specialized trailers (down 2.1% y/y) and has operations throughout the United States,…
According to USDA, weekly truckloads of citrus at the start of December were down 19% y/y underscoring what a difficult year the California produce market has experienced. It’s not just citrus that has been impacted by the West Coast pandemic, port congestion, truckload supply, and weather; total state produce volumes are down 54% y/y over…
Recent months have been rough for small carriers and owner-operators. The impacts of high fuel costs, inflation, and more have made it especially challenging to keep operating costs low and maintain the same profit levels. DAT’s analysis shows that costs today are around $2.01/mile, up from approximately $1.77/mile a year ago. This represents a 14%…
Running a freight brokerage is one of the most exciting jobs in the country – it’s a complex, interesting industry full of opportunity that’s essential to the worldwide economy. Alongside the allure of brokering freight is the necessity of smart business practices, like insuring your business. Admittedly, talking about brokerage insurance is less exciting than…
Company reviews are standard fare for purchasing decisions. Smart businesses leverage them to entice and inform potential buyers, to great effect: 77% of consumers always or regularly read company reviews before making a purchase. But now, reviews have moved away from consumer-facing spaces. They’ve put down roots in the B2B world, too. Thousands of brokerages…
Before you make any decisions about insuring your business or changing your current coverage, I urge you to speak with your own insurance agent -and possibly your accountant and attorney, as well. That said, here are a few “do’s and don’ts” that apply generally to the major insurance products that are offered to freight brokers…
Truckload demand may well be cooling unseasonably in the fourth quarter, but according to the American Trucking Associations’ For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, truck tonnage increased by 2.8% in October compared to the previous year. This was the fourteenth straight year-over-year gain, although tonnage decreased sequentially by 2.3% in October after rising 0.8% in September. The…
For flatbed carriers looking to demand indicators through year-end and into 2023, the recent Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) October report and fourth-quarter results for Deere & Company (DE (NYSE) are important indicators to evaluate. According to the AEM, construction and agriculture equipment manufacturers face supply chain disruption for input components. However, a resolution of…
According to the USDA, weekly truckload volumes of produce are currently around 2016 levels and down by 13% compared to the previous year. In the Pacific Northwest, where the Fall produce season is still underway, weekly volumes before Thanksgiving were up by 13% compared to last year and almost identical to 2020 volumes. In Idaho’s…
Unlike last season’s natural and artificial Christmas tree shortage, this year’s supplies look good, with U.S. consumers planning to decorate their homes for Christmas earlier this year. According to a Wakefield Research survey of 1,000 Americans, 79% of participants agreed that the earlier they decorate for Christmas, the more holiday spirit they experience. This time…
Truckload demand remains strong despite the headline-grabbing talks of a freight recession. All reputable and representative truckload demand indicators point to volumes being up year-over-year, not down. If you have significant exposure to retail freight, volumes are certainly lower than in previous years, but that’s just one segment of the truckload industry. According to the…
On a recent DAT Freight & Analytics show, Matthew Leffler, The Armchair Attorney, discussed the top three legal issues facing our industry today. Here’s part of the interview with Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics, and Dean Croke, Principal Market Analyst. Please note that this content is not a substitute for a legal opinion. Please seek…
The Baker Hughes oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output and flatbed demand, increased by three units to a total of 782 in the week of November 18, the highest since March 2020. Compared to the previous year, the rigs count is up 219 or 39%, although current levels are still…
Last week, Church Brothers Farms in Salinas, CA, made the annual migration south to Yuma, AZ, where they will produce salad vegetables over the winter. From November to March each year, Yuma, AZ, becomes the Winter Salad Bowl, where 90% of leafy greens are produced for domestic consumption. Church Brothers uproot their farm team and…
The latest data from IHS Markit for the month of October shows imports overall are up by just under one percent y/y, while the split between various coasts tells a very different story. For at least the last six months, we’ve seen a noticeable shift of import volumes away from the West Coast, where labor…
As lumber prices retreat and housing construction demand softens, flatbed carriers with substantial exposure to single-family housing face the prospect of a slow start to 2023. Higher mortgage rates, and construction costs for concrete and other building materials, continue to drag on single-family housing production, which decreased by 6.15% m/m and 20.4% y/y, according to…
You might be surprised to find some winter vegetables in tight supply this Thanksgiving weekend. The list includes celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce. Supplies of lettuce, in particular, have been impacted by both a change in seasons and Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (NSV), which kills lettuce when it’s in its mature stage, just before harvest.…
When it comes to getting paid for your work, factoring and invoice processing are exceptionally valuable. But the process for administering these processes can sometimes seem highly complex. To support our valued carriers in simplifying these processes, DAT Freight & Analytics and OTR Solutions are excited to announce the launch of a new factoring and…
Cargo theft has been around as long as I’ve been in the trucking industry, extending to the last century. The techniques and technology may have changed, but the threat and opportunities haven’t. In 1987 a sophisticated crime ring was running the dock at a large air freight company in Sydney, Australia, when they spotted an…
Every year, a different national forest is selected to provide a tree to appear on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol building for the holiday season. The 2022 tree will come from the National Forests in North Carolina. After almost a year of planning, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, a 78-foot red spruce affectionately…
Even the most experienced drivers struggle with icy roads and sub-zero temperatures as winter delivers a mix of nasty weather and road conditions. For drivers, the miles get more complex and slower compared to summer, and any hidden equipment fault is exposed almost immediately, making now the time to prepare for winter. DAT Freight &…
U.S homebuilders get more than a quarter of their lumber from Canada, making the recent slump in lumber prices worth noting. Hardest-hit is lumber sawmills in British Columbia, one of the continent’s most prominent timber-producing regions. Lumber futures fell 4% to $433 per 1,000 board feet last week, 62% lower than the record-high of $1,310…
Following Hurricane Ian’s devastating impact on Florida, strawberry growers are still assessing the fallout as strawberry planting restarts. According to Robert Wilhelm of Bova Fresh, based in Boca Raton, Florida, “Our southern farms took the brunt of the storm, but luckily we had not laid any plastic yet down south. However, our Plant City farms…
Nearly 10% of truck drivers are veterans, and transportation and logistics is one of the most popular destinations for veterans entering the civilian workforce. We’re proud to work in an industry that serves as a safe, reliable place for veterans to work after their service. DAT is taking time to honor our nation’s veterans –…
Shippers in the U.S. saved more than 30% on intermodal contracts in the third quarter, according to the latest JOC Intermodal Savings Index (ISI). “Still, sagging truck rates have created intense competition on the spot market and caused shorter hauls to shift to the highways,” according to Ari Ashe, Senior Editor at the Journal of…
The agricultural industry relies heavily on the flatbed industry for the movement of tractors. Although volumes are tracking slightly higher than the 5-year average, we don’t expect to see peak volume until March next year. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), U.S. total farm tractor sales decreased 12.8% y/y in September and are…
Around this time of the year, the production of leafy greens moves from major growing regions, including Salinas, CA, to Yuma, AZ, in California’s Imperial Valley. This southernmost part of California and Arizona transforms into the “Winter Salad Bowl,” where an estimated 90% of lettuce demand is met between November and March each year. Due…
The U.S. is the world’s largest turkey producer and exporter of turkey products by far, accounting for 52% of global production, followed by Germany and Brazil with 10% each. But all is not well in the U.S. domestic market this year, and there’s a good chance frozen and fresh turkeys will be in tight supply…
A driving career covering over 6 million miles hauling refrigerated freight across one of the hottest continents on the planet makes Australian owner-operator Bob McMillan well qualified to haul temperature-controlled freight successfully. More importantly, driving millions of miles across the vast Australian Outback means he has had to carefully manage load temperatures and reefer motor…
The Operation Airbrake program is this week courtesy of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). While it’s scheduled to run from Aug. 21 to 27, there will be a second one-day event, which may be held any time this year. Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe commercial motor vehicle operation, so carriers and…
Every year the American Trucking Association celebrates the hard work of the 3.6 million professional men and women who not only deliver our goods safely, securely, and on time but also keep our highways safe. Nearly every aspect of daily life is made possible because a truck driver delivers the goods and resources people need.…
As news of severe droughts seems to be a yearly concern, some farmers are looking to technology for alternative ways of producing some of our nation’s favorite produce. Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It conserves space while at the same time amplifying yield per square foot compared to…
Florida’s orange crop this year will be nearly a third smaller than last year and one of the smallest in decades after Hurricane Ian devastated citrus groves the previous month. According to the USDA, all-orange production for the 2022/23 season is estimated at 3.19 million tons, down 8% from the 2021/22 final numbers in the…
In a recent study, the U.S. Department of Transport (USDoT) found that the truck parking shortage exists in every state and region and is most acute along major freight corridors. There are about 3.5 million truck drivers in the United States and approximately 313,000 truck parking spaces nationally, according to the USDoT; for every 11…
Traveling to the recent Truckload Carriers Association Refrigerated conference in Traverse City, MI, it was hard to escape just how different trucks are in the state. Michigan truckers take it for granted, but to everyone else worldwide, the 11-axle truck/trailer combinations look like centipedes on wheels. Michigan truckers DAT interviewed said they have limited backhaul…
After a period of record revenues, this year small carriers and owner-operators have felt their profits squeezed by skyrocketing fuel prices, a softer spot market and rising operating costs. In times like this, it’s important to recognize that the market is cyclical. For owner-operators who optimize their business and weather the storm, this means reaping…
Overhyped talk of a freight recession in recent months seems to have missed the mark, for the time being, anyway. Nearly all freight marketing indicators have demand higher than the previous year and substantially higher than in 2018. According to the leading freight demand for-hire trucking ton-mile index (TTMI) published by Yemisi Bolumole, Ph.D., and…
Houston is one of DAT’s top markets, recently boosted by the surge in imports impacting capacity for all equipment types – more volume means more options for carriers and brokers. Traditional West Coast shippers have increasingly shifted imports to Gulf Coast ports to avoid potential labor disruptions and port congestion in the Ports of Long…
Hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean typically begins to ramp up in earnest around mid-August. But things had been eerily quiet without a single storm to be seen anywhere in August. After predicting an above-average hurricane season, many forecasters were left wondering about their initial predictions of a busy season. According to Phil Klotzbach, a…
September 27th, 2022–Determining the cost of operating a truck in 2022 depends on who you ask, plus a range of other factors, including the type of business (for-hire, private fleet, power-only, etc.), length of haul, fleet size, truck and trailer type, customer base, accounting methods, debt levels, and commodity hauled, to name just a few. It’s…
Flatbed carriers are seeing a softening demand driven by seasonal factors and, unlike in recent years, a dramatic slowdown in consumer confidence in the building industry. A reliable flatbed demand indicator for many years has been The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI), which captures home buying/selling consumer sentiment and other indices. The HPSI…
On the Central Californian Coast, where temperatures are mild year-round, lettuce is planted from late December to mid-August for harvest from early April to November. So far, California’s less-than-optimal weather (extreme heat and heavy rain) limits supplies of iceberg and romaine lettuce, and green leaf varieties. The problems are expected to continue through the end…
The wild blueberry season winds down in Maine, pumpkins roll into farmstands around the country, the sugarbeet harvest wraps up in Minnesota, potatoes are dug up, processed, shipped, and stored in Idaho and Prince Edward Island (PEI), apples are picked in Washington State and also imported from China, and watermelon season runs out of juice.…
This year, the focus of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) International Roadcheck Week was on wheel ends. Out of the top 10 vehicle out-of-service violations, tires ranked second, and wheels came in seventh. Of the 18,213 total vehicle out-of-service violations, there were 3,374 out-of-service tire violations, accounting for 18.5% of all vehicle out-of-service violations,…
Supply chain disruption has been a hot topic over the past 2.5 years, and although there are signs it could be improving, measuring the level of disruption and improvement remains elusive. Ari Ashe, Senior Editor at The Journal of Commerce, recently wrote about “box turns” in his weekly Please Haul My Freight newsletter, where he…
How much does the average person spend on apps? As much as $200 per month. A lot of times the person doesn’t even know that they’re paying for some of those apps. And if you’re like most truckers, you often bounce back and forth between several apps to get the job done. Would it be…
November means a focus on drowsy driving after daylight saving ends as the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) gears up for Drowsy Driving Prevention Week (DDPW) from November 6-13. It’s also the perfect time to focus on sleep deprivation and drowsy driving as it coincides with the end of Daylight Saving this Sunday at 2:00 AM…
American teenagers aren’t getting enough sleep these days, nor are their parents, and that’s especially dangerous when there’s a long-distance trucker involved. Since the iPhone was released onto the market in June 2007, we’ve all been subjected to an increasing amount of light pollution, severely disrupting our sleep. In more recent times, teenagers who already…
Port Houston handled 353,525 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in September, an increase of 26% compared to last year, according to the recent release of September data. This is the second-highest month ever for containers at Port Houston, following only August 2022. The increase in volume is largely due to demand for imported goods and a…
Even though it’s Florida’s slack season for truckload volumes of fruit and vegetables, the damage resulting from Hurricane Ian is expected to ripple through the economy for many months. Florida will kick-start the 2023 produce season early next month, typically peaking in May, but the season start may be delayed, according to some growers DAT…
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…
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…
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 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…
By Christina Ellington Even with record sales of grills this summer, the volume of goods in cold storage (meats, dairy products, poultry products, fruits, nuts, and vegetables in public, private, and semi-private refrigerated warehouses) is much lower to start the grilling season. According to the USDA, volumes in cold storage are down 13% year-to-date (YTD)…
A widespread discussion we are witnessing on almost every trucking forum is mainly approaching the difficulties rookies have when they are trying to decide what will be their next trucking company to begin their journey. Being a newbie, it is very easy to get lost in the process, and getting confused considering all the suggestions…
Usually, a rookie would go ahead with a very optimistic attitude and such a workaholic behaviour. This happens because they want to feel that freedom given by the open road and prove that they can also be full-time truckers. Unfortunate for them, because this hype can very easily lead to accidents or some wasted time.…
Any trucker that just ended their training or CDL has been through some emotions and various heart rates. Before you even jump in your first truck cabin, you are nervous, and you might feel some fear, which is understandable considering what actions are required in this industry If you would go and listen to the…
After many inspections and accidents that happen all the time, it is a fact that beginners have a bigger chance to get involved in accidents. But, it does not mean that if you are an experienced truck driver, you cannot make an accident. The more experienced you are, the more risks you take. Do accidents…
What is right, what is wrong? What should you do when you are starting your trucking career, and what are the secrets that nobody will tell you? How can you take care of yourself? In this article, we are going to give you five tips on how to manage in a better way your career…
If you just finished your training and the last couple of months were not so enjoyable maybe you would want to read this article to the end. You`ve been feeling frustrated about solo trucking? Are you tired of working with someone and share the truck? We know for sure that those moments can make you…
If you think that being involved in the trucking industry means that freedom will be with you every day, you should think twice. Do you need some truck driving tips? Yes, freedom is associated with trucking, but we are not talking about that type of freedom that you are used to. Let`s stay focused and…
Safety is an important aspect when it comes to our jobs. We call ourselves truckers, but we are also humans, and we have to stay away from events or even people that might hurt us or our existence. If you are aware that you can be in danger, we are writing this article to help…
In today’s extremely competitive economic environment, trucking is a very dynamic and also important business, as the supply chain costs are reflected in almost every product we spend our money on. Substandard transportation services could, indirectly, cause transportation companies to spend more money just to stay in business. If the trucking company has owner operators,…
