U.S. producer prices increased more than expected in May, leading to the biggest annual gain in nearly 6-1/2 years, but underlying producer inflation remained moderate. The Labor Department said on Wednesday its producer price index for final demand rose 0.5 percent last month, boosted by a surge in gasoline prices and continued gains in the […]
Archive for June, 2018
U.S. government posts $147 billion deficit in May
The U.S. government had a $147 billion budget deficit in May, an increase of 66 percent from the same month last year as the ledger took a hit from declining revenue and higher spending, according to Treasury Department data released on Tuesday.
Port Tracker says import records could be broken in the summer months
Records for United States-bound retail container shipments could be broken this summer, according to the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report issued by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.
Ocean Cargo Update: Reversal of Fortune for Rates?
There are some signs that the ocean carrier industry is moving towards a recovery from overcapacity and low freight rates, say some leading experts. But even the most optimistic forecast comes with more than a few caveats.
Capacity concerns drive up long-term air cargo charters
Confidence in the air cargo market and concern over tight capacity at peak periods is keeping charter operators busy, with the carriers reporting a rise in first-quarter business and renewed interest from forwarders in signing longer-term charter contracts. (This article requires a subscription to the Journal of Commerce. To subscribe, please click on the above […]
IATA: April sees fuel prices pick up and load factors decline
The latest Airlines Financial Monitor from IATA indicates that cargo load factors have dropped back to levels last seen at the start of 2017. Across the air cargo industry, the freight load factor fell 0.5% in April compared to the same month of 2017. Capacity (available freight tonne-km, AFTK) increased 5.1% year on year in […]
CN ramping up capacity
CN is investing C$400 million in new capacity this year, primarily in western Canada and the Edmonton-Chicago corridor. Projects currently in progress include 60 miles of double track, 11 new sidings or siding extensions, and eight yard expansions. All should be completed in November.
Rail Traffic for May and the Week Ending June 9, 2018
he Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 9, 2018. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 561,061 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.2 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending June 9 were 271,641 carloads, up 2.8 […]
Truckload and intermodal pricing firmly remains at elevated levels, says Cass and Broughton report
The pricing train for truckload and intermodal freight movements continues to accelerate at a rapid clip, according to data in the most recent editions of the Truckload Linehaul Index and Intermodal Index from Cass Information Systems and Broughton Capital.
Driver turnover up to 94 % during 2018’s first quarter
Driver turnover at large truckload carriers increased in the first quarter of 2018, pushing it 20 points higher than the same period last year. Turnover at truckload carriers with more than $30 million in annual revenue climbed six percentage points from the previous quarter to a rate of 94 percent, according to the American Trucking […]