U.S. payroll job growth was weak in December, but the labor market is complicated.
• Job openings remain near record levels as job quits set a record.
• Truck spot rates set a record to end 2021.
• Nearly 110,000 new trucking companies entered the market in 2021.
• Rail and intermodal volumes see typical movements during the holidays.
We provide in-depth market analysis and forecasting in our Truck & Trailer Outlook intelligence service.
The outlook for intermodal dimmed this month as it appears volumes will hold at present levels through the end of the year. There is demand to move more goods via intermodal, but congestion and metering by the carriers are limiting how high volumes can go. The existing thinking is that volumes will not improve meaningfully until the mid-to-late-first quarter at the earliest.
TRUCKING: Strengthening freight rates support a high floor on market conditions for carriers.
RAILCAR: The 2021 carload outlook took another step down in the latest month and now sits at just over 5% compared with 2020.
INTERMODAL: International and domestic traffic each weakened in September as volumes are metered by providers.
SHIPPERS: Market conditions are stalled at a level unfavorable to shippers.
We provide in-depth market analysis and forecasting in our Shippers Update and Trucking Update intelligence services.
From September 13 - 17th, we hosted 10 virtual sessions with industry leading speakers and panels. The week was fantastic, with content covering all facets of the freight transportation world. Replays and slides for the sessions are available to view and share with colleagues and customers.
This c-suite synopsis of the transportation markets is provided to all of our Premium clients along with weekly transportation updates.
The U.S. economy had a very strong second quarter, with real GDP rising at an annualized 6,5% rate. Prospects for the third quarter were projected to come in just slightly below the second quarter pace, but the rise of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has caused some downward projections to emerge in the weeks since Q3 started. In early September, we learned that the impact of the Delta variant was substantial.
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