The U.S.-China trade war has dropped trade volumes between the two countries to date in 2019. One result – Mexico is now the #1 trade partner of the U.S.
Leaders of a farmers’ protest in Mexico said if negotiations don’t progress with the government of President Andres Manuel López Obrador, the “next blockade” will be twice as large as […]
Donald Broughton writes a thought-provoking commentary about how technology has killed inflation.
Ben Thrower examines the costs – in money, lost land and lost businesses – of the high-speed rail line in California.
The new tariffs, announced a day after the Fed cut rates, will affect mostly consumer goods.
With air cargo slowing, could there be any bump up in August?
The Fed cut interest rates for the first time in over a decade. Shippers and carriers should benefit as the economy looks to reaccelerate
Truckload volumes on a national basis have been trending 3% above 2018 levels for a week.
Canadian rail and trucking sectors expand as nation’s GDP increases by 0.2 percent, capping its best three-month period in two years.
The Class I railroads have reported their second quarter/first-half of 2019 results. Jim Blaze writes about what may happen during the remainder of 2019.
Brian Aoaeh writes about the use of machine learning to improve supply chains, particularly in the context of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Indiana-based Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) reported higher revenue and net income, but the power technology company’s second quarter earnings came in below analysts expectations. Cummins posted second quarter earnings of […]
How will Pittsburgh Airport build on its air cargo success so far?
Long before sunrise, Molly Sizer starts her day in West Texas as a professional frac sand hauler. She gets dressed, drives her Peterbilt truck to one of the dozens of […]
Donald Broughton writes that as goes the freight sector goes the economy in this commentary.
Ben Thrower writes about nearshoring manufacturing, which has gone on for decades. He also writes about the potential for nearshoring services, a new opportunity for both U.S. and Latin American businesses.
One market’s strength is actually good news for truckers, who would benefit from the construction of lots of scrubbers.
GDP growth slowed to a 2.1 percent pace in the second quarter, as strengthening consumer spending was offset by weakness elsewhere
Indiana-based Steel Dynamics Inc. announced it will build a $1.9 billion mill in Sinton, Texas, about 25 miles northwest of the Port of Corpus Christi. The site for the new […]
Southwest Airlines posted second quarter adjusted earnings of 70 cents per share, beating Wall Street estimates of 61 cents per share. The small profits for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines came despite […]
Flexport’s customers have seen average landed unit costs rise by 30 percent due to tariffs.
Report asserts industry needs to hire 1.1 million new drivers over the next decade.
Global equipment manufacturer Caterpillar’s (CAT) second quarter earnings disappointed analysts. The company cited a combination of tariffs, weaker sales in China and slower growth in the Permian Basin for the […]
Boris Johnson will become the Prime Minister of the U.K. today, and will be assuming responsibility for the nature of the U.K.’s exit from the European Union.
Jim Blaze writes about the pros and cons of shippers owning or leasing their own freight railcars to move their products.
Ecommerce continues to grow and Amazon and its competitors continue to innovate and grow. Read insight into the phenomenon by Anothy Smith.
BRP Inc. recently expanded the capacity at two of its production facilities in Mexico, where it builds its powersport and personal watercraft vehicles. The Quebec-based company’s increased production comes at […]
Ben Thrower explores the financial and political influence that China is wielding in Panama and around the Panama Canal.
As many as 50,000 angry farmers throughout Mexico blocked highways and an international bridge along the Texas-Mexico border on July 17 in protest of the government of President Andres Manuel […]
After decades of planning and discussion, freight traffic could finally have an alternative highway loop around Dallas that saves them from bottlenecks along Interstate 35. The Loop 9 project will […]
Mexican factories exported a record-breaking 1.74 million vehicles worldwide during the first six months of 2019. The majority of those vehicles – 1.37 million – were shipped north across the […]
Trailer orders hit their lowest level in nearly a decade in June, mirroring the slowdown in new truck orders after record performances for both in 2018.
Economic data from the goods side of the economy continued to trend in a positive direction in June, as both retail sales and industrial production posted solid gains.
The trucking industry’s technical recession is causing real-world impacts to the used truck market, where sales continue to fall and even sought-after low-mileage rigs are under pressure. Preliminary used Class […]
Donald Broughton’s third article about the impact of the gross domestic product and how it can be useful for business intelligence and forecasting is a must-read.
Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz recently highlighted plans to remodel and expand the World Trade International Bridge, speeding up wait times for the 12,000 trucks crossing the Texas-Mexico border every day. […]
The U.K. is on the threshold of becoming independent from the EU, but it does not seem to have answers to the trade and logistics nightmare that would follow post-Brexit.
Ben Thrower recently visited the Panama Canal. He writes about the canal’s expansion and what that means to global trade and the maritime industry.
Producer price data shows that trucking rates made some gains in June, but much of this was likely driven by seasonality
United States and Mexican avocado growers and importers recently broke ground on a partnership facility called “Casa APEAM” in Uruapan, Mexico. The new $12 million facility will be a venture […]
Premiers seek to improve the flow of goods among provinces, but stop short of pushing for major leaps during annual summit.
Texas Gov. Greg Abott recently signed a bill aiming to speed up the inspection process for trucks carrying fresh produce across ports-of-entries along the Texas-Mexico border. Texas House Bill 2155, […]
A week after several international border bridges between the United States and Mexico had to be closed because of the migration crisis, U.S. officials announced migrant border arrests fell 28 […]
Drivers of 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, delivery trucks, freight trucks and tanker trucks hauled more than $671 billion in goods across the United States-Mexico border in 2018. However, there are around 50,000 […]
Latest U.S. trade data for air cargo reveals a lot of noteworthy developments to watch going forward
As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India has its fair share of trouble reducing its overall spend in logistics. Looking at improving infrastructure and creating multimodal hubs can help.
Jim Blaze writes about railroad movement of scrap – the market today and the future of the market.
Cathy Roberson writes about Beijing’s new airport – and plans for many new airports in China and what impact they may have on the economy of the country.
FreightWaves’ Freight Intel Group has released a new study of the impact of IMO 2020 on the U.S. trucking industries (and other industries). Read what may happen to diesel fuel prices.
More than $400 billion in freight crossed in both directions through the United States-Mexico border by truck in 2018. In Laredo, Texas, alone, more than two million trucks carried goods […]
Job growth rebounded nicely in June as the economy added 224,000 workers to payrolls during the month. The transportation and logistics sector was one of the many areas of strength in June, led by improved gains among parcel and trucking companies.
Port Corpus Christi could emerge as the United States’ top crude oil export hub over the next decade, thanks to more than $380 million in new shipping facilities and three […]
It may have gotten lost in the United States’ trade war with China and immigration battle with Mexico, but President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum […]
Softer air cargo seen across all major global trade lanes this year, but Industry leaders still optimistic.
A climbing stock market could have consumers reaching for their wallets more often and making bigger purchases, helping sustain retail growth throughout the summer.
After the threat of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Mexican freight transporters are now facing a new challenge with an anti-immigration checkpoint in Ciudad Juarez that is stretching wait times up […]
Ben Thrower writes about the potential of Facebook’s new cryptocurrency.
Cold beers, grilled meat, guacamole and fireworks are part of many Fourth of July parties, and San Antonio is benefitting from inbound shipments as the national holiday approaches. The San […]
Jim Blaze writes about the movement of grain by rail. This is a huge business for U.S. and Canadian railroads, and is also critical to the export market of the two countries.
Cathy Roberson writes about Vietnam’s growth as a manufacturing center as manufacturing moves from China to other nations in Southeast Asia.
The economic roundup summarizes recent developments in the macroeconomy as they relate to freight demand, and highlights key trends worth watching in the upcoming month.
Top transportation economist Paul Bingham goes in-depth on trade war freight consequences, both pro and con.
Generic corn and wheat futures are up nearly 30% since May 10 on depressed yields and constrained transportation in the Midwest.
The Port of Brownsville recently received a key permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deepen the 17-mile Brownsville Ship Channel. Dredging on the $350 million project could […]
Donald Broughton writes the second part of his look at the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and how transportation professionals can tweak GDP numbers to better understand and forecast the business environment they are competing in.
No single country can absorb the trade flow from China to the U.S., and likely contenders are already growing faster than capacity.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will boost trade between African partner states by removing tariffs. This helps the U.S. improve trade relations as it takes out the need to draft separate trade agreements with individual African states.
Business is good at the Otay Mesa port of entry, California’s largest commercial land port of entry, which tallied a record $50 billion in two-way trade with Mexico during the […]
Market expert Jim Blaze writes about the railroads’ transportation of fracking sand, as well as stone and gravel, aggregates and phosphates.
2019 is shaping up to be the worst year for trucking in the past five years.
Michael Lewis wrote “Moneyball” about the tactics Billy Beane used to improve the Oakland A’s. Read Zach Strickland’s take on using moneyball tactics in the freight market.
The Trump administration is considering levying tariffs on the remaining $300 billion of Chinese exports to the United States so far unaffected by duties. Freight Intel, FreightWaves’ proprietary research group, […]
Mexico became the first country to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) when its Senate approved it by a vote of 114 in favor to 4 against on June 19. […]
Market expert Donald Broughton explains how the U.S. gross domestic product can be a valuable tool by trucking companies (and others).
It appears that Chinese retail investors are moving capital out of the country in response to the devaluation of the yuan.
President suggests he’s willing to impose levies on Canada and Mexico during appearance with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The FreightWaves Intel Group surveyed over 800 carriers, shippers and brokers about the entry of Amazon into online freight brokerage. Read about the survey’s results and what respondents think Amazon will do to their businesses.
A colder than normal spring across northwestern Mexico meant the Mexican table grape export campaign suffered a delay of several weeks, spiking demand in June for reefer trucks out of […]
The FreightWaves Freight Intel Group is producing research culled from FreightWaves SONAR and other sources. Read about its first several research papers and how to learn more.
The data that can be gathered from a truck’s telematics has caused a shift from selling trucks as products to selling trucks as solutions to owners’ issues.
Historic flooding in the Midwest and poor demand from electric utilities are stranding coal hoppers west of the Mississippi, pushing up prices for storing railcars. The American Association of Railroads […]
Market expert Brian Aoaeh writes about the new Digital Shipping Container Alliance and why standards are important to industry. He also writes about why getting standards written and adopted is particularly difficult.
Trans-border freight totaled $107.2 billion in March, with trucks moving 63 percent of all freight by value with United States trading partners Canada and Mexico, according to data released by […]
In June 2016, a leading group of Laredo carrier companies decided to band together and launch a new association focused on promoting and furthering Laredo as the “trucking capital” of […]
Retail and industrial activity improved, providing some stability for freight Economic data from the goods side of the economy showed some signs of life in May, as growth in retail […]
Donald Broughton explains the harm that tariffs can do to the economies of the United States, the country(ies) that tariffs are imposed on and the global economy.
Small carrier profits are about to be pressured by a large government organization and it’s not the FMCSA, DOT, or CVSA.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill directing the Texas Department of Transportation to study the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, a plan that could extend Interstate 27 from Laredo all the way […]
The McAllen Economic Development Corporation (EDC) recently worked with officials in the Mexican city of Reynosa to build two new maquiladoras (also known as maquilas), in addition to a major […]
FreightWaves Market Expert Anthony Smith writes about the issues impacting the U.S. housing market. As important as these issues are, they have a ripple effect on other areas of the U.S. economy, including trucking.
Laredo’s historic reign as the top United States trade port was short-lived, as the Port of Los Angeles rebounded from its lowest monthly total in three years, enabling it to […]
Industry detail from the Producer Price Index showed rates in trucking increased modestly, though long-distance truckload rates continued to decline.
Railroad market expert Jim Blaze writes about the movement of chemicals by rail and how that sub-set of railroad traffic is profitable and may grow significantly in the near future.
We look at the trucking futures forward curve, Morgan Stanley’s index, the Coyote Curve, and projections from Susquehanna.
Mexico had a close shave with avoiding trade tariffs last week, but it is essential for the freight industry to understand the disruption tariffs could create on cross-border trade.
President Donald Trump said he has called off plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, tweeting on Friday night that the Mexican government has “agreed” to stem the flow of Central […]
Truckload carrier stocks have held up through the last six trading sessions, walking through a couple of potential body blows.
Job growth in the overall economy slowed in May, and hiring within the trucking industry continued to stall in the 2nd quarter.
Market expert Donald Broughton writes about the numerous consequences of a U.S. Mexico trade war and the damage that will be done on both sides of the border.
With the passage of time and the context it brings, anyone can point to the moment before markets crashed over the last 100 years and say, “see, the signs were there, how did we not see it?”
