carriers

Carrier Perspective: State of the Industry

Load volumes are stable with volume growth inbound. Spot rates follow rejection rates on a downward slide.

When shippers are using several cobbled-together solutions with hit-or-miss integrations, they miss out on opportunities to optimize their business practices and workflows.

Many of the conversations surrounding peak season headwinds center around shippers, but carriers are also faced with challenges during this time.

Learn how technology & analytics can help you more proactively adjust to supply chain shifts at mybluegrace.com

Load volumes are stable with volume growth inbound. Spot rates follow rejection rates on a downward slide.

Freight volumes in the largest markets are starting to accelarting, signaling the start of the peak truckload season.

Chattanooga-based Covenant benefited from an exceptionally strong freight market resulting from growing economic activity, low inventories and supply chain disruptions.

Freight volumes in Southern California are starting to ramp, signaling the start of the peak truckload season.

Elevated accepted tender volumes and rates signal that carriers are maintaining pricing power. Truckload capacity constraints are easing as contract rates climb.

Experts expect demand to continue to outpace supply through at least the first quarter of 2022.

Strong freight volumes signal that carriers are firmly in the driver seat with regards to pricing power.

Strong freight volumes signal that carriers are firmly in the driver seat with regards to pricing power.

Learn how technology and automation can help maximize profits and strengthen your partner relationships at MyBlueGrace.com

Spot rate snap back signals that carriers are firmly in the driver seat with regards to pricing power.

In this sensitive market, small changes to the balance have deep, long lasting impacts.

Big Benefits for Small Fleets: The CarrierHQ Difference

In this sensitive market, small changes to the balance have deep, long lasting impacts.

Will Hurricane Ida impact freight contracts? Will carriers move from shippers’ contracted freight to the spot market?

To discuss what the future regulatory, fleet and enforcement landscape looks like and how you can better plan for it, FreightWaves has partnered with Spireon for a one-hour webinar starting at 2 p.m. ET Thursday, September 9. Featured speakers include Steve Keppler, Co-Director at Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, Will Schafer, Director of Safety Programs at CVSA, and Harman Cheema, President & CEO at Cheema Freightlines.

A resurgent economy – paired with the uncertainty of a yo-yoing pandemic – has taken its toll on companies across the logistics industry. Shifting consumer behavior over the past 18 […]

The rise in volumes continues to outpace the rise in rejection rates, and spot rates keep climbing.

We’re two weeks into the third quarter, a time when seasonal freight movement moderates ahead of the back-to-school season and the eventual peak holiday season. Thus far, the moderation simply hasn’t materialized.

To discuss the ways that carriers are maximizing efficiency with the resources they have and getting more done with less, FreightWaves is partnering with Spireon to present a one-hour webinar on Tuesday, July 27. Featured speakers include Spireon’s Roni Taylor, SVP Strategy and Business Development and Scott Flerl, Customer Operations Analysis Supervisor.

Worldwide Express’ Joel Clum explains how third-party logistics companies are giving small and midsized shippers the technology they need.

What Are Truck Blind Spots?

Top 10 Carrier Groups’ Share of Global Fleet

The investment was motivated by continued growth in the specialty freight logistics markets.

Reefer rejection rates tumbled once again over the past week, and the national reefer rejection average is now below 40% for the first time since the second week of September.

A dramatic shift away from services and toward goods brought a surge in demand for The Home Depot products. With freight capacity strained, the team at The Home Depot strengthened […]

Unlike freight demand, the typical things we see play out on the capacity side of the equation prior to a holiday have not (at least to this point).

are pumping across the country, but it seems routing guides have finally shown signs of improvement. Pair the declining electronic tenders with declining tender rejections, fewer spot volumes, and both contract and spot rates headed lower, the picture of an improving environment can be visualized.

There may not be an end in sight for the driver shortage, but holistic supply chain solutions are well-positioned to help shippers and carriers alike weather the storm.

Freight demand is not going to abate in the next few months, and there will not be any meaningful addition to fleet capacity in the meantime.

This white paper explores the challenges presented by the RFP process.

Consumer spending tapered off this week, but the savings rate is so high, Americans have a war chest unlike in any recent period. And, inventories remain depleted across many segments, so the freight industry won’t feel the direct brunt of any shift back to services anytime soon.

Schneider, a premier provider of trucking, intermodal and logistics services, has expanded its digital marketplace – Schneider FreightPower® – to shippers of all sizes.

Service-based spending categories like airlines, lodging and restaurants all were positively impacted by the stimulus, but the top 5 biggest growth segments came in goods. With the roaring consumer economy, blossoming industrial recovery, white-hot housing market and historically depleted inventories, there’s very little outside of severe inflation that could derail this trucking market.

TriumphPay is acquiring HubTran to integrate machine-learning capabilities for a fully integrated payments network for its customers.

The stimulus is providing a huge boost to Americans, who by and large, still remain unable to spend on big-ticket services like concerts, sporting events or amusement parks. The recent stimulus has created the strongest spending gains in furniture, online electronics and clothing.

This webinar featuring Vector will demonstrate how to create an open standard for eBOLs and contactless pickup and delivery.

If you look at the weekly Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI) map, you might think freight markets have reversed course and are retreating significantly. But this line of thinking is misguided. Tender volumes are coming down, but off an unnaturally high base. Volumes in most major markets remain above pre-storm levels.

The freight markets have reentered “chaos is business as usual” territory. All the major indices have been eerily calm since the winter storm disruption. Yearly comps are becoming more difficult given the panic buying that shot volumes and rejections up this time last year. Don’t let the weakening comps distract you, this market can’t get much better.

There are many variables converging that will keep upward pressure on spot rates and tender rejections for the coming weeks. Carriers will be able to squeeze extra cents per mile over the next couple of weeks. Assets will come back online sooner rather than later, but volumes are beginning to pick up both seasonally and due to a whipsaw effect from the storm.

We believe the winter storms tip the scales in carriers’ favor ever so slightly. Freight markets were already imbalanced with seemingly insatiable demand overwhelming already strained carriers, and it’s only February.

“We rely on our drivers to tell us when the roads are not safe.” One carrier lets its drivers use common sense when deciding whether to proceed through winter storms.

Without much volatility in volumes and rejections over the past three weeks, freight markets have seemingly found their groove. The tune is akin to Berlin techno. To some, its pace is smooth and machine like. To others, its pure chaos.

This week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 70 (Carriers) Last week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 65 (Carriers) Three-month DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index Outlook: 75 (Carriers) […]

We may be seeing signs of a traditional January lull, but at a much higher level than years past. On a rejection-adjusted basis, tender volumes are running up 23% yoy versus 20% last week. Tender rejections continue to decline modestly, but carriers are still rejecting more than 1-in-5 contracted tenders. Stimulus can only carry the freight markets so long. Fortunately, the industrial economy is revving up and retailers have significant restocking ahead.

The Outbound Tender Reject Index has declined substantially since the beginning of the year. This shouldn’t be seen as a sign of a material capacity loosening, rather an effect of the ongoing rebid season pushing contract rates higher.

The stage is set for a historically strong Q1 for freight with a slow vaccine rollout keeping a lid on services spending, and consumers are flush with recent stimulus as well as the hopes for more to come. The freight bull market rages on to start 2021.

Convoy continued to introduce new innovations in 2020, helping it rank third in FreightWaves’ FreightTech 25 ranking of innovative companies in freight.

There is a strong pipeline of West Coast imports that should feed those markets well into Q1, but the retail portions will be less time-sensitive post-Christmas. The one factor that may be suppressing volumes in the holiday season is retailers’ decision to slow the velocity of their sales in the face of low inventory levels.

In the heat of peak holiday season, our thesis is largely the same: relatively tight capacity, strong volumes and positive cyclicality. The low inventory-to-sales ratio, strong consumer sentiment and spending, lack of service-based spending options and acceleration of e-commerce growth all bolster our belief.

One carrier says preparing for winter is “about training and accountability throughout the organization.”

Both truckload tenders and tender rejections rose this week. If spot rates are to continue the succinct but lagging dance with tender rejections, we should see spot rates inflate over the next two weeks. Also, with Thanksgiving just a week away, drivers will be seeking freight that drives them toward home, which typically pushes rejections and spot rates higher.

Convoy co-founder and CEO Dan Lewis sat down with FreightWaves to discuss the unusual freight market that has dominated 2020 and the future of Convoy.

We expect strong holiday truckload and parcel demand
driven by a consumer spending portfolio that has been weighted heavily toward goods over services since the pandemic began. We believe that we are now in peak season and that shippers’ requests for trucking capacity will continue to rise.

This Carrier Outlook Report — presented in partnership with SkyBitz, DDC FPO, and Transflo — is the fourth installment of a quarterly publication. This report provides a look back at 2020 and a forecast for the remainder of the year. Carrier survey results and SONAR data are included.

FreightWaves CEO announces SONAR SCI at FW LIVE @Home. SCI stands for “supply chain intelligence.” Read how SONAR SCI can help your business.

This week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 80 (Carriers) Last week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 75 (Carriers) Three-month DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index Outlook: 65 (Carriers) […]

Freight volumes and capacity remain historically strong for carriers even though OTVI and OTRI have fallen steadily throughout October.

This week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 75 (Carriers) Last week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 80 (Carriers) Three-month DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index Outlook: 75 (Carriers) […]

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, a potential TRATON-Navistar tie-up moves closer to a conclusion, plus carriers still hold an upper hand in rate negotiations and early earnings results are not what people expected.

We have officially moved back into “broken record” territory that we have not seen since February. While volumes are flowing at record levels and capacity is as tight as it’s ever been, there is little volatility at the moment.

“I really see that public-facing products from the National Weather Service have improved immensely in just the past five years,” says one carrier.

Transflo has acquired Canada-based Microdea on a continued path to grow adoption of digital document workflow.

If you had told carriers they would see $3 a mile at any point during a global event like this, I believe many would have questioned your sanity. Yet, here we are with the Truckstop.com national spot rate average sitting at $2.93 per mile on Oct. 1.

This week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 80 (Carriers) Last week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 85 (Carriers) Three-month DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index Outlook: 80 (Carriers) […]

We have gotten word that carriers are holding capacity until the end of the day before auctioning it to the highest bidder. Rates are nearing $3 per mile on a national level, and rates are already above that in 51 of 100 Truckstop.com lane pairings.

Carriers are rejecting as much freight now than at any point in the past three years. Spot rates poised to break $3/mile on a national level.

Accepted freight tenders are running up 18% year-over-year. Carriers are rejecting 1 in 4 contracted tenders and driving rates up. National spot rates above $2.75/mi. and trending higher.

Spot rates out of LA and Dallas are remarkably high and the tight capacity in those markets is driving the freight cycle.

Buckle up, folks, this should be good. Volumes are gushing and rates pushing higher.

The carriers did not lose ground this week, but rather further solidified their dominant pricing position. Volumes remain well above 2018 and 2019, running in the +20% to 25% range. The elevated volumes are giving carriers options in the market and they are exercising those options at a high clip.

There is no change in the Pricing Power Index this week despite a continuation of the trends we’ve seen over the past few weeks: astounding volumes, carriers rejecting contracted freight at a high clip and rates continuing to trudge upward.

Carriers continue their power grab this week adding 10 points and hitting another new series high. Volumes remain in the stratosphere, and carriers are rejecting contracted freight at levels unseen since the summer of 2018.

Carriers are inteh strongest position in the DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index’s 10 month history. Rates have pushed higher in recent weeks as carriers reject more freight than anytime in 2019 and volumes remain elevated.

The Independence Day holiday disrupted both our OTVI and OTRI this week. Volumes are poised to bounce back and remain elevated after the moving average distortion is over.

“We anticipate an above-normal probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline.”

The carriers continues their power grab this week. Shippers remain in control, but carriers are much better off than they were a few weeks ago. Capacity is beginning to tighten and rates are being pushed up.

The concept of shared truckload isn’t new, but technological advancements in the space make the method more viable than ever.

Carriers gained another 5 points of pricing power this week. This marks 6 weeks of power gains, but shippers remain in control.

The carriers gained pricing power this week on the back of surging volumes. Capacity remains loose although tightening each of the past five weeks.

While the current COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way we live and work, the adaptations—at least for our working lives—may point to a new paradigm of work self-determination, lower overhead, […]

This week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 25 (Shippers) Last week’s DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index: 20 (Shippers) Three-month DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index Outlook: 50 (Balanced) […]

This week the carriers gain some pricing power on the back of surging volumes. Tender rejections are beginning to show signs of life and spot rates are up in most markets.

The DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power index moved up for the first time since the volume surge in March. The index now sits at 15, which is still positions the shippers comfortably in bid negotiations.

The world of transportation has changed due to COVID-19. Read about how shipping professionals are adapting to those changes.

National volumes and tender rejections have been roughly flat for the past week. There is no change in the DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index this week. Shippers remain in dominant pricing power position.

The DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index fell another 5 points this week to its lowest total in series history. Volumes are beginning to come back to life, but capacity remains historically loose and spot rates are extremely low.

The shippers are in the strongest pricing power position in the DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index history, but for all the wrong reasons. Volumes are stable, but well below normal levels, and tender rejections are at the lowest level in the index’s 3-year history.

Pricing power shifts towards the shippers in a major way this week. Contract freight volumes are now at Labor Day 2019 levels and are poised to go lower. Rejection rates are encroaching on a rare 4% mark, and spot rates are in the bin.

Knowing exactly where shipments are and when they will arrive is more important now than ever.

Carriers give back pricing power as volumes and rejections rates plummet. Spot rates are negative week-over-week for 95% of lanes from Truckstop.com.

Morgan Stanley survey shows coronavirus disruption is accelerating for carriers, shippers and brokers, but the height of the disruption may be closer than some may think.

National freight volumes and tender rejections are falling as fast as they rose. Carriers remain in slight pricing power position, but their footing is slipping with each passing week,

On EP22, Kevin and Andrew discuss the inevitable accounts receivable risk incoming in the transportation industry with Peter Rentschler from CarrierDirect. Andrew introduces a new segment and expectations are set […]

While this may be the peak pricing power for the carriers for this freight cycle, the carriers gain another 10 points in the DHL Supply Chain Pricing Power Index this week.