Transportation Insights & Analysis

December State of Freight TODAY

View Online: https://freight.ftrintel.com/softoday-December2019

Looking into the New Year: What Will 2020 Bring?
Looking into 2020, there are several factors that will affect the course of the economy. Some of the factors are economic and some are political in nature. How events unfold will determine the course of the economy through the new-year and into 2021.

The 2019 Class 8 Market Was A Thriller
You could make a movie out of the dramatic Class 8 market in 2019. And that is exactly what Don Ake does in this commentary taking you through what he describes as one of the most cyclical industries in the entire economy.

2020 Economic Outlook & Risks
A lot has happened in the economy since our mid-year review. The international economy has weakened, with a definite shove from U.S. trade policy. Domestically the expansion has slowed, with the manufacturing sector shifting into reverse. Adding in impeachment and election year politics, the question as we enter 2020 is whether the overall economy will follow manufacturing into recession. 

 

November State of Freight TODAY

View Online: https://freight.ftrintel.com/softoday-november2019

What’s up with Housing? Flat or up, where is housing going?
Housing has been giving us some mixed signals lately. Several questions rise to the surface. Is housing on a long-term upwards meaningful trend? Or is the market going to return to the almost flat trend of the last few years?

Assessing The Freight Markets
As we near the end of the year, Eric Starks and Avery Vise sat down to discuss what we are seeing in the freight markets and what that will likely mean for the transportation industry in the near future. Their conversation delves deep into trucking, shippers and brokers, and the broader economy, with a brief look at the rail side as well.

Trucking Regulation Insights: Hours-of-Service Reform
FTR concludes that the final ELD transition and the drug and alcohol testing clearinghouse could disrupt driver productivity and supply, but a fast-tracked rulemaking on hours-of-service promises greater flexibility in 2021. In an October State of Freight INSIGHTS report on Trucking Regulations that spanned 11 pages, FTR provided a clear and concise overview of all of these issues. In this commentary, we provide you with an extract from this report showing the hours-of-service reform.

 

October State of Freight TODAY

View Online: https://freight.ftrintel.com/softoday-october2019

Can the Consumer Support the Economy Alone? The U.S. consumer is carrying the economy. This article addresses the question of how strong consumption will be in the future as trade tensions are undermining business confidence and slowing capital investment. Can the consumer stand alone?

Driver Supply: What the Data Tells Us: One of the chronic debates in trucking is the extent - and even the very existence - of driver shortages. Kristen Monaco, associate commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a leading researcher in truck driver dynamics, clarified some of the confusion surrounding driver availability in September at the 2019 FTR Transportation Conference. 

What is the Trade War’s Impact on U.S Manufacturing?
Ake's Take on the trade war provides insight on the impact of the trade war with China on US manufacturing.