Economy

The latest numbers about the health of the U.S. economy showed continued growth when it comes to industrial production, housing starts, and retail sales, indicating increasing energy for the first part of the second quarter.

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index for February hit its highest reading ever, reflecting an unmatched positive environment for carriers.

Newly released figures on the health of the North American freight marketplace as well as on U.S. truckload linehaul and intermodal rates show all are at or near record highs.

Early reports from FTR on trailer order activity for March show that while orders declined by 16% from the month before, they remain historically strong.

While consumer prices declined for the first time in 10 months during March, there is increasing evidence that inflation is picking up at both the retail and wholesale levels.

The number of U.S. non-farm jobs added in March moderated while trucking added the most jobs in recent memory, according to a new Labor Department report.

Employers continued adding a high-number of non-farm jobs in March while U.S. factory orders increased broadly in February, but the rebound was less than expected, according to two new reports.

Trucks moved freight valued at $60.6 billion between the U.S. and its North American neighbors Canada and Mexico in January, up 10.2% compared to January 2017, according to newly released Transportation Department figures.

Economic activity in the nation’s manufacturing sector remained solid during March, while construction spending was nearly unchanged in February. The latest reports show the nation’s overall economic health was stronger in the final quarter of last year than earlier indications.

The number of loads on the spot truckload freight market jumped 3.6% during the week ending March 24 while truck capacity increased 1.3%, according to DAT Solutions.

Jonathan Randall, Mack senior vice president, worries about who will drive all the trucks his company is building today.

The amount of freight carried by the nation’s for-hire transportation industry, fell 0.4% in January from the month before, after it reached an all-time high in December, according to newly released figures from the Transportation Department's Freight Transportation Services Index.

Manufacturing activity this month hit a three-year high, while other reports showed healthy increases in where the economy is headed over the next several months.

The Federal Reserve signaled its confidence in the economy on Wednesday when raised a key interest rate for the sixth time since 2015 – but this also could lead to trucking companies needing to rethink how they are handling their loans.

Trailer orders are expected to hit 32,000 units in February, a number that, if it holds true, would be a record for that month, according to preliminary reports from FTR.

Trucking posted the biggest loss of the five major transportation modes when it came to the value of U.S. freight moved between Canada and Mexico last year, according to new Transportation Department figures.

Industrial production in the U.S. rebounded from a drop at the start of the year, as consumer sentiment is the best in more than a decade – but there's a decline reported in parts of the new-home-building market.

Retail sales in the U.S fell for the third straight month in February, according to new government numbers, pointing to slower economic growth in the first quarter. Separate reports about inflation showed it cooled at both the retail and wholesale levels.

Employers in the U.S. added far more jobs in February than analysts were expecting, but there are some concerns about the nation’s manufacturing sector as consumer credit slowed and the trade deficit hit a near 10-year high.

When you look back just four years ago to 2014, a lot of heavy-trucks were sold. Freight demand had suddenly increased, and everyone was trying to move more cargo. But when 2015 rolled around, things weren’t as rosy.