How will the U.S. election impact Shippers and Carriers?

3 weeks ago

The U.S Federal Reserve cut interest rates in September by a half point for the first time in four years and is expected to lower interest rates at their meetings on Nov. 6-7. This interest rate cut comes as inflation is down to 2.4% in the United States. These levels of inflation and interest rates […]

Shippers Need to Prepare for Rising Freight Rates

6 months ago

Freight expenses often represent 2 to 10 percent of operating expenses. For shippers seeking to maintain stability in their freight spend, they should begin preparing their next freight bid or freight RFP project. An RFP allows shippers to negotiate multi-year agreements with a team of dependable business partners. These agreements can be solidified with annual […]

Mid Year Report on Freight Transportation

6 months ago

As we approach the mid-point in 2024, here are a few observations on the current state of the freight transportation industry in North America. The Economy The consumer and media focus on the inflationary pressures on costs has masked the positive performance of the economy. Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for […]

Transportation Executives Must Now Consider Geopolitics in Their Planning Efforts

12 months ago

For many years, Transportation executives have had to consider a range of variables in crafting their supply chain strategies. These variables have included the economy, carrier capacity, customer demand, interest rates, inflation, climate change, technology, energy costs, Ecommerce strategy, and availability of raw materials. While geopolitical issues such as trade policies with NAFTA countries, the […]

Will We Escape a Recession in 2023?

2 years ago

Friday’s surprising U.S. January jobs number raised multiple questions about the status of the American and Canadian economies and the prospects for a recession in 2023. The figure of 517,000 non-farm jobs created in January was significantly higher than the market estimate of 187,000, and the job creation figures for the previous five months. Despite […]

Are We Headed for a “Pasta Bowl Recession” in 2023?

2 years ago

As 2022 comes to a close, there is much concern that world economies may experience a recession in 2023. There are a host of worrisome economic indicators that appear to be trending in this direction. Inflationary Forces The large government Covid relief payments created inflationary effects. The shift from on-site to stay-at-home workers triggered […]

Freight Rates, Inflation, and the Economy

2 years ago

The White House and the media are touting the tentative agreement reached last night between the major U.S. rails and their unions to avert a strike. The agreement, if ratified by union members, would help avert a work stoppage that would have crippled supply chains and passenger trains and would have restricted the movement of […]

What will be the Impact of the American Rescue Relief Bill on the Freight Industry?

4 years ago

Fifty-one days after taking office, President Biden signed into law the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Relief Bill, one of the most important pieces of legislation in the past 50 years. The bill is significant in many ways. It will put money directly into the hands of lower- and middle-income Americans, those most in need of […]

2020 – The Freight Transportation Year in Review – Part 1

4 years ago

The Covid-19 pandemic, and the response of the Canadian and U.S. governments and citizens to the virus, is clearly the major story of 2020. The pandemic did not just have impacts on the health of many Americans (i.e. over 11 million cases, 250,000 deaths) and Canadians (i.e. over 306,000 cases, 11,000 deaths); it also had […]

Economic Recovery and the Future of the Freight Transportation Industry – Part 1

4 years ago

The recovery of the North American transportation industry is contingent upon the revival of the economies of the United States and Canada. The movement of auto parts, housing supplies, manufactured goods, food stuffs. and a host of other products drive the economy. If there are any impediments to the smooth operation of North American supply […]