The relentless pursuit of accuracy …… It can’t be the relentless pursuit of perfection because we are talking about forecasting, and perfect forecasts are as rare as winning the lottery. In October 2013, I became FTR’s Vice President of Commercial Vehicles. I had been considered an expert in the trailer market but was washed out… Read More »
Following Commercial Vehicle: Supply Shock, the third session of the FTR Engage virtual speaking series, the FTR Experts sat down with Tim Farney (Dana Incorporated) to answer listener questions beyond what was covered during the Q&A within the presentation.
Following Assessing Trucking’s Recovery, the second session of the FTR Engage virtual speaking series, we sat down with the FTR Experts to answer listener questions beyond what was covered during the Q&A within the presentation.
The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI for Manufacturing (Purchasing Managers Index) jumped to 60.2 in June, up from 58.7 in May and rising for the second straight month. Considering that anything over 50 represents growth, the 60.2 is a robust reading which means everything must be wonderful in the manufacturing sector, right? Well not so… Read More »
GDP is high, and unemployment is low. Manufacturing is booming, and wages are rising. So, everyone is joyous, correct? Of course not, you are starting to see articles claiming that, if things are this good, a recession must be coming soon. So, it is time to again consider what the truck equipment markets indicate about… Read More »
It was just a matter of time, and apparently the time was the week of February 12. The debate has moved from whether the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate is affecting transportation to what we can do at the government level to alleviate those effects. We might not have seen the peak of the ELD… Read More »
Only once in the last decade have we had January spot market rates come in above December. That was at the start of 2014 when we also had a strong December increase in rates and we were coming off the HOS implementation at the end of 2013. Well, we can now add a second. Not… Read More »
A sea change happens one drop at a time … Problems at the Mall I make my annual Christmas shopping trip to the mall around December 10 every year. For at least the last ten years, I have purchased calendars at a kiosk in the mall. I usually buy at least four calendars: a 365-day… Read More »
We have our first week of data suggesting that the trucking market is returning to “normal”. The Market Demand Index (see graph below) saw a notable drop in week 41 after a very small decline in the prior week; however, market conditions are still significantly tighter than we saw last year (up 153% y/y). That… Read More »
After presenting to a group of restaurant chain and food service procurement and logistics professionals last week a couple of points stood out. Here’s the quick takeaway: Spot Rates have recovered, now it’s contract’s turn. Spot Rates Have Recovered. Now it’s Contract’s Turn. The chart above gave heartache to those in attendance. The pricing… Read More »