Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Freight conditions improved in June, but shippers still lag carriers

Plummeting diesel prices helped loosen market as crucial winter peak draws near

FTR Screen Shot 2022-08-29 at 12.37.48 PM.png

Carriers still enjoy leverage over shippers in the U.S. freight sector, but that balance grew slightly tighter in June as plummeting gas prices helped to add extra capacity to a tight market, a study from the transportation analyst firm FTR shows. 

Retailers and logistics service providers are keeping a close eye on the results as the crucial winter peak season draws closer, and they ramp up for a cargo surge to meet holiday demand.


The firm’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) improved somewhat in June to a less negative reading of -4.0 from the previous -6.2 in May, and will “likely” reach positive levels when the July conditions are tallied. Bloomington, Indiana-based FTR calculates the index by tracking four variables in the U.S. full-load freight market: freight demand, freight rates, fleet capacity, and fuel price. Combined into a single number, the index shows good, optimistic freight transport conditions when positive, and a poor shipping market when negative.

The latest calculation showed that the June SCI hit its strongest point since September 2020, although backups at maritime ports could handicap that improvement.

“Lower diesel prices will create a slowly improving situation for shippers, but it will likely be the only factor improving in the near term,” Todd Tranausky, vice president of rail and intermodal at FTR, said in a release. “Congestion remains an issue at ports and inland rail terminals, and it will likely hold back how much capacity is available in the system during the peak season.”
 

 

The Latest

More Stories

AI sensors on manufacturing machine

AI firm Augury banks $75 million in fresh VC

The New York-based industrial artificial intelligence (AI) provider Augury has raised $75 million for its process optimization tools for manufacturers, in a deal that values the company at more than $1 billion, the firm said today.

According to Augury, its goal is deliver a new generation of AI solutions that provide the accuracy and reliability manufacturers need to make AI a trusted partner in every phase of the manufacturing process.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

AMR robots in a warehouse

Indian AMR firm Anscer expands to U.S. with new VC funding

The Indian warehouse robotics provider Anscer has landed new funding and is expanding into the U.S. with a new regional headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Bangalore-based Anscer had recently announced new financial backing from early-stage focused venture capital firm InfoEdge Ventures.

Keep ReadingShow less
Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Supply chains continue to deal with a growing volume of returns following the holiday peak season, and 2024 was no exception. Recent survey data from product information management technology company Akeneo showed that 65% of shoppers made holiday returns this year, with most reporting that their experience played a large role in their reason for doing so.

The survey—which included information from more than 1,000 U.S. consumers gathered in January—provides insight into the main reasons consumers return products, generational differences in return and online shopping behaviors, and the steadily growing influence that sustainability has on consumers.

Keep ReadingShow less

Automation delivers results for high-end designer

When you get the chance to automate your distribution center, take it.

That's exactly what leaders at interior design house Thibaut Design did when they relocated operations from two New Jersey distribution centers (DCs) into a single facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2019. Moving to an "empty shell of a building," as Thibaut's Michael Fechter describes it, was the perfect time to switch from a manual picking system to an automated one—in this case, one that would be driven by voice-directed technology.

Keep ReadingShow less

In search of the right WMS

IT projects can be daunting, especially when the project involves upgrading a warehouse management system (WMS) to support an expansive network of warehousing and logistics facilities. Global third-party logistics service provider (3PL) CJ Logistics experienced this first-hand recently, embarking on a WMS selection process that would both upgrade performance and enhance security for its U.S. business network.

The company was operating on three different platforms across more than 35 warehouse facilities and wanted to pare that down to help standardize operations, optimize costs, and make it easier to scale the business, according to CIO Sean Moore.

Keep ReadingShow less