Month: February 2026

January transportation metrics again signaled a tightening market, according to a monthly survey of supply chain managers. The Logistics Managers’ Index—a diffusion index in which a reading above 50 indicates expansion while one below 50 signals contraction—displayed a 47.1 reading for transportation capacity in January. That was a second straight month of contraction, albeit 10.2… Continue reading Transportation metrics show further tightening in January

The Japan Machine Tool Builders’ Association (JMTBA) released its latest monthly data today, revealing a strong finish to 2025 for the sector. Total machine tool orders in December reached 158.64 billion yen ($1.05 billion at current exchange rates), marking a 15.8% sequential increase from November’s 137.01 billion yen. This represents the first month-on-month growth in… Continue reading Japanese machine tool orders surge in December 2025, signaling robust industrial momentum

Truckload transportation is typically volatile, and severe winter weather has long been a catalyst for temporary disruptions, but recent data suggests that this year’s impacts are amplified by underlying market conditions. The National Truckload Index (NTI) has hit $2.71/mile, inclusive of fuel, revealing notable turbulence in spot rates during January, echoing patterns from previous years… Continue reading Truckload volatility reveals a fundamentally different market than previous years

Logistics leaders enter 2026 facing a market that appears stable on the surface but is far less forgiving underneath. Carrier capacity has largely returned and service reliability has improved. Yet controlling logistics costs has become more complex, more fragmented, and harder to predict. Parcel and freight spend is increasingly driven not by base rates, but… Continue reading White Paper: The 2026 Logistics Outlook

Chart of the Week:  SONAR Truckload Rejection Index, National Truckload Index – USA SONAR: STRI.USA, NTI.USA Winter weather has once again asserted itself as the undisputed champion of transportation market disruption in the U.S., driving tender rejections and spot rates higher during a period when both would normally be in retreat. This marks the third consecutive… Continue reading Winter storm Fern was the most disruptive in years