Freight volumes were essentially unchanged in the first quarter, but what shippers paid to move their goods tells a very different story. The U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, powered by DAT data, shows the National Spend Index jumped 12.9% from Q4 2025 and 21.8% year over year — the largest sequential increase since the pandemic… Continue reading Dry Van Report: The Q1 2026 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index shows costs surging even as volumes hold flat
Month: June 2026
Swearing-in of commissioner returns U.S. maritime regulator to full strength
The Sunshine State is having its say in U.S. maritime matters. Robert J. Harvey of Florida was sworn in Monday as a commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission. The addition returns the five-member panel to full staffing and fills the seat vacated when Carl Bentzel departed in December 2024. Robert J. Harvey A former Special… Continue reading Swearing-in of commissioner returns U.S. maritime regulator to full strength
Transportation pricing index logs record growth rate in May
A monthly survey of supply chain managers showed extreme increases in transportation pricing during May as capacity continued to dwindle. The Logistics Managers’ Index—a diffusion index in which a reading above 50 indicates expansion, while one below 50 signals contraction—returned a 96 reading for transportation prices in May. That was 1 percentage point higher than… Continue reading Transportation pricing index logs record growth rate in May
FedEx trucking hub expansion in Netherlands aids new air cargo strategy
FedEx Corp. is investing $54 million to expand a major truck terminal in the Netherlands that is key to supporting logistics customers in Europe and the new strategic focus on international premium air freight, which was recently integrated with the company’s less-than-truckload network. The express shipping company last week said it will buy and develop… Continue reading FedEx trucking hub expansion in Netherlands aids new air cargo strategy
Is a drop in China manufacturing index concerning?
In May, the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) of China’s manufacturing industry was 50.0%, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the previous month. An index above 50% is usually considered expansion, while anything below that is viewed as contraction. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the index for the largest enterprises was… Continue reading Is a drop in China manufacturing index concerning?