Pricing

Challenging market conditions on various fronts, for freight transportation brokers and intermediaries, were the main themes of the new edition of the “3PL Market Report Fourth Quarter 2023, which was issued this week by the Alexandria, Va.-based Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA).

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently caught up with DHL Express U.S. CEO Greg Hewitt to discuss various topics, including: the 2023 Peak Season; the freight economy; and variuous logistics trends and themes. Their conversation is below. 

November’s shipment reading, at 1.094, was down 8.9% annually, less steep than October’s 9.5% annual decrease, and November expenditures, at 3.331, were off 25.6% annually, topping October’s 23.3% annual decline, while falling 1.3%, from October to November.

While freight demand and volumes still leave room for growth, the overall state of the intermodal market remains somewhat mixed, albeit with some potentially promising signs ahead. That was the word from Larry Gross, president of Gross Transportation Consulting, at the recent RailTrends conference in New York hosted by Progressive Railroading and independent railroad analyst Tony Hatch.

DAT reported that the van TVI was up 3.5% compared to September, at 263, and up 9.5% annually, with the reefer TVI up 4.3% compared to September, at 196 and up 9.0% annually, and the flatbed TVI was down 3.2% compared to September, at 245, and up 0.5% annually.

Logistics Management (LM) Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Matt Muenster, Chief Economist for Green Bay, Wisc.-based Breakthrough, an innovator in transportation management, dedicated to creating transparent and fair strategies for the world’s leading shippers. Muenster provided Berman with an overview of the impact of the recently-issued third quarter GDP estimate and its impact on logistics and supply chain strategies.

For August, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI reading, at -2.7, registered a negative reading for the first time since October 2022. This came on the heels of a 1.6 July reading, which was well below June’s 7.9.

Seasonal trends impacted lower spot market volumes and rates in the September edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index.

Keeping in line with recently announced rate increases made by its chief rival FedEx, Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider UPS this week announced its own 2024 rate increases this week, which are set to go into effect on December 26.

Memphis-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider FedEx announced rate increases today for its FedEx Express, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Ground subsidiaries, which will take effect on January 1, 2024. The company also said that, effective September 4, it will officially rebrand “peak” surcharges to “demand” surcharges,

The van TVI was down 7.0% compared to June, to 226, and down 3.0% annually, the flatbed TVI decreased 12.8% compared to June, to 238, and was up 3.5% annually, and the reefer TVI was down 3.4% compared to June, to 169 and up 1.2% annually (DAT said that even with each TVI reading declining, the reefer and TVI numbers marked the highest on record for July.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor for Logistics Management and the Peerless Media Supply Chain Group, interviews Glenn Koepke, GM, Network Collaboration, for Chicago-based FourKites, a provider of real-time tracking and visibility solutions across transportation modes and digital platforms.

Survey of transportation leaders finds most expect plenty of freight capacity.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor, for Logistics Management and Peerless Media, interviews Matt Caine, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, North America, for Blue Bell, Penn.-based CLX Logistics, a provider of logistics services for chemical shippers.

As freight transportation, logistics, and supply chain stakeholders (likely) breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday, following the new five-year tentative agreement reached yesterday between Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, there has been no shortage of opinions and views on how this agreement, assuming it is ratified by UPS Teamsters members next month, will impact shippers, especially as it relates to pricing.