FedEx Freight spin-off on track as company focuses on yield growth and long-term value
On its fiscal third quarter earnings call last week, Memphis-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider FedEx provided commentary about its pending June 1 spin-off of its less-than-truckload (LTL) subsidiary, FedEx Freight, into a separately traded public company, in advance of the company’s investor day next month. As previously reported by LM, in December […]
Intermodal volumes bounce back in February, states IANA
February intermodal volumes mostly saw gains, according to data provided to LM by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). Total February volume, at 1,462,429 units, increased 2.7% annually, following a 5.9% annual decline in January, and respective 2.4% and 1.6% annual gains seen in September and August. Which were preceded by July’s 4.4% annual gain, which […]
Outpost invests in growth and electrification with new terminals and EV Realty partnership
Austin, Texas-based Outpost, a national network of truck terminals, announced this week that it has added five new United States-based properties—in Newark, N.J., Miami, and three California cities, Stockton, Livermore, and Torrance. The company said that this represents Outpost’s entry into the most critical freight corridor in the Northeast, while also expanding its operations and presence […]
NRF issues positive 2026 retail sales forecast
Amid the ongoing Iran conflict and tariff-driven uncertainty, in addition to other factors, like mixed economic signals and a sluggish employment market and rising energy prices, it stands to reason that conditions like this could lead to a slowdown in consumer spending levels. But yesterday the National Retail Federation (NRF) called for retail sales gains […]
Addressing the missing ingredient in supply chain visibility
For more than a decade, supply chain leaders have talked about visibility. Yet despite advances in transportation management systems (TMS), real-time tracking, and control towers, the challenge of having data is not the same as being able to act on it remains. “Visibility without the ability to act and execute really isn’t that valuable,” explained […]
DAT Truckload Volume Index shows softer freight volumes but rising rates amid winter disruptions
February spot market volumes and rates were mixed, with volumes seeing slight declines, along with pricing gains for some segments it tracks, according to the new edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, which was recently released by DAT Freight and Analytics. The DAT Truckload Volume Index reflects the change in the number of loads with […]
FTR says Shipper Conditions Index could fall to lowest levels since 2022
The new edition of the Shippers Conditions Index (SCI), which was recently released by freight transportation consultancy FTR, pointed to the SCI likely reporting what FTR said could be, “the most unfavorable market conditions ever for shippers.” The SCI is a key logistics metric showing freight market health for shippers, combining factors like rates, capacity, and fuel; […]
USTR adds 60 more countries to its Section 301 investigations’ list
Not long after the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched Section 301 investigations under the Trade Act of 1974 related to what it called structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors earlier this week, beginning with China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, […]
USTR launches sweeping Section 301 investigations as White House moves to sustain tariff strategy
Following the Supreme Court decision, which ruled against the legality of the Trump administration’s implementation of tariffs under International Economic Emergency Protection Act (IEEPA), the White House did not hesitate to move forward with a 10% Section 122 tariff in its place, for a 150-day period, set to expire in late July, for what it […]
American Chemistry Council backs STB reciprocal switching reform
In comments submitted this week to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), an independent adjudicatory and economic-regulatory agency charged by Congress with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers, the Washington, D.C.-based American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued its support, in regards to the STB’s proposed reciprocal switching reforms, which ACC and other […]