About Damien Hutchins

Last week, we entered the expected beginning-of-the-quarter lull. Volumes fell by nearly 4% this week but remain above February levels. Tender rejections also fell this week as primary freight continues to be accepted by carriers. Compared to this time last year, the market is up 3.4%. But making freight market comparisons to the same week…

While the calendar says it’s technically spring, winter weather caused some freight frustration this week – and will continue to do so throughout the weekend. A heavy snowstorm and high wind advisory is expected to hit the Donner Pass in California through the end of the week. All operating motor vehicles will be required to…

Spring continues to thaw the national freight network, as volumes have slowly increased with the addition of some produce, a small uptick in port activity, and few flatbed loads in the Southeast. However, with all the new trucks purchased in 2018 – 490,100 units, according to ACT Research – payments need to be made, and…

Spring is less than a week away, and that means a shift in the freight market as well. Produce is about to be the big story around the U.S. We saw early signs of the season last week, and we saw markets in the South Central and Southeast continue to show signs of ramping for…

Compared to last week, freight volume decreased about 2.5% across the country. Tender rejection rates have remained stable (hanging around 7%). The upcoming lettuce harvest in the Southeast indicates the first sign of spring. Harvest appears to have begun in some parts of Florida, and reefer prices from southern and central Florida have increased. On…

After a frozen February, the freight market is thawing. Volume spiked this week across the country, reaching levels not seen since the pre-holiday rush. Most of this volume was driven by the West Coast ports coming back online after the Lunar New Year pause — but green shoots are appearing across the market. The West…

When we look at the freight market as a whole, it’s been quiet this President’s Day week. The National Volume Index has continued to be mostly flat, with tender rejection finally breaking 8%. While this is still a low rejection rate, it’s worth calling out as the highest rejection rate so far this month. But…

Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who predicts spring, did not see his shadow last week — which supposedly means an early spring is on the way. Regardless of the groundhog’s shadow, analysts are keeping a keen eye on spring shipping, which will kick off within the next three to six weeks. Goods needed for home improvement,…

All eyes have been on the Midwest this week as cold weather chaos on the highways brought the freight network in the some Midwest markets to a standstill. Freezing temperatures caused tightening capacity due to traffic pile-ups, gelled fuel and general hazards of being outside in such extremes. Trucks failed to start, while others ended…

In the first full week of the new year, volumes across the country are gaining traction, with national volume up 69% since the start of the year. It typically takes a week for volume to come back into the network after the holidays, and it picks up steam well into January. It should come as…

As we head into the Christmas holiday, national freight volume remains low. The market has been trending down since November, and hasn’t seen the characteristic holiday freight increase that was expected.    Capacity is plentiful in most regions, with tender rejections very low. In the week before Christmas in 2017, the freight market began rejecting…