A “freight recession” is a real possibility
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Good morning - did you know that May 14th is National Train Day? 🚂 Let’s thank the railroad tycoons of the past for one of the best ways to move freight across the country.
But speaking of freight…
The Cass Freight Index fell again in April, but we can’t keep blaming the Russian invasion of Ukraine on our freight problems. This was a trend before the current conflict in Eastern Europe, and inflation doesn’t help calm the waters. Freight volumes surged for the past two years - do they really have nowhere to go… but down?
Check out today’s featured article from Overdrive Online for an educated take on the realities of the freight industry, and what could be in store for the near future. ☕️
Sunglasses Racing GIF By Burger Records via Giphy
Featured Article:
“U.S. freight volumes fell in April from March and the year-ago period, according to the Cass Transportation Index April 2022 report.”
Water Cooler Topics
♻️ CEO of Navistar announces plans for a “net-zero” company future. New technology seems to always be on the horizon, but Mathias Carlbaum told the crowd at the Long Beach ACT Expo that the focus needs to be on getting alternative-vehicle costs down. He suspects 2030 will be when they begin to see some cost changes.
🚢 West coast ports are striving for complete automation. The University of California, Berkeley, Professor Michael Nacht released a report claiming the automation at the ports do not jeopardize current job positions and instead provides many benefits to dockworkers, instead. Many criticisms leveled regarding automation at the ports have centralized around the idea of job cuts.
🇪🇺 The EU and the US join forces to ease supply chain strain. Sanctions by the unions against Russian imports have only clogged already difficult bottlenecks in the wake of inflation and years of pandemic-related challenges. EU and US high-level officials have plans to meet starting Sunday in Paris, France to discuss cooperation on trade and technology in light of these supply chain jams.
Tires can be smart too, you know
Photo by Robert Laursoo on Unsplash
Notoriously a headache to consistently repair and replace, tires are a huge expenditure for trucking companies, small and large.
However, tire sensors are there to keep you updated on pressure levels and temperatures. The data points offered are getting more and more complicated, so the key is to recognize the signs for what they are: repair or replace?
Oilfields provide truckers a niche business opportunity
Photo by David Thielen on Unsplash
Oilfields require a lot of heavy lifting. Flatbeds, liquid bulk tankers, pneumatic tanks… they’re all part of the trucking “eco-system” in the oil drilling industry.
Many truckers are looking at seizing the opportunity to specialize. But with oil prices fluctuating, it can also be nail-biting work.
“The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”
— Thomas Edison, co-founder of General Electric
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for July 31, 2025, from iLevel Logistics Inc.