For years, freight procurement strategies have relied on routing guides and annual RFPs. But according to Chris Caplice, Chief Scientist at DAT Freight & Analytics and Executive Director of MIT’s FreightLab, those traditional systems are no longer keeping up with the demands of a modern, volatile market.
It’s an everyday occurrence: A driver pulls into a truck stop, intent on freshening up with a shower, a meal and a little shuteye before heading back out onto the road. The driver exits the truck, gives it a quick once-over to make sure it’s secure and then heads inside.
The number of posted loads on DAT One increased 10.8% week over week to 2.25 million, reversing declines from the previous week and signaling high seasonality with retail goods and produce on the move.
Data recently issued on the DAT One network provided to LM by DAT Freight & Analytics highlighted strong seasonal trends for truckload spot market posts, for the week of April 20-26.
Several ports across the West Coast have seen a decline in traffic in recent weeks, surging fears about empty shelves and a pending recession.
Retailers are warning that the U.S. could face empty store shelves and the kind of supply chain difficulties seen during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic if President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China continue, according to NBC News.
Inside a tariff war room
While the public is concerned about instability in the stock market due to the Trump administration’s policy on tariffs, the trucking industry is focused on another area — freight.
In the weeks following President Donald Trump’s 145% tariff on China, shipping of Chinese imports to the U.S. have fallen steeply as companies try to avoid the price increases on products.
Retailers are warning that U.S. consumers could once again be faced with empty store shelves and the kind of supply chain snarls that marked the Covid era if President Donald Trump's tariffs on China remain at their current levels.