Topic: Transportation

Total October volume, at 1,616,956 units, decreased 2.0% annually, following respective 2.4% and 1.6% annual gains seen in September and August, respectively. Which was preceded by July’s 4.4% annual gain, which saw higher volumes due to the pulling-forward of goods being imported during the previous pause on the White House’s reciprocal tariffs.

POLA reported that October volume, at 848,431 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), fell 6.25% annually, and POLB reported that October volume, at 839,671 TEU, fell 14.9% annually, compared to October 2024, the port’s strongest month on record in its 114 years of operations.

October spot truckload volumes and rates were largely mixed again, according to the new edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, which was recently released by DAT Freight and Analytics.

ATA reported that its October advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, came in at 111.9 (2015=100), following September’s 114.3 reading and was down 1.8% annually and is flat year-to-date through October. This followed respective 1.1% and 0.9% gains in July and August.

First quarter revenue growth expectations were described as steady in the report, with an average forecast of 2%, while positive revenue sentiment hit 72%, its highest level since the second quarter 2025, following a 69% projection, for the fourth quarter, in the report’s previous edition.

The report, entitled "Transport M&A Review: Q3 2025," stated that quarterly deal volume, at 111, saw an 18% decrease compared to the second quarter, which was also slow, adding that on an annual basis Q3 deal volume was off 47% compared to the third quarter 2024.

October imports, at 2.71 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) fell 3.4% annually, again seeing a sequential decline compared to September’s 2.72 million TEU, August’s 2.9 million TEU, and July’s 3.01 million TEU.

Operating revenue, at $80.5 billion, saw a 1.2% annual gain over fiscal year 2024, which USPS said was largely paced by its USPS Ground Advantage offering, as well as what it called strategic price increases in its mail and shipping groups. And its net loss under generally accepted accounting principles, at $9.0 billion, trailed the $9.5 fiscal 2024 net loss.

Taking steps to further expand its United States-Mexico border operations and presence, Eden Prairie, Minn.-based global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson said this week it has added more than 450,000 square-feet of warehousing and cross-border docking space in El Paso, Texas, which it said brings the company’s U.S.-Mexico logistics footprint to more than 2 million square-feet.

Chicago-based Uber Freight has entered into what it called an “expanded commercial partnership” with Hillside, Ill.-based Better Trucks, a last-mile delivery platform focused on digital commerce, for tens of millions of packages annually for retail and e-commerce shippers, in addition to making a strategic investment into Better Trucks.

The October shipments reading, at 0.997, was down 7.8% annually, and the October expenditures reading, at 3.169, decreased 0.2% annually.

Rail carloads, at 224,651, were up 0.1% annually, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 268,842 units, were off 8.7% annually.

October U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,306,687 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—were off 0.1% compared to September’s 2,307,933 TEU and saw a 7.5% annual decline.

In this new Logistics Management podcast, Group Editorial Director Michael Levans sits down with Andy Tryba, CEO of CXT Software, to explore how automation, intelligent dispatching, and digital transformation are redefining the last mile.

Rising 8.4 cents, the national average, for the week of November 10, came in at $3.837, following a 3.5-cent increase, to $3.753, for the week of November 3, and a 9.9-cent increase, to $3.718, for the week of October 27, with the national average rising a collective 21.8 cents over that period.   

Mike Short, president of Global Forwarding at C.H. Robinson, observed that while the FAA’s 10% reduction in intra-U.S. flights will create some ripple effects in transportation, the impact on air freight overall is expected to be limited.    

A D.C. Court of Appeals court has paused non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Its effect on issuance and renewals is unclear, however. Although CDL issuances are likely to resume until that appellate court makes final decision, the timing is unclear.

The October LMI reading came in at 57.4 (a reading above 50 indicates growth is occurring) for the second consecutive month, matching the September reading. This represents the eighth straight month the LMI has been below the all-time overall average of 61.4.

For September, the most recent month for which data is available, U.S. imports, for the ports surveyed in the report, came in at 2.1 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), which marked a 9.3% sequential decline and a 7.4% annual decline.  

The third quarter IBI Activity Index reading came in at 53, with the inflection period coming from net absorption, new lease signings, and the proposal pipeline each at healthier levels in the third quarter compared to the 2024 average. And it added that the IBI reading showed a decline, as “supply chain activity peaked early in 2025 due to trade volatility,” adding that the recovery is nonlinear, paced by large and e-commerce companies pacing growth that is expected to be followed by other...