Georgia Logistics assembles a set of facts and figures concerning the Logistics Market every month. Here are some of the highlights taken directly from the report:
• Dow Jones Transportation index rose 3.9% during the month of February.
• The USDOT’s freight transportation services rose 1.2% in January 2013. The index’s reading of 111.3 was up 1.3% from January 2012. (Source: US DOT)
• The February shipments index rose 5.6% over the previous month and rose 0.5% year-over-year. The February expenditures index increased 1.8% for the month, and decreased 1% year-over-year. (Source: Cass Information Systems | Cassinfo.com)
• Intermodal rail traffic in February 2013 was 10.5% higher than in February 2012 and 3% higher than January 2013 totals. Intermodal loadings have experienced year-over-year gains for 39 straight months. (Source: AAR.org)
• The spot market for truckload freight in January fell 8.1 compared to the previous month, and was 1% lower year-over-year. Truck capacity fell 6.3% for the month, and was up 16% year-over-year. (Source: TransCore Freight Index | www.transcorefreightsolutions.com)
• U.S. average diesel prices fell to $4.09 per gallon, down 4.2¢ since last week. The U.S. average diesel price was 3.5¢ lower than the same week last year. The average price of diesel in the lower Atlantic states was $4.06 per gallon. (Source: U.S. DOE)
• The trucking industry added 5,600 jobs in February. The trucking workforce increased 0.4% over the previous month and rose 3.2% over the previous year. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Global air freight traffic in January increased 5% from one year ago. North American air freight in January rose 0.6% year-over-year. (Source: IATA.org)
• In January, the average international air cargo rate fell 10.5 points from December; the largest monthly drop in the index since its inception in May 2012. The average price of air cargo leaving the United States in January stood at $3.25 per kilogram. (Source: Drewry)
• Import volume through major U.S. container ports is expected to increase 2.3% in March. Total U.S. containerized imports are expected to increase 4.3% during the first half of 2013. (Source: NRF/Hackett Associates)
• The U.S. GDP increased 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2012 according to the second preliminary estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Source: US BEA)
• The U.S. trade deficit increased by 16.5% in January to $44.4 billion, the largest deficit increase since January 2011. Exports fell 1.2% to $184.5 billion and imports rose 1.8% to $228.9 billion. (Source: US DOC & Census Bureau)
• The Consumer Confidence Index increased to 69.6 in February 2013 from 58.4 in January 2013. (Source: The Conference Board)
For current and past logistics market snapshopts visit: https://georgia.org/center-of-innovation/areas-of-expertise/logistics/logistics-market-snapshot