Freight volumes in October were disappointing according to the most recent ACT For-Hire Trucking Index from ACT Research. The October survey was in line with other reports showing softer freight conditions.
“ACT Research’s for-hire freight volume index was the lowest reading since December 2012 and the first negative October reading since the inception of our survey in 2009,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “Anecdotally we are hearing that shippers are coming into the market early for bids, which underscores the softening in the supply-demand dynamic as they look to take advantage of current weakness.”
Forty-five percent of the fleets in the survey reported a decrease in freight in October, a time when freight should be increasing ahead of the holiday season.
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