Transportation demand shifting due to trade war uncertainties, impacting truckload and intermodal markets.

From Yahoo Finance: 2025-04-13 00:30:00

Truckload tender volumes are weak, while loaded intermodal containers by rail are up over 7% year-over-year. Import ocean container bookings are also increasing after the Lunar New Year period. Financial markets are uncertain due to ongoing trade policy standoff. Tariffs on Chinese goods have surged to 125%, pressuring businesses. China remains a dominant origin for U.S. sea imports, but companies are diversifying supply chains. Supply chain managers are uncertain amidst tariffs, impacting import demand and supply chain strategies. Truckload demand has decreased by nearly 10% as shippers turn to intermodal solutions. Intermodal demand is thriving due to increased lead times on orders, acting as rolling storage for inventory management. Tariff escalation with China may end pull-forward strategy, affecting import demand and supply chains. Economic fundamentals have not yet shown dramatic slowdown despite tariffs impacting stock market sentiment. Tariff structure could lead to 6%-11% drop in import demand, affecting consumption. Truckload carriers might benefit from just-in-time inventory practices if tariffs stabilize. Economy and freight markets are uncertain, with little change in core data. Truckload demand faces least short-term risk, offering little consolation to struggling sector. FreightWaves’ Chart of the Week provides real-time data insights on market trends. SONAR aggregates data from various sources to visualize the freight market for industry experts. New datasets and enhancements are released weekly to improve client experience. Request a SONAR demo for more insights on freight market trends and data analysis.



Read more at Yahoo Finance: Transportation demand shift looms in the fog of a trade war