Slipping into Slow Gear

Ray Harlin, CFO of US Xpress Enterprises, saw something unusual in the first quarter: excess truckload capacity. That overcapacity - no matter how slight - was one sign of the contraction seen across the US economy, pressuring shippers burdened with both rising transportation costs and, in some case...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTraffic World p. 1
Main Author William B. Cassidy, John Gallagher and Angela Greiling Keane
Format Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Newark IHS Maritime & Trade 09.05.2005
Subjects
Capacity
Costs
Economic conditions
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
Growth rate
Industrywide conditions
Inflation
Interest rates
Logistics
Manufacturing
Motor carriers
Nondurable goods
Statistical data
Transportation economics
United States > US
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Summary:Ray Harlin, CFO of US Xpress Enterprises, saw something unusual in the first quarter: excess truckload capacity. That overcapacity - no matter how slight - was one sign of the contraction seen across the US economy, pressuring shippers burdened with both rising transportation costs and, in some cases, rising inventories. However, record levels of imports mean there's still plenty of freight for transporters to move - and few breaks for shippers seeking greater capacity and lower prices. The costs are all going up, that's evident, says Michael J Barr, associate director of Procter & Gamble's global logistics operations. The trend is definitely toward a slower pace of growth, says Norbert J Ore, chair of the Institute of Supply Management's manufacturing survey committee. The good news is that slower growth is still growth, and economists don't foresee a slide toward recession.
ISSN:0041-073X