COLUMBUS, Ind. — The latest release of ACT Research’s For-Hire Trucking Index showed the Volume Index still in negative territory below the 50 neutral mark in December at 48.1.
The supply-demand balance turned down even further, hitting 44.3 on a seasonally-adjusted basis.
“The volume softness was likely due in part to the unusual tariff-related inventory build that sat at near-port warehouses,” said Tim Denoyer, ACT Research’s vice president and senior analyst. “After tightening a bit in October, the November and December readings show the loosest industry supply-demand balance since April of 2016. Both accelerating Class 8 tractor production and slowing freight growth are likely to loosen the supply-demand balance as we approach the 2019 contract rate season.”
The December fleet purchase intentions reading indicated a drop in equipment demand, with 51.6 percent of respondents planning to buy trucks in the next three months, down from 64.1 percent (SA) in November, Denover said.
“After record orders last year, this series should rebound as long lead-time truck orders are built and hit the highways,” he said.
ACT is a publisher of new and used commercial vehicle (CV) industry data, market analysis and forecasting services for the North American market, as well as the U.S. tractor-trailer market and the China CV market.
For more information, visit www.actresearch.net.
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