Freight Shipments Rise 4.2% in April

North American shipment volume and payments were up for the third month in a row, including both the trucking and railroad sectors.

The number of North American freight shipments jumped 4.2 percent in April but was still 2.5 percent lower than the same month a year ago. Railroad shipments picked up substantially in April, with carload traffic up 25.6 percent and intermodal up 27.6 percent.

Truck shipments reversed the decline reported in February and were up 1.1 percent in March (the latest month available). Although the April jobs report was the lowest it has been all year, transportation employment was up – with the majority of those jobs in truck driving. In related economic news, production was soft in the first four months of 2015, but factory orders rose 2.1 percent in March after seven months of decline.

A 13.5 percent jump in transportation equipment orders was responsible for much of the turnaround. Consumer confidence is also at its highest level in eight years, which is contributing to improved numbers for the retail sector.

U.S. imports were up 9.1 percent in March (the latest month available) and are forecast to continue to grow.

Source: Cass Information Systems

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