Transportation TIP List: Week of December 13th, 2015

Transportation TIP List: Week of December 13th, 2015

With festive holiday decorations adorning offices, stores and homes from coast to coast, we’re thinking about current trends that are brightening the transportation scene. Our final TIP List of 2015 features some industry news that’s bringing cheer this season – including $2 gasoline, new trucking jobs and year-ending high notes for both U.S. ports and retail shipping imports.

Read on for more, and we’ll see you again next year!

• Get Ready for $2 Gasoline Again: Who would have thought OPEC could bear tidings of seasonal cheer? U.S. gasoline pump prices are poised to drop below $2 a gallon for the first time in more than six years, which is sure to bring comfort and joy to drivers.

• Trucking Adds 2,300 Jobs in November; Unemployment Rate Holds at Seven-Year Low: The trucking industry added 2,300 jobs in November as the unemployment rate held at 5%, a seven-year low. The transportation and warehousing sector, which includes trucking, added 6,400 positions.

• Intermodal Rail Traffic Rises for First Time in Seven Weeks: Weekly U.S. intermodal rail traffic rose 0.8% from the same period last year, the first increase in seven weeks. Intermodal traffic for the week ended Dec. 5 climbed to 270,276 units compared with the same week last year.

• U.S. Ports to See Modest Growth in 2016: Container cargo volume growth through U.S. ports will slow in 2016 as demand for American exports remains weak and U.S. retailers work through high inventories. Moody’s Investors Service said it expects container volume will rise 3%-4% next year, down from 5% growth this year.

• Top 9 Packaging Automation Developments of 2015: Robots, cobots, smart sensors, baggers, inspection systems and more topped the list of the most-read machinery and automation articles of the year at PackagingDigest.com. Judging by the advancements reported on in 2015, it’s been quite a year in packaging machinery and automation.

• Supply Chain and Logistics Conferences to Attend in 2016: Take a look at your budget for 2016, which is probably finalized by now. Does it contain a line item for supply chain talent and leadership development? Unfortunately, many companies still underinvest in this area.

• Retailers See Shipping Imports Ending Year on a High Note: Retailers predict that import volumes at the nation’s major container ports will finish the year on a high note despite weak demand during this year’s traditional peak shipping season. September’s volume of 1.62 million import containers at the nation’s biggest import gateways was up 2.2% from last year.

What’s on your transportation TIP list for 2016?