Transportation TIP List: Week of September 30th, 2018
Posted - October 3, 2018
Q4 of 2018 kicked off this week, and supply chains across North America are starting to gear up for the holiday rush. This week’s TIP List includes trends that will impact both shippers and carriers during this year’s peak holiday season and beyond. From the NRF’s projected Halloween spending to the latest on NAFTA renegotiations – check out all of the end-of-year updates below!
- U.S., Canada and Mexico Just Reached a Sweeping New NAFTA Deal: On Sunday night, the U.S., Canada and Mexico reached an agreement to update NAFTA, the 1994 pact that governs more than $1.2 trillion worth of trade among the three nations. However, most of the key provisions don’t start until 2020 because leaders from the three countries still have to sign it.
- Halloween Spending to Reach $9 Billion: Total spending for Halloween is expected to reach $9 billion this year, the second highest in the survey’s 14-year history, according to NRF’s annual survey. The figure is relatively the same as last year’s previous record of $9.1 billion.
- Is Your Supply Chain Millennial Ready?: During this year’s Shipper Symposium, keynote speaker Ken Hughes, a leading shopping and consumer behaviorist, discussed the future of consumers and how to prepare the next-gen supply chain for our ever-changing society.
- Electric Truck Use Accelerates, but Diesel to Keep Dominance: Electric trucks are generating a wave of technological innovation, with most major global truck manufacturers, as well as market disruptors (such as Tesla) working on battery-powered big rigs. But don’t discount the staying power of diesel, long the leading truck fuel worldwide.
- FTR Reports Highest Trucking Conditions Index Reading Since Early 2004: For July, the most recent month for which data is available, the Trucking Conditions Index hit 14.04, topping May and June at 11.4 and 11.18, respectively. This is the strongest reading for the sector since early 2004.
What trends are you following as we move into the fourth quarter?
