Talking Transports

The Port of Los Angeles is a major gateway for freight moving in and out of the US, which is key to the regional and national economies. The pull-forward benefits from anticipated new US implemented tariffs, and a potential strike at US East Coast and Gulf ports, helped drive 19% volume growth in 2024. This year, comparisons will become more difficult and may result in low-double-digit declines in...

Geopolitical-fueled supply-chain dislocations have provided a constructive supply-demand backdrop for product and chemical-tanker fleets in 2025. The crisis in the Red Sea, sanctions on Russian energy exports and potential US tariffs have increased ton-miles and absorbed capacity. Time charter rates remain above historical averages despite coming off their robust levels over the past three years,...

Supply-chain executives are more optimistic about freight markets and the pace of mergers and acquisitions in 2025. Deals can be a win-win for buyers and sellers as seen by RXO’s recent acquisition of Coyote, UPS’ brokerage business. The transaction lets UPS focus on its parcel business while provides RXO with significantly increased market penetration. Some deals are motivated by comp...

The growth in machine learning and artificial intelligence can drive significant productivity gains for trucking carriers and shippers. Those leaning into these new technologies will be able to make better decisions and drive improved economic outcomes. Transports appear to be in the early innings of this new technology revolution. In this Talking Transports podcast, Rob Painter, CEO and president...

Tariff risk has forced many companies to take a long hard look at their supply chains. In this Talking Transports podcast, Didi Caldwell, CEO and president of Global Location Strategies and America’s factory whisper, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share her insights into what it takes for an industrial-development project, which are...

FedEx and UPS are trying to navigate an ever-changing parcel industry as volume mix shifts toward more-expensive home deliveries and increased competition from the likes of Amazon.com, which have weighed on margins. These legacy players are focused on productivity improvements, expense controls and restructuring networks in the hopes of thriving in this complex environment. In this Talking Transpo...

The trucking industry could transition to a more robust environment after the freight recession of the past two years. A more probusiness Trump administration may spur domestic freight growth and be more sympathetic to the issues facing the trucking industry, according to Chris Spear, president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations. In this Talking Transports podcast, S...

Technology will be a driving force in shaping the transportation and logistics industry for years to come given the productivity improvements afforded by artificial intelligence and machine learning. It may also spur a new era of consolidation within the freight brokerage industry, as those companies without the scale and capital will find it increasingly difficult to compete. In this Talking Tran...

Fourth-quarter earnings could provide some signs that 2025 will be a brighter year for freight-transportation companies. In this Talking Transports podcast, Ravi Shanker, Morgan Stanley’s managing director and lead North American freight transportation and airlines analyst, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his insights about what...

The freight market outlook is set to improve next year following two challenging years for surface-transportation providers. In this Talking Transports podcast, Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, shares his 2025 outlook for the truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL) and railroads industries. Mid-single digit contractual rate growth, low-single-digit volu...

Refocusing Roadrunner into an asset-light less-than-truckload (LTL) provider over the past four years may have been key to turning the company around. In this Talking Transports podcast, Chris Jamroz, Roadrunner’s executive chairman and chief executive officer, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his insights about the strategic ste...

The ability to optimize logistics networks that can react to weather or human disruptions can be the differentiator between success and failure for many organizations. In this Talking Transports podcast, retired General Paul Selva, DEFCON AI’s co-founder and chief strategy officer, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his insights about ho...

The health-care logistics market is growing at a faster pace than the general freight market and has become an attractive vertical for providers of freight transportation services. The inherently complex nature of these supply chains due to cargo temperature requirements and safety concerns can warrant higher margins relative to other end markets. In this Talking Transports podcast, Joel Wayment,...

Uber Freight is leveraging generative AI to take out supply-chain inefficiencies, lower costs, reduce fraud and drive better customer experiences. The company cut empty miles in half for carriers on its network, and last year saved customers $1.5 billion. Technology has been the cornerstone. In this Talking Transports podcast, Lior Ron, Uber Freight’s founder and CEO, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg...

Norfolk Southern is entering a new chapter in its history as it moves past a devastating derailment, activist activity and leadership changes. The railroad is focused on attracting volume onto its network by providing a more consistent service centered around safety. In this Talking Transports podcast, Ed Elkins, Norfolk Southern’s chief marketing officer, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence...

A hybrid approach might be a winning strategy for logistics providers in the current challenging freight backdrop. In this Talking Transports podcast, Scott Pruneau, ITS Logistics’ CEO, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to share his insights about how the company’s hybrid approach has helped it organically gain market share. While the company le...

The recovery of the truckload market may be around the corner, but the pace will likely be slow and steady in the months ahead as slack capacity gradually exits. This should help drive a better freight-rate environment next year. In this Talking Transports podcast, Harman Cheema, Cheema Freightlines’ CEO, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst, to sha...

FreightVana’s trailers and technological approach differentiate it from other emerging freight brokers, providing shippers with more flexibility and carriers with access to previously out-of-reach markets. The company seeks to increase its fleet of trailing equipment to 10,000 from 700 in the long term. In this Talking Transports episode, Shannon Breen, co-CEO and founder of FreightVana, joins Lee...

The brokerage industry continues to leverage technology to improve processes, productivity and profitability. It will also help drive costs per load down, which can help brokers win share on price without sacrificing margins, and that could help consolidate the top end of the market. In this Talking Transports podcast, Matt Pyatt, CEO and founder of Arrive Logistics, joins Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg I...

Lackluster trucking conditions and a slow recovery in spot truckload rates may limit carriers’ ability to deliver upside surprises when reporting 3Q earnings, and could put 4Q expectations at risk, according to Chris Wetherbee, Wells Fargo managing director and lead analyst on airfreight, surface and marine transportation. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Talking Transports podcast, Wet...

Operating a privately held debt-free less-than-truckload (LTL) operator provides Estes Express Lines the flexibility to make growth investments and keep its commitments to customers and employees through the freight cycle, Webb Estes, president and chief operating officer, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. This approach has allowed the company to opportunistically acquire facilities and equipment agai...

Trucking and railroad demand appears hard pressed to come out of its malaise anytime soon. Trucking markets have been slowly improving, while pockets of weakness are mitigating some stronger end-markets. This backdrop may drive low-single digit volume growth for these freight modes next year. In this Talking Transports podcast, Jonathan Starks, FTR’s chief executive officer and chief intelligence...

The current trucking market appears to have the trappings of a more normal cycle, similar to the one in 2013-2017. This would mean that spot rates should continue to slowly move higher from here and could fuel contract rates to inflect positively for most of next year. In this Talking Transports podcast, Ken Adamo, vice president of strategy and business development and chief of analytics at DAT F...

Dislocations created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, low water levels in the Panama Canal and the crisis in the Red Sea have increased the demand for LNG tankers and has been a boost for time-charter rates and earnings for ship owners. Earning power will remain strong, even as they normalize lower from 2021’s peaks as rates remain well above breakeven levels for LNG tanker fleets. In this Talking...

The next catalyst for truck dealers might be a rush to order vehicles late next year ahead of the US EPA’s 2027 emissions rules, which could increase the costs of trucks by about $30,000 over traditional diesel engines. Buyers are already facing higher costs from inflationary pressure that pushed up prices for new over-the-road trucks by 20-25% over pre-pandemic levels. In this Talking Transports...