According to ACT Research’s recently released Transportation Digest, the metrics ACT Research is tracking underscore how robust current market conditions are, but also hint at COVID and other vulnerabilities.

The report, which combines proprietary ACT data and analysis from a wide variety of sources, paints a comprehensive picture of trends impacting transportation and commercial vehicle markets. This monthly report is designed as a quick look at transportation insights for use by fleet and trucking executives, reviewing top-level considerations such as for-hire indices, freight, heavy and medium duty segments, the US trailer market, used truck sales information, and an overview of the US macro economy.

“The indicators that we track and find to be reliable point to strong freight conditions continuing into 2022,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. He continued, “Demand for transportation services remains extraordinarily strong, and all capacity modes are straining to meet it – and a basic law of market economics is again proved: when demand outstrips supply, prices rise. With favorable freight conditions amidst constrained capacity, freight rates are expected to remain elevated.”

Vieth concluded, “However, the two most visible and worrisome unknowns in the near term are the threat posed by the rise of the Delta variant of the COVID virus and supply challenges for OEMs and suppliers, most notably but not only in regard to semiconductors. Stretching the horizon, regulations, especially emissions, stand out for increasing industry costs and volatility, while infrastructure investment offers upside possibilities for freight.”