Contents:
Key Odyssey Network Indicators
Shipper Actions
In today’s competitive environment, becoming a preferred shipper to carriers can help improve attaining sufficient capacity. Things that shippers offer that help reach this status can include:
Accuracy:
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Forecast for the end of month/end of quarter – plan for surges in your needs to ensure coverage
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Develop order lead time – at least 5 days in advance. ask carriers for “best case” options
Specificity:
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Request delivery windows from customers…often 8 a.m. deliveries are requested when product really is not need until much later. A window of 8-10 a.m. may have a better chance of coverage.
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Spread delivery times across the day
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Assess what your customers really need. Make sure that customer delivery requirements are up to date and accurate. Do not require equipment/assessorials that are not needed
Flexibility:
- Offer flexible load times
- Explore/ be open to mode options including intermodal
Driver-friendliness:
- Load/unload within the normal 2 hours-time is money to drivers
- Provide creature comforts (clean restrooms, rest areas, free Wi-Fi, a cup of coffee, etc.)
Consistency:
- Offer consistent volume that carriers can plan against
- Reduce order changes – a new date may put coverage at risk
Efficiency:
- Maximize payload on trucks
- Utilize trailer drop yards at high volume origins when possible
- Prioritize loading/unloading trucks quickly at facilities
Promptness:
- Pay carriers within their contracted freight terms- cash flow is vital to carriers
Economic Update
GDP Change
Gross Domestic Product | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
- Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.0 percent in the second quarter of 2025 (April, May, and June), according to the advance estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP decreased 0.5 percent.
- The increase in real GDP in the second quarter primarily reflected a decrease in imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, and an increase in consumer spending.
- These movements were partly offset by decreases in investment and exports.
Unemployment
https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-unemployment-rate.htm
- Total non-farm payroll employment changed little in July (+73,000) and has shown little change since April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today.
- The unemployment rate, at 4.2 percent, also changed little in July. Employment continued to trend up in health care and in social assistance. Federal government continued to lose jobs.
- This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys.
- The household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics.
- The establishment survey measures non-farm employment, hours, and earnings by industry.
Household Survey Data
- Both the unemployment rate, at 4.2 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.2 million, changed little in July.
- The unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 4.0 percent to 4.2 percent since May 2024.
- In July, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) increased by 179,000 to 1.8 million. The long-term unemployed accounted for 24.9 percent of all unemployed people.
- The labor force participation rate, at 62.2 percent, changed little in July but has declined by 0.5 percentage point over the year. The employment-population ratio, at 59.6 percent, also changed little over the month but was down by 0.4 percentage point over the year.
- The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.7 million, changed little in July. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part-time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs.
Establishment Survey Data
- Total non-farm payroll employment changed little in July (+73,000) and has shown little change since April. Over the month, employment continued to trend up in health care and in social assistance. Federal government continued to lose jobs.
- In July, healthcare added 55,000 jobs, above the average monthly gain of 42,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, job gains occurred in ambulatory health care services (+34,000) and hospitals (+16,000).
- Social assistance employment continued to trend up in July (+18,000), reflecting continued job growth in individual and family services (+21,000).
- Federal government employment continued to decline in July (-12,000) and is down by 84,000 since reaching a peak in January. (Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are counted as employed in the establishment survey.)
- Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services.
- Average hourly earnings for all employees on private non-farm payrolls rose by 12 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $36.44 in July. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.9 percent. In July, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 8 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $31.34.
U.S. Truck Transportation Employment
Manufactured Goods – New Orders
https://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/current/index.html
Monthly Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, & Orders
(Released August 4, 2025)
- New orders for manufactured goods in June, down two of the last three months, decreased $30.9 billion or 4.8 percent to $611.7 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed an 8.3 percent May increase.
- Shipments, up two consecutive months, increased $2.9 billion or 0.5 percent to $602.4 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent May increase.
- Unfilled orders, up eleven of the last twelve months, increased $14.3 billion or 1.0 percent to $1,469.9 billion. This followed a 3.4 percent May increase.
- The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 7.03, up from 6.98 in May. Inventories, up eight of the last nine months, increased $1.6 billion or 0.2 percent to $945.6 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent May increase.
- The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.57, unchanged from May.
Transportation Update
Fuel
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/?os=frefapp
The national average price of diesel for the week of July 28 stood at $3.81 per gallon, an increase of 78 cents from four weeks prior at the end of June and up $0.037 from a year ago.
Transportation Capacity
- The Transportation Capacity Index increased a mere .2 points to 52.6 percent in July 2025.
- Transportation Capacity index remains in the slight expansion territory. While the Upstream transportation capacity index at 54.0, the Downstream index is slightly lower at 52.4 but the difference is not statistically significant. While the Upstream Transportation Capacity index at 50, the Downstream index is slightly higher at 59.6 and the difference is marginally significant.
- The Transportation Capacity index moved back above the critical threshold, and it is now at 53.7,indicating expansion for next 12 months.
- The future Upstream index is at 54.7 indicating slight expansion, the Transportation Capacity index is at 47.6 indicating slight contraction, but the difference is not statistically significant.
Transportation Prices
July 2025 Logistics Managers’ Index – LOGISTICS MANAGERS’ INDEX
- The Transportation Prices Index rebounded 1 point from the previous reading and recorded 63.0 in July 2025.
- The Upstream Transportation Prices Index is at 61.2, and the Downstream index is at 61.9, indicating that the price increases that we see in transportation are felt relatively uniformly across the supply chain.
- The future index for Transportation also increased slightly from last month, indicating 2.2 points higher at 75.5. The Upstream future transportation prices index is at 78.3 while the Downstream Transportation index is at 66.7, and the difference is marginally significant. As such, it can be concluded that expectations of higher Transportation remain prevalent across the economy but are more pronounced Upstream than Downstream supply chains.
Cass Freight & Truckload Index
Uncertainty Reigns
Source: Cass Information Systems, Inc.
Cass Transportation Index Report | July 2025 | Cass Information Systems
Cass Transportation Index Report | July 2025 | Cass Information Systems
The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index is a measure of market fluctuations in per-mile truckload linehaul rates, independent of additional cost components such as fuel and accessorials.
The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index fell 0.6% m/m in July, after a 0.4% increase in June.
- The y/y increase accelerated to 2.4% in July from 1.9% in June on an easier comparison.
- This index fell 10% in 2023, another 3.4% in 2024, and after a 1.3% increase in 1H’25, is on track for a small increase in 2025.
Truck Tonnage Index
Tonnage was off 0.1% from June 2024
From the American Trucking Associations (ATA) on July 22, 2025:
- The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 116.2 in May, 2.9% above April’s reading of 112.9.
- May’s SA decline was unchanged from our June 24, 2025 press release.
- The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 114.9 in June, 1.1% below May’s reading of 116.2.
- Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 72.7% of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 11.27 billion tons of freight in 20241. Motor carriers collected $906 billion, or 76.9% of total revenue earned by all transport modes.
- Both indices are dominated by contract freight, as opposed to traditional spot market freight. The tonnage index is calculated on surveys from its membership and has been doing so since the 1970s. This is a preliminary figure and subject to change in the final report issued around the 5th day of each month. The report includes month-to-month and year-over-year results, relevant economic comparisons, and key financial indicators.
National Spot Rates
Source: DAT Analytics | https://www.dat.com/trendlines
The chart above depicts national average rates (including fuel surcharges) in the past 13 months, derived from DAT RateView.
