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:
Forecast for the end of month/end of quarter – plan for surges in your needs to ensure coverage
Develop order lead time – at least 5 days in advance. ask carriers for “best case” options
Specificity:
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.
Spread delivery times across the day
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
- Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026 (January, February, and March), according to the third estimate released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2025, real GDP increased 0.5 percent.
- The contributors to the increase in real GDP in the first quarter were increases in investment, exports, government spending, and consumer spending.
- Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.
Unemployment
https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-unemployment-rate.htm
- Both total non-farm payroll employment (+57,000) and the unemployment rate (4.2 percent) changed little in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
- Employment continued to trend up in professional and business services, social assistance, and health care. Leisure and hospitality lost 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 7.1 million, changed little in June. These measures also changed little over the year.
- Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates showed little or no change in June for adult men (3.9 percent), adult women (3.7 percent), teenagers (14.6 percent), and people who are White (3.6 percent), Black (6.6 percent), Asian (3.9 percent), or Hispanic (5.2 percent).
- The labor force participation rate decreased by 0.3 percentage point to 61.5 percent in June, and the employment-population ratio edged down by 0.2 percentage point to 59.0 percent. Both measures changed little over the year after accounting for annual population control adjustments.
- The number of people employed part time for economic reasons changed little at 4.7 million in June. 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.
- In June, the number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job changed little at 6.0 million. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job.
Establishment Survey Data
- Total non-farm payroll employment changed little in June (+57,000), roughly in line with the average monthly change over the prior 12 months (+36,000). In June, employment continued to trend up in professional and business services, social assistance, and health care. Employment in leisure and hospitality declined.
- In June, employment in health care continued its upward trend (+22,000) but at a slower pace than the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months (+38,000). In June, hospitals added 9,000 jobs.
- Social assistance added 25,000 jobs in June, primarily in individual and family services (+17,000). Over the prior 12 months, social assistance had added an average of 16,000 jobs per month.
- In June, average hourly earnings for all employees on private non-farm payrolls rose by 13 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $37.64. Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.5 percent. In June, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 7 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $32.38.
- Employment showed little or no 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; other services; and government.
- The average workweek for all employees on private non-farm payrolls was unchanged at 34.3 hours in June. In manufacturing, the average workweek edged down to 40.3 hours, and overtime edged up to 3.2 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private non-farm payrolls declined by 0.1 hour to 33.7 hours.
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 July 2nd, 2026)
- New orders for manufactured goods in May, down following four consecutive monthly increases, decreased $8.5 billion or 1.3 percent to $657.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 5.3 percent April increase.
- Shipments, up seven of the last eight months, increased $10.3 billion or 1.6 percent to $653.2 billion. This followed a 1.3 percent April increase.
- Unfilled orders, up twenty-two of the last twenty-three months, increased $9.2 billion or 0.6 percent to $1,579.5 billion. This followed a 1.8 percent April increase.
- The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.91, down from 6.95 in April. Inventories, up eight consecutive months, increased $2.1 billion or 0.2 percent to $962.0 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent April increase.
Transportation Update
Fuel
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/?os=frefapp
The national average price of diesel for the week of June 29 stood at $4.66 per gallon, an decrease of 0.86 cents from four weeks prior at the end of May and up $0.94 from a year ago.
Transportation Capacity
- The Transportation Capacity Index dropped .9 points to 30.8 in June 2026.
- With this decease the Transportation Capacity index continues to indicate contraction for the seventh consecutive month and remains at historically low levels. While the Upstream Transportation Capacity index is at 29.9, the Downstream index is at 33.3 and the difference is not statistically significant. Hence, the contraction observed in Transportation Capacity is relatively uniformly distributed both Upstream and Downstream across the US economy.
- The future Transportation Capacity index increased 2 points and now indicates 42.4, representing continued expectations of capacity contraction for the next 12 months, albeit these expectations and not as pronounced as they were in recent months. While the future Upstream index is at 42.3, the Downstream Transportation Capacity index is at 42.5, and the difference is not statistically significant. As such, expectations of slight contraction in future Transportation Capacity are relatively uniformly distributed both Upstream and Downstream across the US economy.
Transportation Prices
June 2026 Logistics Managers’ Index – LOGISTICS MANAGERS’ INDEX
- The Transportation Prices Index decreased 3.6 points from the previous reading and recorded 92.4 in June 2026. With this decrease the Transportation Prices Index has retreated from record highs but still remains at historically elevated levels.
- The Upstream Transportation Prices Index is at 90.4, the Downstream index is at 97.9 and the difference is marginally statistically significant. As such, it can be concluded that the inflationary pressure on Transportation Prices is being felt strongly across the US economy, with slightly higher pressure exhibited Downstream than Upstream.
- The future index for Transportation Prices decreased 4.4 points to 87.0, which represents continued strong expectations of price increases for the next 12 months. The Upstream future Transportation Prices index is at 83.3 while the Downstream Transportation Prices index is at 89.6, but the difference is not statistically significant. Therefore, inflationary expectations in Transportation Prices remain strong across the US supply chains, both Upstream and Downstream.
Cass Freight & Truckload Index
Uncertainty Reigns
Source: Cass Information Systems, Inc.
Cass Transportation Index Report | June 2026 | Cass Information Systems
Cass Transportation Index Report | June 2026 | 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 to 149.4 in June, down 0.9% m/m, but up 5.5% y/y.
- These shipper-sourced rates are not taking off like some leading spot indicators, but should provide a perspective consistent with the broader truckload market, which is still mostly under contract rates.
- With many shipper bids taking effect July 1, this is likely a temporary pause in the upward move in truckload rates.
- This index reflects the whole for-hire market, both spot and contract rates.
The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index fell 10% in 2023, another 3.4% in 2024, and turned up to a 1.8% increase in 2025.
Truck Tonnage Index
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Fell 2% in May
From the American Trucking Associations (ATA) on June 23, 2026:
- In May, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 114.4. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, increased 0.6% from the same month in 2025, down from April’s 2.5% increase. During the first five months of the year, tonnage was up 2% from the same period last year. In 2025, the tonnage index was flat compared to the 2024 average.
- The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 114.8 in May, 0.8% below April’s reading of 115.7.
- 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 2024.* 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.
