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 1.6 percent in the first quarter of 2026 (January, February, and March), according to the second 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 exports, investment, consumer spending, and government spending.
Unemployment
https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-unemployment-rate.htm
- Total non-farm payroll employment edged up by 172,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
- Job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care. Employment in financial activities declined.
- 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
- The major labor market indicators from the survey of households continued to show little or no change in May. The unemployment rate held at 4.3 percent and has remained in a narrow range of 4.3 percent to 4.5 percent since July 2025. The number of unemployed people, at 7.3 million, changed little over the month.
- Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates showed little or no change in May for adult men (4.0 percent), adult women (3.8 percent), teenagers (14.7 percent), and people who are White (3.8 percent), Black (6.6 percent), Asian (3.8 percent), or Hispanic (5.0 percent).
- The labor force participation rate held at 61.8 percent in May, and the employment-population ratio changed little at 59.2 percent. These measures showed little change over the year, after accounting for annual population control adjustments.
- The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.8 million, changed little in May. 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 May, the number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job changed little at 6.2 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 increased by 172,000 in May, similar to the gain of 179,000 in April. In May, job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care. Employment in financial activities declined.
- Healthcare added 35,000 jobs in May, in line with the average monthly gain of 38,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, ambulatory health care services added 26,000 jobs, including a gain of 11,000 in home health care services. Employment continued to trend up in hospitals (+6,000).
- Social assistance employment continued to trend up in May (+12,000), mostly in individual and family services (+10,000). Over the prior 12 months, social assistance had added an average of 17,000 jobs per month.
- In May, employment in local government rose by 55,000, largely reflecting a gain in local government, excluding education (+44,000).
- In May, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 12 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $37.53. Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.4 percent. In May, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 8 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $32.31.
- Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, information, professional and business services, and other services.
- The average workweek for all employees on private non-farm payrolls was unchanged at 34.3 hours in May. In manufacturing, the average workweek was unchanged at 40.4 hours, and overtime edged up to 3.1 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private non-farm payrolls remained at 33.8 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 June 3rd, 2026)
- New orders for manufactured goods in April, up five of the last six months, increased $30.1 billion or 4.8 percent to $662.7 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.8 percent March increase.
- Shipments, up six of the last seven months, increased $6.3 billion or 1.0 percent to $641.0 billion. This followed a 1.5 percent March increase.
- Unfilled orders, up twenty-one of the last twenty-two months, increased $26.8 billion or 1.7 percent to $1,569.0 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent March increase.
- The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.95, up from 6.88 in March. Inventories, up seven consecutive months, increased $2.4 billion or 0.3 percent to $959.1 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent March increase.
- The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.50, down from 1.51 in March.
Transportation Update
Fuel
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/?os=frefapp
The national average price of diesel for the week of April 25 stood at $5.52 per gallon, an increase of 0.17 cents from four weeks prior at the end of April and up $2.04 from a year ago.
Transportation Capacity
- The Transportation Capacity Index rebounded 3.3 points to 31.7 percent in May 2026.
- Despite this increase, the Transportation Capacity index continues to indicate contraction for the sixth consecutive month and remains at historically low levels. While the Upstream Transportation Capacity index is at 25.7, the Downstream index is at 45.3 and the difference is statistically significant. Hence, the contraction observed in Transportation Capacity is significantly stronger Upstream than Downstream across the US economy.
- The future Transportation Capacity index increased 7.2 points and now indicates 40.4, representing continued expectations of capacity contraction for the next 12 months. While the future Upstream index is at 34.1, the Downstream Transportation Capacity index is at 54.7, and the difference is statistically significant. As such, expectations of strong contraction in future Transportation Capacity remain very strong Upstream, while mild expansion in Transportation Capacity is expected Downstream in the US economy.
Transportation Prices
May 2026 Logistics Managers’ Index – LOGISTICS MANAGERS’ INDEX
- The Transportation Prices Index increased another point from the previous reading and recorded 96.0 in May 2026. With this increase the Transportation Prices Index has established a new all-time record.
- The Upstream Transportation Prices Index is at 96.3, the Downstream index is at 95.3 but the difference is not statistically significant. As such, it can be concluded that the inflationary pressure on Transportation Prices is being felt extremely strongly across the US economy.
- The future index for Transportation Prices decreased 2.5 points, indicating 91.4 and continuing to represent extremely high expectations of price increases for the next 12 months. The Upstream future Transportation Prices index is at 92.5 while the Downstream Transportation Prices index is at 88.7, but the difference is not statistically significant. Therefore, inflationary expectations in Transportation Prices remain very 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 | May 2026 | Cass Information Systems
Cass Transportation Index Report | May 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 rose to 150.8 in May, up 0.4% m/m and 6.9% y/y.
- These linehaul rates exclude both fuel and accessorial charges, both of which are rising. In the refrigerated market in particular, accessorial charges are going up, perhaps for reefer unit fuel.
- Volumes are beginning to recover, but it is mainly supply constraints supporting higher rates, in our view, both for equipment capacity and drivers.
- TL rates are likely to continue their upward march in the coming months.
- 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 Unchanged in April
From the American Trucking Associations (ATA) on May 19, 2026:
- In April, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 117.8. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, increased 3.5% from the same month in 2025, down slightly from March’s 3.7% increase. During the first four months of the year, tonnage was up 2.6% 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 116.8 in April, 3.4% below March’s reading of 120.9.
- 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.
