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
Gross Domestic Product | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
- Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.8 percent in the second quarter of 2025 (April, May, and June), according to the third estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP decreased 0.6 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 November (+64,000) and has shown little net change since April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
- In November, the unemployment rate, at 4.6 percent, was little changed from September. Employment rose in health care and construction in November, while 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 4.6 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 8 million, were little changed from September. These measures are higher than last November, when the jobless rate was 4.2 percent, and the number of unemployed people was 7.1 million.
- The number of people jobless less than 5 weeks was 2.5 million in November, up by 316,000 from September. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) changed little at 1.9 million in November and accounted for 24.3 percent of all unemployed people.
- In November, both the labor force participation rate (62.5 percent) and the employment-population ratio (59.6 percent) were little changed from September. These measures showed little or no change over the year.
- The number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job, at 6.1 million in November, was little changed from September. 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.
- The number of people employed part time for economic reasons was 5.5 million in November, an increase of 909,000 from September. 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 November (+64,000) and has shown little net change since April. In November, employment rose in health care and construction. Federal government employment declined by 6,000, following a loss of 162,000 in October.
- In November, health care added 46,000 jobs, in line with the average monthly gain of 39,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, job gains occurred in ambulatory health care services (+24,000), hospitals (+11,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+11,000).
- Employment in social assistance continued to trend up in November (+18,000), primarily in individual and family services (+13,000).
- Federal government employment continued to decrease in November (-6,000). This follows a sharp decline of 162,000 in October, as some federal employees who accepted a deferred resignation offer came off federal payrolls.
- Federal government employment is down by 271,000 since reaching a peak in January. (Federal employees on furlough during the government shutdown were counted as employed in the establishment survey because they received pay, even if later than usual, for the pay period that included the 12th of the month.
- Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services.
- The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour to 34.3 hours in November. In manufacturing, the average workweek changed little at 40.0 hours, and overtime was unchanged at 2.9 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 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 December 4, 2025)
- New orders for manufactured goods in September, up two consecutive months, increased $1.2 billion or 0.2 percent to $612.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.3 percent August increase.
- Shipments, down two consecutive months, decreased $0.2 billion or virtually unchanged to $606.7 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent August decrease.
- Unfilled orders, up fourteen of the last fifteen months, increased $10.9 billion or 0.7 percent to $1,489.8 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent August increase.
- The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.98, up from 6.93 in August. Inventories, down two consecutive months, decreased $0.8 billion or 0.1 percent to $946.8 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent August decrease.
- The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.56, unchanged from August.
Transportation Update
Fuel
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/?os=frefapp
The national average price of diesel for the week of November 24 stood at $3.83 per gallon, an increase of 11 cents from four weeks prior at the end of October and up $0.30 from a year ago.
Transportation Capacity
- The Transportation Capacity Index dropped read in at 50.0, down (-4.5) from October’s reading of 54.5.
- Transportation Capacity index reads in at “no movement” a level that was last seen in September of 2024, more than one year ago. While the Upstream Transportation Capacity index is at 49.0, the Downstream index is slightly higher at 52.8 but the difference is not statistically significant. Capacity did loosen up later in the month, going from contraction at 46.3 early to marginal expansion at 57.6 later in the month.
- The future Transportation Capacity index increased 5.6 points, and it is now at 47.0,indicating slight contraction for the next 12 months. While the future Upstream index is at 44.0, the Downstream Transportation Capacity index is at 55.9, but the difference is not statistically significant.
Transportation Prices
November 2025 Logistics Managers’ Index – LOGISTICS MANAGERS’ INDEX
- The November Transportation Prices Index read in at 64.9, up +3.2) from October’s reading of 61.7. This is the fastest rate of expansion since February of this year. This month’s reading is 0.9 points up from a year ago and a somewhat staggering 20.7 points up from November 2023, which was the tail end of the 2022-2023 freight recession.
- Transportation Price growth softened later in November, going from significant expansion at 70.0 early to 60.8 in the second half of the month. We also see larger firms reporting significantly faster Transportation Price expansion than their smaller counterparts (72.0 for large and 60.7 for small respondents).
- The future index for Transportation Prices read in at 78.4, down slightly (-1.5) from October’s future prediction of 79.9. The Upstream future Transportation Prices index is at 80.0 while the Downstream Transportation Prices index is at 73.5, this difference is not statistically significant and suggests that respondents across the supply chain are expecting higher costs over the next 12 months.
- The Transportation Prices Index jumped 7.5 points from the previous reading and recorded 61.7 in October 2025. This is a big jump up from September’s reading o 54.7, which was the lowest reading of this year.
Cass Freight & Truckload Index
Uncertainty Reigns
Source: Cass Information Systems, Inc.
Cass Transportation Index Report | November 2025 | Cass Information Systems
Cass Transportation Index Report | November 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 rose 0.1% m/m in November, after a 1.1% increase in October.
- The y/y increase decelerated to 2.2% in November, from 3.0% in October.
- As holiday spending surpasses low expectations and weather adds to capacity constraints amid the holidays, the market balance is briefly tipping toward fleets in December.
This index fell 10% in 2023, another 3.4% in 2024, and we estimate a 1.7% increase in 2025.
Truck Tonnage Index
ATA Truck Tonnage Index Rose 0.6% in October
From the American Trucking Associations (ATA) on November 18, 2025:
- In October, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 111.9, down from 114.3 in September. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, contracted 1.8% from the same month last year after increasing 0.9% in September. Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2024, tonnage was unchanged.
- September’s SA decrease was revised up slightly from that first reported in our October 20 press release.
- The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 119.2 in October, 3.8% above September’s reading of 114.8.
- 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.
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.
