Tallies, totals and other trend data in the freight transportation realm (5/30/2025)

57

“This is the biggest conversation point I have in all my meetings every day and every week — it's this whipsaw effect of information that's coming out of Washington related to trade policy. We're now up to about 57 different announcements since January alone. ... Even for the most seasoned professional in this businesss, it's a lot to keep up with." — Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Eugene Seroka in a May 29 interview with Los Angeles Times Today

2

"What we saw with the announcements on the most wide-sweeping tariffs we've ever witnessed in our lifetime back in April [was] that many companies just simply hit the pause button because they didn't know if changes would come in 2 hours, 2 days or 2 months. That likely meant they were going to hold back on hiring empty positions or open jobs were off the table, as well. So was capital investment in the interim. Slowing trade, which these tariffs have really produced, means slowing economies to follow." — Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Eugene Seroka in a May 29 interview with Los Angeles Times Today

20 & 40

"The month of May showed a 20% reduction in scheduled ship arrivals. Longshore job activity, or those we count on so much as the heartbeat of the port, were down on some days by 40%. Now, if because these shifting trade winds change, our value to the market has always been speed coming from North Asia through LA distributing to 15 major markets — if those change the relationships of the trading partners, you can go to other ports just as easily." — Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Eugene Seroka in a May 29 interview with Los Angeles Times Today

0.1

FTR’s Shippers Conditions for March "remained in basically neutral territory," improving to +0.1 from -0.3 in February, FTR officials said on May 27. Falling diesel prices and "slightly less challenging" utilization offset stronger volumes and less favorable rates, they said. "Uncertainty over tariffs is a risk for the economy, but an expected sluggishness in the freight market in the near term should bring some benefits to shippers in terms of fluidity and pricing. The longer-term consequences are less clear, however," added FTR Vice President of Trucking Avery Vise. "For example, one consequence of a sharp drop in freight volume might be loss of trucking capacity, which could lead to a tighter market in 2026.”

12.3

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased by 12.3 points in May to 98.0, up from 85.7 in April, the Conference Board announced on May 27. The cutoff date for preliminary results was May 19; about half of the responses were collected after the May 12 announcement of a pause on some tariffs on imports from China. "Consumers were less pessimistic about business conditions and job availability over the next six months and regained optimism about future income prospects. Consumers’ assessments of the present situation also improved. However, while consumers were more positive about current business conditions than last month, their appraisal of current job availability weakened for the fifth consecutive month.”

0.3 & 1.5

U.S. truck tonnage declined in April "as the freight market remained choppy early in the second quarter," noted the writer of Women in Trucking's May 21 blog, citing American Trucking Associations (ATA) data. "Truck freight tonnage decreased 0.3% after contracting 1.5% in March" according to ATA's advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, Women in Trucking's writer noted.

8 & 17 & 49

The Georgia Ports Authority recorded its busiest-ever April ever for container trade, moving 515,500 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), GPA officials said on May 20. The Port of Savannah posted an increase of 74,500 TEUs or 17% compared with the same 2024 month. In April, Mason Mega Rail handled more than 50,000 rail lifts, an 8% increase compared with the same 2024 period, which "indicates cargo is being diverted back to the U.S. East Coast and Gulf," officials said. Meanwhile, the Appalachian Regional Port handled a record 4,241 lifts in April, a 49% increase compared with April 2024's total. “Our operations remain business-as-usual with some customers front-loading supply chains to avoid disruption," said GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch. "With the latest news on tariffs, we’re optimistic the situation will settle down and cargo will continue to flow through Savannah and Brunswick.”

0.28

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index reading for March improved to a 0.28 reading from February's -0.21, FTR officials said on May 20. Reasons for the improvement? It was mostly due to stronger freight volume and lower fuel costs, "although weaker rates mostly offset those favorable conditions," FTR officials said. "While overall market conditions improved marginally for carriers in March, FTR’s forecast for trucking conditions recently deteriorated due to the anticipated effects from tariffs."

4.3 & 14.7

The Port of Oakland handled 185,499 TEUs in April, a 14.7% decrease compared with March 2025's total, but a 4.3% increase compared with April 2024's volumes. The decrease was "driven by market uncertainty as well as softening demand in exports — both influenced by recent shifts in U.S. trade policy, port officials said on May 19. 

3.6

"Freight spending has stabilized in a market notably impacted by a trade war. Overall freight expenditures turned positive year over year in April for the first time in 28 months. It was not higher shipping volumes that drove the increased spending, however. Volumes were down 3.6%, but rates across all land modes were higher." — Cass Transportation Index for April 2025, issued May 15 by Cass Information Systems Inc.