Friday, March 5, 2021
FreightWaves Passport
  • Home
  • Research
    • 3PLs
    • Carrier Outlook
    • Featured
    • Financials
    • Freight Market Outlook
    • FreightTech
    • Global Trade
    • Intermodal
    • Most Popular
    • News
    • Special Topic
    • Trucking
  • Education
  • Community
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Webinars
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact Us
  • Sign Up
  • Account
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
FreightWaves Passport
  • Home
  • Research
    • 3PLs
    • Carrier Outlook
    • Featured
    • Financials
    • Freight Market Outlook
    • FreightTech
    • Global Trade
    • Intermodal
    • Most Popular
    • News
    • Special Topic
    • Trucking
  • Education
  • Community
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Webinars
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact Us
  • Sign Up
  • Account
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
FreightWaves Passport
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Q4 earnings season — Part 1: Broad-based strength evident

by Tony Mulvey
Thursday, January 21, 2021
in Featured, Financials, Most Popular, News, Special Topic
Reading Time: 2min read
0

(Photo: Jim Allen / FreightWaves)

The tone was set by Union Pacific’s (UNP) positive preannouncement. The backdrop for transportation is strong as bridge cable.

Rates are soaring across all modes. Revenue and profits are rising. So is the cost of purchased transportation, though, for freight brokers and IMCs. 

Tight capacity and congestion represent both problems and opportunities, driving rates higher but limiting volume potential.

Rail volumes have turned positive for the first time in two years in Q4, with the strength from double-digit intermodal volumes for the past several months now broadening out to second derivative improvements in industrial carloads. Top-line growth for the rails is revealing tremendous operating leverage and incremental margins from years of precision scheduled railroading.

Tight capacity in trucking since the April bottom, along with booming activity at ports on both coasts, has spilled over into a robust backdrop in intermodal. As trucking contract rates converge with spot and are renegotiated higher for the 2021 bid season, this in turn improves pricing power for intermodal and rail.

Parcels are still benefiting from record e-commerce demand and newfound pricing power. And as contract rates are renegotiated higher and spot rates peak, freight brokers are beginning to enter the sweet spot of the cycle.

All this is evident in the first round of transport earnings. We will have much more to come in next week’s follow-on report in Part 2 of this week's special topic.

Members Only

You have selected content that's only available to members of FreightWaves Passport. As a member, you gain immediate access to the most in-depth and informative freight research available. It's your gateway to continuing education.

Members also get:

  • Access to exclusive community dedicated to discussing the most important challenges facing freight.
  • Monthly and Quarterly Freight Market reports keeping you informed of industry trends.
  • Much, much more!

Click below to learn more and sign up today!

Subscribe
Existing Passport subscribers may log in using the form below.

 
 
Forgot Password
Tags: jb huntjb hunt 360logistics researchQ4 earningstransportation researchUnion Pacific Railroad
ShareShareTweetSend

Tony Mulvey

Research Associate, FreightWaves

Related Posts

Featured

Asset operators: It’s good to be a trucker

Thursday, March 4, 2021
Featured

Shippers facing nightmarish ‘game of chicken’ on the ocean

Thursday, February 25, 2021
Intermodal

Intermodal volume begins to dig out while network challenges remain

Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Next Post
Intermodal markets: Volumes booming but congested networks limit throughput

Intermodal markets: Volumes booming but congested networks limit throughput

Popular Research

  • Activist makes strong case: Forward’s management took company backward

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • This week’s snowstorm in 13 SONAR charts

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Q4 earnings season — Part 2: The upcycle can last well into 2021, executives say

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

By Categories

  • 3PLs (90)
  • Carrier Outlook (6)
  • Featured (26)
  • Financials (21)
  • Freight Market Outlook (1)
  • FreightTech (1)
  • Global Trade (4)
  • Intermodal (78)
  • Most Popular (19)
  • News (74)
  • Passport Research (33)
  • Rail (67)
  • Shippers (14)
  • Special Topic (77)
  • Technology (17)
  • Trucking (122)
  • Uncategorized (1)

FreightWaves Passport




Research built for present and future c-suite executives.





Benefits

  • Research
  • Education
  • Community
  • Events

Research by Topic

  • 3PLs
  • Carrier Outlook
  • Featured
  • Financials
  • Freight Market Outlook
  • Global Trade
  • Intermodal
  • Most Popular
  • Special Topic
  • FreightTech
  • Trucking

Resources

  • Webinars
  • Meet the Team
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2021 | FreightWaves, Inc. | All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Research
    • 3PLs
    • Carrier Outlook
    • Featured
    • Financials
    • Freight Market Outlook
    • FreightTech
    • Global Trade
    • Intermodal
    • Most Popular
    • News
    • Special Topic
    • Trucking
  • Education
  • Community
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Webinars
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact Us
  • Sign Up
  • Account
  • Log In

© Copyright 2020 | FreightWaves, Inc. | All Rights Reserved