Why Trucking Rates Are Falling Even as Factory Orders Surge

Episode 31 of The Supply Chain Economy digs into a puzzle: US manufacturers' new orders hit $662.7 billion in April 2026, up 4.8% year-over-year, yet spot trucking rates are in the basement. Lucas and Luna explore why the link between industrial production and freight demand has broken. They look at the role of inventory destocking, the shift to rail and intermodal, and the rise of private fleets eating into for-hire trucking. Specific data from the Federal Reserve and Bureau of Economic Analysis grounds the discussion, including the widening trade deficit and what it means for truckers. The episode concludes with a look at how owner-operators are responding — and why the disconnect matters for the broader economy. #Trucking #FreightRates #SupplyChain #FactoryOrders #IndustrialProduction #InventoryDestocking #Intermodal #PrivateFleets #OwnerOperators #SpotMarket #TradeDeficit #Logistics #CapacityUtilization #Economics #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #SupplyChainEconomy #TruckingCrisis Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo