2020 TRUCKING Perspectives

摘要

Jrucking companics and their customers were already negotiating a complex environment at the start of 2020. On one hand, demand for freight transportation was softening, the price of diesel was rising, and some industry observers were predicting the booming economy might give way to a recession. On the other hand, the United States and China seemed to be coming to terms on their trade war, easing conditions for U.S. importers and exporters. And the United States, Canada, and Mexico were putting the final touches on a new trade deal to replace NAFTA. Those developments could have increased demand for freight services. Then COVID-19 arrived in the United States and upended everything. Businesses deemed "non-essential" were forced to close, canceling the need for trucks to move product into or out of their facilities. Consumers changed their buying habits—some spending much less since their jobs had disappeared, others flocking to e-commerce sites to avoid the risks of in-person shopping.