The results of the Freight Pulse 27 Shipper Survey reflect a stable outlook on the economy.

Shippers remain constructive on rail, while expect truck and parcel volume growth to decelerate slightly. Rail and parcel air & international shippers expect accelerating pricing, while truck shippers see deceleration in pricing gains ahead.

Some highlights from the 145 page report, which can be downloaded here, can be found below:

Freight/Macro:

• Shippers' economic outlook stable;
• Chemical shippers most upbeat outlook on GDP, auto most pessimistic;
• Restocking plans still on hold for now;
• TL capacity expectations loosen the most from prior survey;
• Shipper perceptions remain strong for rail carload on service and value for dollar.

Rail:

• Rail volume growth expectations stable at 3 percent;
• Shipper expectations on rail rates accelerating slightly;
• Intermodal discount to TL climbs from historical survey low;
• Shippers switching rails more often, rail rate negotiations more difficult;
• Rail service reliability and value for dollar stable.

Truck:

• Shipper truck volume growth expectations decelerating across all segments;
• Trucking rate growth expectations slow to ≈1.5 percent;
• Shippers' expectations on truckload capacity eased the most;
• Expectations on truck spend moderate across all segments;
• Factors driving intermodal growth unchanged, value perceptions remain highest.

Parcel:

• Shippers expect volume growth to decelerate for air & ground, flat for international;
• Rate growth expectations decelerate for ground, but accelerate for air & international;
• Shippers indicate increased B2C shipments, a negative for mix;
• Product mix shift from premium service to standard ground shipping continues;
• Carrier switching falls across segments.