2026 Freight Forecast: Why Volumes Won’t Boom (and Where the Opportunity Hides)
- Danyul Gleeson
- 3 days ago
- 17 min read
If 2025 left your freight forecasts looking like a toddler’s crayon drawing, 2026 won’t tidy the picture. It will add tariffs, trade tantrums, and a few new acronyms nobody asked for.
Global trade is still shaking off a fiscal hangover. The World Trade Organization expects merchandise trade to rebound by just 1.8 to 2.5 percent in 2026 after a messy 2025 filled with tariff tensions and geopolitical finger-pointing (WTO, 2025). That’s not a boom. That’s a polite cough from an economy trying to find its shoes.
The World Bank is equally unimpressed, pegging global GDP growth at around 2.4 percent - barely enough to keep warehouses lit (World Bank, 2025). Meanwhile, analysts at ACT Research describe the freight outlook as “cautious to flat,” with overcapacity, thin margins, and delayed fleet renewals turning growth into a slow jog through wet concrete.
Ocean freight rates are slipping as container oversupply collides with cooling demand.
Airfreight is surviving on urgency. And those port queues that haunted 2021? They’ve traded chaos for something more unnerving: silence.
But that’s not bad news. It’s just the truth. When the market stops sprinting, strategy starts winning.
2026 isn’t about chasing volume. It’s about engineering advantage. The smartest players are designing supply chains that stay profitable in neutral gear. As global networks reshape around nearshoring, niche cargo, and regional agility, the winners won’t be the biggest or the loudest. They’ll be the ones reading the data before it bites.
At Transport Works, we call that quiet aggression - the skill of spotting the freight storm before everyone else checks the weather.
Because in 2026, volume might be flat, but opportunity is anything but.
1. Freight’s Mood Ring:
Why 2026 Won’t Be a Rally Year
If 2025 was a bumpy cruise, 2026 is the part where someone handed freight a mood ring and said, “Good luck interpreting that.” Volumes aren’t about to shout. They’ll whisper, sulk, and occasionally ghost your forecasts.
Slower Trade Growth = Muted Tailwinds
The World Trade Organization has trimmed its 2026 merchandise trade growth forecast from 2.5 percent to just 1.8 percent, citing tariffs, trade friction, and political uncertainty as the global mood-killers (WTO, 2025). After a contraction in 2025, that rebound is less “comeback” and more “cautious apology.”
In other words, trade growth has traded its running shoes for safety boots. Tariff pressure, protectionist policy shifts, and inflation fatigue are all dragging volume growth down across major corridors.
When global trade hesitates, containerized freight, intermodal routes, and long-haul carriers all catch the cold. Every slowdown at the macro level becomes a ripple through the warehouses, ports, and supply chains that feed it.
Freight Volumes: Flat, Cautious, Not Explosive
Analysts at ACT Research see 2026 as a “steady, not spectacular” year for freight demand. Capacity discipline is tightening. Fleet investment is slowing. Overcapacity in trucking and long lead times for new Class 8 equipment are already acting as a brake on growth (ACT Research, 2025).
Forecasts aren’t calling for fireworks. Think more like a low burn - stable, cautious, and occasionally sparked by niche markets such as perishables, medical goods, and critical components.
Margins will stay thin. Expansion plans will stay modest. And every operator who survives 2026 will do so by thinking less about volume and more about precision.
Because in this market, freight isn’t booming. It’s balancing. And the winners will be the ones who know how to profit from stillness.
2. Capacity Correction & Rebalancing:
Supply Chains Snap Back
2026 isn’t shaping up to be a year of expansion. It’s shaping up to be a year of correction. The freight sector is finally hitting the brakes after years of overshooting capacity, and the sound you hear is the industry quietly exhaling.
Build Slows, Discipline Emerges
Manufacturers of trucks, trailers, and logistics equipment are tightening their build schedules. Class 8 truck ordersremain sluggish, and backlogs are sitting at their weakest levels in several years (ACT Research, 2025). That means fewer new rigs rolling out and more operators holding onto existing fleets a little longer.
This slowdown isn’t panic. It’s discipline. The overbuilding that defined 2023 and 2024 is giving way to selective fleet investment and leaner asset strategies. In short, the market is correcting itself before fuel costs, interest rates, and soft freight demand force a harsher reset.
Pinch Points Over Broad Gluts
Not every mode will tighten at the same pace. Some lanes are already showing stress fractures:
Trucking: Long-haul and rural routes are feeling the squeeze as driver shortages and aging fleets collide with high operating costs.
Ports: Certain terminals remain chokepoints, with congestion flaring whenever demand shifts faster than schedules.
Rail: Capacity is constrained by rigid take-or-pay contracts and limited network flexibility in key corridors.
Instead of broad overcapacity, 2026 will bring a patchwork of pinch points. Some lanes will be underbooked, others oversold. And in that uneven landscape, survival won’t come from being the cheapest carrier in the room. It will come from being the most strategic partner in the network.
The smart players are already pivoting from transactional to relational. They’re trading short-term rates for long-term reliability, sharing data across partners, and prioritising visibility over volume.
Because when supply chains snap back, only the resilient ones keep their balance.
3. The Nearshoring Shuffle:
Changing the Flowlines
Global trade was once a long-distance romance built on cheap fuel and questionable patience. In 2026, it’s calling it quits.
After years of relying on overseas factories and overnight miracles, businesses are realising that “local” is the new “loyal.” The great nearshoring shuffle is in full swing, and it’s already rewriting the world’s freight playlist less slow dance, more controlled chaos.
Production Is Packing Its Bags
Nearshoring isn’t a trend. It’s a survival mechanism. The World Trade Organization notes that geopolitical tensions, cost volatility, and shipping disruptions are prompting firms to relocate production closer to their destination markets (WTO, 2025).
Every new trade barrier or fuel spike pushes another business to say, “Why ship it halfway around the world when I can make it next door?” The result is a freight ecosystem that’s becoming more regional, agile, and complex.
Long-haul ocean freight isn’t vanishing, but it’s losing dominance. The era of endless Asia–Europe and Asia–North America containers is giving way to tighter, shorter corridors built for responsiveness instead of reach.
How Nearshoring Is Redrawing the Map
Here’s how the freight chessboard is shifting in 2026:
Less intercontinental traffic. Fewer 12,000-kilometre voyages and more 1,200-kilometre hops between near-market hubs.
More cross-border trucking. Regional lanes are heating up in North America, ASEAN, and the Pacific Rim as manufacturers rewire their networks.
Growth in regional warehousing. The Conqueror Freight Network reports a 22 percent jump in warehouse investment across Australia and New Zealand since 2024 as importers shorten their inventory loops (Conqueror Network, 2025).
Rising demand for short-sea and intermodal. Hybrid routes are becoming the logistics equivalent of a well-balanced diet: fewer ocean delays, more inland predictability.
Closer Doesn’t Always Mean Simpler
Nearshoring might shrink the map, but it doesn’t shrink the headaches.
Trading one mega network for ten mini ones means more data, more decisions, and a thousand new ways for inefficiency to slide into your inbox wearing a high-vis vest. Every regional hub adds another spreadsheet, another stakeholder, and another “urgent” meeting about truck arrival windows that no one controls.
The operators who’ll win 2026 aren’t the ones with the most warehouses. They’re the ones running them like an ecosystem, not an obstacle course.
The smartest players are already syncing their supply chains like symphonies. Predictive analytics and 4PL control towers are their conductors - keeping regional hubs playing in tempo instead of fighting over tune. They’re optimising lane density, balancing inventory like portfolio managers, and negotiating local partnerships before competitors even realise the game has changed.
Because nearshoring isn’t about getting closer. It’s about getting clever.
The moral of the story? Supply chains aren’t shortening because the world got smaller. They’re shortening because patience did.
4. Oceans Sigh:
Container Rate Pressure and Oversupply
The ocean freight market in 2026 has stopped roaring and started sighing.
After years of inflated chaos, container shipping is finally coming down from its caffeine high. Analysts at Xeneta, BIMCO, and HPS Trade all see the same horizon: rate compression. Demand is cooling, fleet supply is catching up, and the once-scorching sea lanes are now a lukewarm paddle.
Container rates are slowly drifting back toward pre-crisis levels - think pre–Red Sea detours and post-pandemic bottlenecks - if demand doesn’t throw a surprise tantrum. The industry has swapped bidding wars for quiet undercutting, as idle tonnage and newly built vessels scramble for purpose.
Excess capacity is the villain of this voyage.
Too many ships, not enough freight. Lines are redeploying fleets, offering “promo rates” that sound like happy hour specials, and chasing volume wherever they can find it.
For shippers, that’s a mixed blessing. Rate softness may open a window, but only if carriers can’t rebalance or hike costs through surcharges and sustainability fees. It’s a game of oceanic poker - too much bluffing, not enough cargo.
The calm looks nice on paper, but make no mistake. Beneath the surface, the waves are still restless.
5. Selective Growth:
Where Volumes Still Dance
It’s not all doom and diesel. While the global freight market is busy perfecting its resting bitch face, a few segments are still turning up the volume.
In 2026, freight growth won’t be universal - it’ll be selective. The spotlight belongs to the lanes, commodities, and cargo types where reliability beats price and precision pays the bills.
Where the Volume Still Moves
1. High-Value and Perishable Freight
Pharma, electronics, and cold-chain cargo are still thriving, because no one wants to explain to a hospital or a tech giant why their shipment “missed the boat.” According to DHL’s 2025 Global Connectedness Index, time-critical and temperature-controlled shipments are expected to grow 4 to 6 percent in 2026, even as general cargo volumes stagnate. Reliability is the new currency.
2. Just-In-Time Spare Parts and Urgent Inbound Freight
Factories can handle a tariff but not a shutdown. The “just-in-time” philosophy might have lost its innocence, but it hasn’t lost its urgency. Demand for expedited and inbound parts freight is projected to outpace total market growth by nearly 3 percent (ACT Research, 2025) as manufacturers rebuild smaller, more resilient supply chains.
3. Specialty and Premium Modes
Air freight, intermodal, and hybrid services are becoming the VIP section of logistics. Conqueror Freight Network (2025) predicts steady growth in premium capacity lanes as shippers pay extra for predictability over chaos. Expedited rail-air combinations are surging across North America and the Pacific Rim, blending speed, sustainability, and fewer excuses.
4. E-Commerce and Micro-Fulfilment
Online retail isn’t slowing - it’s reorganising. The Global CFS Network (2025) reports continued expansion in micro-fulfilment hubs, especially across Australia and New Zealand, as retailers chase same-day delivery without the same-day burnout. Expect growth in short-haul, high-frequency freight between urban warehouses, regional ports, and last-mile zones.
Why These Segments Still Win
Because while price wars flatten margins, reliability sells. The businesses winning 2026 aren’t the cheapest - they’re the most consistent. Shippers are no longer paying for “capacity”; they’re paying for confidence.
Buyers are willing to pay a premium when delivery times are non-negotiable, temperature thresholds matter, or lost cargo equals lost trust. In fact, McKinsey’s 2025 Supply Chain Pulse found that 71 percent of logistics decision-makers now rank resilience and reliability above cost savings in procurement priorities.
Where the Freight Still Moves: Questions Everyone’s Asking
Which freight segments will grow in 2026 despite global slowdowns?
Niche and premium lanes such as pharma, perishables, expedited freight, and e-commerce micro-fulfilment are projected to see 3–6 percent growth even as general volumes remain flat (DHL, ACT Research, 2025).
Why are high-value and perishable goods more resilient?
They rely on precision, temperature control, and zero-tolerance delivery windows. Shippers will pay premium rates to avoid delays or spoilage.
Will e-commerce continue to drive freight growth?
Yes. Regional e-commerce volumes are expected to rise across Asia-Pacific and North America as same-day delivery becomes a baseline expectation (Global CFS, 2025).
What role does air freight play in selective growth?
Air and intermodal services are capturing demand for time-critical shipments, combining speed and resilience in the face of port or capacity disruptions (Conqueror Network, 2025).
What strategies should carriers use to capture niche growth?
Invest in temperature-controlled capacity, real-time visibility tools, and flexible service tiers that reward consistency over volume.
6. Macro and Commodity Backdrops:
The Economic Cushion
If the global economy were a truck, 2026 isn’t the year it gets turbocharged. It’s the year it cruises in the middle lane - steady, humming, and occasionally honking at inflation.
The Global Economy: Recovery or Just a Coffee Break?
The World Bank expects global GDP growth to inch up to around 2.4 percent in 2026, offering a soft cushion for freight demand but nowhere near the horsepower of a true rebound (World Bank, 2025). The world isn’t crashing, but it’s definitely coasting.
Growth is uneven too. Advanced economies are tightening belts, while emerging markets are still digging out from cost-of-living spikes and supply chain shocks. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) calls it a “fragile expansion” - translation: there’s progress, but nobody’s popping champagne yet.
In freight terms, that means volumes won’t dive, but they won’t sprint either. They’ll meander - and that’s okay, because predictable beats chaotic every time.
Commodity Cycles: Calm on the Surface, Currents Below
Commodity markets are quietly shedding the adrenaline of 2024 and 2025. Prices for metals, bulk commodities, and energy inputs are expected to soften by 5 to 8 percent in 2026, according to the World Bank Commodity Markets Outlook (2025). That’s good news for input costs, bad news for economies that depend on exporting them.
Metals: Prices for copper, aluminium, and iron ore are trending down as construction and manufacturing slow in China and India.
Energy: Brent crude is forecast to hover near USD 60 per barrel, providing a minor inflation breather but keeping fuel costs unpredictable.
Agriculture: Stable yields and moderating demand are flattening global grain and fertiliser prices, reducing freight volatility for agri-exporters.
Lower commodity prices mean lower freight inflation, but also thinner margins for carriers tied to resource-heavy economies like Australia, Brazil, and South Africa.
Currency Swings: The Invisible Freight Factor
Behind every freight quote lurks a currency fluctuation. The OECD (2025) projects continuing volatility in exchange rates across the NZD, AUD, and USD, driven by diverging monetary policy and trade tensions. A weaker New Zealand or Australian dollar inflates import costs before cargo even leaves the port.
For exporters, that’s a double-edged pallet: it boosts competitiveness abroad but raises domestic transport and warehousing costs.
The Freight Reality Check
When you zoom out, the macro story for 2026 isn’t thrilling - but it’s stable enough to breathe.
Freight demand will float on the soft cushion of slow GDP growth, calmer fuel costs, and easing inflation. It won’t feel like a boom, but after three years of whiplash economics, a year without panic is its own kind of progress.
As DHL’s Global Trade Barometer (2025) put it, “2026 will be the year logistics takes a deep breath.”
And frankly, after the chaos of 2025, a deep breath sounds pretty good.
Quickfire Freight Questions: The 2026 Economic Reality Check
What is the global GDP growth forecast for 2026?
The World Bank projects global GDP growth around 2.4 percent, while the IMF calls it a “fragile expansion” supported by moderating inflation and steady consumer demand.
How will commodity prices impact freight in 2026?
Softer prices in metals and energy will reduce input and fuel costs but may also slow trade volumes in commodity-exporting economies (World Bank, 2025).
Which sectors benefit from lower commodity prices?
Manufacturing, retail, and construction logistics benefit most as raw material and energy costs ease, improving freight affordability.
Will currency volatility affect freight rates in 2026?
Yes. Exchange-rate swings between the USD, AUD, and NZD will impact import costs and freight surcharges, especially in regional trade corridors (OECD, 2025).
Is 2026 expected to be a strong year for global trade?
No. It’s expected to be steady rather than strong. Freight markets will stay supported by modest growth and easing costs but not a dramatic rebound.
Strategy Implications for 2026:
What Shippers & Carriers Must Do
Strategy | What It Means | Why It Matters in 2026 | How to Execute Effectively |
Scenario Planning > Forecast Faith | Build adaptable models that simulate base, upside, and downside demand paths rather than betting everything on one forecast. | Global trade growth is projected at only ~1.8% (WTO, 2025) - meaning volatility, not certainty, will rule the lanes. Static forecasting is like using last year’s map for a new city. | Use AI forecasting and Monte Carlo simulations to stress-test shipping volumes, inventory turnover, and capacity costs. Reassess quarterly, not annually. |
Niche-Focus Investing | Concentrate on profitable or resilient freight verticals instead of chasing bulk general cargo. | High-value, perishable, or time-sensitive freight remains resilient even when overall volumes soften (ACT Research, 2025). | Allocate fleet and warehouse capacity toward specialized segments like cold chain, high-tech, and medical logistics. Partner with niche carriers where volume margins are higher. |
Strategic Partnerships | Form long-term alliances with carriers, 3PLs, and 4PLs for guaranteed capacity and pricing flexibility. | Equipment builds are slowing and Class 8 truck orders remain below pre-pandemic levels (ACT Research, 2025), tightening available capacity. | Negotiate multi-year contracts with volume guarantees. Prioritize carriers offering predictive visibility and sustainability compliance. |
Network Flexibility | Design logistics networks that can pivot quickly between modes, routes, or regional hubs. | Port congestion, labor disruptions, and nearshoring are reshaping global lanes. Rigidity kills margin when markets shift. | Create dual-route models and dynamic routing algorithms. Use integrated TMS/WMS systems that allow real-time rerouting without bottlenecks. |
Cost Hedging & Rate Levers | Use financial instruments and contractual clauses to stabilize variable costs. | Diesel volatility and container rate compression are swinging margins by the week. (BIMCO, Xeneta, 2025) | Embed fuel adjustment clauses, apply spot-rate hedging, and maintain rolling contracts with quarterly reviews. Include both rate ceilings and floors. |
Data & Forecasting Mastery | Turn supply chain visibility into predictive control using AI and analytics. | Freight cost sensitivity is increasing across all modes - and operators using predictive analytics cut transport costs by up to 9% (CloseLoop AI, 2025). | Combine IoT telemetry, EDI feeds, and historical lane data for continuous forecasting. Train dispatchers to read anomaly alerts before they turn into disruptions. |
Regional Hub & Nearshoring Investment | Position inventory and production closer to end markets to cut exposure to global shocks. | Nearshoring is accelerating, with 22% growth in regional warehouse investment across NZ and AUS (Conqueror Network, 2025). | Develop satellite hubs near metro demand zones. Integrate short-haul trucking and intermodal links to replace longer international routes. |
2026 Freight Forecast: Your Questions, Answered
Will global freight volumes grow in 2026?
Not much. The World Trade Organization (WTO) expects merchandise trade to rebound by only 1.8 to 2.5 percentafter a sluggish 2025 marked by tariff flare-ups and policy gridlock (WTO, 2025). That’s less “rocket fuel” and more “slow recharge.”
Translation: 2026 is not about chasing explosive growth—it’s about stabilising, optimising, and protecting the lanes that still pay the bills.
Why is freight growth staying muted despite GDP recovery?
Because GDP is jogging while trade is still stretching. The World Bank pegs global GDP growth at around 2.4 percentfor 2026 (World Bank, 2025), which provides a soft floor but not much lift.
Tariffs, currency swings, and overcapacity are dampening trade even as consumer demand steadies. Think of it as the logistics equivalent of “fit but tired.”
Which freight sectors are expected to outperform in 2026?
Niche and premium segments will carry the rhythm:
Pharma, perishables, and cold chain logistics for their time-critical reliability
E-commerce micro-fulfilment and short-haul freight driven by same-day delivery expectations
Air and intermodal hybrid models that balance speed, sustainability, and predictability
According to DHL’s Global Connectedness Index (2025), time-sensitive and temperature-controlled shipments are expected to grow 4 to 6 percent in 2026, while general cargo barely moves the needle.
What’s happening with container rates and ocean freight pricing?
The ocean is exhaling. Analysts from Xeneta and BIMCO predict downward rate pressure in 2026 as container oversupply collides with softer demand. Rates may drift back toward pre–Red Sea disruption levels, forcing carriers to discount to keep ships full (BIMCO, 2025).
For shippers, that could mean short windows of rate relief - but expect carriers to offset softness through fuel surcharges or “green” compliance fees.
How will nearshoring and regionalisation reshape freight flows?
In one word: dramatically. The global network is reconfiguring into shorter, more regional loops.
Less intercontinental freight as companies move production closer to destination markets
More cross-border trucking across North America, ASEAN, and Australasia
22 percent growth in regional warehouse investment across New Zealand and Australia since 2024 (Conqueror Freight Network, 2025)
Nearshoring doesn’t kill global trade - it just redraws it.
How will fuel costs and volatility affect freight rates in 2026?
Fuel volatility remains the freight industry’s favourite drama.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects diesel to hover near USD 3.46 per gallon in 2026.
The World Bank forecasts Brent crude around USD 60 per barrel (World Bank, 2025).
That means stable-looking spreadsheets that hide a hundred micro-spikes beneath the surface. Smart operators are already automating fuel surcharges, modelling elasticity, and hedging exposure before the next oil-price “oops.”
Which regions will feel the freight slowdown most?
New Zealand: Diesel up 30 cents per litre since late 2024, adding pressure to a 90 percent road-freight-dependent economy (MBIE, 2025).
Australia: Each one-cent rise in diesel lifts freight rates by about 0.25 percent (ACCC, 2025).
United States: Freight rates closely follow DOE-indexed diesel averages, keeping trucking margins in constant flux (FTR Transportation Intelligence, 2025).
The common thread? Every market is feeling the heat, just at different altitudes.
What strategies will help shippers and carriers stay profitable in 2026?
According to ACT Research (2025) and McKinsey (2025), the survival kit includes:
Dynamic pricing models tied to fuel indices
AI-driven forecasting to predict demand swings
Hybrid fleets and intermodal routes to control costs
Regional warehousing to shorten delivery distances
4PL partnerships for integrated visibility and control
In short, play fewer guessing games and more strategy chess.
Will technology and AI actually make logistics cheaper?
If used properly, yes. CloseLoop AI (2025) found that operators using predictive fuel and routing analytics cut transport costs by up to 9 percent within a year.But automation only works if your data isn’t lying to you. Dirty inputs still make expensive outputs.
The future isn’t human or machine - it’s human + machine + clean data.
Is 2026 the year freight finally finds balance?
Maybe not balance - but at least a breather.Global trade is entering its cautious recovery era. Margins are still thin, fuel is still moody, and capacity is still uneven. But for those who plan, model, and pivot faster than the market moves, 2026 won’t be chaos. It’ll be opportunity in disguise.
As Transport Works likes to say: the calm after the chaos still needs a good driver.
The forecasts are out, the volumes are flat, and the excuses are already loading.Good operators talk about resilience. Great ones build it.
At Transport Works, we help you do both - with data that drives and systems that don’t blink when the market does.
Make volatility your competitive advantage.
Insights from Danyul Gleeson, Founder & Logistics Chaos Tamer-in-Chief at Transport Works
Danyul has been in the trenches - warehouses where pick paths were sketched on pizza boxes and boardrooms where the “supply chain strategy” was a shrug. He built Transport Works to flip that script: a 4PL that turns broken systems into competitive advantage. His mission? Always Delivering - without the chaos.
Sources and References
World Bank (2025) – Global Economic Prospects: GDP growth forecast ~2.4%.
IMF (2025) – World Economic Outlook: “Fragile expansion” for 2026.
World Bank (2025) – Commodity Markets Outlook: 5–8% drop in commodity prices.
OECD (2025) – Economic Outlook: ongoing NZD, AUD, USD volatility.
DHL (2025) – Global Trade Barometer: 2026 expected to deliver macro stability, not acceleration.
DHL (2025) – Global Connectedness Index: projected 4–6% growth in time-critical freight.
ACT Research (2025) – Freight Forecast and Market Outlook: urgent inbound parts freight outpacing total growth by 3%.
Conqueror Freight Network (2025) – Premium Mode Trends Report: growth in hybrid and expedited transport.
Global CFS (2025) – E-commerce Logistics Update: expansion of urban micro-fulfilment hubs.
McKinsey (2025) – Supply Chain Pulse: 71% of leaders now prioritising reliability over cost savings.
World Trade Organization (2025) – Trade Outlook Update
World Bank (2025) – Global Economic Prospects & Commodity Markets Outlook
IMF (2025) – World Economic Outlook
ACT Research (2025) – Freight Forecast and Market Outlook
BIMCO (2025) – Container Market Report
Xeneta (2025) – Ocean Freight Rate Analysis
Conqueror Freight Network (2025) – Regional Warehousing Investment Report
CloseLoop AI (2025) – Predictive Logistics Benchmark Study
MBIE (2025) – Energy Quarterly Report
ACCC (2025) – Fuel Pricing and Freight Cost Report
FTR Transportation Intelligence (2025) – Shippers Conditions Index
McKinsey (2025) – Supply Chain Pulse
World Trade Organization (2025) – Trade Outlook 2025–2026: Global Merchandise Trade Growth Forecast https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/trade_outlook25_e.pdf→ Provides updated projections for global trade growth, tariff pressures, and policy uncertainty impacting 2026 freight demand.
TruckingInfo (2025) – The Freight Recession Isn’t Over: Why Trucking’s Recovery Remains Elusive https://www.truckinginfo.com/10243790/the-freight-recession-isnt-over-why-truckings-recovery-remains-elusive→ Discusses trucking industry stagnation and the slow recovery expected through 2026.
ACT Research (2025) – Trucking Industry Forecast for 2026 https://www.actresearch.net/resources/blog/trucking-industry-forecast-for-2026→ Analyzes freight volumes, equipment orders, and macro factors shaping North American freight capacity.
Penske Logistics (2025) – Capacity Planning: Managing Tight Freight Markets https://www.gopenske.com/blog/capacity-planning→ Forecasts tighter capacity and the importance of strategic partnerships in freight network planning for 2026.
EAW Logistics (2025) – Transportation Capacity and Labor Outlook by Mode https://www.eawlogistics.com/transportation-capacity-and-labor-outlook-by-mode→ Explains expected modal shifts and labor dynamics across trucking, rail, and ocean freight.
GlobalCFS (2025) – 2026 Outlook: Trends Shaping the Future of Logistics and Transportation https://globalcfs.com/2026-outlook-trends-shaping-the-future-of-logistics-and-transportation→ Examines nearshoring, regional sourcing, and global logistics realignments for 2026.
HPS Trade (2025) – Ocean Freight Trends and Rate Forecast for 2026 https://www.hps-trade.co.th/column/logistics-radio/p5453→ Discusses container oversupply, shipping lane competition, and expected rate compression.
Xeneta (2025) – Will Plummeting Ocean Container Freight Rates Drop to Pre-Red Sea Crisis Levels?https://www.xeneta.com/blog/will-plummeting-ocean-container-freight-rates-drop-to-pre-red-sea-crisis-levels→ Analyzes container rate normalization forecasts for 2026.
Conqueror Freight Network (2025) – Ocean Freight Trends 2026 https://www.conquerornetwork.com/blog/2025/07/28/ocean-freight-trends-2026→ Highlights specialty and niche freight segments expected to outperform general volume growth.
World Bank (2025) – Global Economic Prospects, June 2025 https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/8bf0b62ec6bcb886d97295ad930059e9-0050012025/original/GEP-June-2025.pdf→ Provides 2025–2026 macroeconomic projections, commodity price expectations, and GDP growth trends influencing freight volumes.
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