Kodiak signs an agreement for 75 autonomous trucks, GXO expands robot deployment, and C.H. Robinson applies AI to international freight forwarding; two logistics companies beat Morgan Stanley’s third-quarter earnings expectations, but costs and acquisition integration continue to affect future profits.
In the week ending 2 November, Goldman Sachs’ supply chain congestion index rose 6% from the previous week, but the congestion level remained at 2. More vessels were waiting for berths along the US East and Gulf Coasts, while West Coast freight rates and some inland transportation indicators also showed that pressure persisted.
Goldman Sachs tracking shows container shipments from China to the US accelerating, with West Coast rail and trucking indicators also strengthening. But scheduled arrivals at the Port of Los Angeles are expected to fluctuate sharply over the next two weeks, while high ocean freight rates and inventory costs remain constraints.
Bernstein expects high freight rates to prompt Maersk to raise its guidance again with its third-quarter results, but container ship orders and the resumption of Suez transits are adding capacity together; air freight benefits from surcharges and demand growth, while US surface transport is driven mainly by supply contraction.
