When will freight demand improve? Trucking analyst offers outlook
Freight demand remains sluggish. An industry analyst explains: Where should fleets watch for signs of an upturn?
Aug. 28, 2025
The trucking recession drags on. Slow growth from manufacturing and housing leaves freight demand sluggish. What can fleets expect from federal tariffs, interest rates, and other sectors? Jim Meil, principal and industry analyst from ACT Research, shares what metrics to watch.
"We wish there we indicators that we're coming out of [the trucking recession]," Miel told FleetOwner. "We're looking real hard for them, but the signs are not promising. I think it's fair to say that, between uncertainty on tariffs, uncertainty on interest rates, even uncertainty on taxes ... the story is that the search goes on."