b'4American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(TRACKcontinued from page 2) unlesstruckspotratesstrengthen trucking is an issue. Although activesignificantlyinthenearterm.But(source: IANA dashboard)truckutilizationhasincreasedinIANA does not expect this to happen 2024, it has not reached a level thatuntil the start of 2025 at the earliest.would produce rate pressure and drive resulting opportunities for intermodalI tst hee conomy.as an alternative.Intermodaltrafficistherail Inthenearterm,truckingsegment most closely tied to consumer mightevenprovetobeaslightlyspending, which has remained resilient strongercompetitorsimplybecausedespitetheimpactsofinflationand itoffersampleexcesscapacityandinterestrates,saysKahanekof attractiverates,theIANAreportAAR. In the months ahead, trends in adds.Intermodalvolumeshaveconsumer spending are a key indicator beenoutpacingtruckvolumesthistowatchaswethinkaboutwhere year in large part due to the recoveryintermodal traffic could be headed.incontainerimports.IfthistrendWiththisinmind,IANAwarns continues,intermodalmightseethat a potential slowdown in consumer some uptick in diversion to truckingspendingbased on indicators such aslowerrealdisposableincomecar payments, laying the groundwork growth,risingcreditcarddebt,lessfor domestic intermodal growth, the discretionaryspending,reductioninIANA report adds.the personal savings rate, wage growthOn another optimistic note, AARs leveling off, and a slight increase inFreightRailIndex(FRI)forJuly unemploymentcould be a problem2024indicatescontinuedstability, for intermodal.counteringfearsofasignificant On the flip side, however, IANAeconomicslowdown.AARsRail sayssomeoftheseindicatorscouldIndustryOverviewforAugust2024 bethefinalsteptowardmoderatingexplains,TheFRI,whichtracks inflation,inlinewiththeFederalmovementofeconomicallysensitive Reservesgoalof2%.Domesticrailcommodities,reached110.0in manufacturingisoneofthemainJuly,markinga0.6%increasefrom intermodal drivers, and manufacturersJune 2024 and a 6.0% rise from its level are waiting for an interest rate cut thatin July 2023. Historically, slowdowns will stimulate economic activity.intheFRIhaveprecededbroader Lower interest rates would alsoeconomicdownturns,underscoring have profound effects on consumers inits reliability as an indicator of future (source: IANA dashboard) the form of lower mortgage rates and(TRACKcontinued on page 8)Artificial Intelligence meetsJenny Boone Critical IntelligenceJenny helps Odysseys customers identify and connectwith the services they need to run a more efficient operation. As an operational leader with deep technology experience,she uses AI to assist in developing stronger cross-functional strategies to maximize customer satisfaction. Odyssey is a company built on the strength of its peopleknowledgeable logistics professionals. We are now leading the way by catalyzing supply chain resiliency, using 20 years of insights, data and analytics to build AI-driven, connected systems.Learn more todayodysseylogistics.com 2024 Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corporation'