John’s Blog

2-8-10

Dear Friends,

The recovery of our economy continues to be very rocky but from a transportation perspective there appears to be continuing positive signs.

With the unemployment rate falling to 9.7% it appears that there is a small amount of hiring taking place in the manufacturing sector. Factory jobs grew by 11,000 which is a step in the right direction.

The Cass US Freight Index grew 5.6% in January but is down 2.2% from December showing that freight movement is picking up but taking a slight breather after the holidays.

There is antidotal evidence that business is improving as the railroads were posting some of the biggest carloading numbers until the weather whacked them. That is a recurring theme over the last week as big storms pummel the country with snow and ice.

At Wagner we are seeing opportunities as we are contacted weekly about opportunities to perform transportation and distribution services. Currently Wagner’s transportation group is handling the move of an injection molding line coordinating the use of cranes, multi-axel trailer equipment, special permitting and escorts.

Wagner was also recently tapped by an existing client to open a distribution center in Ohio. Wagner’s team is working the project plan for a flawless startup.

If there are any projects in your future don’t hesitate to talk to me. Wagner has the people, systems and experience to help.

Have a great week,

John