Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 10/14/22

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 0.2% in August after rising 1.1% in July. In August, the index equaled 115.3 (2015=100) compared with 115 in July. “The evidence is growing that tonnage hit bottom in April and continues its slow climb upwards,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “However, year-over-year comparisons remain difficult as tonnage peaked in September of last year. As a result, it is unlikely that tonnage turns positive compared with a year earlier for at least a month or two longer. Most recently, freight continues to be mixed, with consumer spending and factory output flat to down.” July’s increase was revised higher from our August 22 press release. Compared with August 2022, the SA index fell 2.3%, which was the sixth straight year-over-year decrease. In July, the index was down 1.2% from a year earlier.

Randy Guillot, chairman of the American Trucking Associations and president of Triple G Express and Southeastern Motor Freight out of Jefferson, Louisiana, testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on the U.S. trucking industry’s response to the COVID-19 crisis—and on the role trucking will play in leading our economic recovery. Due to the U.S. Senate’s social distancing protocols, Guillot testified remotely via video conference from his home state of Louisiana. From his opening remarks: “Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trucking industry has been thrust to the forefront of our national consciousness. While most activity ground to a halt across the country, America’s 3.5 million professional truck drivers kept moving. These heroes continue serving on the frontlines, ensuring everyone has the goods they need to get through these challenging times. “We hear the term ‘essential’ more frequently of late—as America wakes up to the gravity of what essential truly means. Truckers are the difference between a fully-stocked grocery store and one lined with empty shelves. They’re why doctors and nurses have PPE to protect themselves. They’re how test kits get to hot-spots for local officials to use to fight the virus’ spread.”

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.777573; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.147997; American Dollar to Euro = 1.019089; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.007304; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.048620.