AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 5/19/23

Brent crude oil prices eased below $70 a barrel on Monday as rising U.S. output undermined efforts led by OPEC and Russia to tighten supplies, but prices were still on…

International technology Group ANDRITZ has successfully started up the MDF line II supplied to Panel Plus MDF Co. Ltd., based in Bangkok, Thailand, for its mill in Hat Yai. The pressurized refining and chip washing system supplied by ANDRITZ is the centerpiece of the line. It has a capacity of 30 bdmt/h and is characterized by low specific energy consumption as well as excellent reliability. The chip washing system using the ANDRITZ sedimentation technology is the first of its kind to be delivered to Thailand and will be used mainly for sand removal. The scope of supply also included a maintenance-friendly ANDRITZ C-Feeder that ensures minimum energy consumption, higher system stability, and longer refiner plate lifetime. Click Read More below for additional information.

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 2.3% in October after rising 0.8% in September. In October, the index equaled 116.3 (2015=100) versus 119.1 in September. "For-hire truck tonnage saw the largest single monthly decrease in October since the start of the pandemic,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “The decrease fits with the anecdotal reports of a muted fall freight season. It also coincides with a slowing economy. Housing is a weak spot in freight in addition to a slowing in personal consumption of goods. While factory related freight is holding up better than other areas, it is also decelerating.” Compared with October 2021, the SA index increased 2.8%, which was the fourteenth straight year-over-year gain, but the smallest gain since April. In September, the index was up 5.7% from a year earlier. Year-to-date through October, compared with the same period in 2021, tonnage was up 3.9%.