Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 08/18/17

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index grew 1.8% in August after rising 0.4% in July. In August, the index equaled 115.8 (2015=100) compared with 113.8 in July. “August tonnage levels rose to the highest level since February 2023,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Not only does the latest robust gain show freight levels are coming off the bottom, but so does the sequential pattern over the last eight months. Starting earlier this year, every time tonnage falls, it is higher than the previous low. For me, this month-to-month pattern is more important than looking at the year-over-year percent changes since we are at an inflection point in the freight market.” July’s increase was revised up from our August 20 press release. Compared with August 2023, the index increased 0.7%, just the second year-over-year gain in the last eighteen months (the other being in May 2024).

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.798801; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.157767; American Dollar to Euro = 1.134769; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.008787; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.048892.

Canadian National this week was the only Class I railroad to publicly comment on the $85-billion acquisition agreement between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, a corporate marriage that if approved would create the first U.S. transcontinental freight railroad. “CN is closely monitoring the ongoing discussions about possible transcontinental rail mergers,” the Montreal-based company (NYSE: CNI) said in a statement to FreightWaves. “Our focus remains on delivering consistent performance for our customers, pursuing strategic growth opportunities, and creating long-term value for our shareholders. “CN believes this can be achieved through greater collaboration between railways, connecting key markets with critical resources,” as opposed to mergers.