US Logistics Growth 2nd-Highest in 4 Years

2026-10-06 10:01 By Joana Taborda 1 min. read

The US Logistics Managers’ Index increased to 70.2 in September 2026 from 66.6 in August.

It is the second-highest reading in four years, behind only June’s reading of 71.1.

A faster increase was seen for Inventory Levels (58.9 vs 52.8) and Inventory Costs (79.9 vs 78.6) which is also having a significant effect on the warehousing market.

Warehousing Capacity shrank the most since March 2022 (39.3 vs 53.5), potentially due to the fact that firms, particularly retailers, had run inventory down a bit and are not rushing goods in now ahead of potential holiday sales.

The reduction in available storage capacity has boosted Warehousing Utilization (64.3 vs 59.6) and is likely behind the consistently robust expansion of Warehousing Prices (73.5 vs 75).

There are similar dynamics in Transportation Capacity (34.4 vs 40) while Transportation Utilization continues expanding but at a slower rate (66.1 vs 70.6).

Finally, Transportation Prices continue to surge (92.7 vs 90).



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US Logistics Growth 2nd-Highest in 4 Years
The US Logistics Managers’ Index increased to 70.2 in September 2026 from 66.6 in August. It is the second-highest reading in four years, behind only June’s reading of 71.1. A faster increase was seen for Inventory Levels (58.9 vs 52.8) and Inventory Costs (79.9 vs 78.6) which is also having a significant effect on the warehousing market. Warehousing Capacity shrank the most since March 2022 (39.3 vs 53.5), potentially due to the fact that firms, particularly retailers, had run inventory down a bit and are not rushing goods in now ahead of potential holiday sales. The reduction in available storage capacity has boosted Warehousing Utilization (64.3 vs 59.6) and is likely behind the consistently robust expansion of Warehousing Prices (73.5 vs 75). There are similar dynamics in Transportation Capacity (34.4 vs 40) while Transportation Utilization continues expanding but at a slower rate (66.1 vs 70.6). Finally, Transportation Prices continue to surge (92.7 vs 90).
2026-10-06
US Logistics Sector Slows for 2nd Straight Month in August
The US Logistics Managers’ Index fell for a second consecutive month to 66.6 in August 2026, from 68.9 in July, pointing to the slowest growth in the logistics sector in six months. The decline was driven by a slowdown in inventory expansion, while logistics costs continued to rise at a high pace. Inventory Levels eased (-2.2 to 52.8), primarily driven by Upstream. However, expansion in Inventory Costs continue apace (+1.6 to 78.6), which is their second-fastest rate of expansion in 12 months. There were similar dynamics in warehousing and transportation. Warehousing Capacity moved up (+7.2 to 53.5), its fastest rate of expansion all year, while Warehousing Prices remained elevated (-0.5 to 75). Transportation Capacity is still contracting (+11.6 to 40) but Transportation Price expansion is up (+3.1 to 90). Essentially, the August report paints a picture of logistics costs that seem to be rapidly increasing no matter what the underlying situation is.
2026-09-01
US Logistics Expansion Cools as Inventory Growth Slows
The US Logistics Managers' Index eased to 68.9 in July 2026, down from 71.1 in June, which marked the fastest pace of expansion since March 2022. Although growth moderated, July's reading remains higher than any monthly reading recorded between 2023 and 2025, indicating continued strength in the logistics sector. The slowdown was driven primarily by Inventory Levels, which fell 5.5 points to 55.0 after firms pulled inventory forward ahead of July tariff increases. The decline was most pronounced among Downstream retailers, where Inventory Levels dropped from 66.0 to 46.3, suggesting that inventories built ahead of the holiday season are now concentrated Upstream at the wholesale level. Meanwhile, Inventory Costs continued to rise, increasing 1.1 points to 77.0. At 22.0 points above Inventory Levels, the gap underscores persistent cost pressures from tariffs and ongoing geopolitical conflict.
2026-08-04