The latest update of global freight data collected by the International Transport Forum at the OECD indicates that the overall picture for global freight continues to be uncertain, especially in the EU and the US.
Contributing to a sense of weak domestic activity, road freight volumes in Europe fell to 15 per cent below the 2008 peak – the lowest figure in the past half decade.
And according to the report, imports remain below pre-crisis levels (June 2008), while exports to Asia remain high – increasing the dependency on Asia and export-led growth for both the EU and the US.
China arguably remains the locomotive of growth in Asia, but even there are now signs of a slowing down, according to the International Transport Forum.