The government appears poised to return to full capacity, and weekly reports are likely to resume soon from agencies of the Departments of Agriculture and Transportation, among others. Meanwhile, journalists have recognized DAT and other private companies for stepping up to replace certain key reports that have been unavailable in recent weeks.
Journal of Commerce: “Private Firms to the Rescue During Government Shutdown“
As you might expect from JOC, this article focuses on data reports in the transportation sector as well as domestic and foreign trade. It includes a handy table that directs the reader to alternative sources from private companies, including DAT’s substitute for the USDA Fruit & Vegetable Truck Rate Report, as well as fuel price information from Breakthrough Fuel.
Huffington Post: “What Non-Government Economic Indicators Say”
This overview of non-governmental data sources highlighted several groups that publish reports on economic indicators even when the government is fully operational. They include the American Trucking Associations, a familiar source for DAT customers. The HuffPo article also pointed to a recent Q4 economic forecast from the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, which predicted only modest growth in capital purchases by private industry through the end of 2013.
