The housing market continues to serve as a persistent drag on freight demand, presenting a major obstacle for transportation and logistics operators.
While a booming heavy-industrial sector has shielded certain segments, the broader housing affordability crisis is actively suppressing volumes across multiple shipping modes, including dry van, flatbed, rail carload and rail intermodal.
According to a recent SONAR Sitrep report, high interest rates and tight housing turnover are starving carriers of the residential construction and retail shipment volumes that historically drive freight market recoveries.
Truckload capacity squeezed by less housing starts
U.S. Census data shows that total housing starts fell 2.8% month-over-month in April 2026 to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 1.465 million, down 0.9% year-over-year…