​According to FTR Transportation Intelligence, orders of Class 8 trucks – the heavy-duty trucks that commonly carry goods between cities – reached 133,900 for the first quarter of 2018. The orders represent a 98.4% increase from the first quarter of 2017 and the highest level of orders since 2006.

Prices of aluminum reached their highest point since 2012 on Thursday as US sanctions against Russian supplier United Co. Rusal put a ripple in supply. After the LME and CME Group’s Comex noted the refusal of aluminum deliveries from Rusal – the largest aluminum producer outside of China – Rusal was forced to declare force majeure on shipments of alumina, a key input in the production of aluminum.