Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 2/23/24

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.742277; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.139798; American Dollar to Euro = 1.088752; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.006755; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.058320.

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 0.7% in May after falling 0.6% in April. In May, the index equaled 113.7 (2015=100) compared with 114.5 in April. “Tonnage, despite falling slightly over the last two months, remains well above the lows of last year,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “This is no small deal considering that truck tonnage fell significantly less than many other indicators during the depths of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. “One freight segment that is helping tonnage is gasoline as demand for travel, both commuting and vacation related, picks up,” he said. “I’m also expecting retail freight to remain robust as inventories are at historic lows. As retail stocks are rebuilt, it will boost freight. As has been the case for some time, trucking’s biggest challenges are not on the demand side, but on the supply side, including difficulty finding qualified drivers.”

U.S. Paper Converters Inc. announced Monday it's shutting down its Appleton facility, leaving more than 50 people without a job. It's the latest in a series of devastating closures and layoffs from paper companies in the Fox Valley. Prior to this, Appleton Coated announced it was in receivership before being sold to a liquidation company. Hundreds of people were laid off, and many are trying to find work through the Bay Area Workforce Development Board. Some of those laid off employees said they know exactly how the U.S. Paper Converters employees feel. Click Read More below for additional information.