US transport stocks on the up in 2026 after a year-long slump

US transportation stocks recovered from a long stall driven by global trade turmoil in 2025, closing just short of a record high on Monday. The Dow Jones Transportation Average, a running average of 20 transportation firms’ stock performance, increased 1.6% to 17,814 points, the highest level since November 2024. Tariffs that curbed demand for US-bound goods and a sluggish downturn in the trucking market drove down shares in the group last year.

This could be a sign that we are moving from reactive firefighting to proactive growth in the US logistics market, with Deutsche Bank’s analyst Richa Harnain saying that “the market is beginning to recognize the potential for improvement in the freight cycle.”