Trucking rates

Hotlanta’s tender rejections peaked at 11.2%.

Uncertainty springing from erratic policy implementation in 2025 has made it challenging for businesses to make long-term commitments. That has kept the trucking sector from having its expected breakout moment this year.

Hurricane Milton was the third large disruptor to transportation markets in three weeks. What happens next?

Intermodal providers are taking share with grace, but is it counterproductive to pricing gains?

Operating cost inflation is largely hidden, but fuel costs help explain why the domestic truckload market is headed for a turn.

The current level of deterioration is historically fast, meaning the truckload market has the increasing potential to flip to a much tighter environment without much notice.

FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller sees bad signs from banks — and trouble ahead for brokers — as he looks to the first quarter of next year.

McLeod enhances its rate index calculator with high-frequency spot rate data.

Truckload contract rates have slowed their descent after a quick drop in August. What should we make of this as demand continues to ease?

The ghost of Paul Volcker is stalking truckload carriers as Fed Chairman Jerome Powell looks to his mentor’s 40-year-old strategy to quell inflation. The lagging impacts from the recent interest rate hikes will inevitably erode demand several months into the future.

FreightWaves presents the Small Fleet & Owner-Operator Summit on Wednesday, June 15.

The contracted freight market is in great condition at the moment, but the short-term indicators raise questions about its sustainability.

Truckers often make business decisions without the data needed to justify those decisions. Truckstop.com is trying to make more data available to owner-operators.

FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller analyzes the impact of rising diesel costs on the spot market and the trucking industry.

Heavily contracted carriers are not feeling the full brunt of the truckload market easing just yet, but there is still a lot to be determined about what happens next.

FreightWaves Founder and CEO Craig Fuller explains the boom and bust cycle of the trucking industry.

Attend the FreightWaves Enterprise Fleet Summit on Wednesday, April 13!

FreightWaves Founder and CEO Craig Fuller analyzes methods to generate more revenue in a trucking downturn.

FreightWaves Founder and CEO Craig Fuller analyzes the current costs of trucking.

Stability lulled transportation managers and providers to sleep in the six years post-recession. The roller-coaster ride of the last four may be more indicative of their future.

Truckload capacity has been extremely difficult to secure over the past 18 months, but the tender data shows things may be changing, rapidly.

The Biden administration has outlined 62 policy initiatives affecting trucking, rail, and maritime in a one-year vulnerability assessment.

Shippers may benefit from limiting the number of partners they work with in a loose market, but this exclusionary approach has become a serious — and seriously expensive — problem as capacity has tightened and rates have climbed to record highs.

Contract rates for trucking have been rising since late last year and finally appear to be effecting compliance, but at what cost?

Transportation rate growth has gone parabolic as shipping demand continues to strain networks. What are the fundamental reasons for this and how long will these conditions persist?

The truckload spot market appears to have hit another peak, but quickly rising fuel costs make this appear much larger than it is.

Shippers may have had a little more success with contracted carriers in May, but it came at a high cost.

Shippers will never lose a document, driver or client through an automated rate contract management system.

Transportation rates continue to climb while service is at an all-time low. Shippers will have to be aggressive in devising new strategies to keep costs under control.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, Knight-Swift sees a strong 2021 ahead; experts are predicting a wild Q4; and Kenan Advantage Group could be for sale.

Transportation costs are hitting record levels as companies struggle to grab capacity amidst an unusually early peak season.

The clear difference between contract and spot rates.

Profitability is the key to any business staying in business. In trucking it is harder than in many other businesses. Chris Henry explores the “trucking profitability paradox.”

FreightWaves SONAR clients will have access to Truckstop.com rates

FreightWaves Market Expert Mike Baudendistel writes about the issues impacting rail intermodal in 2020, and the ongoing battle between the railroads and the trucking industry.

Anthony and Zach explain the primary cost drivers of operating a trucking company and the market influences that drive the pricing volatility on both contracted and transactional freight movements. Also, an update on the coronavirus situation and what we are seeing in the economy today that may affect your life tomorrow.

Not only were volumes lower in 2019, but they traveled less miles, which compounded the impact of oversupply. Volumes have not recovered, but something else has changed that may help carriers this year.

Spot freight may only account for 10-20% of total freight moved in the U.S., but its activity paints the picture of the entire freight market. Tom Mallon joins to discuss the direction of rates in 2020. Also; Coronavirus update along with the current state of the market as well as recent economic releases.

Shipper insights and sentiment for freight rates and volumes over the next three months

The key metric “net revenue per truck per week” is explained by Chris Henry.

The ramifications of 2019 will come in the form of shrinking capacity, pushing rates up as supply falls to meet demand instead of dwarfing it.

Chris Henry runs fleet profitability benchmarking and analytics for FreightWaves and facilitates the TCA’s TPP program. If you are interested in benchmarking your fleet’s performance with the best operators, join TCA’s TPP. The data presented in this article come from analytics of over 230 truckload for-hire fleets, representing more than 70,000 trucks.  A wise trucker […]

A number of readers responded to Brian Aoaeh’s 12/26/19 “Commentary: Trucking industry observations heading into 2020.” His current commentary features some of those responses and information from Anthony Campo, a trucking industry veteran.

FreightWaves Market Expert Chris Henry provides a look into truckload’s year that was and commentary on a possible path toward consistent profitability.

FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller writes about the issues the trucking industry dealt with in 2019 and what is ahead in 2020.

Ben Thrower writes about what most in the trucking industry know – 2019 was a tough year for almost everyone.

Morgan Stanley eyeing truck capacity constraints and higher rates in 2020, potentially reaching 2018 levels or higher.

Our rate predictor builds rates from actual freight market conditions, using historically reported data only as a frame of reference.

Using data from FreightWaves SONAR, economist Ibrahiim Bayaan writes about the state of the U.S. retail market and what is ahead for this key sector.

The FreightWaves Freight Intel Group’s latest research shows that a freight recession is taking place.

July PPI data showed another decline in trucking rates as yearly growth will likely turn negative soon.

Producer price data shows that trucking rates made some gains in June, but much of this was likely driven by seasonality

Commentary by Bill Driegert, Senior Director of Uber Freight, explores the current and near-future of on-demand freight.

We caught up with Gary Saykaly, who is running a new Trucking & Freight Derivatives Group at Lakefront Futures & Options.

The FreightWaves Freight Intel Group is producing research culled from FreightWaves SONAR and other sources. Read about its first several research papers and how to learn more.

Lakefront Futures & Options will be marketing Trucking Freight Futures through its new Trucking Derivatives Group. Read the article and learn more about Trucking Freight Futures and Lakefront Futures & Options.

The truckload spot market experienced another month of softness in May, confirming recent commentary that normal seasonality isn’t taking shape.

Industry detail from the Producer Price Index showed rates in trucking increased modestly, though long-distance truckload rates continued to decline.

FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller assesses current conditions impacting trucking and outlines what is ahead for the industry.

PPI data showed some firming in overall inflation, though trucking rates fell again in April

Is 60 degrees hot or cold? Is the freight market hot or cold? The answers to both questions depend on perspective.

The history books will say many things about 2018, but whatever else is recorded, it will go down as one of the strongest years for spot and contract pricing increases in the history of trucking in the U.S. Will that trend continue?

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure calmed in November, weighed down by declines in gasoline prices. Industry detail showed that trucking rates continues to surge, however, driven by another large gain in long-distance trucking rates.

The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index reached another record high in October while the company’s Intermodal Price Index points to rising intermodal costs.

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure jumped at the start of the 4th quarter, though core price gains were more modest. Industry detail showed that trucking rates posted another solid gain in October, with big gains in long-distance rates offsetting declines in LTL.

In a CarrierLists survey of fleets, most respondents expect rates and volumes to remain the same or improve in 2019.

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure eased further in the 3rd quarter, declining for the first time in 18 months.  Trucking prices also calmed during the month, as big declines in long-distance trucking and LTL rates offset rising rates among local carriers.

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure calmed at the start of the 3rd quarter.  Trucking prices continued to climb during the month however, particularly for long distance trucking where rate inflation has pushed to a new record high

The current freight marketplace makes one thing clear, America needs more trucking companies. Capacity is at historic lows and rates are skyrocketing nationwide. Read the Full Blog Post

After leveling off in April, pricing in the trucking industry rose again in May, with local trucking prices posting their largest month-over-month gain in the post-recession era with a 1.7% increase, according to May Producer Price Index.

Data on producer prices shows that overall inflation pressure cooled in the economy last month, as big declines in food prices offset gain in other areas of the economy.  Trucking prices remained essentially unchanged for the second consecutive month, but remain elevated relative to this point last year.

Data from the Producers Price Index showed that prices for trucking services remain high, and a spillover in demand may be causing a surge in intermodal rates.

Some signs of a stabilizing market after a long upward run, but nothing that suggests weakness.

An new opportunity in an old port town is being largely ignored by the trucking community. Charleston South Carolina is showing signs of rapid expansion as the freight market cools down in the more voluminous Savannah. 

Drop is viewed as normal during the winter by DAT

Seasonality has finally hit van rates as available loads dropped 6% last week, according to DAT.

A lot has been spoken about how the freight industry is sluggish on the uptake with regard to adopting technology, but the truth is, the industry needs a better understanding of demographics than it does technology.

The worst kept secret in the industry is that demand is in excess of capacity in every mode of truckload trucking, and has been for several months. 

Just like everyone else who is familiar with the new regulation and the way that the trucking industry works, we expect that adoption of, and enforcement of, the ELD rule will initially lead to some constraints on trucking capacity. How big will that reduction be and how long will it last is yet to be seen. 

Everyone who is even remotely aware of the trucking industry in the U.S. knows that the ELD rule goes into effect on Monday. Time will tell, but if there are not massive numbers of trucks parked on the side of the road, and shippers are actually able to find trucks to move loads, we will not be surprised. 

By the first week of December, the DAT weekly spot market price for dry-van loads had reached $2.09 (including fuel surcharge) or almost 30% higher in just 9 months. This is an extraordinary, but what is more extraordinary is the fact that the trucking marketplace is more than 3 times the size of the Bitcoin market capitalization, which has grown 22% in 12 months.

Chances are pretty good you got into trucking to make money. Some carriers, though, continue to suffer through lean year. They are always running short of money, and can never seem to get ahead. Their problem may be their hauling rate.

John Larkin and the team at Stifel go super bullish on the truckload sector after spending weeks on the road gaining market insights to just how hot the market has become. 

According to the latest blog post from FTR written by Steve Graham, the effect of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma is now starting to show up in national economic data.