Freight Market Getting Tighter

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index increased to 9.10 in August, an upward trend that reflects a tight capacity situation for the freight market.

Demand for services is allowing carriers to choose what freight to haul while maintaining good workloads and increasing margins, says FTR. As a result, rate and service spreads are increasing between bad and good freight.

“With overall capacity remaining tight and continued cost pressures at fleets we can expect to see freight rates moving higher into 2015,” said Jonathan Starks, FTR’s director of transportation analysis.

Spot rates are getting lower but contract rates are still going up. There is a growing use of spot markets and brokers and combined with increased driver wages, costs will raise as well, added Starks.

The Trucking Conditions Index is published monthly in FTR’s Trucking Update. FTR uses the data to project expected trends and probable short and long term consequences.

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