CCJ‘s Indicators rounds up the latest reports on trucking business indicators on rates, freight, equipment, the economy and more.
“All in all, trucking is starting the year off with much better footing than we had one year ago,” he said. “Truck utilization has improved by 3 percentage points, and the Market Demand Index from Truckstop.com jumped by 40 percent to end 2016. The capacity situation has tightened at the same time that volumes have begun to show improvement. The outlook for pricing gains has finally shifted back toward the carriers.”
Rates could be poised for continued improvement, said analysts at Avondale Partners: “The current strength being reported in spot rates is leading us to believe that our current -3 percent to 1 percent truckload pricing forecast may need to be improved/moved to a slightly more positive outlook if the strength in spot rates continues long enough to move contract rates back into positive territory.”