With the new hours-of-service rules taking effect at some point in 2013 or beyond, the transport industry will likely avoided a severe capacity shortage this year.
In its recent Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) report, FTR Associates’ Larry Gross noted that freight market conditions for 2012 are coming into clearer focus now that it has been announced that the hours of service regulations won’t occur before 2013 at the earliest.
“The conditions for the trucking industry will now turn on the fundamentals of supply and demand,” he explained, “as well as the continuing effects of existing new safety regulations such as CSA.”
“We expect these factors combined will work to keep trucking capacity modestly tight over the course of the year, enabling continued progress on trucking rates for carriers.”
