Container Trucking Rate Increases

Over the past few years there have been increasing charges included in the container trucking costs for moving cargo around the country. This has led to more companies choosing the rail option but the trucking rate increases are still happening. So far this year there have been trucking rate hikes by most of the major trucking companies.

As it is the rates for trucking containers across country have been soaring due to both increasing fuel costs as well as lack of drivers. The driver shortage is starting to have a larger impact on shipping costs. If a company cannot find someone to drive their goods, they cannot get the goods delivered. It is as simple as that. It is unfortunate but fuel costs are an ever increasing problem as well. There are fuel surcharges that can offset the increased costs but shippers are still facing much higher freight costs than before. Most of the fuel rates were fluctuating and more recently had been on their way down. Now the rates are back to increasing amounts and fuel surcharges may not be enough to sustain the current freight rates. In this economy this can be tough news for the shipping industry.

Truckers in general do not have large margins so they need to pass on any increases in costs to their customers. Hopefully with the economy stabilizing we will see more stabilized rates. Container trucking will continue to have rate increases but at this point there is little that can be done to combat it without using a different method of transportation.