04/06/2026
No surprise here, but OTR rates have spiked as much as 40% in the last few weeks. This is causing budgets to be blown, but freight still need to move as planned.
Freight budget volatility is one of the most frustrating parts of relying entirely on over-the-road trucking as rates can move fast and when they do, shippers who have no alternative just have to absorb it.
A customer we have been calling on for months finally gave us a shot. They called us last Friday morning in a panic after their OTR rates jumped sharply on a critical lane between NY and OR. Their budget could not absorb the jump on this particular lane, but the freight still had to move same day. They thought it was a dead end, especially heading into a holiday weekend, but after a few calls we had it covered Friday afternoon with a street turn. And to top it all off, with improved transit times, this freight will arrive in Portland, OR on Wednesday- only a FIVE day transit. The cost came in well under what OTR would have charged, even at "normal" rates, and their freight will deliver quicker than they had hoped.
This is exactly why having intermodal in your freight toolkit matters. It's not just as a cost strategy in normal times, but as a genuine alternative when the OTR market gets unpredictable as it is now.
As one of only a handful of IMCs in the country with direct Class I railroad contracts, we have the routing options ready when you need us most.
Have you ever been caught off guard by an OTR rate spike with no alternative?
📞 904-551-7544🌐 lsrnetjax.com
