06/03/2026
Now, how about lowering the cost of fuel?
Freight rates are climbing again, but not for the reason many people think.
According to ACT Research, the recent increase in rates is being driven more by shrinking truck capacity than by a major surge in freight demand.
In simple terms, there are fewer trucks available to haul freight, which is giving carriers more pricing power.
Over the past few years, many small carriers left the market as low rates, high operating costs, and difficult business conditions squeezed profits.
As capacity exited the industry, the balance between available trucks and available freight began to shift.
Now that fewer trucks are competing for loads, shippers are finding it harder to secure transportation at the bargain rates seen during the freight downturn.
That change is helping push prices higher even though freight volumes have not dramatically increased.
Industry analysts describe the current environment as a supply-driven freight cycle. Instead of demand exploding, the market is adjusting to reduced capacity.
For carriers that survived the downturn, the trend could create stronger revenue opportunities. For shippers, it may signal the end of the ultra-low rate environment that dominated much of the past several years.
