Truck capacity remains tight during this peak season and this is expected to continue into 2021 as inventories are replenished. We are seeing all-time highs in the number of loads in the spot market. Despite the impact of Covid-19, capacity has been reduced by a decrease in the truck driver workforce that occurred during the pandemic. This resulted from some carriers going out of business, some selling excess equipment, an increase in insurance rates, and some drivers receiving sufficient income from COVID-related government aid to stay out of the workforce and/or refusing to work to prevent themselves from being infected.

Although many businesses slowed or paused their operations at the onset of the pandemic, there was an influx of shipments as North American markets began to reopen. It should also be noted that since freight transportation is deemed an essential service, cross-border shipping has remained open. While some sectors of the economy (i.e. travel, restaurants etc.) remain depressed, the surge in freight demand has continued as companies seek to return to their usual operations and recoup lost profits. U.S. Xpress (NYSE: USX) noted in a late-September publication that rate increases in 2021 needed to be in the 10%-plus range to recoup the impact of the last two negative bid cycles and two years’ worth of cost inflation.

As a result of this shortage of drivers and the high demand for freight transportation, carriers are being more selective with the allocation of their assets and are raising rates. This fall we are hearing of freight embargoes as certain carriers restrict the availability of their assets to their highest yielding customers and lanes.

There has also been tight capacity across intermodal rail. Due to the influx of freight that followed the initial downturn at the start of the pandemic, there has been a shortage of available equipment, including containers and chassis, at railroad terminals and ramps across all major metropolitan areas. The congestion from this abundance of freight has led to frequent delays ranging from 24-72 hours in key markets. There is also a shortage of draymen due to organizational restructuring at various drayage companies, including layoffs, furloughs, leave of absences, etc.