The pending changes in truck driver hours-of-service (HOS) regulations will help drive trucking rates up between 4 and 10 percent in the coming year, analysts and trucking executives predict.

Freight transportation consultancy says that continued moderate growth in conjunction with HOS and other regulations, will cause trucking rates to firm up in the coming months and improve carrier profitability.

Even though the economy is clearly not running on all cylinders, things are better than they were just a few years ago, especially in related supply chain, freight transportation and logistics sectors. And as things slowly get better, pricing has returned to the forefront as a balancing act between shipper and carrier relations. That was a main takeaway at the CEO Panel of the recently-concluded NASSTRAC Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Los Angeles and Long Beach comprise the largest marine port complex in North America as well as the No. 1-emitting facility in the Southland.

From the April 8th Edition of Transport Topics: “Jury Awards $58.5 Million for Freight Truck Crash - Highest Recorded Verdict Amount Recorded

Another indication of resurgence in the third-party logistics (3PL) marketplace surfaced yesterday, as a leading industry consultancy entered the executive recruiting sector.

As the Chairman of NASSTRAC’s Advocacy Committee, in concerns me when a shipper asks the following: “Why should I get informed, engaged and involved in what is happening in the transportation industry?”

Despite the related costs and increasing complexity, private fleets enable operators to control their own destiny at a time when the trucking market is bracing for yet another capacity crunch.

Analysts and top trucking executives agree that a sharp focus on a durable business plan and dependable operations are vital to remaining profitable in one of the most challenging trucking environments in history.

Should more shippers be looking at the private fleet option for 2013 and beyond? According to the industry tracking web site truckinginfo.com report last June, private fleets represent 47.6 percent of trucking. They operate 75 percent of Class 4 through Class 8 trucks and two-thirds of all Class 8 trucks—including 50 percent of new sales. For truckload shippers, this has to get your attention.