With produce season kicking into high gear, vaccine distribution increasing and consumer demand high, it’s certainly a good time to be in the trucking industry! Freight volumes and demand for trucks remain elevated across much of the country. Federal COVID-19 stimulus programs, which have included expanded unemployment benefits and direct to consumer stimulus payments, and a manufacturing sector that continues to struggle to replenish inventories are playing a role in the high demand for trucks, as well.
In this Friday edition of “Where’s the Freight?,” Trucker Tools’ free market report for truckers and carriers, you’ll see that three of the five markets on our hottest markets list are flatbed markets, while the other two markets in our top five are reefer markets. Once again, the Texarkana, Texas, flatbed market is projected to be the top freight market in the country over the next week, while the second hottest market will be the Tucson, Ariz., reefer market. Both of these markets have been red hot in recent months.
For more insights on where demand for trucks will be high and low in the coming week, check out the rest of today’s “Where’s the Freight?” below.
Markets To Prioritize: Where Demand for Trucks Will Be High or Rising
- Texarkana, Texas, Southwestern Ontario and Rapid City, S.D., are projected to be the best flatbed markets for truckers/carriers in the coming week. Flatbed demand is expected to rise over the next five to seven days for Lexington, Ky., and St. Louis.
- Tucson, Ariz., and Grand Junction, Colo., will be the hottest reefer markets in the nation this week. Demand for reefer capacity is projected to increase for Decatur, Ala.
- Look for demand for power only capacity to increase this week for Decatur, Ala.
- You also can expect a surge in demand for dry van for Ottawa, Ontario, this week.
Markets To Avoid: Where Demand for Trucks Will Be Low or Falling
- Duluth, Minn., and Brooklyn, N.Y., will be the flatbed markets with the lowest demand in the country this week. Demand for flatbed is likely to fall this week in and out of Yakima, Wash.
- If you haul reefer, you’ll want to avoid loads that take you into Billings, Mont. And Hartford, Conn., this week since demand in these areas will be very low in the next five to seven days. Expect demand for reefer capacity in and out of Lexington, Ky., to decrease this week, as well.
- Jefferson City, Mo., is projected to be the least profitable power only market for truckers/carriers over the next week.
Trucker Tools’ Market Insights
- Today’s Trucker Tools’ data shows that the five most profitable markets for truckers/carriers over the next five to seven days likely will be: 1. Texarkana, Texas (flatbed), 2. Tucson, Ariz. (reefer), 3. Southwestern Ontario (flatbed), 4. Rapid City, S.D. (flatbed), and 5. Grand Junction, Colo. (reefer).
- The five least profitable markets for truckers/carriers this week will be: 1. Duluth, Minn. (flatbed), 2. Billings, Mont. (reefer), 3. Brooklyn, N.Y. (flatbed), 4. Hartford, Conn. (reefer), and 5. Jefferson City, Mo. (power only).
- Grand Junction, Colo., which is projected to be a reefer market with high demand this week, is home to Old World Meat Company, H&H Processing, Grand Valley Foods, Talbott Farms and several other meat and produce processing companies, which is likely driving demand for reefer capacity in the area.
- Demand for flatbed capacity in and out of Texarkana, Texas, currently is 30 times higher than it was at this time last year.
- The Texarkana, Texas, flatbed market currently favors carriers by a ratio of more than four to one.
Read our Wednesday market report, Where’s the Freight? Demand for Trucks High This Week for Texarkana, Tucson, Southwestern Ontario, Medford and Fresno, for even more insights into where demand for trucks will be high and low. To download the Trucker Tools mobile app, visit https://www.truckertools.com/carriers/.
