Where Demand for Trucks Will Be Increasing: Mobile, Tucson, Rapid City and Central Ontario

Today’s Trucker Tools Market Index shows that demand for flatbed capacity in several Midwest and Plains markets will be high in the next five to seven days, while Tucson, Ariz., will continue to be a hot spot for reefer in the coming week. You also can expect rates for the Southwestern, Ontario, van market and Mobile, Ala., power only market to heavily favor truckers and carriers this week. At the national level, long-haul outbound tender rejections, which measure overall demand for trucks, are down since early January, yet long-haul volumes remain relatively high. An ice storm is predicted to hit several states over the next two days, which is expected to make driving conditions extremely dangerous. Please stay safe out there!

Where Demand Will Be High

• Head into Rapid City, S.D., or Cheyenne, Wyo., if you’re pulling flatbed in the coming week, as these will be two of the hottest markets for flatbed. Demand for flatbed capacity is projected to increase this week for Ithaca, N.Y., Dodge City, Kan., and Billings, Mont.
• Tucson, Ariz., remains the best reefer market in the nation for truckers. 
• Today’s Market Index shows that demand for van capacity will be high over the next five to seven days for Central Ontario (Canada).
• Expect demand for power only to be high in and out of Mobile, Ala. Demand for power only in the Detroit market will be rising.

Where Demand Will Be Low

• Duluth, Minn., and Montreal, Quebec (Canada), will continue to show low demand for flatbed capacity in the coming week. You can expect demand for flatbed to decrease for Rapid City, S.D., and Montgomery, Ala., as well.
• Demand and rates for reefer will be low over the next five to seven days for Hartford, Conn., and Reno, Nev. 
• Stockton, Calif., will continue to be one of the coldest power only markets in the country. Demand for power only in the Roanoke, Va., is expected to decline slightly in the coming week.

Trucker Tools’ Market Insights

• As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, consumers are increasingly turning to online grocery retailers such as Whole Foods. A significant portion of Whole Foods’ organic produce is imported from Mexico, which is likely contributing to sustained demand for reefer capacity in and out of Tucson, Ariz.
• Demand for flatbed capacity inbound to and outbound from Rapid City, S.D., is three times higher than it was at this time last year.
• It’s the opposite story for the Reno, Nev., reefer market, where demand for reefer capacity currently is 50 percent lower than it was at this time last year.
• Demand for power only capacity outbound from Mobile, Ala., will favor truckers by a ratio of two to one in the coming week.

FreightWaves SONAR: Lanes To Target

Thanks to our partnership with FreightWaves, we also are providing you with insights on specific lanes. In today’s SONAR Daily Watch, FreightWaves is advising truckers and carriers who typically run Harrisburg to Chicago to expect time-sensitive loads to become available this week, as there is an excess of intermodal capacity available in this lane. As the Midwest preps for a major cold front, you can expect that reefer capacity will be in demand for the Milwaukee to Indianapolis lane. FreightWaves recommends that you divert your available capacity to this lane’s spot market to take advantage of this demand. Spot market rates in the Los Angeles to Elizabeth, N.J., lane are trending higher than contracted rates, so if you have a choice, be sure to target the spot market for this lane, as well.

For more information on which markets will favor truckers and carriers this week, check out our previous Market Index Report, Truckers: Target Grand Junction, Tucson, South Bend and Austin This Week.

To download Trucker Tools’ free driver app, visit https://www.truckertools.com/carriers-toolkit/.