Post, Freight and Carriers

Are truckers and trucking companies having trouble with fuel prices or is it passed on in the freight charge?

Public Comments

1. Both.
2. Freight prices have gone up, but they are not rising steadily enough to cover the quick increase in fuel prices. Small fleets & owner-operators suffer more than the big companies. Most of the time these guys get their loads through brokers. The trucker doesn't get to "set" the rate usually. There can be some negotiation with the broker & the trucker can ask for a fuel surcharge or refuse to haul the load if the broker is not paying enough. But it's the broker who comes to the table saying "This is what I will pay you to haul this load." Rates go up when brokers find out that they can't get freight moved at a certain price. If truck drivers got to "set" their own rates all the time, shipping rates would be MUCH higher and the truckers would be making more of a profit. But that's not the way the system works.