Capacity is loosening and spot rates have dropped steadily over the past few months, shifting the pricing power from carriers to shippers. This shift comes after two years of constricted capacity and soaring volumes that allowed carriers to benefit from sky-high spot rates.
A slight decrease in consumer demand has played a role in this market turn, but last year’s contract rate increases also have fueled it. FreightWaves research analyst Michael Rudolph recently explored how rising contract...