US truck cargo rates have been on a tear since November, surging as freight-hauling capacity tightens amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign drivers. What had been missing was freight growth for an industry that has been stalled for the last three years.
Executives at J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., the US’ largest long-haul trucking company, dropped hints that demand may have also turned the corner. The tone of the company’s quarterly earnings conference call late Wednesday was more positive than it has been in years.
Chief Executive Officer Shelley Simpson said: “The freight environment felt meaningfully different than what we’ve ...