Freight rates can and do change from week to week. Just like the stock market and real estate, freight rates vary according to supply an demand. In 2008, more trucks left the industry than any other year in history. More trucking companies have gone out of business in previous years, but never before have several huge companies gone down like in 2008. Although freight volumes are down now, this  smaller number of available trucks is very likely to be an important factor later in the year when freight volumes pick up, which most experts agree should happen in the second quarter of 2009 (next month).


At this time however, although available trucks are down, freight volumes are down too. Right now freight rates are just a little lower than average. But again, most experts agree- later this year there will likely be more loads than trucks.