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A healthy U.S. economy has shipping rates poised to head higher, but an upcoming federal mandate to equip long-haul trucks with electronic logging devices could disrupt the industry and launch trucking prices into an even more rapid ascent.

Carriers are seeing the leading edge of a freight wave, according to analysts at DAT, an online freight exchange. For the first three months of 2017, load volumes are running 100 percent above the level of the same period a year earlier. And this is before April, when the peak season for freight usually kicks off.

Mack Trucks will highlight the fuel efficiency benefits of its highway models with four powerful Mack trucks displayed during the 2017 Mid-America Trucking Show March 23-25 in Louisville, Kentucky. Also on display will be Jack Mack, a custom-built one-of-a-kind mega-crew cab named after John “Jack” M. Mack, one of the founders of Mack Trucks.

Trucking conditions point to stronger ‘17, FTR says: Market conditions for carriers, as measured by the monthly Trucking Conditions Index from FTR, remained nearly unchanged in January from December, dipping slightly between the two months. However, FTR COO Jonathan Starks says 2017 is “looking like a better year for the trucking industry,” due to expected capacity constraints prompted by increasing adoption of electronic logging devices ahead of the December 2017 compliance date and industry-wide struggles in finding and keeping drivers.

LAS VEGAS. “Truckable Economic Activity,” that chunk of the Gross Domestic Product that spends time in trucks, looks to be getting off to a strong start in 2017, according to Robert Dieli, president of RDLB, Inc., a Chicago-based economic research and management consulting firm.

Speaking at the Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue event here, Dieli said he expects the expansion phase of the business cycle to continue through 2017. “Domestic events, mainly those surrounding fiscal policy are expected to have the most effect on TEA over the course of 2017 and 2018.”

The main components of TEA are consumption, investment, exports, imports and government. Dieli said the composition of TEA growth will continue to change. “We expect improvements in Truckable Fixed Investment and Truckable Exports. The adjustment to structural transformation will continue; of special concern is the implementation of electronic logging device regulations.” 

The price of diesel fuel in the U.S. increased again last week, capping off a rally in fuel prices that began more than a month ago, according to the latest numbers from the Energy Department.

The average price of on-highway diesel fuel jumped 4.6 cents last week, hitting $2.586 per gallon at the pump. As the streak of price increases continues, diesel fuel is now 37.5 cents more expensive than it was in the same week of the previous year.

Prices increased in all major regions of the country with the largest spike hitting the Central Atlantic at 8.9 cents per gallon. The smallest amount of change was a 1.9-cent increase in the Rocky Mountain region.

The price of regular gasoline was also up last week, increasing 6.8 cents to an average of $2.377 per gallon at the pump. Regular gasoline is now nearly 35 cents more expensive than it was in the final week of 2015.

After a year of plenty of ups and downs, motor carriers and freight brokers are bracing for 2017 and wondering what to expect. And how will the new presidency affect the freight industry? Here’s a review of some of the most central trucking industry trends to keep in mind for 2017.

Regulations have been on everybody’s mind over the last few years and 2017 will see a number of new regulations come into effect, while others that have not yet been introduced and accepted may end up not seeing the light of day.

One regulation that has gained attention is the implementation of the Unified Registration System (URS). Its deadline was extended yet again because the government needs additional time to securely migrate all the data. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Uber has launched a website for a service called Uber Freight. Little has been revealed about the company’s expansion from ride-hailing, but if the announcements it’s made over the last year are any indicator, chances are good that Uber Freight is meant to prepare the world for autonomous delivery trucks.

Uber acquired a startup called Otto, which planned to bring the first self-driving trucks to market, in August. Since then the company has used its trucks to deliver 50,000 cans of beer and hundreds of Christmas trees in San Francisco.

This new service won’t use those trucks, at least not at the beginning. Instead it will function much like Uber’s existing platform: Some people will sign up to drive items across the country, and others will join so they can send packages without having to sign a contract with established shipping companies. The service will likely bring “surge pricing” to trucking, too.

I’m as guilty as anyone in terms of predicting the demise of the small motor carrier – overlooking, as many in trucking do, that 90% or so of the fleets in this industry operate six or fewer trucks, while 97% or so operate fewer than 20 trucks.

And while there’s been a lot said regarding the reluctance of small carriers to adopt electronic logging devices (ELDs), with many interpreting such “regulatory reluctance” as yet another sign that truck capacity may exit the market next year.

“Even with all the issues associated with the current regulations and additional regulations in the  pipeline and even with the incoming  Trump administration likely to be considerably more trucker-friendly,  the evidence continues to mount that small carriers are significantly  disadvantaged vis-à-vis the larger carriers,” argued John Larkin, managing director and head of transportation capital markets research at Stifel Capital Markets, during a recent conference call.

“Even a delayed, downsized onslaught of less onerous regulations will be challenging for small carriers to cope with – especially if the ‘Beyond Compliance’ initiative gains traction with shippers and brokers,” he added.