The new Electronic Log Data (ELD) mandate, which officially goes into effect on December 18th, is forcing truckers to pay much closer attention to their logs so as not to exceed their Hours of Service (HOS) requirements. Electronic logs, which cannot be manipulated with the same ease as their paper predecessors, have already caused rate spikes for long haul moves across the board.

The increases in long haul rates are occurring as truckers and owner operators are beginning to favor local moves wherein adherence to HOS requirements via ELD is more efficient and leads to greater profits. This focus on local moves is pulling much needed trucker capacity from long haul moves and causing long haul pricing to surge. We expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future unless the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) extends HOS maximums, which is highly unlikely.

Shapiro is committed to keeping long haul rate hikes to a minimum and will mitigate any increases as much as possible. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.