Stock market analysts lowered revenue and
profit expectations for major domestic LTL freight cariers, including
freight companies YRC Worldwide and SAIA. Carriers are being hurt by
increasing fuel costs and lower demand resulting from the growing
recession.
“Carriers have experienced a marked decline in freight tonnage than
most of us who follow the market had thought would happen,” explains
analyst George Hattron. “We predict other carriers like Old Dominion
and Con-way to demonstrate some weakness as well.”
The market will be shaky for trucking and freight shipping stocks in
the near future, as the economy proceeds through the looming recession.
Demand for freight will likely continue to be weaker than it has been
in past years. Fuel price increases could spell further divergences
in the freight rates that carriers demand the the freight quotes that
shippers receive.