Shippers are increasingly turning to dedicated contract trucking not only to replace private fleets but to lock down capacity they'll need if the economy recovers, despite lower overall freight demand and a fall in spot market rates.

In the second quarter truckload rates rose between 3.5 and 3.8 per cent, year on year, each month, according to Cass Information Systems data. The increase comes on top of 5.2 to 5.8 per cent higher rates over the same period last year.

JB Hunt, Werner and Marten Transport are among the carriers reporting stronger demand. Marten's dedicated revenue rose 68.3 per cent during the second quarter, mainly due to new contracts. Securing capacity now, even at a higher price, is preferable to coming up short in November, reported Newark's Journal of Commerce.