ABF To Raise LTL Truck Rates 5.9 Percent

ABF Freight System said today it will raise its general tariff rates 5.9 percent, following an identical increase announced last week by competitor YRC.

The Fort Smith, Ark.-based trucker is the second less-than-truckload carrier to announce a general rate increase ahead of trucking’s peak shipping season.

Con-way Freight, one of the three largest LTL operators along with YRC and FedEx Freight, today said it would not implement an “out-of-cycle” GRI this fall.

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“The reality is, the market still has overcapacity, not as much as it has had in the recent past, but there is still overcapacity,” spokesman Tom Nightingale said.

“We are selectively evaluating customers in areas where we have a tightening of capacity and dealing with those customers on a one-on-one basis,” he said.

ABF said in a statement it would revise its general rates Oct. 1. The impact on customers will vary depending on lane and types of shipment, ABF said.

Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com.