The economy and e-commerce will power fourth-quarter rate increases, not post-hurricane reconstruction, says DAT. Furthermore, while rate increases are likely to moderate in 2019, truck sector professionals underscore that a new baseline is in place.

The biggest disruption is for truckers traveling Interstate 95 through the Carolinas. Flooding has shut down most of I-95 in North Carolina, except for a nine-mile stretch.

Whether shippers moving goods through the US Southeast and Mid-Atlantic see delays and elevated truck rates for days or for weeks largely hinges on exactly where Hurricane Florence makes landfall and with how big of a wallop.

Chassis restrictions have long been a concern of beneficial cargo owners and truckers ever since the ocean carriers exited the business.