ACT Research released the latest installment of the ACT Freight Forecast, U.S. Rate and Volume OUTLOOK report.

“Although we expect some easing in the truckload market after the holidays due to driver pay increases and the end of extended unemployment benefits, rebalancing may take longer than normal,” said Tim Denoyer, ACT Research’s Vice President and Senior Analyst. “In the past five months, trucking employment has recovered just a quarter of the jobs lost in March and April, for a plethora of unique reasons analyzed in the report.”

He concluded, “Next year, we expect some reversal of today’s services-to-goods substitution in the second half. But the freight recovery will still likely continue next year, when equipment will become a greater capacity bottleneck.”

The monthly 56-page ACT Freight Forecast report provides three-year forecasts for volumes and contract rates for the truckload, less-than-truckload and intermodal sectors of the transportation industry. For the truckload spot market, the report forecasts rates for the next 12-15 months.