For years, North American shippers were warned a truck capacity crunch was coming, a crunch that never materialized, thanks to a stop-and-go, slow US economic recovery. After three quarters of steady economic growth, however, that crunch finally arrived this year, clenching supply chains with a vise-like grip, and shocking shippers who expected a slow first quarter.

That is pushing up inland supply chain costs and transport rates across the board, and shippers should not expect relief soon. These market conditions are likely to last into 2019, most experts say. In order to not be washed away by the oncoming wave, shippers will have to rigorously rethink how they ship goods, gather detailed data on their operations, and collaborate. Not since 2014 have US shippers and beneficial cargo owners seen such disruption to domestic and international containerized freight movement SOURCE