Trucking company executives, without saying it implicitly, are warning shippers of higher rates:

Trucking executives sounded a clear warning about rising costs Tuesday at the National Industrial Transportation League’s Freight Policy Forum in Washington, D.C.

From driver wages to fuel and tractor prices to health insurance premiums, costs are rising at a steady pace, putting pressure on carrier margins and shipper budgets.

Shippers could face much higher transportation costs if the economic recovery picks up its pace, those carrier executives warned, as higher demand meets tight capacity.

“We’re facing a lot of headwinds in all areas of cost,” said Dan England, chairman of $1 billion truckload carrier C.R. England. “Driver costs, fuel costs, the cost of regulation.”

“Insurance costs are going up, not just for vehicles but health insurance,” said Rob Estes, Jr., president of Estes Express Lines, a $1.9 billion less-than-truckload carrier.

The health insurance premiums paid by Estes have risen 10 percent over five years, he told shippers at the NITL forum. The Richmond, Va., carrier is also raising pay.

“We gave our first pay raise in four years Jan. 1, a 2.5 percent pay increase,” Estes said. “We’re still behind the loop. We’ll have to look pretty aggressively at it this year.”

Again, there were no direct words other than saying costs would have to be “passed on.” Clearly, freight shippers will be looking at higher freight rates as the year goes on.

From Logistics Management:

Rail carload and intermodal volumes were again mixed for the week ending April 7, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Carload volume—at 270,974—was down 7.7 percent annually and below the week ending March 31 at 286,962 and the week ending March 24 at 278,393, as well as the week ending March 17 at 278,420.

Eastern carloads were down 5.2 percent, and out west carloads were down 9.3 percent.

Read more at Logistics Management.