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N<\/strong>ew York (WSJ) –<\/strong>\u00a0 T<\/span><\/span>rucking companies are convincing shippers to pay more to move freight, but difficulty finding drivers could weigh on earnings.<\/p>\n Analysts expect rising driver pay\u00a0and storm disruptions\u00a0to eat into what would otherwise be stronger third-quarter\u00a0results for truckload carriers. The freight market has picked up as manufacturing activity expands and retailers restock inventories in advance of the holiday season. For-hire truck tonnage jumped 8.2% in August compared with the same time in 2016, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the American Trucking Associations.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, trucking capacity has tightened after a long stretch when too many big-rigs were competing for cargo. Hurricane relief efforts in Texas and Florida have exacerbated the crunch, diverting trucks from other regions and sending prices soaring on the spot market, where companies book transportation on a daily basis.<\/p>\n On Friday\u00a0J.B. Hunt Transport Services<\/a>\u00a0Inc.,<\/span>\u00a0one of the largest U.S. freight carriers and the first major fleet to report results this quarter said net earnings fell 8.2% in the third quarter. The company cited storm disruptions and accelerating driver wages and recruitment costs, among other factors.<\/p>\n J.B. Hunt shares fell 4% to $104.01\u00a0on Friday,\u00a0and the company\u2019s weaker-than-expected results sent other trucking stocks lower.\u00a0Schneider National<\/a>\u00a0Inc.<\/span>\u00a0shares were down 2.1%, while\u00a0Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings<\/a>\u00a0Inc.<\/span>\u00a0shares fell 3.1%.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll hear a lot about the driver shortage, empty trucks, and declining fleet count\u201d during third-quarter earnings, said Stephens Inc. analyst Brad Delco. \u201cThe trucks that had drivers in the seats, I\u2019m sure they were as busy as could be.\u201d<\/p>\n Truckers tend to be older on average than workers in other sectors, such as construction. Fewer young people are\u00a0entering the profession<\/a>\u00a0even as older drivers move closer to retirement age, creating added pressure on supply.<\/p>\n During a previous freight boom in 2015, carriers scrambling for drivers pushed through some of their biggest raises in decades, offering sign-on bonuses and free bus tickets to drivers willing to switch employers.\u00a0This year the turnover rate at large truckload carriers rose to 90% in the second quarter, the highest since the end of 2015, according to ATA.<\/p>\n Trucking capacity is expected to tighten further\u00a0as a result of rules\u00a0set to take effect in December that requires drivers to\u00a0electronically log their hours\u00a0<\/a>behind the wheel.\u00a0Intended as a safety measure to prevent driver fatigue, the mandate could also reduce the time trucks are on the road, slowing delivery times and increasing costs.<\/p>\n So-called spot rates, where trucks are hired on short notice,\u00a0began to climb this summer\u00a0and rose sharply after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.\u00a0Some shippers are also seeking to lock in capacity for next year, months earlier than the usual contract bidding season. Many fleets expect contract rates to rise by between 5% and 10% in 2018, analysts say.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re potentially back in a favorable freight market like we saw a couple of years ago,\u201d said Allison Landry, a transportation analyst with\u00a0Credit Suisse Group<\/a>\u00a0AG.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/moovafrica.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Trrucks.jpg\")