According to transporters, truck rates may go up by 5-10 per cent in the coming week due to shortage of vehicles. "If the cargo movement picks up which normally does during the month-end then we can see the rates spurting as vehicles will be on short supply", said a traffic manager associated with a leading Mumbai-based transport company.

According to him, rains will affect truck movement (especially the reverse cycle) which in turn can cripple the cargo offtake. Most transporters concurred that truck freight rates may leap-up substantially in July.So far, during the last week, truck rates from Mumbai to many cities failed to pick up as expected.

Freight rates to Delhi increased to Rs 12,500, around Rs 500 short of the transporters' expectation. In the northern sector, rates to Punjab and Haryana increased by Rs 500-1,000 in the last week. In the last fortnight, rates from Mumbai to Biharmoved in a narrow band of Rs 200-700.

Towards the western region, rates to Gujarat and Maharashtra remained firm. "Cargo movement especially within Maharashtra, and to Gujarat improved slightly in the last 10 days", a transporter said. Maharashtra truck rates picked up after cargo ships, originally scheduled to birth at Kandla port in Gujarat, were diverted to Mumbai.

Towards the eastern sector, rates from Mumbai to West Bengal which had seen a massive jump for over a month fell by around Rs 1,000, thanks to an improvement in the availability of vehicles.

Southward, truck rates moved in a narrow band of Rs 100-400.