"The rates should have gone up as in the month-end the cargo movement picks up, but since the cargo movement is less vis-a-vis the availability of trucks, the rates will not go up," said a transporter.

In the northern region, the rates to Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh remained steady in the last week.The rates to Delhi rose by Rs 300 to Rs 12,500. The rise in the Delhi's freight rates improved the truck rates to Haryana and Punjab too. The rates to these states moved up by Rs 100-500.

The rates to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh also went up due to shortage of vehicles. The truck rates from Mumbai to Patna went up by Rs 400 to Rs 19,200. The rates to Jamshedpur went up by Rs 300 to Rs 16,500.

The freight rates to Uttar Pradesh too remained buoyant. The rates to Lucknow were up by Rs 500 to Rs 13,500. Those to Meerut and Agra increased by Rs 1,200 and Rs900 each to Rs 13,200 and Rs 12,700, respectively. The rates to western states remained steady. The Mumbai to Surat rates were at Rs 2,800 while rates to Indore were at Rs 5,500.

In the eastern sector, the rates to Assam continued to rise. The rates to Guwahati went up by Rs 1,000 to Rs 35,000 while rates to remaining places were up by Rs 500-1,000.

The Mumbai to Calcutta rates increased by Rs 800 to Rs 20,500. The rates to Raniganj and Siliguri rose to Rs 19,800 and Rs 22,500.

In south, the truck rates to Vizag were stable but to remaining states, the rates moved northwards.The rates to Bangalore went up by Rs 500 to Rs 9,000.

The rates to Chennai rose to Rs 12,700 while rates to Cochin jumped to Rs 13,800, marking a Rs 600 rise.