A majority of carriers, for the second consecutive quarter, express optimism on volumes seven to 12 months forward, but about 40 percent of fleets don't expect an upturn until 2011, according to a fourth-quarter Business Expectations Survey by Transport Capital Partners.

"When comparing the last 12 months to the next 12 months in volumes, this is the fourth consecutive quarter of improvement in outlooks, rising from 21 percent in February to 62 percent this quarter, a striking change," said Richard Mikes, a managing partner of TCP. Over the past quarter, rates stabilized, with 47 percent indicating that rates stayed the same, while only 30 percent said this in the prior quarterly survey.  Of carriers surveyed, 56 percent expect rates to stay the same over the next year, while about a third believe rates will rise.

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