More and more roofing manufacturers are issuing notices of increasing transportation costs and decreasing transportation service levels. Two things are at play here: the new Hours of Service rules put into place at the beginning of this year, and the increasing cost of fuel. Look for roofing manufacturers to pass on increased transportation costs, not only in the price of goods, but in higher stopover charges, demurrage charges, and "special area" transportation pricing in high-density markets like New York City.

Trucking is a basic commodity and very necessary to the roofing industry. Truckers have struggled for years to cover incrementally increasing costs, but without a great deal of success. Increasing insurance costs now coupled with rapidly rising fuel costs and slightly more restrictive HOS rules have given rise to the tightening of pricing and service standards coming from the trucking industry. But keep your eyes on this. If history repeats itself, the trucking industry is very, very competitive and what goes up may very well come down.