NEW YORK — Many carriers, particularly in the truckload sector, said they are winning rate increases from shippers that typically are at least 5%, reflecting the industry’s tight capacity.

Shoe and clothing manufacturers are fuming at a decision that preserves less-than-truckload carriers’ freedom to raise shipping rates for shoes by up to 50% and could quadruple prices to ship clothing.

Less-than-truckload carriers as a group posted solid volume gains and stabilized their shaky revenue environment in the first months of 2010, experts said.

Universal Truckload Services’ first-quarter profit rose to $2.1 million, or 13 cents per share, from $100,000, or 1 cent, a year ago.