Truckload carriers continue to command prices that are well above those from a year ago. The data from December has the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index at a value of 109.2, indicating that linehaul rates (independent of accessorials and fuel surcharge) are up year over year by 8.6 percent. The trajectory of the Index reaffirms that capacity remains tight and carriers are being more disciplined regarding pricing and capacity additions in this cycle.
The index isolates the linehaul component of full truckload costs from other components (e.g. fuel and accessorials), reflecting trends in baseline truckload prices.
Data within this index is derived from actual freight invoices paid on behalf of Cass' clients, which totaled more than $17bn in 2010. The index uses January 2005 as its base month.
Cass partners with the securities analyst firm Avondale Partners LLC to publish this Index.
