Truckload rates rebound in April

After a 13 month free fall, truckload rates grew 1.3 percent in April 2017 compared to the same 2016 period, according to the latest Cass Truckload Linehaul Index.    Truckload rates rebounded in April 2017 after 13 consecutive months of negative year-over-year growth, according to the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index.
   Rates for the month grew 1.3 percent compared with April 2016, but were still flat compared with the previous and down 1 percent compared to April 2015.
   Donald Broughton of Broughton Capital, which provides the analysis for Cass, forecasts rate growth of between -1 percent and 2 percent, as pricing begins to move back into positive territory by the end of 2017.
   Truckload pricing fell 1.6 percent from January to February, but grew 1 percent increase from February to March, according to the index.
   The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index is an indicator of market fluctuations in per-mile truckload pricing by isolating the linehaul components of full truckload costs from other components, such as fuel, providing a reflection of trends in baseline truckload prices. The index uses January 2005 as its base month.