Cass Freight Index

May data from Cass Information Systems shows continued pressure on freight demand, but carriers are experiencing some pricing relief.

A new Fort Worth-to-Phoenix lane will augment Aurora’s existing Fort Worth-to-El Paso lane, which is expected to begin in the second half of the year.

April data from Cass Information Systems showed some stabilization on the freight industry’s path to recovery.

Q1 earnings season is upon us, with early results pointing to continued degradation in truckload carriers’ financial health. Wisconsin-based Marten Transport released its Q1 earnings on Wednesday, but with publicly traded companies timing is everything.

Freight data from Cass Information Systems shows the industry closed the first quarter on a down note.

Recent data from ACT Research’s March For-Hire Trucking Index showed fleet purchasing intentions at 35% compared to a historical average of 56% for February.

Cass data for February showed a bounce back in shipments after a messy January, but uncertainty now hangs over a tepid demand environment.

The Cass Freight Index showed an increase in truckload linehaul rates for the first time since December 2022.

FTR’s 2025 Transportation Outlook predicts steady growth in spot and contract rates amid a shifting economic and political landscape but cautions that the increases will not be as significant as those of 2020 or 2021

December data from Cass was mixed, with volumes falling notably but truckload rates moving higher.

Morgan Stanley released its 2025 Transportation Outlook, which describes the next year as likely a tale of two halves, one with a powerful restocking-driven upcycle followed by the fears of a downcycle beginning in 2026.

Volumes and expenditures moved higher in November, a Thursday report from Cass Information Systems showed.

The Cass Freight Index shows both volumes and expenditures remained lower in October.

ATRI’s 2024 “Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry” report saw truck parking dominate driver concerns, while motor carriers worry more about the economy.

Continued volume weakness along with a steadying rate environment were the primary takeaways from Cass Information Systems’ September report.

A recent FTR Transportation Intelligence conference highlighted continued poor freight market conditions that are forcing fleets to do more with less.

Cass Information Systems’ August update shows a freight market that is still awaiting a recovery.

Crete Carrier highlighted positive trends in holiday and retail demand as customers stage shipments for Halloween and Christmas.

Data from Cass Information Systems showed year-over-year declines in volumes and costs slowed in July.

Recent data by Motive suggests the freight recession is closer to an end as more robust June restocking spurs higher July retail sales.

Freight shipments and expenditures remained depressed in June, Monday data from Cass Information Systems showed.

OOIDA and other industry groups are suing over the EPA Phase 3 final rule on greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles.

Shipments and cost data for May show no letup in the freight downcycle.

Recent reports from Ryder System and Knight-Swift highlight significant total cost of ownership and poor range for electric trucks.

April data from freight payments platform Cass shows freight demand remains near cycle lows.

March provides little relief from the freight downturn, contrary to what carriers had hoped.

Excess truckload capacity continues to push down rates and change shipper behaviors to a more transactional approach.

Data compiled in the Cass Freight Index shows the freight market continued to hover near cycle lows in February.

Charles Gracey of Hot Seat Services says recruitment can be difficult even in the best of circumstances, with only a tiny fraction of applicants getting an offer and successfully completing orientation.

Cass freight data for January shows continued weakness, but the month included harsher-than-normal winter weather.

December data from Cass Information Systems shows further rate stabilization, albeit at depressed levels.

Data from the November Cass Freight Index shows both shipments and expenditures remained pressured.

On Wednesday, FreightWaves hosted the Domestic Supply Chain Summit, a virtual event with RXO Chief Strategy Officer Jared Weisfeld as the keynote speaker. The interview, conducted by enterprise trucking carrier expert Thomas Wasson, included an outlook for 2024 and highlighted the biggest supply chain challenges and opportunities.

The changing freight media landscape was on full display at the F3: Future of Freight Festival last week in Chattanooga Tennessee, as influencers, salespeople, presenters and executives intermingled during and after the events.

October freight data from Cass Information Systems showed continued softness into peak season.

Seattle-based digital freight broker Convoy on Wednesday canceled all shipments from its marketplace and company representatives promised more details of a business transition were forthcoming. By Thursday, company employees were told in a meeting that Convoy was “closing down its core business operations.”

Cass’ shipment data was up sequentially for a second straight month in September and the truckload linehaul index was positive for the first time in more than a year.

A report published Tuesday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) must make its complaint database more transparent and publicly available.

Monday data from Cass Information Systems showed slight improvement from July to August but the comparisons to 2022 worsened.

On Thursday, self-driving trucking company Kodiak Robotics and Pilot Co. opened their first truckport for autonomous vehicles at the Pilot Travel Center in Villa Rica, Georgia. According to the news release, the truckport will be used by Kodiak to launch and land its autonomous trucks and serve as a hub for drivers to pick and drop off loads for first- and last-mile deliveries.

Shipment declines accelerated in July while total freight spend remained under pressure.

The closely watched Cass report sees a new cycle, which is actually the start of the market bottom in freight markets.

Freight volumes and spending fell sharply in May, but Cass Information Systems maintains an outlook that the bottom of the cycle is near.

Load board fraud is gaining attention after The Wall Street Journal reported Truckstop, a leading load board provider, found reports of fraud increased 400% from Q4 2021 to Q4 2022, the highest level since 2004, when it began tracking the data. This article prompted Craig Fuller, CEO and founder of FreightWaves, to write an article on Tuesday arguing for massive load board providers to take greater responsibility for instances of fraud that take place on their platforms.

Data published Monday from freight payments provider Cass says the industry may be close to entering a new cycle.

Earnings season is upon us and the freight recession lingers worse than salmonella-carrying potato salad at a tailgate party. Wisconsin-based truckload carrier Martin Transport reported its Q1 2023 earnings Tuesday. While operating revenue improved 3.7% from $287.3 million in Q1 2022 to $298 million this year, the actual operating income declined from $35.9 million to $29 million.

Transportation shipments and rates back up during March, according to Cass Information Systems.

A report from Cass Information Systems suggests the current softness in freight markets is likely to hang around for “several more months.”

On Thursday, according to a news release, BP Products North America Inc., a subsidiary of BP, reached an agreement to purchase TravelCenters of America for $1.3 billion in cash. The purchase of TA is expected to add around 280 travel centers and double BP’s global convenience gross margin.

A Tuesday report from Cass Information Systems showed freight shipments in January were flat with December on a seasonally adjusted basis.

A Republican-backed bill introduced by U.S. Rep Brian Mast, R-Fla., seeks to exempt underage truck drivers from rules that prohibit them from hauling containers to and from marine terminals.

Shippers are seeing relief in freight costs for the first time in more than two years, according to the December Cass Freight Index.

Cass data released Tuesday showed shipments have moderated and rates are poised to start unwinding two years of increases in January.

Cass said Monday that positive trends in freight shipments and expenditures are likely to turn negative year over year in December.

Cass data was positive year over year in September but the report suggests the trend is set to reverse.

The American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.8% in August after a disappointing 1.5% drop in July. The ATA data primarily relates to contracted freight tonnage volumes and is a useful indicator of shipping activity.

Cass data shows freight volumes reached a more than four-year high in August. But linehaul rates slid for the third straight month.

Trailer pools as a hedge against contract rate declines, Electric truck infrastructure — breakthroughs versus misconceptions

Cass data shows changes in freight shipments and expenditures during July were less volatile when compared to prior months.

New rules proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding disclosure of climate-related risks and greenhouse gas emissions could greatly impact the trucking industry.

June shipments data from Cass shows the fourth decline in six months from 2021 levels.

Cass freight data shows shipments recovered in May as costs stepped down from record levels.

Freight data from payments management platform Cass showed April volume declines were worse than normal seasonal trends.

Many transportation managers and providers are expecting a return to a simpler time, but the data shows simpler times may be a thing of the past.

March data from Cass shows a deceleration in shipment growth and a higher chance of a freight recession, although “it is too early to call.”

The Cass Freight Index recovered some of the January volume decline tied to omicron absenteeism throughout the supply chain.

The Cass Freight Index sags in January on a rise in COVID cases, but the dataset appears poised again for strong growth in 2022.

Supreme Court blocks COVID vaccine mandate for large businesses On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that blocked enforcement for vaccine or testing requirements for large private companies over 100 employees. Prior to the decision, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued new guidance, stating the vaccine mandate rule would not apply […]

December data from Cass Information Systems shows freight shipments and expenditures continued a surge to close 2021.

Capacity crunch: Competition for carriers brings rising costs, new opportunities Continued freight demand and limited truckload supply are allowing trucking companies to be selective with which loads to take, causing greater competition among shippers. Customer characteristics are playing a key role in contract and spot rate negotiations with carriers reevaluating their customer mix based on […]

Freight costs reach a record, according to November data from Cass Information Systems.

October data from Cass shows supply chain bottlenecks and capacity shortages continue to subdue shipment growth. However, the condition led to another jump in rates.

Supply chain constraints are keeping a lid on freight volumes while rates continue to reach new highs, according to September data from Cass Information Systems.

August data from Cass shows freight expenditures extend their torrid pace. Freight demand remains high but a lack of capacity is constraining shipment growth.

July data from Cass showed freight shipments remained elevated but labor and equipment shortages constrained growth. Expenditures held near all-time records.

Freight expenditures surged at the fastest rate on record during June, according to data provided by Cass Information Systems.

The Cass Freight Index surged again in May with continued strength recorded in freight shipments and spend. While the year-over-year comparisons become more formidable in the coming months, the current supply-demand fundamentals are expected to remain in play for some time.

Cass freight data released Wednesday shows shipments and expenditures surged again in April.

Cass data published Friday highlights new records as volumes reaccelerate and rates soar.

February freight data from Cass shows a deceleration in the growth rates of shipments and expenditures. Recent weather events have only “coiled the spring” for a continuation of high demand and rising rates.

Several of the nation’s largest retailers say inventory positions are improving. However, retail sales continue to outpace efforts to stock up, suggesting trucking demand could stay elevated well into 2021.

Cass freight data released Thursday shows a huge surge in freight spending with solid growth in shipments. The report indicated that 2021 is unlikely to produce the “rate relief” to shippers that 2019 provided.

The Cass Freight Index sees sequential weakness in shipments but logs year-over-year improvement with expenditures data advancing.

The Cass Freight Index returns positive trends for shipments in October. The expectation is strong volumes will continue with the outlook for higher expenditures on the horizon.

The Cass Freight Index booked 7% sequential gains in shipments and expenditures during September.

Cass data for the month of August shows significant acceleration in demand and rates but the comparisons to 2019 still lag other data sources.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, more news from the FreightWaves Carrier Summit, a look inside the nation’s first digital trucking fleet, Amazon’s latest court loss and why Prologis is training logistics workers.

Declines in Cass freight data continue to outpace the industry by a considerable margin. The firm sees improved results on the horizon.

The truckload carriers have reported solid results to start second quarter earnings season, but some load data is still lagging.

Worse-than-expected data from Cass shows year-over-year declines grew in shipments and expenditures. Intermodal pricing falls out of bed.

A lot of the recent struggles for carriers originated in what many consider to be the most profitable year.

April’s 20% year-over-year declines in Cass data may mark the bottom of the COVID-19 downturn.

Many expected a worse outcome for carriers in March as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Ironically, the pandemic may have padded some 1Q results.

Transportation invoice volumes fall 7.5% for payment services provider Cass Information Systems.

Anthony and Zach discuss what to make of the first major U.S. carrier to report earnings during the COVID-19 outbreak along with the recent Cass, industrial production and retail releases.

Ware2Go is providing free logistical support to a New York City non-profit donating PPE supplies to medical workers. Plus, Cass Freight Index tumbles, oil prices continue to fall and airline stimulus funds hit a snag.

Cass data plummets further, erasing any chance of second-quarter year-over-year growth in shipments and freight costs, according to report.

Virus-related demand headwinds bring fresh declines in February Cass data. Visibility into a potential trucking recovery is further clouded.

When companies are moving midsize loads, it can be almost impossible to find that balance within the traditional full truckload (FTL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) models.

Declines in Cass data accelerate but report calls for rates to inflect higher in 2020.