Truckload rates stabilize in May

After April put a stop to a 13 month free fall in truckload rates, pricing ticked up another 1.1 percent in May 2017 compared to the same period last year, according to the latest Cass Truckload Linehaul Index.    Truckload rates stabilized in May 2017 after April put a stop to a 13-month free fall in pricing, according to the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index.
   The Truckload Linehaul Index increased 1.1 percent year-over-year to a reading of 122.7, a continuation of last month’s year-over-year pricing growth. However, May’s pricing declined 1.5 percent sequentially compared with April 2017 and was flat compared with May 2015, according to Cass.
   Donald Broughton of Broughton Capital, which provides the index analysis for Cass, continues to forecast rate growth between -1 percent and 2 percent, as pricing begins to move back into positive territory by the end of 2017.
   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, the index providing a reflection of trends in baseline truckload prices using January 2005 as its base month.