Truckload Rate Index Rises 8.5 Percent

Truckload linehaul rates rose 8.5 percent year-over-year in November, according to Cass Information Systems and investment research firm Avondale Partners.

However, the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index dropped to 108.4 from 108.8 in October, indicating that price increases leveled off for the second month.

The November reading is still its third-highest monthly point this year. The index peaked in September at 108.9. It was last at 108.4 in August, Cass said.

“Truckload carriers continue to command prices that are well above those from a year ago,” said Cass, which bases its index on $17 billion in freight billings.

“The steep upward trajectory we've seen in 2011, however, seems to have leveled off for the time being,” the freight bill payment company said Wednesday.

A recent spot market survey by TransCore Freight Solutions found truckload rates dropped during the week preceding Nov. 23, except for refrigerated rates.

The Cass Freight Index for U.S. shipments fell 2.9 percent in November, a sign that as goods reached stores, the fall’s peak shipping season was easing into a lower gear

Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wbcassidy_joc