The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index in March continued the run of increases that began in November 2017. Truckload linehaul rates paid (a mixture of contract and spot) were 4.8% higher than last March, with a two-year stacked increase of 12.0%. The index value was 139.9. The base month for the Index is January 2005.

“We expect continued increases in coming months, but at slightly lower percentage increases, as comparisons grow increasingly tough in coming months,” said Donald Broughton, analyst and commentator for the Cass Indexes. “We are lowering our realized pricing forecast for 2019 (from 2% to 5%) to 1% to 3%.” He cited that spot rates, after peaking above contract rates briefly in 2018, are below contract rates by a margin that is likely unsustainable. But even when/if they increase, they should continue to put negative pressure on both contract rates and realized pricing.