The Canadian General Freight Index released Wednesday, July 25 indicates that the cost of ground transportation for Canadian shippers decreased 0.29 percent in May when compared with April results.

The Base Rate Index, which excludes the impact of accessorial charges assessed by carriers, decreased by 0.3 percent when compared to April. Average fuel surcharges assessed by carriers saw a decrease from 22.4 percent of base rates in April to 22.1 percent in May.

“We are experiencing a marginal decrease in base rates and a slight increase in accessorials, while fuel remained relatively flat,” said Doug Payne, president and chief operating officer of Nulogx, which oversees the index. “It appears that marginal base rate gains in the domestic less-than-truckload and truckload markets were offset by marginal decreases in the cross-border LTL and truckload markets.”