TransCore’s 4Q spot market freight index strongest since 2005

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TransCore announced that its North American Freight Index that monitors spot market truckload freight movement throughout the United States and Canada ended the year with a 55 percent increase when compared to December 2009.

TransCore says spot market freight volumes for the third and fourth quarters in 2010 are the highest since 2005, a peak year for spot market volume. According to TransCore, load availability in December increased by 0.2 percent from November, signaling robust freight shipping on the spot market.

TransCore’s Truckload Rate Index showed that spot market linehaul rates for vans remained stable at $1.28; freight typically picks up in the first quarter and continues through spring. The national average spot market linehaul rates for refrigerated trucks softened by $0.05 (3.3 percent), and flatbed rates dipped by $0.01.

Spot market rates are the rates that brokers and third-party logistics (3PL) companies pay to the carrier.