Cass March Freight Index - Surge in Freight; Not So Much Rates

The March Cass Freight Index is out and while freight showed a marked increase in march ( 5.8% Feb to Mar and 4.2% YoY) the expenditure increase can almost totally be attributed to the increase in freight - meaning rates are staying fairly steady.  What this does not show is things soften in the first week of April, which I fully expect to see in this month's report.

Expenditures rise right in line with Shipments - rates relatively flat

Right now freight volumes are relatively balanced and shippers should not be experiencing  overall pressure on rates (except for very specific lanes).  There is just enough good news to give some hope however as I have reported in other postings the macroeconomic trends still show a very reserved economy.  I still believe the shipper who works with good data, "should cost" information around driver costs, truck costs and fuel costs, and who can segment their network will be far more effective at procurement than those who "wing it" with emotion and buy into the fear game. 

For truckload volumes, rates are down down (month over month) for two months in a row: