TransCore’s Canadian Freight Index showed a 30% year-over-year increase in spot market freight volume compared to September 2009. Month over month, the index showed a drop of six points but still tops over 200 in volume. The last six months have all surpassed the 200 point threshold. Like August, September 2010 is the highest volume of freight availability for the month of September in comparison to the same month over the last five years. The index is consistent with fluctuation due to seasonal patterns.

In August the index was up 2% over July and posted its strongest August in five years, coming in at 50% year-over-year. Combined cross-border loads were up 55% year-over-year in August while equipment availability dropped 16% compared to last August. TransCore officials say the increase in freight availability coupled with a decline in trucks searching for freight is a pattern that has continued for the year.

TransCore’s Loadlink freight matching database constitutes the largest Canadian network of carriers, owner operators, freight brokers and intermediaries and has been available to Canadian subscribers since its inception in 1990.

The first four columns in Table 1 include monthly index values for years 2006 through 2009. The last column indicates the percentage change from January through September 2009 to 2010. For the purpose of establishing a baseline for the index, January 2002 (index value of 100) has been used.