February’s Canadian Freight Index shows signs of strength

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TORONTO, Ont. – February proved to be another strong month for freight movement.

Although load volumes were 5% lower than in January, TransCore Link Logistics notes this is due to February being a short month with fewer shipping days. In comparison to the very strong January figures, the TransCore Link Logistics Canadian Freight Index calculated that “as a daily average, loads for February were 4% higher than in January.”

TransCore determined that when compared with February 2013, February 2014 demonstrated a 60 percent increase, which is the highest year-over-year increase for the month. The previous record was a 55 percent increase between February 2009 and February 2010.

Other notable figures in in the February data reveal that cross-border postings accounted for 71% of total load volumes, that cross-border loads originating in Canada were up 83% year-over-year, and that US-originated cross-border loads were up 59%.

Domestically, intra-Canada load volumes accounted for 24% of total February volumes, and were 40 percent higher than those of February 2013.

One area that showed a decline was in equipment postings, which hit their lowest level in the past 34 months.

Posted trucks decreased 9% month-over-month and dropped by 17% year-over-year. The equipment-to-load ration was also down, dropping from 1.36 in January to 1.31 in February, although TransCore Link Logistics says “this number demonstrated a 93% improvement from last year’s drop in February.

Additionally, “the truck–to-load ratio is the lowest on record since TransCore Link Logistics started recording data. This trend indicates continued tightening of available capacity.”

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