TransCore’s Canadian Freight Volumes Close the Year with All-Time Highs

TransCore Link Logistics Canadian Freight Index closed 2014 with unprecedented record highs for annual load volumes, trouncing 2013 annual load volumes by 33 percent. The year saw historic volumes for 10 months, the most since TransCore Link Logistics started recording data. The two months that did not set records, August and November, barely missed reaching all-time high volumes.

Load volumes for fourth quarter 2014 were 20 percent higher compared to the fourth quarter of 2013, and only three percent lower than the third quarter of 2014.

December’s volumes improved 11 percent compared to November, representing the highest month-over-month percentage change since March and the third highest month-over-month increase for the year. Year-over-year volumes increased significantly, surpassing December 2013 load volumes by 19 percent.

Cross-border load volumes for December averaged 70 percent of the total. Year-over-year, cross-border loads leaving and entering Canada to and from the United States increased 41 and 15 percent, respectively.

Intra-Canada load volumes represented 26 percent of the total volumes for December and increased 10 percent year-over-year.

Equipment postings showed no change in volumes compared to the previous year, but did decrease 8 percent compared to November. The equipment-to-load ratio decreased to 1.66 from 2.01 in November, representing a 19 percent improvement year-over-year.

TransCore’s Canadian Freight Index accurately measures trends from roughly 5,000 of Canada’s trucking companies and freight brokers, and includes all domestic, cross-border and interstate data submitted by Loadlink’s Canadian-based customers.

Real-time and historical data on total truck and load volumes, as well as ratios in specific areas can be accessed from TransCore’s Posting Index.

Canadian Freight Index Highlights:

  • Month-over-month: December 2014 volumes increased 11 percent from November 2014
  • Year-over-year: December 2014 volumes increased 19 percent compared to December 2013
  • Historic: 2014 was the first year that historic monthly volumes were set in 10 of the 12 months
  • Annual Highlights: 2014 load volumes started the year at record level highs in January and continued to be record highs for 10 out of 12 months. Record highs were missed in August and November.
  • 2014 total annual volumes surpassed the previous record high set in 2011 by 13 percent and the lowest year in 2009 by 96 percent
  • January had the highest month-over-month percentage change at 43 percent
  • February had the highest year-over-year percentage change at 60 percent
  • Year-over-year total average daily postings for the year increased 33 percent for loads and decreased 10 percent for trucks
  • Quarter Highlights: 2014 load volumes for Q1 2014 were up by 51 percent compared to Q4 2013; Q2 decreased by four percent from Q1; Q3 decreased 15 percent from Q2; Q4 decreased by three percent from Q3; however, Q4 increased by 20 percent year over year compared to Q4 2013
  • Cross-Border: Cross-border load postings accounted for 70 percent of the data submitted by Loadlink’s Canadian-based customers
  • Intra-Canada: Postings accounted for 26 percent of the data submitted by Loadlink’s Canadian-based customers
  • Equipment Availability: Equipment postings decreased eight percent from last month’s levels and no change year-over-year