Brokers pay better rates than shippers, TransCore says

PORTLAND, Ore. – The highest truckload rates were paid by freight brokers and other intermediaries in 24 percent of North American routes through the second quarter of 2011, according to a new report released today by TransCore.

The report, “Spot Market Rates vs. Contract Rates,” is the first of a series showing the dynamics of the spot market, examining the influences of seasonal and regional demand on pricing for truckload (TL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation, the company says.

The data was taken from the company’s Truckload Rate Index and is based on $5 billion of actual invoices updated daily for vans, reefers, and flatbeds across the United States and Canada.

The report highlights the ten Midwestern states accounting for nearly half of the higher paying routes, and the shift in May through June to ten states in the Southeast.

In April the average difference between spot and contract rates on the higher paying lanes was $.19 per mile. By June that figure had risen to $.24 per mile.

The report also includes the top 10 van markets from April through June.

Spot market rates are rates paid to the carrier by freight brokers and other freight intermediaries.