PORTLAND, Ore.-- TransCore’s North American Freight Index records the highest spot market truckload freight volume for the month of March since the North American Freight Index was established in 1986. Similar records were set in January and February of this year. March truckload spot market freight availability was also the highest for any single month except October 2005, when freight activity surged due to pent-up demand following Hurricane Katrina.

March load volume rose 23 percent month-over-month and 40 percent year-over-year. March freight volumes were led by a 57 percent increase in freight designated for flatbeds, while dry van freight availability increased 32 percent, and refrigerated (“reefer”) loads were up 26 percent month-over-month.

TransCore’s monthly North American Freight Index measures trucking freight movements on the spot market, reflecting freight availability on both TransCore’s U.S.-based DAT network and its Canadian Loadlink freight matching service.