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Trucking price index by segment: rate review helper
BLS tracks what trucking companies charge, by segment. This page lines up five segments since 2019, shows which have risen most and lets you compare the change in your own rate per mile with the index change from the month your rate was set.
Monthly seriesBLS Producer Price Index, five trucking segments, not seasonally adjustedData through Aug 2026 (92 months in this snapshot)Retrieved Oct 10, 2026, 06:59 UTCretrieved Oct 10, 2026
Read this first
The index tracks price changes reported by trucking companies for a standard service. It is an industry average, not your lane, not a spot rate and not a promise. The latest months are preliminary. Whether your customer owes you an adjustment depends on your contract.
Five segments, one scale
Each line is indexed to 100 in Jan 2019 so that segments with different base values can be compared.
- General freight trucking, long-distance truckload
- General freight trucking, long-distance less-than-truckload
- General freight trucking, local
- Specialized freight trucking, long-distance
- Specialized freight trucking, local
Index, Jan 2019 = 100.
Compare your rate with the index
Pick the segment and the month your rate was set, then enter the rate you had and the rate you have now.
Pre-filled values are Example data. Replace them with your own.
Index change since the month you picked
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- Index then
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- Index now
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- Your rate, change
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- Gap
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- Rate that followed the index
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- Difference over a year
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Pick a segment.
Formula: index change = latest index / index in the month you picked, minus 1. Rate that followed the index = your old rate x (1 + index change). Difference = that rate minus your rate now, times your paid miles. Integer cents, rounded once. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Every segment, side by side
Click a column heading to sort. Index values are rounded to a tenth. Changes are between the latest month and the month named.
| Segment | Latest index | 3 months | 12 months | 3 years | Since Jan 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking, long-distance truckload | 207.6 | +2.0% | +13.9% | +19.8% | +48.4% |
| General freight trucking, long-distance less-than-truckload | 306.8 | -1.7% | +14.3% | +27.4% | +62.8% |
| General freight trucking, local | 198.6 | +0.3% | +10.5% | +19.5% | +36.3% |
| Specialized freight trucking, long-distance | 166.2 | -3.9% | +8.0% | +2.7% | +29.0% |
| Specialized freight trucking, local | 189.8 | -0.3% | +1.7% | +5.4% | +34.8% |
Source: BLS Producer Price Index, retrieved Oct 10, 2026, latest month Aug 2026. The latest 4 months are preliminary. Not seasonally adjusted.
What it means for your fleet
- Pick the segment that matches your freight. Truckload, less-than-truckload, local and specialized work have moved differently since Jan 2019.
- Compare from the month the rate was set. Use the date on the rate confirmation or contract, not today.
- Cite it as a reference. A change of a few percent in the index is a fact you can show. It does not oblige anyone to pay it.
- Look at your costs too. If your costs rose faster than the index, the cost-line escalator shows which lines moved.
- Remember it is preliminary. The newest months can be revised for a few months.
Questions
What is the producer price index for trucking?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics asks trucking companies what they charge for a defined service and tracks how those prices change. Each segment is a separate series. The index value has no dollar meaning on its own: only the percent change between two months matters.
Which segment fits my fleet?
Long-distance truckload covers dry van and reefer over-the-road freight, local general freight covers short-haul and drayage-type work, and specialized freight covers flatbed, tank and other equipment-specific work. Pick the closest one. None of them is a lane rate.
Can I use the index to ask for a rate increase?
It is a reasonable reference to cite, and many contracts reference an index. It is not a rule. Your lane, your customer and the market in your region can differ from the national average. The helper shows the gap, and you decide what to ask.
Why are the latest months marked preliminary?
BLS publishes the first estimate and revises it for four months. In this snapshot the latest 4 months (May 2026 to Aug 2026) are preliminary, so the 3-month column in particular can change.
How current is it?
The snapshot was retrieved Oct 10, 2026 and runs through Aug 2026. The index is not seasonally adjusted.
Related guides and tools
- Cost-line escalator: rate review with cost indexes
- Freight cost indices: truckload prices since 2021
- Trucking jobs, pay and prices: wages, jobs and freight prices
- Freight volume index: volume, not price
- Cost per mile: your own cost per mile
- Intelligence hub: all open-data pages
See what your last 20 loads show.
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