The rise in linehaul rates leveled off a bit during January, according to the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, but nevertheless hit their highest point since the January 2005 date where the Cass Index data begins.

Cass, which puts together its index from data it compiles as the nation's largest payer of freight bills, says the January Index was up just slightly from December at 109.4. On a year-over-year basis, the growth rate was 8% vs. 8.6% from December. "We believe this data reaffirms that capacity remains tight," says the report.

Meanwhile, Cass reports, intermodal rates continue to be stable. For January, the Cass Intermodal Linehaul Index registered a value of 100.4, which was down from December's 101.2. On a year-over-year basis, January costs were down 0.3%, compared to December's increase of 1.9%.

"We believe that moderation in diesel prices, along with more containers coming on line and aggressive pricing by carriers focused on ramping up their intermodal businesses are keeping pricing grounded," Cass predicts.

With regulations in the truckload market raising driver standards and tightening capacity, more and more truckload companies are trying to grow their intermodal service offering to supplement their overall ability to handle volume.