(Austin, TX – September 9, 2008) Austin-based uShip today released August 2008 figures from the Transportation Price Index (TPI), found atwww.transportationpriceindex.com, which dropped 13% overall to $2.41 from July 2008. This month’s decline puts the TPI well below its August 2007 level of $2.58, a drop of 6.59%. The TPI is released on a monthly basis and was designed by uShip to track important data related to transportation costs. This innovative measure uses proprietary, transactional information from the uShip marketplace to provide aggregate and categorical pricing figures expressed in US dollars per ton-mile.
After declining slightly during the past two months, the price of diesel fuel dropped 10.32% in August 2008 to $4.17, though it still remains well above its August 2007 level of $2.85. This, the largest monthly decrease in diesel fuel prices in the past year, produced the largest monthly decrease in the TPI for the past year, as well. The TPI had risen sharply over the previous two months from $2.17 in May to $2.77 in July.
According to uShip CEO Matt Chasen, “The steady increase in diesel fuel costs over the past year has really been pressing transportation professionals to increase prices to keep their businesses profitable.” Chasen is optimistic that the August decrease in diesel fuel prices is a sign of good things to come. “This is the most significant drop in diesel fuel prices we have seen in quite a while, and it has come as a relief to those in the transportation industry who have been hit hardest by skyrocketing fuel costs.”
Examining other major categories that factor into the TPI calculations, the price of transporting vehicles decreased for the second straight month, falling 6.38% to $0.44. This follows an uncharacteristically large rise in the price of vehicle transportation from May to June 2008. The household goods and motorcycles categories dropped 4.22% and 5.26%, respectively in August, while the price of transporting boats remained constant at $0.70.
The major categories that factor into the TPI remain well above August 2007 levels, with boats and freight showing the largest increases of 29.63% and 27.59%, respectively. Freight transportation prices have been notably volatile over the course of the past six months and showed an increase of 34.55% to $0.74 from July to August 2008.
For more information about the TPI and its methodology, please visit www.transportationpriceindex.com. To request an interview with Mr. Chasen, please contact Mickey Millsap at 800-698-7447 ext 102. You may also e-mail him at [email protected]. High resolution images are available upon request.
About uShip
Founded in 2003, uShip is the first and largest online marketplace for shipping services. Members list anything they need shipped, from household goods to vehicles to freight, and receive bids from thousands of feedback-rated service providers, including movers, carriers, transporters, van lines, freight brokers and independent service providers. On any given day, there are thousands of shipments listed on uShip representing millions of dollars of business. It’s totally free for members to list shipments and for service providers to place bids. uShip’s reverse-auction format and patent-pending search technology dramatically reduce shipping costs by allowing service providers to find shipments along their routes and fill empty cargo space. uShip’s feedback system holds service providers accountable for their service and rewards those that perform well. Please visit www.uship.com for more information.
