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📡 Freight Market Intelligence

📊 Carrier Cost Pressure Index

Compare how fast your operating costs are rising against how fast your freight rates are moving. This is a self-computed pressure score based only on the numbers you enter — not an official market index.

Diesel — prior and current price
Diesel is displayed as a reference figure and does not feed into the aggregate cost calculation. To include fuel cost in the aggregate, enter it as a monthly dollar amount in the Other Operating Cost field below.
Monthly Operating Costs — prior and current
Enter at least one complete cost pair. Leave unused categories blank. Dollar-weighted aggregate change is computed from the categories you enter.
Freight Rate — prior and current
Labels — optional
e.g., Jan 2026 or Q4 2025
e.g., Feb 2026 or Q1 2026
Aggregate Cost Change
Freight Rate Change
Cost Pressure Spread
Diesel Change
Break-Even Rate Pressure Estimate
Category Breakdown
Category Prior ($) Current ($) Change ($) Change (%)
Disclaimer This tool uses cost and rate values you enter manually. The Carrier Cost Pressure Index shown here is self-computed from your inputs and is not an official market index, published benchmark, forecast, or rate recommendation. Results are for educational and planning illustration only and are not financial, business, tax, or legal advice. QuicklyFig has no affiliation with any data provider or market index publisher. Verify your own costs and consult a qualified advisor before making business decisions.
How the Carrier Cost Pressure Index Works

The Carrier Cost Pressure Index (CCPI) computes a cost pressure spread: the difference between how much your aggregate operating costs changed (as a percentage) and how much your average freight rate changed (as a percentage). A positive spread means costs are rising faster than rates; a negative spread means rates are rising faster than costs.

Aggregate Cost % Change

The tool adds up all monthly cost categories you enter (insurance, maintenance/repair, equipment/financing, and other operating costs) for both the prior and current period. It then computes dollar-weighted aggregate percent change: (sum of current monthly costs − sum of prior monthly costs) ÷ sum of prior monthly costs × 100. This produces a single percentage representing how much your total monthly cost base shifted, weighted by the actual dollar size of each category.

Freight Rate % Change

Computed as: (current average rate − prior average rate) ÷ prior average rate × 100. This is based solely on the $/mile values you enter.

Cost Pressure Spread

Aggregate cost change % minus freight rate change %. If your costs rose 8% and your rate rose 3%, the spread is +5 percentage points — meaning costs outpaced rates by 5 points based on your entered figures.

Diesel Change

Shown separately for reference because diesel is a unit-price input ($/gal), not a monthly dollar cost. Diesel percent change is computed from the two price values you enter. It is displayed for context only and does not feed into the aggregate cost calculation — that calculation uses only the monthly dollar cost fields. If you want diesel's impact reflected in the aggregate, enter it as a monthly fuel cost in the Other Operating Cost field.

Break-Even Rate Pressure Estimate

This is an illustrative figure showing what rate per mile would need to move by if it were to fully absorb the aggregate cost change you entered. Computed as: current rate × aggregate cost change % ÷ 100. For example, if your current rate is $2.50/mile and costs rose 8%, the illustrative move is $0.20/mile. This is labeled "illustrative only" because it is a simple proportional computation — it does not account for load density, fixed vs. variable cost split, utilization, or any other operating factor. It is not a rate recommendation.

Band Thresholds

RELIEVING (spread ≤ −2): Cost growth is running behind rate growth based on entered figures.

NEUTRAL (spread > −2 and < 2): Costs and rates moving roughly in line based on entered figures.

BUILDING (spread ≥ 2 and < 6): Costs rising faster than rates based on entered figures.

CRITICAL (spread ≥ 6): Costs rising materially faster than rates based on entered figures. These band labels are descriptive only and are not a directive or recommendation of any kind.

Data Sources

This tool uses cost and rate values you enter manually — no external data is embedded. For diesel price reference, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes weekly on-highway diesel prices at eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/. For freight rate context, TL and LTL Producer Price Index data is available free from the Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED: PCU484121484121 (TL PPI) and PCU484122484122 (LTL PPI).

Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't diesel feed into the aggregate cost calculation?
Diesel is entered as a price per gallon ($/gal), while the other cost categories are entered as monthly dollar amounts ($). Mixing a unit price with dollar totals would produce a distorted aggregate. The tool keeps them separate: diesel shows you the directional price move, while the monthly cost fields drive the aggregate calculation. If you want diesel's impact reflected in the aggregate, enter your monthly fuel spend as a dollar amount in the Other Operating Cost field.
What if I only want to enter some cost categories?
Leave unused fields blank. The aggregate cost calculation uses only the categories where you have entered both a prior and current value. Categories with one blank entry are excluded from the aggregate — the tool will show an error if you enter only one side of a pair. You need at least one complete monthly cost pair (both prior and current) plus both rate values to run the calculation.
Is this an official market index?
No. The Carrier Cost Pressure Index shown here is self-computed from the values you enter and is not an official market index, published benchmark, or data product from any industry organization or research firm. QuicklyFig has no affiliation with any data provider or market index publisher. The output reflects only your entered numbers — nothing else.
What does the CRITICAL band mean — do I need to take action?
CRITICAL is a descriptive label only. It indicates that, based on the figures you entered, costs are rising materially faster than rates. It is not a directive, recommendation, or alert. The tool does not advise you on what to do with this information. Business decisions based on cost and rate data require your own judgment and, where appropriate, advice from a qualified professional.
Does this tool store my entered values?
No. Values you enter are used only for the current calculation in your browser session. Nothing is stored in localStorage, sessionStorage, or any database. No entered values are sent to any server or analytics system. Refreshing the page clears all inputs.
How is this different from the other Freight Market Intelligence tools?
The Freight Market Conditions Interpreter takes public market indicators (Cass Shipments, TL/LTL PPI, diesel trend) and produces a market-conditions read. The Freight Rate Trend Tracker focuses on PPI index movement between two periods. This tool is different: it uses cost and rate values from your own operation to measure whether your specific cost base is outpacing the rates you're moving at. It is a self-assessment tool, not a market-read tool.
Required Disclaimer This tool uses cost and rate values you enter manually. The Carrier Cost Pressure Index shown here is self-computed from your inputs and is not an official market index, published benchmark, forecast, or rate recommendation. Results are for educational and planning illustration only and are not financial, business, tax, or legal advice. QuicklyFig has no affiliation with any data provider or market index publisher. Verify your own costs and consult a qualified advisor before making business decisions.