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Diesel slips 6 cents to $6.292, with every region lower Port of Los Angeles posts busiest month in its history as imports climb Shippers paid 32.1% more to move freight in Q3 on just 0.5% more volume, U.S. Bank index shows Vincent Thomas Bridge set to close for 16 months: What port truckers need to know Dry van spot rates climb to $2.23 a mile as load-to-truck ratio nears 11 ISM: U.S. factory growth speeds up in October, with production at its fastest since 2021 Section 232 on robotics and industrial machinery: talks first, no new tariffs yet Canadian freight rail prices up 14.1% from a year ago in October, intermodal up 18.5%BMO closes truck finance sale to Stonepeak; C$11 billion of loans move to new Longview Capital Solutions New proclamation drops 22 Canadian product lines from the 50% duty and adds 100 more Schneider moves its main eastern intermodal business to Norfolk Southern RXO pushes spot mix to 51% and posts its biggest jump in gross profit per load in four yearsDiesel slips 6 cents to $6.292, with every region lower Port of Los Angeles posts busiest month in its history as imports climb Shippers paid 32.1% more to move freight in Q3 on just 0.5% more volume, U.S. Bank index shows Vincent Thomas Bridge set to close for 16 months: What port truckers need to know Dry van spot rates climb to $2.23 a mile as load-to-truck ratio nears 11 ISM: U.S. factory growth speeds up in October, with production at its fastest since 2021 Section 232 on robotics and industrial machinery: talks first, no new tariffs yet Canadian freight rail prices up 14.1% from a year ago in October, intermodal up 18.5%BMO closes truck finance sale to Stonepeak; C$11 billion of loans move to new Longview Capital Solutions New proclamation drops 22 Canadian product lines from the 50% duty and adds 100 more Schneider moves its main eastern intermodal business to Norfolk Southern RXO pushes spot mix to 51% and posts its biggest jump in gross profit per load in four years

TransportNewsCA · US · MX corridorFreight markets and cross-border tradeWednesday, November 4, 2026

Canadian freight rail prices up 14.1% from a year ago in October, intermodal up 18.5%

Statistics Canada's Freight Rail Services Price Index rose 2.6% from September to 148.5. Every reported commodity group gained on the month.

By Arjun · November 1, 2026

CN intermodal containers stacked on rail cars next to a parking lot. — Photo: Dan from PQ, Canada / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Freight rail prices in Canada kept climbing in October.

The Freight Rail Services Price Index from Statistics Canada, released Oct. 30, rose to 148.5 in October (2018=100). That is up 2.6% from September's 144.7 and up 14.1% from 130.2 in October 2025.

The index had also jumped in September, rising 3.2% from 140.2 in August.

By commodity group

| Group | Oct. 2026 | Change from Sept. | Change from Oct. 2025 | |---|---|---|---| | All freight rail services | 148.5 | +2.6% | +14.1% | | Intermodal | 157.5 | +1.7% | +18.5% | | Forest products | 152.7 | +3.5% | +12.5% | | Grain and fertilizer | 141.8 | +3.5% | +11.1% | | Metals and minerals | 154.9 | +2.4% | +10.7% | | Petroleum and chemicals | 146.6 | +2.2% | +15.6% |

Statistics Canada does not publish separate figures for automotive and coal.

What it means for truckers

Intermodal is the group that competes most directly with trucks, and it has the highest index level and the biggest year-over-year gain. Intermodal prices are up 18.5% from a year earlier.

Rising intermodal prices narrow rail's cost edge over trucks on long-haul lanes, which can make truckload service more competitive for some shippers. The index measures prices, not volumes, so it does not show whether freight is actually shifting.

How the numbers were calculated

Percent changes in this story were calculated from the index levels in Statistics Canada's table and rounded to one decimal place.

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