Sep 2026 value · Next print expected around Nov 2026 · Source: BLS
Price history
Sep 2026 · latest272.401+16.1%since Sep 2021
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Month
Value
Change m/m
Sep 2026
+0.0%
Aug 2026
+0.0%
Jul 2026
−0.0%
Jun 2026
+0.2%
May 2026
+0.7%
Apr 2026
+0.5%
Mar 2026
−0.0%
Feb 2026
−0.0%
Jan 2026
−0.2%
Dec 2025
+0.1%
Nov 2025
+0.1%
Oct 2025
−0.1%
Sep 2025
+0.2%
Same numbers as the chart, straight from BLS. Dates are the first of each period, the way BLS reports them.
How it's built
Line-haul rail rose 1.3% over the last 12 months, but all of its main inputs rose faster: no. 2 diesel fuel +115.2%. That cost pressure may still pass through to prices.
From Jan 2017 to Sep 2026 the index went from 199.8 to 272.4, a change of +36.3%.
Highest reading in that period: 272.4 in Sep 2026. Lowest: 199.8 in Jan 2017.
Largest one-month rise: +2.6% in Apr 2022. Largest one-month fall: -1.3% in Feb 2024.
The year-over-year change stayed within 10% either way in each of the last 36 months, so a 10% annual cap or floor would not have been reached.
Use it in a contract
Draft clause citing this series
A starting point citing this series by name and code. Replace the bracketed terms with your contract's actual scope before use.
The [affected portion] of the Contract Price shall be adjusted using US PPI — Line-Haul Railroads (BLS series PCU482111482111), published by BLS.
Base Period: the index value published for September 2026 (or the month of contract signing, if different) is the Base Value.
Adjustment: at each Adjustment Date, the Current Value is the most recently published three-month average of the index (the Averaging Window). The Escalation Factor equals Current Value divided by Base Value.
Cap: the Escalation Factor applied under this clause shall not exceed 1.10 or fall below 0.90 (a 10% cap and floor) in any single Adjustment Date, regardless of the index's actual movement.
[Replace bracketed terms with your contract's actual affected-portion definition and adjustment-date schedule before use. This is a drafting starting point, not legal advice.]
The standard index for rail freight service broadly. Use the intermodal cut of this same series instead when the contract specifically covers container-on-rail movement.
Match the trucking PPI to the actual move. Local drayage uses PCU484110484110, long-distance full truckload uses PCU484121484121, less-than-truckload uses PCU484122484122. Add a diesel fuel index for the surcharge, since fuel and linehaul rates move on different schedules.
Let Escalake run this clause for you
Escalake tracks US PPI — Line-Haul Railroads, applies your formula, and gives both sides a number they can confirm, no spreadsheet required.