DAT: Spot TL van, reefer rates stay near peak levels

National average spot truckload rates: 

• Van: $2.06/mile, down 1 cent compared to the previous week
• Flatbed: $2.30/mile, up 1 cent
• Reefer: $2.37/mile, unchanged

The number of posted van loads was up 1% after a 7% jump last week. The number of available trucks increased 8%, which led the van load-to-truck ratio downward from 6.3 to 5.9 van loads per truck. The van load-to-truck ratio is still twice as high as the same period a year ago.

Spot van rates moderated or remain elevated in key markets across the country compared to the previous week:

•  Los Angeles, $2.58/mile, up 9 cents
• Chicago, $3.33/mile, unchanged after jumping 14 cents the previous week
• Memphis, $2.32/mile, up 1 cent
• Atlanta, $2.21/mile, down 3 cents
• Dallas, $1.76/mile, down 3 cents
• Houston, $1.70/mile, unchanged

One harbinger of that west-to-east freight flow: the average Los Angeles-Chicago spot rate climbed 11 cents to $1.81/mile—not exceptionally high, but still strong rate considering that this is a busy and competitive intermodal lane.

In the spot reefer market, the number of load posts increased 4% to build on an 18% jump the previous week. The reefer load-to-truck ratio dipped slightly from 11.8 to 11.5 loads per truck as available capacity was up 7%.

Pricing in several stalwart reefer markets was strong—McAllen, Texas, added 4 cents to $2.00/mile and Green Bay was up 15 cents to $3.84/mile—rates elsewhere cooled. The average outbound rate from Chicago retreated 5 cents to $3.26/mile after a 14-cent pickup the previous week; Elizabeth, N.J., fell 22 cents to $1.98/mile; and Lakeland, Fla., decreased 4 cents to $1.26/mile.

After hitting 50.2 loads per truck at the end of September, the ratio is easing off: last week flatbed load posts declined 9% and truck posts increased 7% to push the load-to-truck ratio down 15% to 29.0. That’s still high for the season.

All reported spot rates include fuel surcharges. The national average price of on-highway diesel added 4 cents to $2.92/gallon.

Rates are derived from DAT RateView, which provides real-time reports on prevailing spot market and contract rates, as well as historical rate and capacity trends. RateView's comprehensive database is comprised of more than $33 billion in freight bills in over 65,000 lanes. For the latest spot market load availability and rate information, visit dat.com/industry-trends/trendlines and join the conversation on Twitter with @LoadBoards.