Dry van and refrigerated spot rates drop sharply as flatbed demand surges post-holiday

Last week, refrigerated and dry van rates fell sharply, according to weekly reports from FTR Transportation Intelligence and DAT Freight & Analytics.

According to FTR, however, flatbed rates increased slightly. The firm noted that “flatbed spot rates increased modestly—similar to post-holiday performance in recent years—and were at their highest level since July. Spot load volume surged following the New Year’s Day holiday.”

Here is how rates and volumes changed across the three major spot market equipment types:

Dry van rates and volumes

According to FTR: Spot rates fell almost 7 cents last week. Year over year, rates are up around 5%. Dry van loads increased 79.2%.

According to DAT: National linehaul spot rates dropped 2 cents per mile last week, averaging $2.04 per mile. 

Refrigerated rates and volumes

According to FTR: Spot rates dropped almost 19 cents last week. Rates were almost 10% higher than last year. Refrigerated loads rose 13.7%.

According to DAT: The national seven-day rolling average for spot rates dropped 4 cents per mile week over week, reaching $2.53. 

Flatbed rates and volumes

According to FTR: Spot rates rose almost 3 cents last week. Year over year, rates were up 7%. Flatbed loads rose 150.6%.

According to DAT: National linehaul spot rates were unchanged week over week, averaging $2.18 per mile.