According to DAT, spot-market freight volumes as reported by its North American Freight Index went up 2.2% in June from May’s posting. But the load-board provider pointed out that that month-over-month increase “fell slightly short of seasonal norms…. While freight volume increased from May to June in eight of the past ten years, the average increase was 10%”.
Freight availability also saw an uptick. It 1.8% in June for both vans and flatbeds, compared to May, but inched up only 0.6% for reefers.
“Compared to the record volume of June 2012, however, freight availability declined 9.5%,” DAT advised. “Volume dropped 9.5% for vans and 6.8% for flatbeds, but reefer load availability rose 3.9%, year over year.”
Spot-market rates climbed 4.5 % for vans in June, compared to May, while flatbed rates edged up 0.6% and reefer rates jumped 6.0%.
According to DAT, on a year-over-year basis, van rates fell 2.1% and flatbeds dropped 8.3% “from the extremely high pricing levels of June 2012 in that segment. Reefer rates ticked up just 0.6% in June, compared to a year ago.
The company noted that additional trend information and analysis is available online at DAT Trendlines or on the DAT blog. DAT said rates are derived from its RateView, which is based on $18 billion of actual transactions paid by brokers, 3PLs and shippers to carriers. Reference rates are for linehaul only, excluding fuel surcharges, which DAt said were unchanged in June on a month-over-month basis, but declined 2.0 % compared to June 2012.
The monthly DAT North American Freight Index reflects spot market freight availability on the TransCore DAT network of load boards in the United States and Canada.
